1. the code for sustainable homes in practice

2. why housing? ● 200,000 new homes per year (CLG 2007) ● 30% of the UK’s CO² emissions ● 55% of timber used in the UK goes into homes, much of it from unsustainable sources ● water – average 150-180 litres / person / day ● it can impact on how new homes and communities are developed and managed: - determines our lifestyle decisions - overall impact on the environment - food we eat - waste we generate - way we travel housing at peacehaven by LCE Architects

3. key features of the code ● nine categories of environmental sustainability ● applied at the level of an individual code dwelling type ● 2 stage process – final certificate at post construction review stage ● mandatory standards for energy, water, minerals, waste and surface water run-off ● higher minimum standards for energy and water to be met to achieve higher ratings ● 6 level rating system – a tool for marketing

4. minimum standards categoriesflexibility energy efficiency6 levels of minimum standards one for each level of the code water efficiency3 levels of minimum standards each covering two levels of the code materialsA single basic standard at code entry level surface water run-off waste pollutionNo minimum standards health & well-being management ecology

5. regulatory minimum minimalaspirational number of buildings ecohome s level 2 level 3 level 4 level 5 level 6 level 1 environmental standards excellent very good

6. major differences to ecohomes ecohomesthe code site assessmentindividual dwelling assessment usually ‘design stage’ onlyassessed in 2 stages- design stage and upon completion flexible standards in all categoriesfixed minimum standards (thresholds) for some categories absolute carbon levelsenergy based on percentage improvement over building regulations new points for ‘lifetime homes’ locational credits related to transport and amenities omitted

7. a two stage process ● design stage - based on design drawings, specifications and commitments - results in interim certificate of compliance ● post construction review - based on the design stage information - confirmation of compliance through site records and visual inspection - code certificate awarded based on compliance at this stage

8. the code for sustainable homes assessment process developer housing association architect -with a code site- e d c b a register site with BRE under current version of code design stage report issued to BRE for interim certification assessor advises on design process to gain required code rating BRE issues interim certificate and carries out quality assurance report is submitted to BRE on each code variant dwelling type BRE issues final code certificate on each code variant dwelling type and carries out quality assurance BRE training and licensing licensed assessors as each code variant dwelling type is completed, assessor gathers evidence to complete the post construction review report interim code results are stored on databas e final code results are stored on databas e choose a code assessor

9. code issue categories ● energy / CO² ● waste ● water ● pollution ● materials ● health & well-being ● surface water run-off ● management ● ecology

10. key issues ● mandatory performance levels for 6 key issues at entry level: - energy efficiency - water efficiency - surface water management - site waste management - household waste management - use of materials ● higher minimum thresholds for energy and water at upper levels of the code housing at dagenham by LCE Architects in association with Bisset Adams