Delivering Sustainable Buildings: An Industry Insider's View

Delivering Sustainable Buildings: an industry insider’s view offers peer-to-peer insights and advice from a leading practitioner in this field and brings together in one book an overview of the main issues to consider when creating energy-efficient and sustainable buildings. A resource to dip into for practical advice, which is both highly readable and also backed up by in-depth technical knowledge, giving the important points to note and common pitfalls to avoid.  Based on observations of an author with hands-on experience of dealing with the various elements of the building services engineering industry, the book gives a unique insight into the particular challenges faced by designers, project managers, contractors and installers working to deliver lower carbon and sustainable building projects and operation.

There is a lot of guidance on sustainable buildings available from reputable sources including BRE, CIBSE, B&ES, ECA and BSRIA. This book is different in that it speaks directly to contractors and practitioners, with practical messages dealing with real on-site challenges, offering practical advice based on experience. Many contractors are now faced with a business choice of offering services related to issues of the energy hierarchy, minimising energy use, providing good building automation and controls and then looking further at microgeneration/renewables.  Here they must decide what technologies might be suitable for their businesses, as well as considering what level of training is required before they or their employees can start to work with these technologies. 

Delivering Sustainable Buildings: an industry insider’s view will help specialist contractors and facilities managers understand sustainable buildings at the strategic level (legislation, finance, training) and then to offer practical advice on various aspects of sustainable buildings (water use, energy-efficient building services, commissioning and keeping the building maintained to optimum performance) to their clients.

The book is based on interviews with practitioners who have hands-on experience of each technology and who therefore have unique insight into the particular challenges for contractors and installers working to deliver sustainable building projects.

There is a lot of guidance on sustainable buildings available from reputable sources including  BRE, CIBSE, HVCA, ECA and BSRIA. This book is different in that it speaks directly to contractors, with messages from their fellow professionals who have deal with real on-site challenges and who can offer practical advice based on experience. Many contractors are now faced with a business choice of offering services related to microgeneration/renewables and they must decide what technologies might be suitable for their businesses, and consider what level of training is required before they/their employees can start to work with these technologies.

 Delivering sustainable buildings will help specialist contractors and facilities managers understand sustainable buildings at the strategic level (legislation, finance, training) and then to offer practical advice on various aspects of sustainable buildings (water use, energy efficient air conditioning, commissioning) to their clients.

The book is based on interviews with practitioners who have hands-on experience of each technology and who have unique insight into the particular challenges for contractors working to deliver sustainable building projects. It covers the bckground to sustainable building; the practicalities - from energy managment to wate minimisation; and maintenance of existing buildings.

Much guidance exists on sustaianble building but this is the first to speak directly to contractors - with guidance from fellow professionals who have dealt with real on-site challenges and who can offer practical advice based on experience. Many contractors are now faced with a business choice of offering services related to microgeneration/renewables and they must decide what technologies might be suitable for their businesses, and consider what level of training is required before they/their employees can start to work with these technologies.

Delivering sustainable buildings: insights for contractors and installers will help contractors and facilities managers understand sustainable buildings at the strategic level (legislation, finance, training) and then to offer practical advice on various aspects of sustainable buildings (water use, energy efficient air conditioning, commissioning) to their clients.

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Karen Fletcher, Keystone Communications Ltd - technical journalist and former editor of CIBSE’s Building Services Journal

This section will give readers a background to the most recent legislation at national and local level..

1. What is Sustainable Design: definitions and goals; Robert Higgs, chief executive of the Heating and Ventilating Contractors’ Association (HVCA) and David Pollock, chief executive of the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA).

2. Paying for It: the finances of sustainability; Alison Bannister, Action Energy.

3. Meeting your Legal Obligations: the law according to sustainability; Rod Pettigrew, head of legal issues at the HVCA.

4. Planning Ahead: how planning laws are changing to make sustainable design happen; Tom Carpen, planning officer at the Greater London Authority or Roger Chapman.

5. Sustainable Housing: The Code for Sustainable Homes; Nick Eyre, Energy Saving Trust.

SECTION II: Practicalities.

6. How to do Sustainability: the practical aspects; David Frise, Cyna Consulting Engineers.

7. Practical Energy Management: its role in Sustainability; Mike Malina, Energy Solutions Associates.

8. Keeping Cool: making air conditioning sustainable; David Arnold, former president of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).

9. Free as the Air: air to water heat pumps – the new technology for keeping homes warm and energy costs down; tbc Mitsubishi Technical Contact.

10. Water in Sustainable Buildings; Cath Hassell, ech2o, Islington (ecological plumbing business).

11. Waste Minimisation in Sustainability; Jeff Cooper, Environment Agency, Vice President of the Institute of Waste Management.

SECTION III: Existing Buildings.

12. Keeping it all going: maintenance for long-term sustainability; John Wright, General Manager, Eaton Williams Service (why maintenance is good for buildings and also makes good business sense for contractors too).

13. Commission Possible: why continuous commissioning in buildings is the best tactic for sustainability; Roger Clark, director and founder of Commtech.

SECTION IV: Preparing for Sustainability.

14. The Skills Challenge: preparing a workforce for sustainability; Tony Thomas, former head of education and training at the HVCA.

Conclusions.

Index.

Useful contacts