News archive for February, 2018
Achieving the 10% Draft London Plan Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential Buildings
Posted on February 14th 2018
The recently published Draft London Plan (December 2017) sets new, ambitious targets for the fabric energy efficiency of buildings. Following Grenfell, concerns surrounding the fire risk of PIR and phenolic insulation are making reductions in external wall U-values increasingly difficult in tall buildings, leaving the question of how these reductions in energy use will be achieved? Policy SI2 of the …
Acoustic Design for High Quality Housing
Posted on February 14th 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 …
Tips to Help Pass an Air Tightness Test First Time
Posted on February 14th 2018
An Air Tightness Test (which is also known as air leakage test, air pressure test or air permeability test) is a government regulated test to ensure buildings do not leak or retain too much air. Before an air test is carried out, we need to make sure the building is complete and is clear of all trades in order to …
BREEAM UK New Construction 2014 – Closure of Registrations
Posted on February 14th 2018
The final preparations are being made to the BREEAM 2018 manual and it is due to launch on the 7th March 2018. Registrations for the current 2014 New Construction scheme will be permitted until the 23rd March 2018. Following this date registrations will have to be made under the 2018 New Construction scheme. After the closing date it may still …