news from the BRE Group
published: 13/11/2008
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Code Lessons Learnt from the BRE Innovation Park now complete
A new top tips report for housebuilders on delivering dwellings that comply with the Code for Sustainable Homes has now been completed with the publication of the final parts of a four-part BRE Information Paper. Author Christopher Gaze commented, "These papers are not the last word on how the Code will work in practice, but they are the first word and as such they should be great help to those considering the Code for the first time."
The Paper is based on lessons learnt by the first four developers - ecoTECH, Hanson, Kingspan Offsite and Stewart Milne Group - to design to the Code on the BRE Innovation Park. Parts 3 and 4 of the Information Paper detail their experiences with managing water consumption, and with the issues of architecture, construction and material sourcing.
Water consumption
The Code for Sustainable Homes demands mandatory water consumption limits and awards 10% of its credits to water-related issues. To conserve water used in the Innovation Park houses, three basic strategies were combined:
- Minimising water use - for example, fitting aerated showers to increase perceived flow rate without increasing water consumption, kitchen taps that have a water brake at the mid-flow, and white goods that can save water and earn points under the Code.
- Using rainwater - water butts can collect water from the roof and are an easy and effective way of obtaining credits under the Code. When full rainwater harvesting systems are specified all surfaces used to collect rain for harvesting systems need to be colourfast, non-rusting and free draining to prevent possible discolouration of the water, and staining and deterioration of the surface.
- Recycling greywater - as greywater recycling systems need maintenance, communal systems that can be maintained by an outside contractor should be considered, but standalone systems have been used on the Park as well. Greywater can become contaminated - coffee granules turning the water brown is one example occurring in the Innovation Park houses - but this is less likely if it comes only from baths and showers, and not sinks.
Architecture, construction and material sourcing
‘It is easy to assume that the Code for Sustainable Homes is mainly about reducing carbon emissions and conserving water,' says Gaze, ‘but there are also heavily weighted Code credits available in such areas such as ecology, which includes build density, and health and wellbeing (including daylighting).'
For example, kitchens and living areas placed upstairs have better access to daylight, while bedrooms (where daylight is less important) located downstairs are cooler in summer, which can help residents to sleep more comfortably. Rooflights are particularly effective for daylighting, but if too many windows are specified this could impact on the heat loss (and solar gain) of the building fabric.
‘When sourcing materials,' says Gaze, ‘it's worth remembering that many suppliers are still surprised to be asked to produce evidence of their products' environmental credentials, which can make sourcing satisfactory documentary evidence difficult. Chain of custody information should therefore be obtained before placing orders for materials.'
Full details of these of many other issues are given in the Information Paper, Applying the Code for Sustainable Homes on the BRE Innovation Park, Parts 1-4, which is available from http://www.brebookshop.com/. The earlier published Part 1 covers building fabric, while Part 2 give tips on energy sources, overheating and ventilation.
For further information contact Linda McKeown, BRE, tel: 01923 664569, email: mailto:mckeownl@bre.co.uk
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