news from the BRE Group
published: 9/3/2011
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Welsh Minister Jane Davidson AM, launches Exemplar Programme
Exemplary building projects are being invited to join an initiative that will enable the whole Welsh construction industry to benefit from the country’s most successful building schemes. The Exemplar Programme was launched today by Jane Davidson, the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing.
With funding from the Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network (MBE KTN) and the Wales Low/Zero Carbon Hub, the Exemplar Programme is being conducted by a partnership of BRE Wales and Constructing Excellence Wales.
‘An exemplar is defined as something worthy of being copied that goes beyond normal industry practice,’ says Caroline Weeks of BRE Wales. ‘The idea of this initiative is to identify, in a standardised and quantifiable way, the reasons why certain projects are successful, and then share these with the whole industry.’
Newport City Council’s recent High School is one of the first exemplars to be featured on the project website. Built to replace an underachieving school, the project epitomises what the programme is all about. As well as achieving the highest levels of sustainability, it engaged the local supply chain, the local labour market and created 14 new apprenticeships. Statistics for the first year demonstrate an increased uptake of school places, improved pupil grades and a higher income from the school’s leisure facilities.
Whilst the programme is being rolled out in Wales, projects are being sought from across the UK. Three key areas of sustainability – environmental, economic and social – are being focussed on. The projects selected will each demonstrate successful innovations in one or more of these aspects, while achieving at least satisfactory standards in all other areas to ensure that they are well rounded, and have not sacrificed one aspect to be successful in another. The assessment of exemplar projects includes an interview with key team members at key stages of construction and on completion, to examine how the project has performed against a framework of design and construction aims, and how the successes were achieved. The information obtained will be analysed to identify key ‘cause and effects’ that can be repeated in other schemes. Full details of the exemplars will be made available through a website http://www.exemplar.org.uk/ that all members of the industry can use to help achieve the best outcomes for their own developments.
Notes to the editor
BRE Wales is a multi-disciplinary team providing sustainable building consultancy and research throughout Wales, the South West and beyond. Its main areas of expertise include: Code/BREEAM, PassivHaus, refurbishment, renewable energy and site waste management, thermal modelling and training. BRE Wales is part of the BRE Group of companies owned by registered charity the BRE Trust. The Trust uses the profits made by its companies to fund research and education that advances our knowledge of the built environment, helping build a better world – www.bre.co.uk/wales
MBE KTN is a national knowledge transfer network for the built environment. It aims to stimulate increased innovation and support its effective implementation in the modern built environment.
Constructing Excellence Wales is the umbrella body for the Welsh construction industry, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government. Its remit is to improve the construction process in Wales and ensure the principles of rethinking construction outlined by the Egan and Latham reports become mainstream industry practice.
Wales low/zero carbon hub.The Wales Low/Zero Carbon Hub was created in April 2009 to take forward the work of reducing carbon emissions from the built environment.
For more information contact Linda McKeown, BRE, tel 01923 664569, email mckeownl@bre.co.uk
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