Archive for ‘Code for Sustainable Homes’
Code for Sustainable Homes – ‘Secured by Design’ and ‘Lifetime Homes’ madness
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Can someone please explain why there are 2.22 points available for ‘Secured by Design Section 2 Compliance’ – what on earth does this have to do with proper sustainable design?
Also – the 4.67pts available for ‘Lifetime Homes Compliance’ is utter madness! Designing homes that people can live in until they are carried out of the suitably wide enough front door in their wicker casket is utter nonsense and frankly unsustainable design.
When first entering the housing market people need smaller affordable houses with minimal bedroom and living space. As they get older and start raising families they need larger houses with more space. As they get older still the vast majority of people want to downsize – you don’t need as many bedrooms as the children leave home, you don’t want the maintenance and bills that come with a larger house and garden.
Finally a definition for ‘Zero Carbon’
Friday, November 27th, 2009
Speaking at the Making Sustainable Development Happen conference on Tuesday, housing minister John Healey said the government would adopt recommendations put forward by the pan-industry body, the Zero Carbon Hub.
This would set a target of 46kWh/m2/year for semi-detached and detached properties and 39kWh/m2/year for all other homes, equating to a 20-25% reduction in carbon emissions compared with current regulations for a gas-heated home.
(from Building magazine 27th November 2009)
Sustainability -v- The Planners
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
Many planning authorities are now getting to grips with the need for Sustainability for new developments and new planning policies are being written almost weekly!
This is a good thing – the problem is though is that in many cases the Policy makers and writers are ill-informed or unqualified to be making the specific requests that are being enshrined in the new Policies.
There are several excellent bench-marking schemes dealing with the sustainability credentials of new buildings that are nationally recognised and accepted, for instance The Code for Sustainable Homes (a mandatory requirement for new houses since May 2008), EcoHomes, BREEAM ratings to name a few.