Pictured above: Charles Meynell, Sustainable
Construction iNet and Bill Smedley, rg+p architects discuss work in
progress on the new guide for house builders
One of the East Midlands region's most dynamic and diverse
architectural practices, rg+p is producing a unique publication
aimed at providing house builders direction and guidance to help
comply with expected changes to Building Regulations and support
the requirement for all new houses to be Code for Sustainable Homes
Level 3 (and upwards) compliant at the very least by 2016.
The brainchild of rg+p's managing director Bill Smedley, the
publication will bring an understanding of the Code for Sustainable
Homes process to a wider audience and encourage builders and other
organisations to ensure their products meet Government targets for
energy efficient homes and to help demonstrate how cost effective
this process can be.
With no precedent to follow, the practice realised that support
for the research aspect of the project was needed and, following
recommendation by BRE, contacted the Sustainable Construction
Innovation Network (Sustainable Construction iNet) which provided
subsidised innovation support to the value of £7,000. Through
the support, called Innovation, Advice and Guidance, rg+p were able
to not only upgrade the scope of the project but also extend it to
include Level 4 compliance giving the publication an even broader
based shelf-life.
Sustainable Construction iNet's senior business adviser, Charles
Meynell said: "We were really pleased when we heard about rg+p's
idea to create this benchmark publication. Not only does the
concept reflect the principles of sustainable construction, it will
inform and instruct basic building practice from the ground up -
exactly where it's needed. We were also pleased to support a
long-standing practice operating in difficult trading conditions,
using their hands on expertise to support and guide others."
Bill commented: "We are very proud to be the author of what will
be a unique and extremely useful guide and this would not have been
possible without the support of the Sustainable Construction iNet.
We have been proactive in providing Code for Sustainable
Homes services to our Housing Association clients for some time and
this has given us the opportunity to widen our service and spread
the word to new clients such as house builders and other housing
associations. We are hoping that the publication will encourage
clients to use our Code for Sustainable Homes service and from
there on our design and management services."
The rg+p team has already started rolling out feedback
presentations to surveyors, with a deadline for the final
publication end of 2010.
"This will give the construction and house building industry in
particular an opportunity to be at the forefront of energy
efficiency and the goals of carbon neutrality." Smedley
concluded.
The Sustainable Construction iNet is funded by East Midlands
Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development
Fund (ERDF) and to date the iNet has helped more than 35 businesses
in the East Midlands region with targeted funding support.