BRE Newsletter - Issue 51

BREEAM Awards 2010 presented at Ecobuild

Sixteen of the UK’s most successful sustainable buildings were honoured at the BREEAM Awards presentation on 3 March, during Ecobuild at Earls Court in London. Shortlisted buildings were drawn from those achieving BREEAM Excellent or Outstanding ratings under various BREEAM schemes last year. For details of all BREEAM Award winning buildings go to www.breeam.org/awards

Suppliers sought for pioneering low carbon homes project

A £6.14m project – AIMC4 – to research and deliver the volume production of new low carbon homes, is engaging with suppliers across the UK to source the best innovations, technologies and products for producing homes that achieve energy Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (through innovative fabric solutions without relying on renewable technologies). Suppliers interested in becoming involved with the project should contact Linda McKeown, E-mail mckeownl@bre.co.uk

New Fire Standard for Innovative Construction Methods

LPCB has launched LPS 1501, a new Fire Standard for Innovative Construction Methods. LPS 1501 will provide insurers, fire services and regulatory authorities with the assurance that innovative building systems (such as panelised systems) maintain acceptable levels of fire performance. The new Standard will identify any potential weak links in the system, which could prevent pre-assembly or modular buildings from achieving their prescribed performance. It will provide a fire test, performance and classification system for modern building systems. For more information contact Tony Baker, tel: 01923 665141, E-mail: bakert@bre.co.uk

Sustainable City Awards

This year's winners of the Sustainable City Awards were announced at a ceremony on 18 February at Mansion House, the official residence of the City of London’s Lord Mayor. The Awards recognise and reward UK organisations, from multinational businesses to small charities, and promote outstanding achievements and innovation across all aspects of sustainability. The award in the Sustainable Building category, which is presented in association with BRE and the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors, went to John Thompson & Partners, in recognition of the exemplar upgrading of 23-25 Great Sutton Street, an existing 1920s warehouse. More ...

Power generating paving slab wins innovation competition

An interactive paving slab that generates energy from footsteps has won first place in the Innovation Future Zone competition at Ecobuild. The Pavegen system works by converting kinetic energy from people's footsteps into electrical energy that is stored in a battery in the paving slab. The energy produced can power lighting, signage and information displays. The competition was organised by the Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network, along with partners the Technology Strategy Board, CIOB, EPSRC, Nanotechnology KTN and Creative Industries KTN. More ...

Asbestos

Following a report (BBC News) from the Asbestos Training and Consultancy Association highlighting that some British schools are failing to meet a legal duty to protect their staff and pupils from asbestos, BRE Training has increased the opportunities for participation in the course, ‘The Duty to Manage Asbestos Containing Materials in Non-Domestic Premises', which provides detailed information and guidance on compliance with ‘Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006'. The next courses are on 6 May (Scotland)  and 25 May (Watford).

Revamp for BREBookshop.com

Built environment publications retailer, BREBookshop.com, has revamped its website to give it a fresh new look as the first part of a process to improve the navigation, making it easier and quicker to use. Covering all aspects of the built environment – design, construction, innovation, safety, sustainability and much more – the site offers printed publications, videos, CDs, software and 'instant download' PDFs from more than 50 leading organisations. Visit BREBookshop at www.BREBookshop.com