Citation
Todd, S. (2007), "Internet review", Structural Survey, Vol. 25 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ss.2007.11025bag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Internet review
The web site information included below includes two key and other informative sites. If there are any other interesting sites or sources of information that you have found useful, please e-mail me at s.todd@salford.ac.uk
The Building Research Establishment
The latest news section from the BRE includes:
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A new website helps schools cut down energy consumption. Over 1,000 schools have logged on to a new website which shows them how to reduce the amount of energy and water they use. The Sustainable Learning website, which is funded by DfES and managed by BRE, helps schools to comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) which comes into force during 2008. From that date on, all schools in England will have to measure the amount of energy they consume each year and rate themselves accordingly on a scale of A-G. They will also have to display a certificate showing this rating. Schools logging on to www.sustainablelearning.info can enter details of the amount of energy and water they use each month to find out what their present rating is and compare their performance with other schools. They can then use the website resources to involve the whole school in setting targets for improvement, tracking performance and raising the knowledge and awareness of all school users. BRE energy experts provide free advice via a helpline and there are on-line discussion forums where schools can learn from others’ successes and share ideas about incorporating sustainability into school activities.
- 2.
New guidance on flood protection. A new study funded under DEFRA’s Making Space for Water programme will provide the construction industry with much needed guidance on developing sites to cope with flooding and climate change. Already many UK developments are planned in areas where there is a potential risk of flooding. As climate change advances and more areas come under risk, there is an even greater need for us to understand how to make developments flood resilient and to ensure that continuity of daily life can be maintained during times of flooding. The LifE Project (Long-term Initiatives for Flood Risk Environments) which is being led by Barkerand Coutts Architects and BRE, will explore a range of ideas to improve the way developments are planned and designed in flood risk areas. Innovative strategies will be developed for three riverside sites. The project team will then prepare planning and design recommendations which will be tested by a wide group of stakeholders including the Environment Agency, local authorities, residents, developers, investors and insurers. From the feedback received, a set of generic planning and design principles will be produced together with working examples for developing integrated environmental and flood proof plans that are transferable to other sites and conditions.
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New grants for renewables. Applications for grants are now being accepted for Phase 2 of the DTI’s Low Carbon Building Programme (LCPB) which will provide around £50m of grants over the next two – three years to encourage the uptake of renewable energy technologies here in the UK. Phase 2 grants are available for the installation of microgeneration technologies in public sector buildings including local authority housing, housing association properties and schools. The scheme is also open to buildings belonging to charitable bodies. Applicants can receive up to £1m of grant money for the following technologies:
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solar photovoltaic;
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solar thermal hot water;
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wind turbines;
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ground source heat pumps;
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automated wood pellet stoves; and
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wood fuelled boilers.
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BRE has been appointed by the DTI to manage grant applications as well as provide the technical assessments and checks.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The “Latest News” section includes information on:
- 1.
Rural Housing Development. This section gives information on plans to build an affordable housing development in Cumbria which are being opposed by 224 villagers. These people living in the village of Thursby have registered their opposition to the scheme which will involve constructing five houses and two bungalows on the village green. Residents have protested that approval for the development was given on the basis of a survey carried out two years ago with the proviso that any scheme would include eight affordable homes, reports the Cumberland News.
- 2.
Domestic Energy Assessor Qualification. From 1 June 2007, those carrying out Energy Performance Certificates in the context of marketed residential sales must be registered members of a Domestic Energy Assessor Accreditation Scheme. Similar accreditation for those involved in commercial property energy assessment will follow. RICS will apply to DCLG to run an accreditation scheme to enable RICS members to practice in this market once the Government has issued the necessary Regulations. The RICS will be ensuring that the most streamlined and cost effective route possible is in place for members to practice as DEAs.
- 3.
Britons “view construction sector negatively”. The vast majority of people think large construction projects are always running behind schedule, according to a new poll. Some 85 per cent of Britons say major building works are not completed within set deadlines and are subject to significant delays, reveals a survey from CareerStructure.com. Respondents also view the construction industry as being slower and less efficient than other sectors including the railways and the NHS, reports the Contract Journal. More than four in five (82 per cent) think the building sector is the slowest in the UK, with industry figures calling for action to be taken to address this problem between the reality of the construction business and people’s perceptions of it. Some 25 per cent of industry professionals argued that UK building firms finish projects much quicker than their counterparts in the USA and Europe. In addition, the publication noted that more than two in three (67 per cent) construction works are completed ahead of set deadlines. The public perception could be partly attributed to the failure of high-profile building works to be completed on time.
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ODA announces details of new Olympic construction projects. Britain’s Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has announced its intention to begin the process of procurement for a number of new construction projects. Centring on the development of bridges, roads and other structures for the 2012 Olympic Games, the ODA has announced its intention to begin the tendering process for five new land bridges and a further nine road bridges, reports New Civil Engineer. The awarding of the new contracts is expected to begin during the year, with project values expected to range from £20m to £175m.
- 5.
Scotland’s energy saving homes praised. Energy saving homes at Crathie Drive in Glasgow have been praised by an energy industry group. ScottishPower’s Green Energy Trust contributed an £18,000 grant to help build the development, which includes wool insulation, state of the art solar panels and a communal boiler which have been designed to cut domestic carbon emissions by 1,500 kg a year.
- 6.
The RICS European Housing Review 2007. This considers the performance of European housing markets in 2006, analysing trends across the continent in areas such as:
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inflation;
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building activity;
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mortgage markets;
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turnover; and
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What were the key messages?
Europe’s housing markets did not cool in 2006 after interest rate rises. The majority were still experiencing double-digit house price inflation Transactions and mortgage borrowing were strongly up through most of Europe The European Central Bank’s interest rate rises have not been fully passed on in higher mortgage rates and seem to be having limited impact on housing markets The rate of house inflation fell somewhat in France and Spain but rose in Ireland and the UK. Prices in Germany remain static though the house price slump seems to be over as the economy picks up. Small countries are having the biggest house price rises, including Greece and Ireland and countries in Scandinavia. The smaller traded markets of central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania are still experiencing major house price growth.
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- 7.
“Lack of affordable housing” in Lake District. Local people are being priced out of the property market in their home villages in Cumbria, according to residents. Local residents attribute the high prices to an influx of wealthy retired people moving to the area from the city and a growth in the number of Britons buying holiday houses, with around one in five properties in Keswick now listed as second homes.
- 8.
Construction industry “improves image to women”. Constructionskills has claimed that building firms must encourage young people – and especially women – to look for employment opportunities in the industry.
- 9.
Tender prices outpace inflation. The price of new construction work rose ahead of general inflation in the year to third quarter 2006, according to the latest Tender Price Index compiled by BCIS. However, the price of new construction work remained unchanged in third quarter 2006 compared with the previous quarter. New work output is forecast to rise in 2006, 2007 and 2008, at a rate considerably above its long term annual trend rate. The main contributors to growth are likely to be the private commercial and the infrastructure sectors, with Olympic based construction making an impact from 2007.
- 10.
DCLG update on HIPs. A further consultation has been issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government which seeks views in relation to the home buying and selling process. The consultation document sets out the role of HIPs in the wider reform of the home buying and selling process, as well as detailing how the DCLG intends to ensure the smooth introduction of HIPs on 1 June and how they will take account of information from the area trials. Issues addressed within the consultation include:
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HIPs including Energy Performance Certificates and searches from 1 June 2007;
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reforms to searches;
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home condition reports;
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e-conveyancing;
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consumer redress;
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future market-led developments;
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dry run and area trials; and
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transitional measures to ensure the smooth introduction from June.
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Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2
www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk/
This website gives information on the second phase of the DTI’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP). This is Phase 2 of a programme managed by the BRE. There are grants available for the installation of microgeneration technologies to public sector buildings (including schools, hospitals, housing associations and local authorities) and charitable bodies.
Private householders and businesses should refer to Phase 1 for information on grants available to them. Public sector and charitable bodies are also eligible for grants under Phase 1 – see www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk for details of the different criteria.
Details of all aspects of the Phase 2 grant application process, suppliers, installers and technologies are available on this website. The website is structured as:
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Home;
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Grant application;
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Apply online;
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Downloads;
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Microgeneration;
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Framework suppliers;
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Products;
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Benchmarks;
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State aid;
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Energy efficiency;
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FAQ’s;
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Promotional tools;
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Operational status;
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Feedback;
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Contacts;
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Links; and
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Phase 1.
Communities and Local Government
The News section of this web site includes:
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The carbon challenge. Ruth Kelly has opened a competition for housebuilders to develop affordable green communities. The Carbon Challenge, which will be run by English Partnerships, calls on developers to raise standards of design, construction, energy and water use and waste disposal so that these techniques can be used in the future as a benchmark for mainstream development. It also seeks to meet rising expectations from the public for more sustainable communities which offer them reduced bills and a higher quality of housing design. The Challenge will spearhead the move towards zero-carbon development – as announced in December in a radical package of new measures for greener housebuilding, including the Code for Sustainable Homes and the first ever planning policy on climate change – and builds on the Chancellor’s announcement in the Pre-Budget Report that in future most new zero carbon homes will be exempt from stamp duty.
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Industry shows commitment to enabling women to succeed. Ruth Kelly, launched a new drive today to step up efforts to reduce the gender pay gap and promote better work-life balance throughout the workplace. She announced that more than 100 companies and organisations have signed up to a Exemplar Employer scheme since its launch in September. The Exemplar Employer scheme requires organisations to give a clear commitment to reducing the gender pay gap through projects ranging from encouraging women to find out and enter into jobs traditionally done mostly by men, to supporting mothers to return to work, to creating better quality opportunities for staff working part-time.
The first wave of organisations signed up range from high street names such as Asda to city companies such as Goldman Sachs to Parcelforce to construction firms.
Space4
Space4 describes itself as the UK’s largest producer of fast track, precision engineered, off site manufactured construction systems. Space4’ building system has been developed to address three main challenges in housing delivery:
- 1.
Affordability;
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Sustainability; and
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Construction industry skills.
The main menu is structured as:
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About us;
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Fast track construction;
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The MMC solution of choice;
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Social affordable portfolio; and
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Contact us.
There are links on the site to the Media Centre which includes publications and an Image Library:
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MMC on the march – Offsite Construction Magazine;
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24 hour party walls people – Inside Housing;
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Modern views – Builder and Engineer; and
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The Prefab sheds its social stigma – Construction News.
Tarmac, Topblock
The main menu of this web site is structured as:
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Home;
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About;
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News;
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Products;
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Applications;
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Services;
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Downloads; and
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Contacts.
There are other links to:
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News and events;
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Product news;
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Ecobuild;
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Topfloor; and
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Mortars screeds and concrete.
Stephen Todd