LOW CARBON BUILDINGS DIRECTORY

About

All presentations on the Low Carbon Buildings Directory are tackling one or more aspects of the complex interaction between the physical, environmental and sometimes social processes that underpin sustainable building design and engineering. Key outcomes are insights into effective design techniques and engineering technologies for low carbon buildings that can be used by students, architects and building service engineers.

Many people contribute to the development and regular updates. The commitment of the founding organisations has contributed to the site’s vitality and expansion since it was first initiated by Dr Dejan Mumovic (The Bartlett, UCL) in July of 2008. Since 2008, users have provided valuable reviews, feedback and suggestions to improve the quality of the content and the functionality of the course site. Several organisations and business have also helped with the development and enhancements of this educational tool.

The excellent contributions of the following people have allowed us to initially populate Low Carbon Buildings Directory:

Dr Malcolm Cook (Loughborough University), Ian Ward (University of Sheffield), Professor Jonathan Wright (Loughborough University), Dr Mikkel Kragh (ARUP), Dr Jake Hacker (ARUP), Professor Bob Lowe (University College London), Professor Steve Sharples (University of Sheffield), Professor Mike Davies (University College London), Dr Pieter de Wilde (Plymouth University), Professor Kevin Lomas (De Montfort University), Dr David Etheridge (Nottingham University), Matthew Kitson (Hilson Moran), John Palmer (Faber Maunsell), Paul Eslinger (White Young Green), Gordon Hudson (Mott MacDonald), Rod Bunn (BSRIA), Nick Hudleston (NVS), Professor Malcolm Bell (Leeds Metropolitan University), Dr Birgit Painter (De Montfort University), Hywel Davies (CIBSE), Ted King (DCLG), Chris Twinn (ARUP) and Lord Teverson (House of Lords)

We look forward to continued input from the learners and from the organizations participating in the further development of this educational tool.

Our goal and commitment is to maintain current and responsive content for our learners. Thank you for your ongoing support and input to the Low Carbon Buildings Directory.

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Founding Organisations:

IBPSA ENGLAND

IBPSA-England is the English regional affiliate of the world-wide acting International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA) and is linked to this association but acts as an independent organisation. IBPSA-England operates as a network of volunteers.

IBPSA-England's objective is to provide a forum for the exchange of information between researchers, developers and practitioners operating in the area of building performance simulation and related issues.

IBPSA-England is founded to advance and promote the science and technology of building performance simulation in order to improve the design, construction, operation, maintenance and refurbishment of buildings.

IBPSA-England will strive to achieve these objectives through cyclic meetings and conferences at national and regional level (and in co-operation with IBPSA-Scotland and other British regional affiliates), an interactive web site and e-mail discussion groups.

CIBSE SCHOOL DESIGN GROUP

The UK Government has committed to a massive programme of rebuilding and refurbishing schools in England and Wales in the next 10 to 15 years. The aim of this programme entitled ‘Building Schools for the Future’ is to ‘build facilities for 21st century at the scale not being seen since Victorian times’. However, it has to be admitted that ‘the science of designing learning environments is currently remarkably under developed’. In order to deliver this programme successfully professionals from industry needs a forum which will provide them with the best practice guidelines on school design.

Many of the current CIBSE Special Interest Groups cover specific issues, but the CIBSE School Design Group will integrate design, construction, and maintenance issues in a specific sector. The principal terms of reference are as follows:

1. to foster knowledge exchange between all interested parties working on sustainable school design

2. to develop a strategy for healthy and sustainable school buildings

3. to encourage cooperation between professional bodies of relevance for school design

4. to reflect on changing procurement routes and design standards

5. to identify gaps in the science of designing learning environments

6. to initiate cooperation between academia and industry to resolve the problems of relevance to the industry

CIBSE NATURAL VENTILATION GROUP

There is a growing interest in natural ventilation as decisions that have to be made concerning the choice of air-conditioning, mechanical or natural ventilation systems for buildings become more important. Mixed-mode systems are also seen as an increasingly popular option.

With the publication of the CIBSE applications manual Natural Ventilation in non- domestic buildings (AM10), the first major phase of the work of the CIBSE Natural Ventilation Group has been completed.

Many of the Management Committee members are active in research and practice. They contribute to seminars and conferences nationally and around the world.

Much of the work of the Natural Ventilation Group is involved in dissemination of information and this is reflected in the seminar programme. Recent seminars have included the productivity; avoiding the use of air-conditioning; review of natural ventilation; mixed mode ventilation. Recent seminars have discussed the role of natural ventilation in intelligent and the history of ventilation.

CBES Group, THE BARTLETT, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

The Bartlett at University College London is the UK 's largest multidisciplinary faculty of the built environment. It runs undergraduate, MSc, professional and doctoral programmes across a full range of built environment disciplines including, construction, environmental design, architecture, planning and virtual environments. The ‘environment' area of Bartlett research is one of the largest and most mature within the Bartlett and has expanded significantly over the last five years to a team of fourteen core funded permanent staff. This group of building scientists who research environmental problems are now restructuring into the ‘Complex Built Environment Systems' (CBES) group. CBES is primarily interested in developing solutions to the practical problems of designing, constructing and managing appropriate environments within and around buildings. CBES aims to tackle the following three main issues:

• How to design, maintain and operate the built environment while minimising the emissions of greenhouse gases.

• How to adapt the environment, fabric and services of existing and new buildings to climate change.

• How to improve the environment in and around buildings to provide better health, comfort, security and productivity.