Citation
Todd, S. (2006), "Internet review", Structural Survey, Vol. 24 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ss.2006.11024cag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Internet review
The web site information included below includes two key and other informative sites. If there are any other interesting sites or sources of information that you have found useful, please e-mail me at s.todd@salford.ac.uk
Building Research Establishmentwww.bre.co.uk
The “Latest News” section of the BRE’s web site gives information on the following:
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UK Green Building Council. A Prospectus for establishing a UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has been with a mission to dramatically reduce the environmental impact of buildings by radically improving the way they are designed, built and managed. The need for existing sustainable construction activities in the UK to be consolidated in order to provide a clear direction for the industry has been identified by The Sustainable Building Task Group. A UK-GBC will be able to draw on the wealth of guidance and tools that are available in the UK, including BREEAM, the international award winning environmental rating system for buildings. The key objectives of the UK-GBC will be to act as a champion for green buildings and to optimise profit for business by developing and enhancing the UK’s world class position in sustainable building design. A number of key organisations have already pledged their support for a UK Council.
- 2.
BRE launches series of school design seminars. BRE is launching a series of seminars and workshops to help tackle the problems of delivering good school design. They will provide head teachers, governors, local authorities, contractors and design teams with guidance on how best to balance the often conflicting issues, synergies and trade-offs needed to deliver schools that meet client needs, and provide productive and healthy teaching environments. The series includes:
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Sustainable schools that don’t cost the earth.
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Blowing hot and cold – the impact of heating, cooling, lighting, solar gain and facades in maintaining the correct internal environment.
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Incorporating best practice in security.
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Designing for flexibility and educational functionality – best practice today and flexibility for the future.
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Renewable energy and the school’s carbon footprint – how to include 10 per cent renewables and reduce waste.
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Fire – designing to maximise safety and minimise risk.
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Delivering IT provision for the future – how to deliver an IT strategy that meets the needs of education, the business and the building.
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- 4.
Dryform Ltd. Dryform Limited, Ireland, has just received a Technical Approval from BRE Certification for the Dryform Light Steel Frame (LSF) Building System. A pan-BRE team was involved in assessing the system for a range of performance attributes and the work was completed in just six months. The Technical Approval confirms the LSF system’s suitability for use in constructions up to three storeys in height for single or multi occupancy residential buildings with a variety of floor plans. The system is based on a series of factory assembled wall frames and floor constructions incorporating either steel floor joists and timber panels or composite of steel and concrete to provide the finished loadbearing structure. Technical Approval certificates provide independent third party assessment of the performance, quality, consistency and fitness for use of building and construction products against the requirements of applicable sections of the UK Building Regulations. BRE Certification certificates are recognised in UK Building Regulations Approved Documents and by the NHBC, Zurich Municipal and Building Control. Certificates are valid for three years, subject to regular satisfactory surveillance assessments. Designers, specifiers and users can access these certificates from all of the major construction electronic databases.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyorswww.rics.org
The main menu of this site includes:
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About RICS.
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Built Environment.
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Property.
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Environment.
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Management.
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Training.
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RICS Services.
There is also a series of quick links, including:
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Help.
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Contact us.
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Find a Surveyor.
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RICS Books.
The Clay Roof Tile Council (CRTC)www.clayroof.co.uk
The Clay Roof Tile Council was established in 1981 and is the UK’s independent trade association for the promotion of clay roof tiles in refurbishment and new build projects. The Clay Roof Tile Council comprises the five leading UK clay roof tile manufacturers representing over 90 per cent of UK clay roof tile production. The members are: Dreadnought Tiles, Marley Eternit, Keymer Hand Made Clay Tiles, Lafarge Roofing and Sandtoft Roof Tiles. The CRTC grew out of the Clay Tile Committee of the National Federation of Clay Industries, established in 1929. The Council began as a manufacturers’ forum to promote the benefits of clay roof tiles, but has grown to become a trade association.
The main menu includes:
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About the CRTC
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Production and Technical Information including – Vertical Tiling Guides and Plain Tiling Guides
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Why use clay tiles?
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Events and press information
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Contact us
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Useful links
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Educational Guides
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Clay Roofing Awards – designed to recognise the creative and innovative use of clay tiles in the UK.
Clear Skies (Renewable energy grants)www.clear-skies.org
This DTI funded and BRE managed Clear Skies initiative has helped householders and communities install renewable energy technologies by providing grants and access to advice. Clear Skies has now closed to new grant applications and has been superseded by the DTI’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP). The main menu is structured as:
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Home.
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Introduction.
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Households.
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Communities.
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Installers.
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Manufacturers.
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Case Studies and Press.
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Links.
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Contact Us.
The British Fire Protection Systems Associationwww.bfpsa.org.uk
The BFPSA is the Trade Association that represents 95 per cent of UK manufacturers and installers of Fire Alarm and Fixed Gaseous Extinguishing systems. In response to the new fire safety regime The BFPSA has added a new module to its successful training programme – “Fire Risk Assessment Responsibilities and Procedures: Implications for Fire Alarm Systems.”
The Energy Saving Trustwww.est.org.uk
The Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit making organisation, funded by government and the private sector. They were set up after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and have two main goals:
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to achieve the sustainable use of energy; and
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to cut CO2 emissions, one of the key contributors to climate change.
They encourage energy efficiency and the integration of renewable energy sources. To achieve this they promote the use of cleaner fuels for transport and better insulation and heating efficiency for buildings and support small-scale renewable energy projects. Through their programmes they provide expert and impartial advice and information as well as grants to encourage the more efficient use of energy in homes and vehicles. They are also encouraging builders to take advantage of their free advice and support for the changes in Part L of the Building Regulations. Information is also given on the Code for Sustainable Homes. This code is based on the Building Research Establishment’s EcoHomes standard. The Code will set minimum standards in six areas:
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Energy efficiency in the fabric of the building and appliances.
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Water efficiency.
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Surface water management.
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Site waste management including construction waste.
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Household waste management.
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Use of materials.
Six optional elements are also included:
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Lifetime/adaptable homes.
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Sound insulation.
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Private external space.
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More daylight to benefit health and reduce the need for electric lighting.
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Improved security.
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A home user guide/logbook.
Robust detailswww.robustdetails.com
Robust details are construction solutions which provide an alternative to pre-completion sound testing as a method of complying with Part E (resistance to the passage of sound) of the Building Regulations (England and Wales). They assess and approve new Part E robust details, and provide a registration service to enable builders to use them in the construction of their new homes. Robust details is a proven, reliable method of complying with Part E of the Building Regulations and is generally more cost effective than on site testing. The site is structured as:
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Home.
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About us.
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How the scheme works.
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Plot registration.
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Products and services.
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Robust details.
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Customer service.
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Downloads.
Cylon (smart energy control)www.cylon.com
There is now an increasing focus on managing the entire building as an integrated system. This presents an opportunity for closer integration based on a common building automation standard. While there are a variety of protocols available to provide interoperability between two given systems, BACnet/IP provides solution for complete building system integration. This company web site includes the following menus:
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Home.
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About us.
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Products.
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Applications.
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Partners.
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News.
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Support.
Knauf Insulationwww.knaufinsulation.co.uk
Knauf Insulation has published the Health Sector Guide, the first in a series of comprehensive design manuals that provide information about the use of insulation in specific types of building. They provide key information and practical understanding and are divided into sections covering thermal, acoustic, fire protection and HVAC insulation and examines them from two perspectives. The first “design requirements” looks at the relevant building regulations, legislation, standards and thinking that influence the use of insulation within the type of building being reviewed. The second “design solution” introduces the appropriate insulation solutions that can be considered and explains how their use meets the expected design requirements. The guides also contain case studies and references.
Rockwool Insulationwww.rockwool.co.uk
This insulation manufacturer’s web site includes the following menu:
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Solutions.
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Product library.
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Fire.
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Acoustic.
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Environment.
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Home insulation.
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About us.
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Rockfon ceilings.
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Build desk.
Rockwool have also launched a new guide to help designers and others understand the changes to Part L of the Building Regulations. It gives guidance on the new methods and tools required to calculate the overall energy efficiency of a building and contains case studies which highlight the type of measures needed to meet the new standards. These are accompanied by sample constructions that meet the required U-values, as well as information on Rockwool products.
Stephen Todd