Malcolm Bell is Professor of Surveying and Sustainable Housing at Leeds Metropolitan University. He has managed housing renewal and maintenance programmes in a number of local authorities and has over 20 years research experience in surveying and housing. For the last 10 years he has focused on technical and policy issues relating to the development of sustainable housing. He is chair of the Energy Partnership (a not-for-profit company set up to assist with Home Energy Conservation Act strategies in North Yorkshire) and head of the Centre for the Built Environment.

He has co-authored two books on energy efficiency and housing, a review of Part L of the building regulations for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (all with Lowe) and numerous other journal and conference publications. He served on the DETR’s Steering Committee and Industry Advisory Group (dwellings) for the review of the Building Regulations - Part L 2002 and was chair of the Industry Advisory Group Working Party on existing buildings for the 2005 review. Current research projects include two government funded field trials of a prototype regulatory standard for housing and a number of other building regulation projects on condensation risk and airtightness in housing.