Designers create the 'impossible' zero-carbon house - BBC News. Designers at Cardiff University say they have constructed the sort of house George Osborne once described as impossible.
The chancellor scrapped a requirement for new homes to be zero carbon by 2016 because he said it would prove too expensive. But Cardiff University say they have built a house that exports more power to the grid than it uses. And crucially they say the cost fell within the normal budget for social housing. A government spokesman said house builders needed to be given more time to develop low energy homes. 'Excess energy' The house took just 16 weeks to construct and cost £1,000 per sq m - that's within the range for social housing of £800 to £1,000 per sq m, the designers said. In future, they say its owners will make money from selling excess energy. The property, near Bridgend, has insulated render on the outside and air heating systems that rely on the sun. Another zero-carbon home is close to completion at the Building Research Establishment near Watford. Hey, fancy buying a straw house? 8 February 2015Last updated at 21:08 ET By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC News Architect Craig White shows BBC reporter Victoria Gill around one of the new affordable homes made from straw bales The first straw houses in the UK to be offered on the open market are on sale.
Though straw walls might be most readily linked to a story of pigs making questionable construction choices, the team behind these homes says the material could help to sustainably meet housing demand. Green building. US EPA Kansas City Science & Technology Center This facility features the following green attributes: *LEED 2.0 Gold certified *Green Power *Native Landscaping Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition.
Green building in the United Kingdom. Green building in the United Kingdom The Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB) has promoted sustainable building in the UK since 1989.
The UK Building Regulations set requirements for insulation levels and other aspects of sustainability in building construction. In Wales, advice on and access to sustainable building is available from a not-for-profit organisation called Rounded Developments Enterprises.[1] They run a Sustainable Building Centre in Cardiff. One of the best known green buildings in the UK is the Media Centres' Friendly Street Building.[2] Under the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) Europe has made a mandatory energy certification since January 4, 2009.
See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit] BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method)GreenSpec. Green building in Germany. German developments that employ green building techniques include: See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]
Green building in the United States. This article provides examples of Green Building programs in the United States.
These programs span the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and all have the goal of increasing energy efficiency and the sustainability of the built environment. Sustainable Design Organizations and Green Building Programs[edit] In the United States, governments and private organizations have established several sustainable design organizations and programs in green building. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated.
The National Association of Home Builders, a trade association representing home builders, remodelers and suppliers to the industry, has created a voluntary residential green building program known as NAHBGreen.[1] The program includes an online scoring tool, national certification, industry education, and training for local verifiers. Campus greening[edit] California[edit] Green roof. Green roof of City Hall in Chicago, Illinois.
A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems. Container gardens on roofs, where plants are maintained in pots, are not generally considered to be true green roofs, although this is debated. Rooftop ponds are another form of green roofs which are used to treat greywater.
The term green roof may also be used to indicate roofs that use some form of green technology, such as a cool roof, a roof with solar thermal collectors or photovoltaic panels. Zero-energy building. A zero-energy building, also known as a zero net energy (ZNE) building, net-zero energy building (NZEB), or net zero building, is a building with zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site.
These buildings still produce greenhouse gases because on cloudy (or non-windy) days, at night when the sun isn't shining, and on short winter days, conventional grid power is still the main energy source. Because of this, most zero net energy buildings still get half or more of their energy from the grid. Sustainable architecture. Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space.
Canada Green Building Council. Thousands of pounds offered to homeowners for green home makeovers. Payments of thousands of pounds will be available to householders in England and Wales who install energy-saving measures such as insulation and new boilers from June, in a move designed to breathe new life into the government's flagship energy efficiency scheme.
The green deal, which launched in January 2013, was hailed by ministers as "transformational" and the "biggest home improvement programme since the second world war". But the scheme was dogged by administrative problems and even energy secretary, Ed Davey, conceded earlier this year that the financing that had been at the heart of the initiative was "disappointing". The Guardian can reveal that ministers will announce a bold new package of measures on Thursday, known as the green deal home improvement fund, in a bid to revive the scheme.
A £500 payment will be offered for anyone who installs energy efficiency measures within 12 months of moving into a property. Australian launch of Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Network. Spokesperson: Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA) and the Climate and Health Alliance and Global Green and Healthly Hospitals and Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) A new global network of hospitals and healthcare organisations working together to reduce the environmental footprint of the healthcare sector internationally will be launched in Sydney today.
The Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Network (the Network) will be launched at a health policy forum on greening the health care sector being held by the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association and the Climate and Health Alliance at Luna Park at 10.30am. This event is one of a rolling series of launches taking place around the world in 2012. The Network will be launched by Dr Peter Orris, Professor and Chief, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of Illinois, Senior Advisor to Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), which has led the establishment of the Network. Green hospitals. Living Building Challenge. The Living Building Challenge is an international sustainable building certification program created in 2006 by the non-profit International Living Future Institute.[1] It is described by the Institute as a philosophy, advocacy tool and certification program that promotes the most advanced measurement of sustainability in the built environment.[2] It can be applied to development at all scales, from buildings – both new construction and renovation - to infrastructure, landscapes and neighborhoods, and is more rigorous than green certification schemes such as LEED or BREEAM.[2][3] History[edit] The Living Building Challenge was launched by the Cascadia Green Building Council (a chapter of both the U.S.
Green Building Council and Canada Green Building Council). It was created by Jason F. McLennan and Bob Berkebile, of BNIM. International Living Future Institute[edit] Green building council australia. U.S. Green Building Council. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by current CEO Rick Fedrizzi, Mike Italiano, and David Gottfried in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built, and operated.