News analysis
Testing time
for buildings
The UK Green Building Council has proposed a new
‘code’ to give the industry a sustainability road map,
but do building services really need yet more guidance?
Carina Bailey reports
n
All non-domestic existing and at that and saying ‘what’s the gap?’. CIBSE technical director Hywel
new buildings should have Are there other checks we need to Davies agrees that, if there is going
an MOT-style check to progressively factor in? Are buildings keeping to be a code, great care needs to be
improve their sustainability and up with ever increasing standards taken when writing it.
zero-carbon aims, according to over time? “The answer is ‘no’, the “They need to make sure it isn’t
draft proposals from the UK Green nearest we’ve got is EPCs, which cutting across or trying to duplicate
Building Council. are required on the point of sale material that’s already there. The last
Its report, Code for Sustainable or lease. A change in tenure is the thing we need in a recession is for
Buildings, sets out a plan for creating closest we get in respect to existing people to reinvent wheels.”
a zero-carbon, sustainable built buildings.” Davies also questions whether
environment – encompassing not King suggests these proposed the commercial sector needs the
just carbon performance, but water, MOTs could be done once code, unlike the domestic arena
energy and waste too, according every five years, with the code which operates using small building
to the council, which wants the being streamlined with existing firms that are more likely to need
government to take a lead on the requirements “as much as guidance.
proposals. possible”. “Our intention here is to “I think we’ve yet to be convinced
But why does the industry need rationalise the confusion. Maybe of the added value of [such] a code
yet more codes when it already has we’ll be able to strip away some of on top of everything else that’s
the Code for Sustainable Homes? the rules, some of the things that are already available.”
Because, says the council’s chief adding to the confusion. The code As regards building MOTs, Davies
executive Paul King, the industry should be able to increase clarity and says they have been considered
does not yet have a clear path to productivity for industry.” before, and one of the biggest
follow to achieve non-domestic John Tebbit, deputy chief executive question marks hanging over
sustainable buildings. “What we of the Construction Products them is, who is going to pay? He
need is one clear trajectory for where Association, is concerned about the fears they could also lead to staff
we’re trying to get to by when,” he MOTs in practice. “What happens logging personal injury claims if, for
insists. if you fail?” questions Tebbit, “is it a example, an MOT found high levels
“We always talk of incremental civil offence or a criminal offence?” of CO2 in an office. a coordinated fashion, before a
improvement, but the zero [carbon] The consequences could be dire for DECs do show us when a code can get too ambitious and
target [for new homes] was the a small to medium business. Would building isn’t performing effectively, dictatorial,” he says.
first time we were told that’s where they be told they could no longer demonstrating the need to improve “We have seen this lack of clarity
you’re trying to get to by, and when. operate in the building? Would the the operational efficiency of our or trajectory in the ‘zero carbon’
We want to apply that idea to owner be told their staff are fired? public buildings without an MOT, definition. Without a national policy
sustainable buildings.” “What about the first person Davies adds. for how we think energy is going to
The government has already involved, Mrs Smith, who’s owned Bill Watts, senior partner at Max be procured in the coming decades,
introduced energy and display a little flower shop – a non-domestic Fordham Consulting Engineers, it is not possible to set out a
performance certificates (EPCs and building – for 60 years and she gets is also wary of introducing a new coherent sustainable direction that
DECs) for when buildings are sold evicted because she can’t pass the code, which he fears could just will survive for very long.”
or occupied. But King believes a building MOT even though the become a licence to force society to David Bownass, a director at
building ‘MOT’ at relatively regular building is perfectly safe? It’s not spend money on things it wouldn’t WSP UK, believes the code could
intervals would fill the gap. the technical issues, it’s the political ordinarily do – particularly with no have a wide-ranging remit but
“If you lay out all the things and social issues of making sure clear national policy formed yet for it to work it must be made
we’ve already got for ways of everybody understands what it on where energy is coming from mandatory. “It’s absolutely
measuring performance to do with means and what the consequences in the future. “We need to agree a essential that what we do get out of
the sustainability of a building’s life are if you don’t pass your building long-term ‘trajectory’ of where we it is a series of milestones to get to
cycle, what we’re doing is looking MOT.” are heading on all these issues in zero carbon.” l
14 CIBSE Journal March 2009
www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEmar09 pp14-15 newsanalysis.indd 14 5/3/09 15:23:15
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