Feb 26 2009
The £1 million project will look at five major building types (schools, warehouses, offices, supermarkets and mixed use) and will generate fully-costed solutions demonstrating how to achieve the three highest BREEAM ratings and meet the changes to Part L of the Building Regulations.
The BCSA and Corus have commissioned sustainability specialists Faber Maunsell / AECOM to deliver the ‘Target Zero’ project assisted by cost consultant Cyril Sweett.
The five building types will be investigated in sequence with comprehensive guidance on each appearing at roughly three–month intervals from summer 2009. The first reports will focus on the busy education sector, where the information is eagerly awaited.
BCSA President Richard Barrett said:
“The schools study has already identified potential annual energy savings of £165 million nationally, equivalent to £22 per pupil. The steel sector has a long history of providing the guidance designers need to make the best use of steel. The latest information they require relates to sustainability and the reduction of carbon in buildings. Target Zero is a focussed practical study to deliver that information.”
Alan Todd, General Manager of Corus Construction Services and Development, commented:
“There are many highly sustainable steel-framed buildings and many have achieved the highest ratings under BREEAM. Steel itself has many advantages and a steel-frame is a great enabler of sustainability in a wider sense. The Target Zero project will provide useful guidance for the increasing number of designers who have an interest in achieving best sustainable performance.”