Sustainable Consultancy
Sustainability Consultancy
A widely-used and accepted international definition of sustainable development is: 'development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'
The sustainable design of a project must consider all the relevant elements that go into the location, orientation, structure, systems, construction, use and eventual demolition of the project and also how each decision at each stage will affect all of the others. Clearly, this process is not an exact science and the trade-offs that are made in each case will reflect the information, values and resources available to the design team, along with their expertise.
We offer a range of services to support both planning requirements and Building Regulations, to satisfy the current Legislation and renewable targets. These services include:
Code for Sustainable Homes Assessments
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), is a means of assessing and improving the diverse environmental impacts of a building and presenting them in a simple, easy to understand way. The new Code for Sustainable Homes replaces EcoHomes for residential development.
Design advice and guidance on sustainable construction
Our services can be tailored to the needs of the client and the design team to ensure their designs provide a holistic and genuinely sustainable solution whilst recognising other project constraints. The Design Advice Service could be carried out either in tandem with or independent of a BREEAM assessment and any statutory requirements.
Renewable Energy Feasibility Assessments
We offer a pre-feasibility/desktop study to clients who wish to evaluate site potential without committing to the expense of physical measurement. We can further progress projects that show potential, as indicated by the pre-feasibility study or for clients who want to go straight to a feasibility study without the desktop study. Such studies involve a site visit, detailed site energy resource assessments, visual impact assessments, noise impact assessments, outline design and specification, potential layouts design, likely grid connection, financial viability, technical and environmental constraints and planning issues. Analyse and recommend appropriate renewable energy technologies and funding initiatives for integration into development projects.
Cost benefit analysis of each system type:
Costs are either one-off, or may be ongoing. Benefits are most often received over time therefore we build this effect of time into our analysis by calculating a payback period.
Accredited SAP and SBEM assessment
We can undertake SBEM calculations to produce energy performance rating in line with Building Regulations compliance. Carrying out SAP Assessments to provide you with your SAP Rating and Energy Performance Certificates for Building Regulations compliance, and we also offer this service in conjunction with Code for Sustainable Homes assessments/BREEM.
Daylight calculations
As sustainable construction starts with the client and designer, sustainability benefits are most easily created and impacts are most easily avoided at the specification and design stage.
Our early involvement in projects creating and evaluating designs to maximise the use of natural daylight and minimise reliance on artificial lighting is key. Solar access for proposed designs can readily be analysed to determine the effects of overshadowing and seasonal variations. Light intensity and the distribution of natural light within spaces can be further managed to reduce contrast and glare, thereby improving occupier comfort and reducing use of artificial lighting.
Under construction