Citation
Todd, S. (2008), "Internet review", Structural Survey, Vol. 26 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ss.2008.11026eag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Internet review
Article Type: Internet review From: Structural Survey, Volume 26, Issue 5
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 of the BRE’s web site gives information on the following:
- 1.
Toyota’s European retailers. Toyota Motor Europe has announced plans to apply an environmental standard based on BREEAM to all its Toyota retail units. There are over 3,000 outlets throughout Europe and, starting in 2009, all new builds and refurbishments will be subject to an independent environmental assessment, with their first two “Sustainable Retailers” to be piloted in Sweden and France this year. The assessment method will include environmental criteria across eight categories: energy, water, waste and materials, pollution, land use and ecology, health and well-being, management and transport. This will be done using a bespoke version of BREEAM to focus the retail guidance on car showrooms.
- 2.
BREEAM sustainable building standards. In advance of CLG’s consultation on carbon reduction in new non-domestic buildings, BRE Global will be launching BREEAM Energy Star in the autumn. BREEAM Communities for urban developments is also been developed jointly with the Development Agencies and leading international urban planners. BREEAM In-Use is also been developed and is designed to reduce costs and improve the sustainability of a building’s operation.
- 3.
New Green Guide now available online. The new version of the BRE Green Guide to Specification is now available online giving designers and specifiers easy-to-use guidance on how to make the best environmental choices when selecting construction materials and components. The Guide is available at www.thegreenguide.org.uk and includes:
- •
the new “A+” to “E” ranking system, where “A+” equals best environmental performance/least environmental impact giving greater differentiation than the previous “A” to “C” system;
- •
over 1,200 specifications compared to approximately 400 in the previous version;
- •
ratings for six building types including healthcare and education sectors;
- •
new and updated data from more than 40 trade associations and material industry supply representatives;
- •
functionality easy to update with new materials and specifications; and
- •
over 200 materials.
- •
The Green Guide assesses building materials and components in terms of their environmental impact across their entire life cycle – from “cradle to grave”. The Guide examines the relative environmental impacts of construction materials commonly used in six different generic types of building including:
- 1.
commercial;
- 2.
educational;
- 3.
healthcare;
- 4.
retail;
- 5.
residential; and
- 6.
industrial.
The rankings in the Guide are based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies. In the “A+” to “E” ranking system, “A+” equals best environmental performance/least environmental impact, with A, B, C, D and E ratings increasing in their environmental impact.
The environmental issues included reflect the generally accepted areas of concern related to the production of building materials used in the UK and were arrived at through an industry consultation and consensus process. These areas of environmental impact are:
- •
climate change;
- •
water extraction;
- •
mineral resource depletion;
- •
stratospheric ozone depletion;
- •
human toxicity;
- •
ecotoxicity to water;
- •
nuclear waste;
- •
ecotoxicity to land;
- •
waste disposal;
- •
fossil fuel depletion;
- •
eutrophication;
- •
photochemical ozone creation; and
- •
acidification.
The Guide provides ratings against all these environmental impacts, together with an overall Summary Rating. As with previous versions of the Guide, summary Green Guide ratings count towards credits in BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes. BREEAM is the world’s most widely used environmental assessment method and was last updated in June 2008.
The Spotlight section includes information on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and Approved REACH Ready services (Environmental assessment of chemicals).
The BRE REACH/chemical assessment team are experts in the environmental risk assessment of chemicals. They provide advice to clients on the environmental risk associated with the production, use and disposal of chemicals and act as ad visors to both government and industry. We have carried out environmental risk assessments of many types of chemicals under EU and OECD programmes, from initial data collection and review through to final regulatory outcome. Recently we have been involved in the development of the EU Technical Guidance Documents produced for the REACH process. The REACH legislation will have major implications for companies within the UK and EU that produce, import or use chemical substances. Under this legislation companies will have to Register the chemicals they use, and for the more dangerous substances will also have to carry out a Chemical Safety Assessment and produce a Chemical Safety Report outlining the conditions under which the substance can be used safely. Substances that have certain hazardous properties may also be subject to an Authorisation process. From 1 June 2008, current manufacturers and importers have six months to pre-register their substances and take advantage of extended registration deadlines. No pre-registration means that production or import has to cease from 1 June until a registration is submitted to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Pre-registration allows more time for the manufacturer/importer to locate and assess the information necessary to produce a registration. They will also be able to participate in Substance Information Exchange Fora (SIEFs), which facilitate the sharing of data with other manufacturers and importers to fill data gaps, and the collective generation of missing data. REACH requires that information on testing with vertebrates is shared, and encourages the sharing to other information as far as possible.
Manufacturers and importers should check whether their substances are eligible for pre-registration. If so and they wish to pre-register, they need to submit information on the name and identity of each substance – this is important to get right, as it will be used as the basis for linking with other manufacturers and importers in the SIEFs. They can also submit the date by which they expect to submit the full registration:
- •
30 November 2010 for substances manufacturer or imported at >1,000 tonnes per year (plus substances with specific hazard classifications);
- •
31 May 2013 for substances above 100 tonnes per year; and
- •
31 May 2018 for substances above one tonne per year.
For more information, see the ECHA web site (http://echa.europa.eu/) or contact BRE at REACH@bre.co.uk
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Home Page gives links to:
- 1.
Global intelligence:
- •
RICS economics and market surveys;
- •
understanding RICS market surveys;
- •
RICS press release index;
- •
RICS Global Real Estate Weekly;
- •
RICS Commercial Market Survey Q2 2008; and
- •
view more news and opinion.
- •
- 2.
Setting and maintaining standards:
- •
the role of the RICS;
- •
what RICS members do;
- •
RICS courses;
- •
how to join;
- •
regulating the profession – protecting the public;
- •
training – APC; and
- •
training – ATC.
- •
- 3.
Corporate citizenship:
- •
disaster management;
- •
sustainability; and
- •
home buying reform.
- •
- 4.
The very best advice. This includes free guides which are designed to help you get the best possible advice, whether you are a small business or a consumer:
- •
flooding;
- •
buying a home;
- •
selling your home;
- •
property surveys;
- •
Phil Spencer On the House podcasts; and
- •
view all RICS guides.
- •
- 5.
Local Insight – global vision. The research team delivers insightful and useful research in every area that has an impact on the world of property, e.g.:
- •
What is the effect on portfolios of the time-varying correlation of real estate and company stocks?
- •
Mortgage markets worldwide.
- •
The potential of Synthetic Aperture Radar for assessing carbon storage in savanna woodlands.
- •
View more RICS research.
- •
- 6.
RICS blogs:
- •
It’s my party.
- •
Noise annoys.
- •
Flir Systems – infrared cameras
This web site includes details the following menus:
- 1.
Products and technology:
- •
About infrared. Thermal, or infrared energy, is light that is not visible because its wavelength is too long to be detected by the human eye; it’s the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we perceive as heat. Unlike visible light, in the infrared world, everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits heat. Even very cold objects, like ice cubes, emit infrared.
- •
Infrared cameras.
- •
Software.
- •
Accessories.
- •
Rent-a-Cam.
- •
- 2.
Infrared in action:
- •
image gallery;
- •
success stories;
- •
news and events; and
- •
Industry applications
- •
- 3.
Support and training.
Corus
Corus is Europe’s second largest steel producer with annual revenues of around £12 billion and a crude steel production of over 20 million tonnes. Corus aims to create value by offering a differentiated product range supported by unrivalled customer service.
The main menu includes:
- •
home;
- •
cmpany;
- •
products and services;
- •
technology;
- •
news and media;
- •
careers;
- •
responsibility; and
- •
contact.
The Construction sub menu includes detail on:
- •
structural steel;
- •
roofs;
- •
walls;
- •
floors;
- •
foundations; and
- •
modular and light steel.
GRAPHISOFT
This web site gives details of ArchiCAD design software:
- •
Vhe Virtual BuildingTM. ArchiCAD stores all the information about the building in a central database; changes made in one view are updated in all others, including floor plans, sections/elevations, 3D models and bills of material.
- •
Intelligent Objects. ArchiCAD’s intelligent building elements like doors, windows, and columns understand and react to their environment. This accelerates work, makes the management of the project easier and allows you to design instead of draft. Even working from drafted lines, arcs and splines, the Magic Wand can create intelligent building elements.
- •
The ability to think and work “live” in 3D. You can design and edit the model in 3D view, navigate in real time to check the design, and hold interactive design sessions with clients.
- •
Instant visualization ArchiCAD’s rendering tools are simple to use; no expert knowledge is required to product stunning results. VR presentations and animations and can be generated directly in ArchiCAD.
- •
Efficient documentation Construction documents and files can be derived automatically from the Virtual Building model. The interactive element schedules and Bills of Material can be quickly generated and always reflect the current state of the building model. Dimensions are both automatic and associative. Automatic labeling and enhanced Detail Tools ease tedious drafting work.
- •
The Layout Book lets you layout material from different sources with the freedom of using a variety of plotters and printers. Automatic page numbering and master pages save you time and the direct connection ensures document integrity – all changes to the Virtual Building are automatically updated on the layout.
- •
Clear communication. ArchiCAD’s TeamWork makes sharing your project with colleagues easy. Distribute documents to clients and consultants in several CAD standard formats or use the web for review and mark-up. Changes can be easily merged back into the project.
Green Spec
This web site includes a wealth of information, including “Green Specifications”. The main menu is structured as:
- •
products;
- •
materials;
- •
low carbon house;
- •
checklist;
- •
energy;
- •
image bank;
- •
design;
- •
durability; and
- •
policy and strategy.
Roger Bullivant
Roger Bullivant was established in 1971 as a specialist civil and structural engineering company and is now one of the largest foundation engineering company in the UK. With an annual turnover in excess of £120 million, the company offers cost effective value engineered solutions in piling, mini-piling, underpinning, house foundations, ground improvement, special precast concrete products, geothermal heating systems and conservatory and extension bases. Many of the systems and techniques created by the company are backed up by years of extensive research and development with the company investing over £2 million in R&D every year. The customers’ needs are of paramount importance and many schemes are tailored to meet specific individual requirements while still providing value engineered solutions.
The main menu is structured as:
- •
corporate;
- •
products;
- •
services;
- •
news;
- •
events;
- •
careers;
- •
contact; and
- •
downloads links.
Stephen Todd