BREEAM - an overview. Read more... This workshop provides an overview to the BREEAM assessment system looking at the core headings of energy, transport, water, materials, pollution and health and well being. It identifies quick wins and the best solutions from a whole life-cycle analysis using actual case studies. The workshop also identifies how early use of a BREEAM assessor, careful attention to management of the whole build process, and a building performance assessment after handover, will significantly help to ensure a sustainable building.

Carbon Rationing - how would it work? Read more... Our carbon-rationing seminar is an example of a workshop that addresses global issues whilst providing solutions at a national and personal level. It is especially popular with student groups and Housing Associations as an aid to enhancing carbon literacy. Participants learn what is required to live within their global share of carbon emissions, understand what happened at Copenhagen, learn how the contraction and convergence model can reduce global CO₂ emissions and discuss how a personal carbon allowance would work, and be administered, in the UK.

Carbon Reduction Strategies for your Organisation. Read more... For any organisation to successfully reduce its overall carbon footprint an understanding of the whole life impact of different sustainable solutions, including maintenance and running costs of different technologies, is vitally important. Using actual case studies this workshop will cover both sustainable technologies that can be easily retrofitted into a building, and sustainable solutions to transport and procurement that can be incorporated into company policy. It also looks at the effect behaviour change (or behaviour inertia) from staff or tenants will have on future CO₂ emissions.

The Code for Sustainable Homes - an overview. Read more... This seminar is an introduction to the Code for Sustainable Homes looking at its successes and failures since its implementation in 2008, the changes that have been made and how on schedule it is to deliver zero carbon homes by 2016 (or 2012 if you are building in Wales).
Each of the core issues will be covered with special emphasis on energy and water and all mandatory requirements. Quick wins will be indentified, as will the most sustainable solutions (not always awarded by the most points unfortunately). The workshop uses actual case studies to work through different parts of the Code assessment procedure.

EcoHomes XB - an overview. Read more... This seminar is designed for Housing Associations and their professional partners who are involved with the management and refurbishment of existing dwellings. Using actual case studies, the workshop explores the different parts of EcoHomes XB, identifying the easiest and most cost effective changes to ensure a more sustainable building stock that allows a Housing Association to meet its carbon reduction commitments and to provide better homes for its tenants.

Green Roofs. Read more... Green roofs provide bio diversity, keep buildings cool in summer, play an important role in reducing run off from roof surfaces and can mitigate against the heat island effect of major cities. They are suitable for retrofit as well as new build, for domestic premises (especially blocks of flats) as well as commercial buildings. Learn about the different types of green roof and the advantages of each, their role in a SUDS solution to stormwater management, how to integrate with other sustainable solutions such as rainwater harvesting and PVs, cost and maintenance issues.
Cath is co-author of CIBSE’s Guide to Green Roofs, a document that has been widely praised as being a first class and informative read, and has been involved in several projects where green roofs were specified.

Greywater Recycling. Read more... This seminar introduces the concept of greywater recycling, identifies the opportunities of this technology and highlights the pitfalls to be aware of. It looks at all the systems currently available on the UK market, discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different types of system and their varying costs, and states where they should be installed to ensure optimum performance. This workshop can be easily combined with the rainwater harvesting workshop

Key principles of sustainable retrofit. Read more... A SusCon/Riba CPD with Brian Murphy of GreenSpec.

Low & Zero Carbon Technologies. Read more... This CPD seminar provides an overview of the main low and zero carbon technologies, their advantages and disadvantages, suitability for new build or retrofit and their carbon payback. Solar thermal, Photovoltaics, ground source and air source heat pumps, CHP, micro-wind and biomass are all covered.
Low carbon technologies are not just about renewables. Heating system design, fuel choice and efficient controls are also vital components of ensuring the carbon footprint of the heating and lighting load for a building is reduced and will be covered briefly, as will behaviour of the building occupants.

Rainwater Harvesting. Read more... Harvesting rainwater will reduce potable water demand and can reduce localised flooding incidents. For this reason it is recognised as part of source control within a SUDS solution for any development and is a core part, combined with water efficiency, of a sustainable water strategy.
This seminar introduces the concept of rainwater harvesting, identifies the opportunities and highlights the pitfalls to be aware of when specifying this type of technology. The seminar covers the different system types available in the UK, best practice in design, how to ensure the chosen system conforms to relevant legislation, and risk assessments of any site; this ensures that you provide your client with the optimum solution for their development. Participants determine, using actual case studies, whether rainwater would be the best solution for a particular situation, as well as learning simple sizing techniques and payback calculations.

Solar Thermal. Read more... Solar thermal systems for hot water heating are the simplest and most cost effective way to meet both the “Merton Rule” (10% renewables on developments of more than 10 dwellings or 1000m2 commercial space) and Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, as well as being easy to retrofit as part of any sustainable refurbishment.
The presentation covers standard solar thermal systems, drainback systems, flat plate collectors vs. evacuated tubes, design issues and payback, and ensures that designers can specify the most efficient and safest system for any situation. As solar thermal for space heating is possible (just) in the UK, the workshop will also briefly cover the pros and cons of this use of solar energy, and how best to implement it.

Sustainable Drainage Systems. Read more... Providing SUDS (sustainable drainage systems) to address the problems of stormwater run off from sites is now required on an increasing number of new developments, especially since the implementation of PPS 25. SUDS provide biodiversity as well as reducing the impact of stormwater on the local environment through a variety of different design solutions.
This workshop looks at best practice in SUDS using examples from the UK and abroad and covers source solutions such as green roofs and permeable paving, as well as conveyance and infiltration devices such as swales, detention basins and balancing ponds. Solutions to the problems of land grab and maintenance of SUDS are provided as well as indicative costs of implementation.

Sustainable retrofit of domestic properties. Read more... A SusCon/Riba CPD with Brian Murphy of GreenSpec.

Sustainable retrofit of historic buildings. Read more... A SusCon/Riba CPD with Brian Murphy of GreenSpec.

Sustainable Water. Read more... This CPD is an introduction to the main issues around sustainable water use in the UK concentrating on the environmental pressures to reduce demand and how to do so most effectively. The seminar covers the measures that building professionals can use to reduce water demand in buildings, whether commercial, public or domestic, new build or existing. Water efficient appliances are covered in depth, and the concepts of rainwater and greywater as possible alternative sources to using potable water are introduced. The costs and payback of different solutions are stated and the CPD ensures that delegates understand the carbon loads of different types of water. The environmental problem of stormwater run off and the solution of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) is also covered briefly.

Updates to Part G of the Building Regulations. Read more... Part G of the Building Regulations is being updated in April 2010. For the first time ever the Regulations will address water efficiency with a maximum allowable amount of 125 litres of wholesome water per person per day in dwellings. But this is not the only change. The document has increased in size from 14 to 43 pages and also covers cold water supply, hot water supply and systems, sanitary conveniences and washing facilities, bathrooms, and kitchen and food preparation areas. This workshop will highlight the important changes to Part G so that your architectural practice is fully up to speed with the legal requirements. By the end of the CPD delegates will be able to:

• Identify when the 125 litres calculation needs to be submitted to Building Control, and the role that alternative sources of water such as rainwater, greywater or borehole water play.
• Successfully use the “Water Efficiency Calculator for New Dwellings” (after having worked through an actual example using a real case study).
• Understand the requirement for a risk assessment for water from non-wholesome sources.
• Know the requirement to ensure maintenance of sanitary appliances can be successfully carried out.
• State how to comply with the regulation that bath water does not exceed 48oC whilst ensuring that legionella proliferation does not occur.
• Specify a compost toilet that conforms to the regulations, and understand which models don’t.
• Identify the organisations that manage the competent person’s self-certification scheme.

Water Under the Code for Sustainable Homes. Read more... The Code for Sustainable Homes is designed to reduce water consumption as well as CO₂ emissions from a dwelling. But, this will not necessarily be the outcome in homes built to meet levels 5 and 6. Although the calculator was changed in 2009 following much adverse criticism, the difficulty in specifying sensible water efficiency measures to reach the highest Code levels still remain; the result is that most Code Level 5 and 6 dwellings will have to install rainwater harvesting or greywater recycling systems even where this does not make carbon (let alone financial) sense.
This CPD has been described by Hattie Hartman (of the Architects’’ Journal) in her sustainability blog as “very nerdy but absolutely fascinating stuff” and is an in-depth look at how the water calculator works and how it rewards water and carbon inefficient choices at higher levels of the Code.