BRE Group e-newsletter, Sep..

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Issue 57, September 2010 Jean-Yves Welcome to your September 2010 E-newsletter of events, news, publications and recruitment opportunities in the built environment sector.

Jump to: news | events | publications

Improving energy efficiency in existing housing The Energy Technologies Institute has launched a £3 million building retrofit project aiming to develop strategies to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s existing housing stock. The project, The Energy Zone Consortium, will involve BRE, EDF Energy, Peabody, PRP Architects, Total Flow, UCL and Wates. It also aims to identify the key skills required of the workforce, as well as the optimum material distribution networks to supply them with what is required and when. More ...

Give your views on building refurbishment The National Refurbishment Centre is an independent private-public partnership that will act as a catalyst for UK building refurbishment, and provide its members with reliable and impartial information on refurbishment best practices. The Centre is carrying out a consultation on how it can be shaped to best meet the needs of industry. Give your view by completing a simple questionnaire (and be entered into a draw for ÂŁ1000 of M&S vouchers). More ...

BRE is a key partner in the ÂŁ3m ETI building retrofit project to improve energy efficiency of the UK housing stock More

Low carbon Expert Support Service for Scottish innovators Scottish Enterprise has launched an Expert Support Service for SMEs that are developing low carbon built environment products and services.

Workshops explaining the Service and the support available will take place in Glasgow on 12 October and Edinburgh on 3 November. Companies already developing products can pitch them to the experts in a ‘dragon’s den’ format during the workshops. Alternatively, a technical surgery will be held at BRE Scotland on 22 September, at which SME’s can discuss their innovations with experts, to develop business cases for submission to

The National Refurbishment

Scottish Enterprise. Further workshops and surgeries are planned. More ...

Innovation towards sustainable materials A conference in London on 10–11 November aims to demonstrate the key role that materials have to play in a more sustainable world. It will address the challenges this presents and the huge potential opportunities, both in business terms and in technology development, which will require the materials industries and the associated professional bodies to re-think their role and set out new strategies. More ...

Centre is carrying out a consultation: Give your input through a simple questionnaire

Building4change.com – one year on Building4change has been live for a year and is establishing itself as essential reading for sustainability professionals. User numbers have climbed steadily and the site is about to break the 50,000 page views a month threshold. Organisations such as Kevin McCloud’s development firm Hab Oakus and the Chartered Institute of Marketing Construction Industry Group are linking to the site through their websites, and Building4change is gathering followers on Twitter. More ...

Energy regulations in Scotland become more challenging Section 6 of the Scottish Building Regulations, covering energy, has been revised and will come into force on 1 October. The supporting Approved Documents and Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP 2009) have been changed to reflect this. As the revisions will make compliance more challenging, BRE Training has developed new courses to explain the changes, and familiarise those attending with the new SAP and SBEM versions. These courses are specifically aimed at the requirements for domestic and non-domestic buildings.

IOM3 conference aims to demonstrate the key role that materials have to play in a more sustainable world.

More...

Consumers give their view on sustainable homes BRE’s Social Research Team surveyed almost 300 consumers at the INSITE09 event last year, and collected feedback on the low carbon houses exhibited on the BRE Innovation Park. The survey explored drivers and barriers to investment, and how much different groups of consumers would expect to pay for low and zero carbon houses. These findings have been published in a BRE Information Paper – Consumer feedback on low carbon housing (ref IP 14/10) – click here for more information. For more about BRE’s social research services click here.

Help! My house is falling down BRE was commissioned by Red House TV to create a number of scenarios in support of the recent Channel 4 series presented by Sarah Beeny, ‘Help! My house is falling down’. They were designed to demonstrate to the home owners featured, the risks they faced if repairs and remedial work were not carried out. More ...

Building4change has been live for a year and is establishing itself as essential reading for sustainability professionals.

Building Performance Evaluation call The second tranche of the Technology Strategy Board's Building Performance Evaluation call is open for entries. The MBE KTN is supporting a workshop and surgery session as part of this on 22 September in Manchester.

Other forthcoming KTN activities include: Building on Composites Knowledge at Composites Engineering 2010 on 30 September Drivers for Change in the Built Environment at Innovate10 on 12 October 2010 Sustainable buildings best practice in the Northwest

BRE’s Social Research Team

A free-to-attend conference in Manchester on 23 September will present ten construction projects in the Northwest region that have delivered environmental, economic and/or social sustainability. It will highlight both the achievements and the difficulties they had to overcome. This Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWRDA) event will also present the revised NWDA Sustainable Buildings Policy. To attend tel: 0161 295 5076 or email hannah.kavanagh@ccinw.com

surveyed consumers last year to collect their feedback on low carbon housing for a new report

Part L 2010 explained A series of half-day seminars is providing a detailed overview of the new Part L requirements - which come into effect from October 2010 - as they apply to buildings other than dwellings. It will give those attending the opportunity to hear first-hand from the technical experts, exactly how these changes will affect them, and the buildings they design, build and own. The events are on 24 September in Manchester, 27 October in Port Talbot, and 28 October in North Wales.

Free deconstruction workshop A free workshop on deconstruction – the selective dismantling of building components, specifically for reuse and recycling – is being held in London on 29 September. BuildOffsite has teamed up with the MBE KTN to deliver the workshop, which will focus on the opportunities and potential requirements for buildings to be designed and constructed to be more readily deconstructed and recycled. More ...

BRE is a supporting partner for Energy Solutions Expo in London, 6-7 October More

Working with low impact construction materials A seminar designed to give a pragmatic introduction to working with low impact building materials, drawing on the practical knowledge of those who have already done so, is being held on 29 September at the University of Bath. The barriers and benefits of using materials such unfired clay blocks, hempcrete, straw, cross laminated timber and natural fibre insulation will be covered. More ...

Energy management A two-day energy management course at BRE Watford on 27-28 September, will provide delegates with the technical skills to identify the significant areas of energy consumption in their buildings, and how to make savings – More. A second course, ‘Energy Management in accordance with BS EN 16001:2009’ on 29-30 September, will help those responsible for managing energy to integrate BS EN 16001 and create and implement an organisation-wide energy management plan. More ...

Practical fire safety training course A training course at BRE Watford on 12 October will cover the principles of fire safety, fire safety legislation, and when and how to use a fire extinguisher appropriately – and will provide an opportunity for some hands on fire extinguisher training. More ...

Network with and learn from the UK's most go-ahead manufacturers, architects, designers and developers by joining the BRE Innovation Park membership scheme.

Details

Construction, Refurbishment and Demolition Waste Awareness Event As part of the North West Construction Knowledge Hub (NWCKH), BRE is delivering a half day construction, refurbishment and demolition waste event at CUBE in Manchester on 13 October. The event will focus on raising awareness of regulatory requirements relating to the management and handling of waste, Duty of Care and Environmental Permitting and requirements for BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes. It will also look at Government sustainability targets and how the built environment responded to these. For further details contact Warren Pope at popew@bre.co.uk.

Making money – solar power on buildings This new BRE Trust

A conference at BRE Watford on 20 October will examine the economics of building integrated photovoltaics, the available technologies, and their financial, architectural and certification aspects. Delegates will gain an understanding of the developments in Europe and their relevance to the UK, hearing from acknowledged experts in European organisations, as well as major UK installers and suppliers. More ...

Flood resilient planning and building

publication reviews international research evidence that environmental design of schools has a positive effect on teaching and learning Buy it now...

A two-day training course at BRE Watford on 20-21 October addresses the main issues for flood resilient planning and building. It will provide guidance on legislation, planning requirements, building standards, new build issues and the repair of existing buildings to increase resilience. The course is aimed at construction professionals, consulting engineers, regulators, insurers and local authorities. More ...

Locharbriggs quarry tour For information on Stancliffe Stone’s lunch presentations, ‘Identifying and sourcing indigenous building stones in Scotland’, following a tour around Locharbriggs quarry and masonry processing works – the oldest, largest and one of the few working red sandstone quarries in Scotland – contact Beverley Hill, tel: 01629 653017 or email: bhill@stancliffe.com Identifying and surveying domestic modern methods of construction Homes of modular and non-traditional construction are increasingly being built to meet housing demands and low and zero carbon targets. A new course for surveyors and other property professionals will help them to identify various modern construction methods, and provide guidance on common problems that can be associated with these methods. The course is on 25 October at BRE Watford and includes a tour of the BRE Innovation Park. More ...

Information Paper (IP 15/10) outlines the advantages of LED lighting and explains the parameters that need to be specified for installations.

Details...

Wool – the natural fibre for a man-made world A conference on 9 November at BRE Watford, will raise awareness of the opportunities and advantages to using wool in construction, showcasing its benefits as a renewable and natural material in a wide range of applications.

More ...

Sustainable Construction iNet events for the East Midlands The Sustainable Construction iNet will be running a series of events for East Midland organisations throughout 2010-11, on various key construction and sustainability 'hot topics'. More ...

Health and productivity benefits of sustainable schools A new publication (ref FB23) reviews international research evidence that the environmental design of schools has a positive effect on teaching and learning. ‘Green’ schools should provide healthier and more productive environments because many of the features of green buildings are known to contribute to health and well-being. This publication explores the potential benefits of thermally comfortable school spaces, access to fresh air, daylight and views out, acoustics conditions which support teaching and learning, and the size and layout of teaching spaces. More ...

Online CPD seminars from BRE that you can learn from at any time: take a look now...

Specifying LED lighting A new Information Paper (ref IP 15/10) outlines the advantages of LED lighting and explains the parameters that need to be specified for LED installations. These include the amount and direction of the output light, glare, lifetime and colour quality. This publication is aimed at building owners and facilities managers, interior designers, electrical installers and

services engineers. More...

BRE Bookshop For full details of a vast range of construction and built environment publications visit www.BREBookshop.com

BRE has a range of career opportunities in science, engineering and administrative disciplines. For more information click here.

Find all the latest publications from BRE and other leading built environment publishers at brebookshop.com Follow us on Twitter @BREwatford

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