Book Description

Bringing together the practical experience of building innovative new homes on the BRE Innovation Park, this BRE Trust report identifies key practical lessons for developers and housebuilders. The material was first published in 2008 as a 4-part BRE Information Paper and is reproduced here in a new format to bring it to a wider audience. When the Code for Sustainable Homes was published in 2006, four construction companies (ecoTECH, Hanson, Stewart Milne Group and Kingspan Offsite) undertook a challenge to design and build a Code-compliant house on the BRE Innovation Park. The lessons learnt by all parties during the process are significant and they are recounted here for the benefit of all in the construction industry. Building to the Code brings many new challenges, but the buildings on the BRE Innovation Park show that it can be done, albeit with some refinements as volume increases.

Contents:

About the BRE Innovation Park

1 Background

2 Lessons learnt about building fabric
- Strategy
- Insulation of the build elements
- Thermal bridging
- Airtightness
- Lessons learnt

3 Lessons learnt about energy sources, overheating and ventilation
- Strategy (Sources of energy. Generating electricity. Low-energy lighting and SAP. Heating and hot water)
- Thermal comfort and overheating
- Ventilation
- Skills
- Lessons learnt (Energy. Minimising overheating. Mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR). Site management and skills)

4 Lessons learnt about water use, harvesting, recycling and drainage
- Strategy (Minimising water use. Rainwater harvesting. Greywater recycling)
- Design, maintenance and noise
- Lessons learnt (Minimising water use. Rainwater harvesting. Greywater recycling. Design and maintenance)

5 Lessons learnt about architecture, construction and material sourcing
- The architecture of the dwellings
- Sound insulation
- Specification of low-energy-rated items
- External durability
- Secured by Design
- Documentation and construction
- Method of construction
Lessons learnt

6 Further sources of information

40 pages, 1 line drawing, 63 photos

Other publications which may be of interest:
Sustainable developments in Sweden - lessons for Ecotowns
Smart home systems and the Code for Sustainable Homes
Lessons learned from the Barratt Green House: delivering a zero carbon home using innovative concrete systems