sustainability
There is a perception that the issues leading to the performance gap run right through the delivery system. “The issues are sometimes small but always incremental and, by the time you add it all up, the difference between design and built can be as much as 300%,” says Chris Wilford, associate director at PRP Architects. Aside from workmanship and quality issues on site,
Wilford identifies some other less often mentioned factors, in particular he is concerned that SAP is a
innovative homes as part of a consortium supported by funding from the Technology Strategy Board. Notably the homes are being monitored and evaluated over a long period of time by the BRE – with initial findings expected towards the middle of 2014 – to increase understanding of fabric performance, emission levels and to gain customer feedback. Understanding how buildings and building products perform is essential. The BBA, supported by the
“The issues are sometimes small but always incremental and, by the time you add it all up, the difference between design and built can be as much as 300%”
poor predictor of real life. For example, it does not allow for regional variation whereas France’s tool contains three climatic zones. Julia Plaskett, Crest Nicholson’s group
sustainability executive, notes that the SAP tool was developed to assess the energy performance of homes during the design process and it therefore gives a design output. “It was never intended to predict in-use performance, not least because in- use performance has a high dependency on lifestyle – much as the mpg of a vehicle depends on driver behaviour and the driving conditions.” As homes become increasingly energy efficient, Plaskett believes it has become more important than ever to understand how our homes behave in practice. “We need to ensure that future versions of the SAP tool can be aligned with building performance, as well as gain an understanding of the key areas of lifestyle behaviour which influence energy use.” Crest Nicholson is currently involved in the collaborative AIMC4 project to design and deliver
NHBC Foundation, has recently published the results of a research project looking at a variety of roof insulation materials. A key finding outlined in the ‘Air Movement and Thermal Performance’ report is that thermal insulation performance is affected very significantly by air movement, with the U-value of the roof constructions tested increasing by up to 80% at higher wind speeds. Nick Williams, UK technical manager, DuPont
Building Innovations, says that the BBA’s conclusions point to factors and solutions that certain leading manufacturers have been addressing diligently for some time. “These recommendations include ‘the development and promotion of improved guidance on installation and workmanship’ plus ‘more robust thermal design techniques’; and ‘the acceptance of alternative construction methods’.” The supply chain can play a vital role in helping to improve construction standards. Kevin Riley, vice president, construction industry at Metsä Wood, explains that the company’s engineering team liaises constantly with housebuilders and provides the
showhouseMay 2013 | 43
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