Part of the BRE Trust

Protecting People, Property and the Planet

Sustainable building for a green future

Chris Cousins3 December 2013

Overview

– Introduction to BRE

– Context, especially

– Importance of sustainable construction

– Standards and/or regulations? – the housing standards review

– Promoting sustainable design and construction through planning

– BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes

– BREEAM Communities

Protecting People, Property and the Planet

Introduction to BRE

Who we are

About BRE

Image : BRE

BRE Group: Building a Better World Together

Research based consultancy, testing, certification and training

Protecting People, Property and the Planet

Context

Importance of Sustainable Construction

Construction industry and buildings

– Construction and demolition waste alone

represents 35% of total UK waste

– the energy used in constructing,

occupying and operating buildings

represents approximately 50% of

greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.

Low carbon goods and services in the UK

– 6th largest low carbon goods and services market in world

– Worth over £112 billion

– Employs over 900,000 people

Sources: BIS press release, 4 August 2011; UKTI

Low carbon goods and services in UK

– Over 51,000 companies

– Exports £11.3 billion – up 3.9% in 2010/11

– 4,500 new jobs – up 4.3% in 2010/11

– Green Deal alone predicted to trigger £14 billion of

investment to 2022, and support at least 65,000

insulation and construction jobs by 2015

Source: 2011 Annual Energy Statement, DECC 23 November 2011

Export markets for sustainable design and construction– Chinese vice premier and

delegation visit BRE Innovation Park, January 2011

– Signing of agreement for the development of innovation park in Beijing

– Contracts worth £100million to UK firms

CBI view

– Green’ and growth must be compatible. In finding a new growth path for the British economy I am convinced ‘green’ is a central part of it.

Everybody needs to look at de-carbonising their products and services and in that way I think there is great growth potential for Britain.

– John Cridland, Director-General of CBI July 2012

Source: The business case for Green Building, World Green Building Council, 2012

Ministerial support

– “Gone are the days when low-carbon buildings would be nice to have but expensive. We have now shown the smart choice for financial and environmental reasons is to go green...

– “…it not only makes us feel good that we are doing the right thing by the planet but over the last two years the low-carbon goods and services sector has accounted for nearly a third of all growth in the economy and is growing by around five per cent year on year when other sectors are struggling.”

Greg Barker, Minister of State for Climate Change, 10 May 2013

Political commitment?

– “When I became Prime Minister I said I wanted Britain to have the greenest government ever and I am as committed to that today as I was then. But I want to go further.”

– “…my argument today is not just about doing what is right for our planet, but doing what is right for our economy too.”

David Cameron, 4 February 2013

21 November 2013

The Code for Sustainable Homes and Housing Standards Review: report of Environmental Audit Committee, November 2013An example of the debate on standards and/or regulations

The proposals in the Housing Standards Review

“Wind down” the Code for Sustainable Homes

Minimum standards on some issues to be included in Building Regulations

New, limited national standards set – nothing on e.g. materials or ecology

Local planning authorities can specify standards only from national set

Local plans would need to be revised to comply

The Committee’s verdict on the Government’s proposals -summary

– Local choice replaced by lowest common-denominator national

standard

– 2016 zero carbon homes standard has been significantly diluted

– Latest research on rapidly decreasing cost of renewable energy

technology not considered

– Failure to back green growth and innovation by setting standards for

materials

Review – designed to achieve a particular outcome?

– Overall goal of the Housing Standards Review:

– “To significantly rationalise the untenable forest of Codes, Standards,

rules, regulations and guidance that add unnecessary cost and

complexity to the house-building process”

– LGA: “Those terms of reference will take one in a particular direction. If

the terms of reference had been, “How can we build fantastic homes for

the next generation in a way that is viable?”, the outcome might have

looked slightly different”

Implications for local planning

– DCLG’s proposed needs test for local authorities wishing to apply

sustainability standards “risks becoming a lawyers’ charter”.

– Conflict with Coalition Agreement to “return decision-making powers on

housing and planning to local councils”

Duplication, or useful driver of change?

– “the CSH is a flexible means of delivering sustainability in line with local

circumstances and local choice”

– “the CSH can continue to set a mark for Building Regulations to follow”

– “the single-track approach of simply setting standards in Building

Regulations is undesirable, because it would not include a higher

standard to drive incremental improvements and to measure progress”

Environmental Standards

Num

ber o

f bui

ldin

gs

Reg

ulat

ory

min

imum

Minimal

CSH

Aspirational

Leve

l 1Le

vel 2

Leve

l 3

Leve

l 4

Leve

l 5

Leve

l 6

Value of the Code for Sustainable Homes

– “Few seem to disagree that the code for sustainable homes

has played a vital role in driving sustainability issues up the

agenda within house building”

– Not from the EAC report…but from Code for Sustainable Homes Case Studies: Volume 4,

published by DCLG, 20 August 2013 – on the same day as the HSR consultation

Protecting People, Property and the Planet

Encouraging sustainable design and construction through the planning system

National Planning Policy Framework

– “The purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the

achievement of sustainable development.” (NPPF para. 6)

“...to achieve sustainable development, economic, social and

environmental gains should be sought jointly and

simultaneously through the planning system” (NPPF para. 8)

Local Plan is key

– Statutory duties

– Must contribute to

• achievement of sustainable development [S39 2004 Planning

and Compulsory Purchase Act]

• mitigation of and adaptation to climate change [S19 of P&CP

Act, as amended by S182 of 2008 Planning Act]

• achieving good design [S39 of P&CP Act, as amended by S183 of 2008

Planning Act]

NPPF, local choice, and viability– Greg Clark, in response to a

question in the House of Commons as to whether or not “company profits will... be prioritised above high environmental standards”

– “No, they will not be. Nothing that is unsustainable can override that fact by using the viability test. That is for local plan makers and local councillors to determine.”

Hansard, 27 March 2012, column1344

National Framework

– “To support the move to a low carbon future, local planning authorities should...– when setting any local

requirement for a building’s sustainability, do so in a way consistent with the Government’s zero carbon buildings policy and adopt nationally described standards.”

NPPF Paragraph 95 Image: Farrells

Protecting People, Property and the Planet

BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes

BREEAM/CSH Aims

– Design sustainability into the building

– Lower social/environmental/economic impact

– Solutions that last

– Improved energy efficiency, water use, health and wellbeing, materials, longevity, management

– Recognise quality design, procurement and management of the built environment

BREEAM & Code for Sustainable Homes

– Two stage certification process

– Design stage– Post construction

– Minimum standards

BREEAM Principles

– Voluntary, independent assessment and certification

scheme

– Deliver sustainable solutions

– Balanced framework

– Based on sound science

– Deliver value to the occupant

Issue Categories

Management

Energy

Water

Land Use & Ecology

Health & Wellbeing

Transport (BREEAM only)

Materials

Waste

Pollution

Envi

ronm

enta

l Wei

ghtin

g

Cat

egor

y Sc

ores

Scoring

BREEAM built environment assessment schemes

Site selection

Design and planning

Construction & post-

construction

Occupation End of life

Region scale

City scale

Neighbourhood scale

Building scaleNon Domestic

Infrastructure

Communities Communities

Domestic Refurbishment

Domestic

In-Use Demolition

Non Domestic Refurbishment

Protecting People, Property and the Planet

BREEAM Communities

BREEAM Communities: opportunities and costs

cost

opportunity

isolated improvement

integration

deci

sion

-mak

ing

feasibility design construction occupancystages

masterplanning

opportunity

cost

BREEAM Communities is…

– A standard to improve the design of large-scale developments

– An holistic assessment of environmental, social and economic sustainability

– A framework for collaborating on key masterplanning issues

Image: White Architects and PEAB

BREEAM Communities categories

1. Governance

2. Social and economic wellbeing

3. Resources and energy

4. Land use and ecology

5. Transport and movement

Who, what and where?

Use•Mixed-use•Housing•Retail / office•Other

Type of development:•New communities•Regeneration •Urban infill•Urban extensions•Rural or urban

Size of development:•Not prescribed•Depends on impact

Leading the process•Local authorities•Developers•Communities

Integration with the masterplanning process

Step 1ThePrinciple

Step 2TheLayout

Step 3The Details

Images: Farrells

Interim certificate

Final certificate

Strengthen stakeholder management

Typical stakeholder involvement process

Stakeholder involvement process using BREEAM Communities

Increase rating in building assessments

Images: Kanozi Arkitekter

Case study: Castleward, Derby

• 800 residential units

• 34,500 sq f of commercial space

© HTA

• Developer: Compendium Living• Assessor: HTA Architects

Make the planning process easier

“We view the assessment process as cost neutral because it helps smooth out the planning process and demonstrates the high quality we would be seeking to achieve regardless.”

Dave BullockManaging Director

Compendium Living