News archive for January, 2018
A Part L Zero Carbon home performance or a Passivhaus?
Posted on January 18th 2018
The energy performance of buildings is assessed through Part L of the Building Regulations. All buildings must meet these standards as well as targets formed through planning policy. The Passivhaus Standard is a voluntary certification that demonstrates a high level of energy performance. However, Passivhaus homes still need to demonstrate compliance with Part L and their performance therefore needs to …
Acoustic Design for High Quality Housing
Posted on January 18th 2018
An increasing demand for housing is leading to the continuous development of urban areas and infill of brownfield sites. As a result, the impact of environmental noise is becoming an increasingly important consideration for developers when designing high quality new buildings. External noise affects health and quality of life, as well as impacting on the availability of natural ventilation through …
Announcement of Christmas Quiz Winner
Posted on January 17th 2018
We are delighted to announce that the winner of our 2017 Christmas quiz was David Udall of St George. David generously nominated Cancer Research to receive our £500 donation, a charity that uses donations to carry out world-class research working to help prevent cancer, diagnose it early and develop new treatment. Thank you to all those who took part and …
Implications of Achieving BREEAM Outstanding
Posted on January 11th 2018
To gain an Outstanding BREEAM rating design teams need to fully embrace sustainability and embed it into their design from the very onset of a project. A research paper by Sweett Group and the BRE in 2016 confirmed the cost uplift for different BREEAM ratings and use types, these can be seen below: The uplift in costs for Very Good …
Work Completed at 190 Strand for St Edward
Posted on January 11th 2018
Last month, we saw the final completion of dwellings at St Edward’s flagship development 190 Strand. We have been supporting St Edward on the scheme since 2011 in order to deliver bespoke apartments and penthouses of exceptional quality and environmental standard. Working closely with the design and construction team, we have advised on the most effective way to comply with London …