ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

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ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

• Professor Peter James
• Co-Director
• Higher Education Environmental Performance
  Improvement (HEEPI)
• www.heepi.org.uk

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THE HEEPI PROJECT

• HEFCE-funded 2001-5
• Partnership with AUDE, BRE, EAUC, SCOP
• Aim - develop better and more comparable data on
  HE environmental performance
• Aim - develop the capacity of staff with
  environment-related responsibilities to use this
  data to drive environmental change
• Bottom up, draw on external experience

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KEY TOPICS

• Well insulated, air tight structure
• Efficient, responsive heating and controls
• Appropriate glazing and shading
• Controlled ventilation
• Energy efficient lighting and appliances
• Passive or energy efficient cooling/heating
• Efficient water use
• Renewable energy
• Location and transport impacts

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THE HE RECORD

• Some success- year on year improvements-
  individual buildings and campuses
• Many failures- newer buildings often more energy
  and water intensive
• Can more assessment stimulate improvement?
• If so, how?

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ASSESSING SUSTAINABILITY

• Generic Environmental Methods- BREEAM (Building
  Research Establishment Environmental Assessment
  Method)- Leadership in Energy and Environmental
  Design (LEED) (www.usgbc.org)- SPEAR
  (www.arup.com)- DREAM (www.bdp.co.uk)
• Generic General Methods- Design Quality
  Indicator (www.dqi.org.uk)

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AIMS

• Share experiences of using BREEAM
• Identify opportunities to increase effectiveness
  and/or reduce costs- templates for main building
  types
• Consider alternative methods of assessing the
  sustainability of buildings