Scottish Sustainable Building News, Sustainability, Green Projects, Developments, Information, Policy, Energy

Sustainable Building News in Scotland

Green Architecture Developments in Scotland: Eco Design – Climate Change

Scottish Sustainable Architecture News

2007

Scottish Timber
Ministerial Launch of Timber Development Programme & “New Timber Architecture in Scotland” Publication by Peter Wilson – Sustainable Timber Architecture News

Sullivan Report Launch
Low Carbon Building Standards Strategy for Scotland : Sullivan Report

Home Information Packs
Home Information Packs details for Scotland awaited. Scotland’s Executive will be introducing a mandatory information pack for property sales in Scotland, the details vary slightly from the England & Wales version and will be known as the Single Survey Scheme or Purchasers Information Pack (PIP).

Current Scottish Technical Handbook includes requirement for energy performance certificates as part of warrant process for all new buildings lodged for warrant after 1 May 2007. However SBSA have yet to confirm the Energy Performance Certificate format. Energy Performance Certificate – proposed phasing for Scotland:

– Construction from May 2007
– Points of sale during 2008
– Rental by Jan 2009

Carbon Emissions – Planning Guidelines SPP6 Renewable Energy
Jack McConnell declares immediate 15% reduction in carbon emissions for new buildings: new planning applications for building types over 500m2, in all Scottish local authorities, will have to demonstrate how the 15% reduction in carbon emissions will be achieved.
Consultation is proposed later this year on removing the requirement for planning re wind turbines and solar panels on existing buildings.
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SNH
Scottish Natural Heritage HQ - Sustainable Architecture News Scotland
photo: Michael Wolchover
Scottish Natural Heritage HQ voted best corporate workplace in UK at BCO Awards 2007
Fife Eco-Town?
Where better to have a development touted as Scotland’s first ‘Eco-Town’ than in the home county of our Prime Minister, the man who has promoted the concept. But is this a genuine ‘Eco-Town’ or yet another example of greenwash?

Sustainable Building News Scotland – up to Oct 2007:

Sustainable Housing Guide
Revised & expanded ‘Sustainable Housing Design Guide for Scotland” launched end of Jan 2007: download from the Communities Scotland website: www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk. There are 23 Scottish demonstration housing case studies included

Scottish Sustainable Building Panel
Expert panel proposed to recommend ways to make Scottish buildings more energy efficient. Climate Change Minister, Stewart Stevenson wants to see new-build houses in Scotland meet rigorous Scandinavian standards thus allowing householders to significantly reduce their energy use. The panel is to include designers, developers, contractors, assessors and researchers – with experts from Norway, Denmark and Austria. Building regulations changes will be triggered by recommendations of the panel, due to meet in Edinburgh in September

Aberdeen Energy Development Centre
Energy Development Centre to promote research, design and development within the industry. The £4.73m Energy Development Centre – complete with biomass boiler & wind turbine – is due to start on site this Autumn, and include 27 business units. Located at Aberdeen Science and Energy Park at the Bridge of Don, next to Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre Jul 2007

Carbon Emissions – Jack McConnell
Scottish Executive publish planning guidance for renewable energy developments: requirement on all new developments to reduce carbon emissions by at least 15%

Donside Urban Village – Aberdeen
’environmentally-friendly urban village’:
Donside Urban Village – proposed hydro-electric plant; solar water heating

Sust: Sustainable Housing Conference
15-16 Mar 2007
As part of Sustainable Designs on You, and following a study tour to Scandinavia, Sust. now brings together architects, housing association staff, private housing developers and local authority planners to promote quality design for sustainable living in public and private housing. Venue: The Lighthouse, Glasgow

Scottish Carbon Extraction Power Station – halted
£500m ‘green’ power station at Peterhead put on hold by BP / Scottish and Southern Energy. Proposal extracts carbon from gas landed at St Fergus, uses it to generate electricity and pipes the carbon offshore to the Miller field. Uncertainty re part-funding by UK government may be the reason for the delay.

The move will affect 100 design-work jobs related to the project in Aberdeen. The project would provide ‘clean power’ for estimated 500,000 homes so cancellation would be disastrous for Scotland.

10% Recycled
The Scottish Executive has called on institutions, from councils to colleges, to ensure that at least 10% of the total value of materials used on projects over £1m should be derived from recycled and reused content. Apparently Glasgow, Dundee, South Ayrshire and Aberdeen City Councils already specify at least 10% recycled content in construction projects.
Dec 2006

Hydrogen Office – Fife
£2.8m energy-efficient office & demonstration centre unveiled for the Energy Park in Methil: powered by renewable energy / hydrogen fuel cell energy: funded by Scottish Enterprise, Alsherra Investments + European Regional Development Fund 160107

Sustainable Architecture News Scotland Updates in more detail:

Scottish Exec sets Green Standards
Micro Renewables: New housing and other developments should generate at least 10% of their energy on site from renewable sources, according to new Scottish Executive standards. This follows on from London standards set by Ken Livingstone.

Scotland is the first UK country to consider such a standard. The draft Planning Policy on Renewable Energy proposes local authorities designate areas suitable for wind farm applications and those that are not; greater account is taken of issues like natural heritage and cumulative impacts of wind farms on communities and local authorities support a diverse range of renewable energy technologies including encouraging the development of growing and new technologies.

The target is to generate 40% of Scotland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and reduce harmful carbon emissions
Jul 2006

Scottish Sustainable Development Indicators
The progress of the Scottish Executive’s achievements in sustainable development, along with a new set of indicators that will be used to measure further progress, have been published. The indicators have been refreshed and strengthened to reflect the key outcomes in the sustainable development strategy Choosing our Future, including new measures on carbon emissions and the uptake of eco-schools.
Jul 2006

Edinburgh Sustainable Buildings Code
All major new developments in Edinburgh will be forced to cut CO2 emissions and provide renewable energy sources on-site to comply with a new green building code. This at last brings the city into line with London, and meets the Scottish Executive’s Micro Renewables policy: new housing & other developments to generate at least 10% of their energy on site from renewable sources: Sustainable Buildings Code

Sustainable Architecture Campaign by Lighthouse – Sust
Re:Motion exhibition, part of Sustainable Architecture programme, launched 17 Jul 2003 at Loch Lomond Shores, Scotland; finished Oct 2003
Sustainable Architecture : Lighthouse ‘Sust’ Programme

Location: Scotland, UK