on the zero carbon house

Barratt Developments has unveiled what it calls the first zero-carbon house developed by a volume housebuilder, built at the Buildings Research Establishment in Watford, packed with the latest technology, including solar panels, rainwater harvesting and an air source heat pump.
Its new kind of concrete walls and floors, combined with super insulation and triple-glazed windows, means [...]

a guide to zero carbon homes

Zero carbon homes in 100 words.
The UK Green Building Council released a report this week defining what a zero-carbon house should be in practice. Download from here
Still to read in detail but on first read appears to be a welcomed, considered and helpful guide, with a time-line to help organisations on a route to zero.
There [...]

constructing excellence to restructure?

Paul at ExtranetEvolution carries the news that Constructing Excellence is to restructure, maybe even downsize to focus on delivering value to membership.
Constructing Excellence has announced an organisational restructure to enable a sharper focus on its core business of delivering value to its membership.
Over the last two years, Constructing Excellence has moved from its original Government [...]

on greening existing buildings

Within a month of the release date for the UK Construction Sustainability Strategy ( due 11 June) we see another initiative announcement from government:
a parliamentary enquiry into the greening of existing offices, shops and warehouses, aimed at providing industry leaders and public figures the opportunity to contribute evidence that will go into the final [...]

whats wrong with this picture

Welcome to Sherford, the Prince of Wales’s south Devon ecotown for 12,000 people, which has recently been granted planning permission. With a typical car based high street.
I read recently if you take the basic elements of a sustainable community - living, shopping, working, leisure etc and move them outside of the walk zone, then [...]

second life building

I have been talking about building within second life recently to a number of people and groups. Without actually experiencing second life it is difficult to grasp how individuals, all working from computers in different countries can work collaboratively to design and construct a building.
The following time lapse video may go some way to [...]

08 thoughts from think 08

I attended Think08 yesterday afternoon, visiting some of the free seminars and chatting to a good number of exhibitors. It was also good to meet up with fellow bloggers Phil, Mel, Paul, Rob and Casey for an early evening drink.
My impressions from the afternoon was that it didn’t quite have the buzz of last [...]

… on what makes a building green

Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and
implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
Patagonia’s Mission Statement
I have mentioned Patagonia the outdoor clothing organisation a few times before on this blog, and recently searching for a model CSR policy or statement for a Masters course I am in part delivering, went [...]

zero carbon ‘floating’ development for Preston

Green, innovative and zero carbon project development on our doorstep in Preston, Lancs, !

The RIBA have recently awarded a zero carbon design as the visitor center at the new Brockholes Wetland and Woodland Nature Reserve in Preston, to regenerate a former quarry site into a major visitor attraction.
The project called “A Floating World”, consists of [...]

can data centers power all homes …

How green is your data center? Stumbled upon an amazing post and comments over at The It Sanctuary
According to figures from IT market research company Forrester Research, a data centre with 2,500 servers - relatively small compared to many out there - will devour enough electricity over the course of one month to power 420,000 [...]