Book Description

This guide to sustainable design of low-rise domestic buildings presents BRE’s expertise on the performance of building materials and fabric in a single compact volume.

It gives building professionals the starting points for selection and specification of structural elements, materials and finishes. All aspects of building design are covered: site investigation and preparation, foundations, walls, windows and doors, roofs, floors and ceilings, basements, building services plus much more.

Fully in line with UK regulations and standards, the guide is based on key sustainable design requirements, in particular, how to achieve a long life, limit maintenance requirements, reduce defects and design for the future.

Designing quality buildings brings together the expertise of BRE’s most experienced architects, engineers, surveyors and scientists and is based on a thorough understanding of the physical, chemical and environmental characteristics of building materials and fabric.
360pp, 173 line drawings, 78 photos.

Contents
Foreword, Sir Neville Simms, Chairman BRE Trust
Preface
1 Introduction
2 Site investigation and preparation
- Site investigation
3 Site environment and orientation
4 Foundations and basements
- Foundations
- Basements
5 External walls, windows and doors
- External walls
- Windows
- Doors
6 Floors and ceilings
7 Separating and compartment walls and partitions
- Separating and compartment walls
- Partitions
8 Roofs
9 Building services
10 External works
11 Modern methods of construction
12 Access to buildings
13 References and further reading
Annex A How to write a performance specification
Annex B BREEAM assessment of acoustic criteria
Index

Other publications that may also be of interest
BRE Building Elements: Walls, windows and doors - Performance, diagnosis, maintenance, repair and avoidance of defects
BRE Building Elements: Roofs and roofing: Performance, diagnosis, maintenance, repair and the avoidance of defects - Third Edition
BRE Building Elements: Foundations, basements and external works
BRE Building Elements: Building services - performance, diagnosis, maintenance, repair and the avoidance of defects
BRE Building Elements: Floors and flooring - performance, diagnosis, maintenance, repair and the avoidance of defects.