FutureHaus

Whatever platitudes our politician’s come up with to justify their negligent lack of investment in energy efficiency and low carbon supplies, I believe that we must now accept the inevitable; the cost of running our homes is likely to increase dramatically! In response to this I believe that the FutureHaus will be sold not on what it cost to run but instead on the energy yield and income that they can deliver to occupants.  I believe that the design of the home is on the threshold of a period of rapid and dramatic change.  Energy costs and concern regarding energy security, coupled with technological innovation will see the home moving from a consumer to a producer of energy. 

Smart systems will store excess energy in household appliances including hot water cylinders, fridges and freezers and new technologies will make battery back-up an affordable option to run the home overnight.  A new generation of small scale, building integrated wind turbines, concealed in roof ridge tiles, will silently and invisibly harness the wind to provide the majority of power during the winter months.  Even human waste will be processed within the home by small scale anaerobic digesters, designed to look like other domestic appliances, that can be integrated into the interior of the home and provide both heat and power, along with limitless amounts of compost to feed the organic fruit and veg grown in the rooftop allotment.

The major challenge of our age will be the retrofitting of our existing building stock; 80% of which will still be in use by 2050.  This represents a massive opportunity for trusted organisations to offer customers the advice and help that they require to bring their homes up to the carbon positive standards required.  As new green technologies mature, their costs will reduce making them affordable solutions for the vast majority of customers.  We will need to find affordable, less disruptive ways of insulating large numbers of solid wall housing and this offers a significant opportunity for job creation and growth in the wider UK economy.  The technology in the home will need to be managed and updated and this will see the growth in new service offerings that will maintain the performance of the home in a similar way to the role that the garage plays in helping keep your car on the road.

As homes move towards zero carbon and on to carbon positive, a series of exciting opportunities will emerge.  The home will be able to become the fuel station for the car, charging its batteries with clean solar energy.  Solar hydrogen panels will provide the fuel for a cars hydrogen fuel cell, with the same system used to power and recharge the home when the car is in the garage.  Technologies that store thermal and electrical energy will develop rapidly and will remove the concerns that customers may have about the intermittent nature of renewable technologies.

Timber used for construction will continue to expand, but there will be an increasing demand for locally grown timber that creates forestry jobs in the local market and where the value added through converting lumber into timber products benefits the local economy.  In areas like the UK where land for forestry is restricted this is likely to drive the development of engineered timber products like Structural insulated Panels (SIP’s) and structures made from round wood, forestry thinning’s, will use limited amounts of material in very structurally efficient arrangements.

Timber waste will be converted into wood flour or chippings and used in combination with recycled post-consumer waste plastics to form a range of extruded sections that will be able to be used for both structural and non-structural application.  Waste paper and card will be used to make high performance structural tubes, achieving the carbon sequestration benefits of timber while reprocessing and upcycling locally derived waste.  Ultimately the notion of waste will become obsolete, with all material reprocessed to create new, high value products, creating jobs and helping to grow our local green economy.

Manufacturing technologies including 3D printing and CNC machining will allow manufacturing to be relocated from the Far East and undertaken within local markets once more, saving cost, time and emissions associated with existing long logistics supply chains.  New manufacturing technology will offer the possibility for products like flat pack furniture to be designed and manufactured in store,  allowing all customers the opportunity to become designer, customising products to satisfy their own unique requirements.

Ultimately I believe that we are on the threshold of a new age where homes are designed not simply to provide shelter but to make a positive contribution to the economic and environmental as well as the physical wellbeing of occupants.  This will demand new solar settlements, innovative residential design and integrated and intelligent utilities.  If anyone out there fancies joining me in the quest to develop the FutureHaus, along with the settlements that it will create, please give me a call!

Black Thoughts on Ecobuild

Well that’s ecobuild over for another year, and I for one say good!  In many ways I think that ecobuild reflects many of the barriers that are preventing our industry delivering the step-change that is required to address the pressing issues of our age.  As I walked around the vast, artificially conditioned interior of ExCel London what struck me most powerfully was the gap between presentation and reality.

Every product has
been greenwashed!

In the evolution of sustainable design I believe that we have really not changed much at all; all that has changed is the words that we use to describe products and the spin that is used to emphasise their virtues.  Ecobuild is dominated by major global construction product manufacturers and suppliers all of whom have added words like “eco” or “green” to the descriptions of their products and then, in the vast majority of cases, simply continued with business as usual.

The high cost of exhibiting at the show prevents most small companies and start-ups from displaying their wares, so almost all of the really interesting things that one found in the early shows, back in the good old days at Earls Court, have now disappeared.  For me to continue to make the annual pilgrimage to the Royal Docks, this must change.  I think that as the UK’s largest construction trade show there is a responsibility incumbent upon UBM, the franchises new owners to give something back, and this should be in the form of small low or no cost stands for small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) and start-ups.

As a practice, we have an initiative called Product of the Month where we ask our team to identify innovative sustainable building products and materials.  On average we have noted that it takes at somewhere between 3 and 5 years for the products that we find to appear at ecobuild.  Clearly, this would be cut dramatically if they were able to exhibit at low or no cost.  Also, by gaining exposure sooner they are more likely to survive and thrive.



The international nature of the industry is reflected at ecobuild, with significant space given over to foreign firms, with a rapid growth in those coming from China.  Many contractors now boast about having their own global supply chain, able to source products direct from Chinese manufacturers, cutting out the middle men.  But is this really a sustainable model for the UK economy?

I passionately believe that we need to rebalance our economy by growing our manufacturing sector.  This is essential if we are to create the range of jobs that we need to achieve full employment and long term social cohesion.  Construction products and materials manufactured and sourced from the UK create jobs and ensure that value is created in the UK and not aboard.  Removing long distance supply chains also delivers easy cuts in embedded carbon, which is increasingly important as we cut operational energy.

Glabal trade,
large carbon footprint!

Local sourcing of construction labour will ensure that host communities benefit from the construction process, but I would like this principle extended.  Small and medium scale (SME) businesses create jobs locally and in greater numbers than large national or international firms.  I would like to see all state funded procurement favour local small businesses for all contracts below £5 million.  Locally designed and built projects will help reconnect the property industry with the communities that we should be serving, correcting the distortions that have occurred due to property being seen primarily as an investment asset class rather than a means of enhancing the efficiency and wellbeing of building occupiers.

There is a pressing need for radical change to make the construction industry relevant and capable of addressing the concerns of our age.  The future must be small, local and accountable if we are to deliver intrinsically sustainable development.

Phoenix HQ November Update

This is the second of an on-going series of blogs that aim to create a photographic log of the construction process at the Phoenix HQ.

At the end of October (click here to view previous blog) a couple of bays had been erected and we could look forward to the completion of the first half of the frame by the end of the month.

Site visit 01.11.2012

When we next returned to site at the beginning of the month the first half of the composite frame had been erected and the construction team were starting preparation for the first floor’s metal deck to be laid.

 

Site visit 08.11.2012

One week later the metal deck was down, and for the first time we were able to gain access to the first floor. At this point the scale of the spaces had started to become more apparent and we were able to envisage how it will feel when the building is in use.

 

 

Site visit 20.11.2012

 

After a two week absence from site the concrete for first floor slab had been laid and work is currently progressing with attaching the SIPs to the composite frame, although there have been some delays due to high winds.

 

Site visit 22.11.2012

 

Phase II of the frame started on the 26^th of November and will be complete within the next 3 weeks, when the overall mass of the building should become clearly visible. Concurrent with this, the blockwork is due to commence on the ground floor any day now and the layout of the public spaces and lift shafts will start to take shape. This should all be complete by the 6^th of January when first fix is due to commence. 

Phoenix Community Housing HQ Underway

From this month forward we will be posting monthly updates on the progression of Phoenix HQ as it is constructed. Since the last blog the project has been through planning and Osborne has been appointed as the contractor. The updates will aim give a visual log of the projects construction process.



Ground floor slab cast

Site being prepared for
foundations

By the beginning of the month the Greenman Pub had been demolished and the site cleared. During the first and second weeks the foundations and slab were laid out and completed.



Glulam frame manufactured
in Austria

Hockey stick beams
ready for delivery

Whilst this process was occurring on site in the UK, B&K Structures had the timber frame manufactured by Kaufman in Austria.



Frame erection
commenced on site

First structural bay
nearing completion














The frame arrived on site on the 22^nd of the month and the team on site immediately started erection.

The view of the site from the Bromley Road

The completion of Phase 1 of the composite timber frame will be Monday 5^th of November and Osbourne will start laying the concrete deck immediately. The SIPS panels are due to arrive on site by the 12^th of November.  The installation of the SIPs is due to take 2 weeks so that by the time of the next update, Phase 2 of the structure will have commenced.

Breakfast on Black 2: It’s All About the People Stupid!

The latest in our Breakfast on Black events took place last Friday, attended by an invited group of industry leaders with a passion for sustainable development.  Our speaker this time was Miles Keeping, Head of Responsible Property Investment at Drivers Jonas Deloitte.  Miles’ presentation focused on where value is created in sustainable development, focusing on the human factors and the role that buildings have on the productivity of their inhabitants.



Miles Keeping
Head of Responsible Property Investment
Drivers Jonas Deloitte



Miles kicked of by reviewing the plethora of legislation that has been passed to encourage energy savings in pursuit of the government’s target of an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.  Buildings, both new and existing are a key sector as they currently account for about a third of the UK’s total emissions, but as Miles pointed out there have been some very mixed messages coming from the coalition government around encouraging sustainable development.  He highlighted the weakening of the stance taken by HM Treasury, including the heavy cuts made to feed-in tariff’s and blocking the roll-out of Display Energy Certificates(DEC’s).  If as promised this is to be the most sustainable government ever then they have a pretty strange way of showing it!

He went on to explore occupier’s attitudes to sustainability, identifying that most large companies report on sustainability and that this has historically been driven by a range of different motives including:

1                    Increased regulation

2                    Stakeholder pressure

3                    Brand strength

4                    Cost savings

5                    Reporting and disclosure

6                    Business continuity

In Miles’ opinion one of the most powerful drivers for occupiers to choose sustainable buildings is risk mitigation, whether that is from increasing energy cost, impact upon their brands from undesirable media coverage, or direct threats to continuity of trade caused by the impacts of climate change.

He also identified a perceived link between buildings that fall into this category and increased productivity, but acknowledged that the evidence required to substantiate this claim is not yet available.  I find this surprising, as there is research dating back to the 1990’s undertaken at Cardiff University which quantified a 16% reduction in absenteeism in low energy buildings when compared to air conditioned examples in similar locations.  This is an area where our industry needs to undertake urgent research if we are to be able to prove the business case for sustainable development.

Miles showed an interesting diagram showing the different factors of sustainable design, starting with location as the most important factor and moving out to water, waste and energy efficiency.  For me what was most telling about this diagram was that if you discount location as often being predetermined, then the most important factors are design quality, occupier satisfaction, spatial efficiency, flexibility and adaptability.  These are all architectural concerns and they have the largest impact on the sustainability of the completed building.  This highlights the critical importance of user centred design and the significant but often poorly addressed issues around the relationship between people who occupy buildings and the design philosophy that informs their creation.



Diagram of the factors that influence
 sustainable design



There is some strong evidence produced by the British Council of Offices (BCO) which demonstrates that occupiers see factors including energy performance and associated costs as factors which will be of growing importance over the next 10-20 years.  In reviewing this data, Miles also identified that this study showed that low or zero carbon buildings will be areas to experience significant growth.  What is most interesting is that there is no mention of the effects that building design has on the productivity of occupants.  Is this because occupiers do not see this as relevant, or as I would suggest, that they simply were not asked?

What is clear, is that if tenants prefer sustainable buildings, then these buildings are de-risked, making them safer investments and potentially worth more.  The perception in the market, is that sustainable buildings offer greater resilience, are more effective and can offer organisations a competitive advantage.  There is a growing belief that there may be a “green premium” and that this may also accelerate the rate of obsolescence of older, poorer performing stock.  In combination these two factors may have a dramatic affect as investors move away from the old towards the new.  Miles highlighted this trend with research from The Netherlands on the value of energy labels in the European office market that shows a rapid divergence between the value of green index and non-green index buildings.

In conclusion Miles stated that there is increasingly compelling evidence to support a value shift in favour of more sustainable buildings and that this is associated with a perceived increase in risk associated with older, poorly performing stock.  He posed the question “when will productivity become a valuation issue” and stated that there is still a lack of reliable data to prove the link between building design and productivity and that this is a real problem.  I was left with the feeling that so far the industry has delivered only minor energy improvements and that these have been achieved by increasing cost.  The crucial next phase is that we need to demonstrate how sustainability adds real and enduring value and this is all about the productivity of the people who occupy our buildings; or put another way, it is all about the people, stupid!

User Centred Design: Towards a New Sustainable Architecture

Dieter Rams, the designer behind some of Braun’s most successful products and a major influence on Apple’s Jonathon Ive, powerfully stated in a speech in 1976,



Dieter Rams



“A designer who wants to achieve good design must not regard himself as an artist who, according to taste and aesthetics, is merely dressing up products with a last-minute garment. The designer must be the “gestaltingenieur” or creative engineer.  They synthesize the completed product from the various elements that make up its design. Their work is largely rational, meaning that aesthetic decisions are justified by an understanding of the product’s purpose”.

He went on to articulate his ethos of user-centred design and his now famous 10 commandments of what constitutes good design:

Innovative	Honest
Useful	Long lasting
Aesthetic	Thorough to the last detail
Understandable	Environmentally friendly
Unobtrusive	As little design as possible!



Rams designed hi fi



You have to say that this is still a pretty compelling list, which is hard to argue with.  What is interesting is that while there are products, including I would argue, many designed by Apple, that follow this philosophy, architectural design from 1976 to today has, in the main, tried to satisfy as few of these principles as possible, making a virtue out of the irrational and on occasions the down right perverse!  You only need consider the latest iconic London tower or many of the Olympic buildings to see that what grabs the attention of the media is often the triumph of style over substance.

However, we have found that there are some notable exceptions to this trend, that I would argue signal the beginning of what will become a paradigm shift.  We have been fortunate to work for a number of owner occupier organisations, who having not been able to find buildings that satisfy their criteria have taken the courageous decision to build for themselves.  One of their key requirements is to create spaces specifically designed around the needs of their users, which reinforce the cultural and philosophical values that they hold.  They are not interested initially in what the building will look like, but how it works and what benefits it will bring in terms of reinforcing their values and how it will deliver measurable improvements in the way they conduct their core activities.

Central to their thinking is the way building design can facilitate team working, communication and knowledge sharing.  Ultimately, they demand solutions that will enhance the value created by the people who use them.  To achieve this objective requires a reappraisal of the nature of the workplace, challenging assumptions regarding occupation density, open plan to cellular ratios, break out space organisation and the provision of congregational facilities where all members can be brought together.  The architecture is developed from the user outward, rather than trying to force them into a pre-defined container.

This approach challenges the traditional Venn diagram that defines sustainability as being located at the intersection of the social, economic and environmental aspects of a project.  To articulate this approach we have developed the Black Target Diagram that places social issues at the centre of the process.  Economic factors form the outer frame to ensure that what is proposed is as innovative as possible while being deliverable within the available budget.  Environmental impacts must be minimised without impacting on the needs of the user or the economic sustainability of the overall project.

I believe that this approach will deliver the paradigm shift that is required if we are to address the challenges of our age, delivering buildings that are intrinsically sustainable.  They will no longer be designed simply to reinforce the house style of their architects, but will instead deliver a radical new sustainable architecture, moulded and shaped to satisfy the needs of its intended users.  It will be rational, logical and inherently beautiful and most importantly, capable of responding to the massive challenges that our society faces.

I believe that the future is already here, but it is just that we have not noticed yet.  We urgently need to design buildings that are relevant and this can only be achieved if we apply a user centred design process, focused on social sustainability and adopt the rigor set out in Dieter’s 10 commandments. 

Greenbuild Expo 2012

I am writing this blog on the train back from Manchester after presenting at Greenbuild Expo 2012 struggling to decide whether or not it was worth the long trip north.  This was my first time at this show and I have to say it did make a pleasant alternative to the monster that EcoBuild has become.  On the positive side the presentations take place within the exhibition hall, so it is easy to catch those that are of most interest and catch-up on the trade stalls in between.



Greenbuild Expo at Manchester Central

I had a good look around the show first and found that although there were less manufacturers represented than EcoBuild, there was the now familiar range of PV, low energy lighting and solar water heating solutions, along with a smaller number of consulting companies and media organisations.  The product with the largest range of options was definitely biomass heating systems, ranging in scale from the domestic right up to the industrial.  I was left wondering if we are increasing the amount of fuel we grow at the same rate that different technologies for its consumption are being brought to market? 

Before making my presentation I had just enough time to catch a session by Rachael Mellows of M&S and Ed Dixon of Simons Construction on M&S’s Plan A, Sustainable Learning Store at Cheshire Oaks.  They build two of these projects each year and then undertake post occupancy evaluation before incorporating the most successful initiatives into their mainstream development programme.  What is surprising is that as a repeat client there is still this separation between learning and development.  I think it would be cheaper and easier to redesign their standard store model in such a way that it is economically sustainable and able to be rolled out everywhere.





What was most noticeable about the presentation was the emphasis placed on community consultation and engagement during both the planning and construction phases.  There was some interesting ideas about local procurement with the majority of packages drawn from companies within 25 miles of the site and then 50 miles if no suitable companies are available locally.  It was stated that for each package about 60% is spent on labour with the remaining 40% on materials and that the majority of expenditure on labour is spent locally, whereas materials need to be sourced from much further away.  I am old enough to remember when the majority of M&S products were “made in Britian” and this got me thinking that it would be great if their buildings were specifically designed to be made with building products and materials from the UK.



Institution of
Civil Engineers
8 Storeys Gate Building

In the afternoon I spoke about our project for The Institution of Civil Engineers at 8 Storeys Gate, as part of the session on commercial refurb.   I ran though our approach to the refurbishment of this grade 2 listed building in Westminster, explaining how user centred design and social sustainability were at the heart of our design process.  There was significant interest in research that Professor Doug King has carried out that begins to challenge measurement of CO² emissions not on a per square meter basis but instead uses a per workstation measurement. 

This analysis suggests that mixed mode buildings are more sustainable than passively conditioned exemplars as they do not rely on low occupation densities.  This also offers the benefit of larger teams being able to work in closer proximity improving communication and user efficiency.  We have used these higher densities to create a wider range of social spaces throughout the building.  These provide venues for colleagues to meet and share knowledge on an informal basis, helping to break down barriers to communication created in multi storey buildings.

I concluded by making a challenge to the traditional, three ring, Venn diagram that places sustainability in the region where the rings intercept; arguing instead that social sustainability should be at the centre of a target diagram, constrained by economics and with environmental design that meets the needs of both users and the budget with the least impact on the planet.



Renault Twizy Electric Quadracycle

As I was leaving the Manchester Centre I had the chance to take a first look at Renault’s new Twizy electric quadracycle with a 70 mile range on a full charge that only costs £1.  Even better, it is road tax exempt.  If only building technology products could be so well resolved and so cheap to run.

Eco Porn!

Today we hosted the first of our Breakfast on Black sustainability briefings.  The purpose of the event was to expose the misleading claims that dominate the debate and to identify routes that we as an industry can adopt to address the real issues that we face.  As it said in the invite:

“Slapping a trendy buzz word on the end of your latest project name, or dripping a thinly veiled layer of “green jewellery” over it in an attempt to make it appear more attractive, is not the answer to sustainable development.  It’s a quick fix.  A one night stand.  It only highlights the cheap and dirty side of susta-inability”!

An exclusive group of carefully selected guests enjoyed a good breakfast before hearing Professor Doug King give a passionate and incisive critique of the state of sustainable design with the UK construction industry.



Professor Doug King



Doug pulled no punches as he set out the scale of the challenge that we face; illustrating how the widely predicted increase of 4 degrees centigrade in global temperatures, will render vast areas of the planet from southern Argentina to the south of France uninhabitable.

He compared the improvements in energy efficiency that have been achieved in the car industry, where the most inefficient car is five time less efficient than the best in class; and then made a similar comparison with buildings, identifying a factor of seven difference.  When this is considered alongside the fact that buildings account for almost half of the UK’s CO² emissions, while transportation in total only accounts for just over a quarter, the need for the construction industry to make a step change in the products that we deliver to society becomes dramatically apparent.

He then went on to explore the commitments that our government have made to cut UK emissions, first by 34% of 1990 levels by 2020 and then by 80% by 2050.  To achieve these goals he argued that we either need to completely rethink the way we design buildings to achieve a step change improvement in performance, or accept recession levels of economic activity and associated energy use, for the next 38 years.

Doug concluded his dynamic and challenging presentation by busting some of the myths, lies and frankly bullshit that have been used by our industry to apply eco-bling to projects that otherwise represent a business as usual approach, while making exaggerated claims to the contrary.  He took great delight in exposing the lies used to justify wind turbines in inappropriate urban ares, PV installations that are overshadowed by surrounding buildings and air conditioning units that have been rebranded as air source heat pumps.

Doug concluded with a good kicking for architects, who specify solar shading on north facing elevations where it is not only pointless, but actually increase energy consumption by reducing daylighting, before concluding his talk with an image of The Palestra Building, with its over glazed façade and token windmills; a perfect example of eco-bling?  He ended his presentation by making the point that over the last 15 years the most economic buildings, both in terms of construction and operational cost have ultimately proved to be the most sustainable.

There followed a wide ranging and intelligent series of questions from the audience:

Does slavishly following environmental performance benchmarking procedures like BREEAM, LEED and SKA increase the chances of an over-emphasis on active system above more effective and economically sustainable passive envelope measures?

Does intrinsic value emanate from the economic and social aspects of a project, rather than more subjective, emotional environmental arguments?

The session concluded with an acknowledgement of the urgent need for expert, repeat clients, to up their game and make commissioning selections based on performance characteristic rather than simply buying a sexy but ultimately vacuous iconic image.

All in all a thoroughly provocative event that provided much food for thought; along with a full English; what better way to start a Friday morning?

Norwegian Beauty is More Than Skin Deep



The National Tourist Route
Trollstigen, Norway
by Reiulf Ramstad Architects


I was at the RIBA on Tuesday night for the New Norwegian Architecture Lecture and the launch of an exhibition, Contemporary Norwegian architecture: Landscapes and interventions.  There were two speakers from Reiulf Ramstad Architects and Jensen & Skodvin.  Both presented a series of projects in rather rushed twenty minutes sessions which focused on the relationship between physical context and built form; particularly evident in a series of government funded commissions for small projects that populate the more remote parts of the National Tourist Routes.

Liasanden Rasteplass
Verdalen, Norway
by Jensen & Skodvin 

These interventions vary in scale from a lay-by in a forest through to elevated viewing platforms that provide unprecedented views of the dramatically beautiful Norwegian landscape.  What was particularly interesting about these projects was the way that they have been procured; no PQQ’s here, but instead a strong desire on the part of the government to provide opportunities for smaller, emerging practices to gain experience designing buildings for people to use and enjoy.

Both speakers emphasised the importance of the Norwegian social democratic tradition, citing social concerns as key influences that directly inform their design process.  What was particularly satisfying was the lack of overt iconography, which resulted in architectural responses that were simple and humble.  I was left with the distinct impression that these are buildings that would be best experienced in use.

What was really striking about all of the work presented was the quality of materials, the refinement of the details and craftsmanship of the delivery. This is not work that has been molested by the dead hand of “value engineering" that seems to cripple so many of our smaller, local public projects.  The architecture reflects the confidence of a nation with abundant natural resources, one of the highest earnings per capita on the planet and some of the most beautiful scenery.  In many ways Norway is blessed and must be a great place to work as an architect!

After the lecture the Norwegian Ambassador officially opened the exhibition which runs until 15^th June 2012 at the RIBA.  I cannot remember another event where the audience were so attractive; due to the large number of statuesque Norwegians in attendance!

Redefining Sustainability and the Decline of Ecobuild

So, it is that EcoBuild time of the year again!  I gave a presentation in the session “Changing behaviour for the energy efficient operation of buildings” about how buildings can be designed to improve occupant behaviour and energy consumption.  The session was very well attended, standing room only, with over eighty people in the room.  Not bad for the last session of the day.

John Connaughton of Davis Langdon who opened and chaired the session provided a good overview of the issues encountered when trying to encourage more energy conscious occupation.  John explained how we have become a “powered up nation”; in love with our gadgets.  This has led to a dramatic rise in small power consumption that has negated much of the savings made by more efficient systems and higher performing building envelopes.  In his office John has used thermal imaging to show occupants the energy wasted by transformers and adaptors.  He also identified that as energy performance improves occupants tend to increase their comfort levels by turning up the heating or air conditioning.

Following John, Joanna Eley of AMA Alexi Marmot Associates explored her research work with the Cabinet Office that demonstrated how difficult it is to use traditional methods to change occupant behaviour.  She described a number of initiatives that have been developed to address this issue, including CoolBiz, a Japanese Government backed scheme that encourages employees to change the way they dress for work to suit the climate, rather than simply relying on heating and cooling systems.  Joanna also presented the work of Dan Lockton, who designs products specifically to affect user behaviour, including a light switch that looks messy when it is on; and is tidied up by switching it off!

Peter Fisher of Bennetts Associates introduced his talk with a comparison of the work of Dieter Rams and Jonathon Ive, using the Braun Razor and the Iphone to illustrate that both the simple razor and the complex phone have been designed with an obsessive focus on simplicity and ease of use.  He drew the analogy with the work of his practice, who strive to achieve buildings that occupants can understand and are intuitive to use.  To illustrate this philosophical approach he presented their recently completed project for the refurbishment of Hampshire County Council Headquarters in Winchester.  This is a great scheme that I have had the pleasure to visit.

For my presentation I focused on user centred design and the need to redefine the way we think about the interrelation between the social, economic and environmental aspects that make up sustainable development.  I proposed that the traditional Venn diagram composed of three equal overlapping circles was no longer appropriate and proposed that we should move to a target model that places social and user needs at the centre of the design process, with the economic constraints defining the outer edge of the target with the environmental responses developed to satisfy the needs of both.

I also described work that we have been developing with Doug King of King Shaw where we challenge the metrics that we measure to assess the performance of buildings.  We believe that considering energy use per square meter is irrelevant and that we should as an industry move to measuring it on a per occupant basis!  When this approach is applied it produces some very interesting results, including higher levels of energy use in passively conditioned offices when compared with mixed mode solutions due to the higher densities of occupation that can be sustained in the latter.

While the presentations at EcoBuild continue to offer a broad range of both subjects and speakers, I am not sure that the trade show element has managed to stay relevant.  In many ways the use of the “eco” prefix that is applied to the show and all products on display, from toilets to solar panels, regardless of their actual performance characteristics, reflects a wider malaise in the construction industry, namely its failure to holistically embrace the social, economic and environmental aspects that must be addressed in the quest for more sustainable outcomes.  It feels to me that now is the time for a new forum to be developed, where smaller more innovative companies can afford to display their products.  Any thoughts on what we should call it?