Seventeen new building developments are to undergo intensive environmental impact assessments, as part of the Building Performance Evaluation programme, managed by the Technology Strategy Board.
The programme provides full funding for the evaluation of the energy and sustainability performance of both domestic and non-domestic new buildings and developments. The 17 studies for which funding has just been agreed will cost over £930,000.
The goal of the studies funded through the programme is to ensure that the construction industry is better placed to understand the performance of a range of different building types, design strategies, construction methods and occupancy patterns, and the relative contribution of various factors to the eventual overall performance of buildings. This understanding will enable the construction industry to meet the government’s target that all new domestic buildings should be carbon neutral by 2016, and new non-domestic buildings by 2019.
The eight domestic studies, which range from single to multi-unit developments, will be led by Crest Nicholson (Chertsey, Surrey, two studies), Connect Housing (Leeds), Gale & Snowden Architects (Bideford, Devon), Glasgow School of Art (Glasgow), Longhurst Group (Boston, Lincs), Oaklee Homes Group (Belfast) and South Western Housing Society (Rooksbridge, Somerset).
The nine non-domestic studies include a community centre, a distillery refurbishment, office buildings, a visitor centre, a university campus building, a supermarket and a manufacturing research facility (the National Composites Centre in Bristol). The studies will be led by AECOM (Bristol), BRE Scotland (Glasgow, two studies), Carmel Building Services (North, Barlborough, Derbyshire), ECD Architects (Glasgow), Fife HARCA (Cardenden, Fife), GRAHAM Construction (Hillsborough, Northern Ireland), Quattro Design Architects (Gloucester) and Whitbread Group (Dunstable, Beds).
