Beyond Zero

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Green Street – A Research Overview

Dept. of Architecture & Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering

University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD

David Bailey

Contact: laxdb@nottingham.ac.uk

David BaileyDavid Bailey

Research Context

Timber vs. Masonry Debate

This work forms part of a

larger study looking to the larger study looking to the

post occupancy performance

of sustainable housing in the

UK with the aim of

delivering more efficient

buildings in the light of

Government emissions targets Government emissions targets

within the building sector.

The Green Street Case Study

The case study development is located in the

Meadows, Nottingham. The Green Street

development is a newly constructed housing scheme

accredited at CSH Level 4. The 8 houses under

investigation incorporate both timber and masonryinvestigation incorporate both timber and masonry

fabrication techniques and even have similar

layouts..

Methodology

Environmental Performance Evaluation

Achieved through a mixture of fabric testing, computer modelling and ongoing

performance analysis of utilities and environmental conditions within the properties.

Methodology

• Co-Heat Testing

• Thermography

• Computer Modelling

•Air Permeability Testing

• BUS Methodology

• Life Cycle Analysis

Fabric Testing

Handover Study - Introduction

This paper seeks to address performance variability between design and as built

performance in domestic applications by looking at the influences of occupant

interaction.

Modern sustainable housing requires a significant amount of technology oriented

solutions which in turn require some level of occupant interaction. Simply put, if

users are not trained to employ these technologies in the proper manner, then they

will not perform as specified.

Thus the paper asks the question, have handover and training procedures targeting

new house owners evolved and become more formalised with the advent of more

complex sustainable technologies and design concepts in the ecologically oriented

housing sector?

Results

The results and key themes of the study show:

• Demonstrators are not aware of the significance of sustainability and the impact

that occupant behaviour has on the performance of a house.that occupant behaviour has on the performance of a house.

• Demonstrators struggle to understand many sustainable technologies and concepts

which are taken for granted within the modern sustainable housing industry.

• Demonstrators struggle to appropriately communicate worthwhile information in

the standard 1 hour tour and handover manual format.

The figures also support the notion that practical explanation is not necessarily

indicative of sustainable instruction. Behavioural determinants are often addressed

adequately in terms of functionality but the demonstrator pays little attention to the

sustainability.

Conclusions

The study shows occupants are not receiving appropriate guidance and

encouragement. It suggests that occupants struggle to absorb the amount of

complex information provided.

The solution must focus on the

presenting the information in an

appropriate manner.

Ultimately ever stricter ecological standards employed in housing necessitates a

complete reform of the handover process. The precedence exists in the form of

the Soft Landings Framework (BSRIA, 2009) currently used in commercial

applications.

Air-tightness Testing - Introduction

Air-tightness is an integral component in the

development of sustainable construction.

Impacts: Impacts:

• Building energy performance,

• Thermal comfort

• Indoor air quality

The premise of this paper is

that the current regulations that the current regulations

are not stringent enough,

they have too many holes

and not enough failsafes.

Air-tightness Testing - Results

Minimum air-permiability for the

effectiveness of MVHR - 3 m3/h/m2.

Only a percentage of housing is tested.

Remedial measures to ensure these Remedial measures to ensure these

houses pass the specified level are not

applied to the entire site.

The result is housing that is designed and

constructed to reach a stringent and

sustainable level of air-permibility, but in

reality falls below this standard.reality falls below this standard.

DESIGN vs. AS-BUILT PERFORMANCE

Thermography – Internal Garages

Despite being constructed to Building Regulations, thermal imaging would

suggest that internal garage walls should perform to the same standard as

external walls, as the garage is an un-heated space.

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