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The Built Environment
Background:
Climate Change and fossil fuel depletion pose imminent and
catastrophic threats to the stability of the global environment and
our geo-political systems. With approximately 50% of the world's
CO2 emissions produced by the Built Environment, there is an urgent
need to transform current building practices into a new carbon
virtuous paradigm. Currently the building industry is awash with
claims of ‘sustainable’ green products and designs, much of this
however is in fact ‘green-wash’. As a non partisan education and
research organisation the Climate Change Solutions Centre intends
to provide clear well informed advice to both industry specialists
and the wider community.
The Climate Change Solutions Centre’s philosophy is underpinned
by ‘systems thinking’ approach aimed at developing integrated
solutions which will design out waste and minimise unnecessary
resource consumption and costs in order to achieve lasting
solutions to Climate Change. The Climate Change Solutions
Centre Built Environment cluster will provide unique educational
and applied research facilities in the SW of England which will
promote best practice in Environmental Design and sustainable Architecture. Our unique ‘cluster’ approach will promote
collaborative inter-disciplinary research and knowledge sharing.
Our mission is to provide practical advice and training to architects,
designers, planners, engineers and other built environment
professions supported by research and demonstration facilities.
The Built Environment arm of the Climate Change Solutions
Centre will offer a range of inter-related services including
education and research, publications, training, consultancy
and design. Educational aspects of our programme will be
supported by onsite demonstration buildings and building
integrated renewable technologies.
Practical Aims:
The Built Environment cluster will bring together the best practice
in relation to sustainable construction and master planning and
provide a How to response to the following questions:
How to minimise the thermal and electrical requirements of new
or existing communities by both upgrading the performance of the
building fabric, optimising the design strategy and installing
energy efficient lighting and appliances.
How to maximise development density without loss of amenity
in urban and suburban & rural areas. Land is possibly the most
precious resource of all.
How to design out the need for travel by building in any local
missing services or resources, ranging from telecommuting,
to local office space and local shops.
How to futureproof new communities by designing long life loose
fit serviced shells capable of making the transition between
domestic and commercial and then back again.
How to retrofit low carbon design solutions into our existing built
environment and housing stock.
How to Design out the need to travel to buy high carbon food,
by designing in the options for local farm food deliveries,
local farmers markets and the production of fresh vegetables
and fruit within private gardens, skygardens, out of season
conservatories and allotments.
How to appropriately generate the maximum amount of renewable
energy from within the site boundaries as practicable, minimising
the dependency on scarce national renewable energy stocks.
How to use reclaimed or local materials and local labour for as
many bulk materials as possible to reduce embodied carbon
and transport emissions.
How to integrate biodiversity into the built form in ways which
enhance the thermal performance and occupant comfort.
How to deliver Sustainable Drainage solutions and adapt to
increasing climate change induced flood risk.
How to deliver decentralized energy and locally owned Energy
Service Companies.
Outputs:
• The Climate Change Solution Centre will act as a repository
of best practice, and a hub for disseminating this learning out
to the core professions involved in responding to climate change
and delivering sustainable communities.
• It will support its activities through a range of educational,
training and consultancy services delivered on a not for profit basis.
• It will deliver a range of new mixed use regeneration projects
across the site to demonstrate best practice.
• It will provide a significant number of new residential units built to
and beyond ‘Zero Carbon’ Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
• The site will practice what it preaches and will eventually
become a ZED quarter or carbon neutral Energy Island
• It will develop up to 80% affordable housing to demonstrate that
low carbon housing can be delivered in a socially equitable manner.
• Existing and new student accommodation for participants in
residential training courses, together with lecture/event/exhibition
spaces will be met with anticipated low carbon design requirements
• A number of incubator units for low carbon businesses, built to
BREEAM Excellent or beyond will be developed
• The Centre will develop significant space for local food retailing
also built to BREEAM excellence standards
• The Seale Hayne Climate Change Centre will provide a hourly
bus service to / from Newton Abbot and solar powered battery
recharging facilities to support staff and residents objectives to
minimise the overall carbon footprint associated with the Centre’s
activities.
We are passionate about advancing best practice in
Environmental Design in order to optimise the climate change
mitigation and adaptation opportunities in the existing and
future built environment and we welcome you to contact us.
for further information.
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