ARCHITYPE Passivhaus, sustainable development and green architects.

ARCHITYPE Passivhaus, sustainable development and green architects. http://www.architype.co.uk/ ARCHITYPE Passivhaus, sustainable development and green architects. RSS News Feed Architype Ecobuild and the Launch of Rapier – the new Cost Energy and Carbon Lifecycle Analysis Tool – Written by Ben Humphries <p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img alt="" src="/userfiles/images/rapierBlogImage.jpg" style="width: 329px; height: 220px; float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" /></span></span></p><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">So Ecobuild came and went.  We were delighted that ‘fabric first’ was more on people’s lips than renewables and all left feeling like Passivhaus has entered the mainstream.  We had a great response to Jono’s talks about our newly certified Passivhaus schools, Elrond’s talk about the benefits of BIM in the design of Passivhaus buildings and Ben’s presentation of our recent OJEU design competition for a new exemplary low carbon building for University of East Anglia.<br /><br />Ecobuild was also the forum for us to disseminate our 2 year TSB funded RAPIER project and we were delighted with a full-house evening session to hear more about this exciting venture.  We received a fantastic response from architects, engineers, cost consultants, developers and investors, who were all excited about our software tool.<br /><br />Developed by a consortium of four companies – Architype, BDSP, Greenspace Live and Sweett Group, RAPIER rapidly produces cost, energy, and carbon lifecycle analysis of new build projects from early concept stage.  Capturing the combined expertise of four industry leaders in sustainability, the tool provides immediate results, graphic clarity, depth of information and ease of use – you can use it on an iPad or even a smartphone!<br /><br />Much like Alan Turing's enigma code breaker machine, RAPIER rapidly decodes and solves the once complex relationship of lifecycle carbon and cost. Rapier solves lifecycle carbon to the PAS 2050 standard using Architype's in-house designed lifecycle embodied carbon tool and BDSP's Fast Solving Energy Modeller Suntool for operational energy. This process is harmonised with lifecycle cost analysis using Sweett Group's tool, designed to ISO 15686-5.<br /><br />Our plan this month is to complete the TSB funded period of development and then start a cycle of releases, with an Alpha launch at the end of June, a beta launch at the end of September and a full commercial release at the end of 2012.  Using gbXML as its BIM language, each release will include more and more functionality. By the commercial release we hope to have full interoperability with Sketchup and also a retrofit plug-in.  Upstream BIM tool interoperability will follow.<br /><br />The TSB were delighted with how far we’ve come with the application, and many in the audience told us that this was the tool that they have been waiting for.  We’re really pleased that we’ve already had a number of SMEs, a research institute and a top five contractor sign up to be alpha testers.<br /><br />We believe that RAPIER has the potential to revolutionise low impact building design and invite you to join the ride.<br /><br />If you would like any further information about our tool please </span><a href="mailto:rapier@bdsp.com"><span style="color:#0000ff;">contact us</span></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> or Click </span><a href="http://www.projectrapier.com/rapierserver/rapierserver/registerinterest;jsessionid=144C2926B3038A99D985F4FB71D24D86" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0000ff;">here</span></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> to register to become part of our testing team.<br /><br />Blog post by Ben Humphries</span></span> http://www.architype.co.uk/Architype_Ecobuild_and_the_Launch_of_Rapier__the_new_Cost_Energy_and_Carbon_Lifecycle_Analysis_Tool__Written_by_Ben_Humphries--post--24.html Dr Wolfgang Feist visits Architypes Wolverhampton Passivhaus Schools <p><span style="color:#ffffff;"><img alt="" src="/userfiles/images/news/DrWolfgangFeist_lrg.jpg" style="width: 375px; height: 295px; float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" /><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">I was privileged to show Dr Wolfgang Feist, together with his wife Dr Witta Ebel, around Architype’s Passivhaus schools last Friday.</span></span></span></p><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">As most people know Dr Feist is the ‘inventor’ of Passivhaus, the founder of the Passivhaus Institute, and the de facto ‘guru’ of the Passivhaus movement.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Twenty years ago, in response to concern that, buildings were consuming significantly more energy in use than predicted in design, Wolfgang Feist began to investigate why:</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">“I was working as a physicist. I read that the construction industry had experimented with adding insulation to new buildings and that energy consumption had failed to reduce. This offended me – it was counter to the basic laws of physics. I knew that they must be doing something wrong. So I made it my mission to find out what, and to establish what was needed to do it right.”</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">The first ‘Passivhaus’ building was constructed in 1991 and the movement has grown rapidly ever since with around 30,000 Passivhaus buildings now completed worldwide.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">According to Wolfgang, the UK is one of the last European countries to embrace Passivhaus, however it is taking off more rapidly here than in any other country – with a significant number of completed projects now certified, and dozens in the pipeline. There is huge and growing interest in the UK, evidenced by the number of, and attendance at, Passivhaus seminars at EcoBuild last week.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">However, it was with some trepidation, on the beautifully sunny spring Friday morning, that I met Wolfgang and Witta at Wolverhampton station, and set off to show them around our two Passivhaus schools – Bushbury Hill Primary School and Oakmeadow Primary School.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">……Had we understood Passivhaus? Had we got the principles right? Would he agree with our ventilation and heating strategies? Would he LIKE the schools……?</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">I am delighted to report that he not only felt that our strategy was just right – heating, winter MVHR and summer passive cooling, daylighting etc – but more importantly Wolfgang really loved the design and atmosphere of both schools. </span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">He was particularly impressed with our kitchen strategy – in which prompted by Nick Grant and Alan Clarke to address the high energy consumption and discomfort in most school kitchens, we developed a strategy of (more efficient) electric induction cooking with a consequently reduced ventilation requirement leading to significantly lower energy consumption. After initial reluctance to move from gas to electric, the chefs absolutely love their new kitchens – for ease of cooking and in a much better internal comfort. A win-win for Passivhaus!</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Wolfgang was also able to hear first-hand how much the teachers and pupils are loving their Passivhaus schools – including Sara Morris the head teacher at Oakmeadow, who reported that the children are now ‘more alert in the afternoons due to the air being so fresh’.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">So by the end of the day, it was reassuring to Architype, to get the nod of approval from Dr Feist, for the approach we have taken in our Passivhaus Schools. </span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Not least because we are currently proceeding with a whole range of Passivhaus projects – including individual houses, housing estates, two further schools, an archive building, offices, and a university teaching, research and business incubator centre. </span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Passivhaus is now Architype’s default design approach for all projects. For us it is simply a rigorous Quality Assurance system to ensure our buildings achieve radically reduced energy consumption and optimised internal comfort. By relying on it to ensure performance, it frees us up to focus on achieving high quality, uplifting architecture.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;">Blog written by Jonathan Hines.</span></div> http://www.architype.co.uk/Dr_Wolfgang_Feist_visits_Architypes_Wolverhampton_Passivhaus_Schools--post--22.html Report from 1st International Convention of Environmental Laureates <div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The “Freiburg Call for Action” by the 1st International Convention of Environmental Laureates</span></span></strong></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">I was honoured to be invited to become a member of the European Environment Foundation's 'International Convention of Environmental Laureates' and to attend the 1st Convention that was held in Freiburg, Germany March 8th-11th 2012.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The Foundation was established to bring together, into a Convention, people from all over the world who have been recognised and awarded for their achievements in environmentally sustainable work and action, to discuss and declare a joint call for action addressed to the forthcoming RIO+20 Conference.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">So, I was one of 65 people from 37 countries, from a huge range of disciplines, who gathered in Freiburg last week. We began with little idea of what we might achieve, and finished with a unanimously agreed statement, which was featured on the main German national evening TV news and will be presented at RIO+20. </span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Countries represented were Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Czech Republic, Russia, Croatia, Australia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Rwanda, Eritrea, Congo, Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Canada, China, Algeria, US, Nepal, Egypt, Japan, UK, Northern Ireland, India, Chile, Brasil, Mexico, and Uruguay. </span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Areas of work included sustainable design and construction, renewable technologies, carbon capture, nature conservation, habitat protection, anti-nuclear action, human rights, poverty and rural development, water conservation and marine protection, environmental research and protection, and education.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">There were four of us from the UK, representing research, NGO/charity, government and private sectors. Simon Trace, the director of Practical Action (formerly the Intermediate Technology Development Group founded by EF Schumacher), Roger WL Liew, a research student from Imperial College who heads the student led humanitarian organisation e.quinox, working on radical energy projects in rural East Africa, Bob Stevens, the Government's chief scientific advisor at DEFRA, and myself.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Freiburg was a fitting host, being the German city that has lead the way in pioneering environmentally sustainable economic development. Born out of a protest against a proposed nuclear power station 40 years ago, the city's guiding philosophy has embedded sustainable thinking and environmental technologies as the driving force of economic development.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Today, with a long serving Green mayor, an impressive network of renewable energy generation, an efficient and successful public transport system, booming high tech environmental industry and employment, and large areas of highly sustainable housing (including many Passivhaus projects) it is a thriving and inspiring city. We could all learn from the experience and evidence of Freiburg as we strive to find ways of developing a more sustainable future.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The Convention turned out to be a high profile event and received much publicity. It was launched at a packed public evening lecture by the leading alternative economist Jeremy Rifkin. He challenged current economic thinking and predicted that we are on the threshold of a 3rd industrial revolution based on decentralised energy generation and horizontal political structures, driven by the new communication structures of the Internet and the rapid expansion of individual and community owned power generation.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The first full day saw a wide ranging debate amongst the Laureates, which led to some areas of agreed common ground, but also some big areas of challenge. Not surprising given the geographical and cultural roots of the Laureates, and the breadth of our areas of work and activity. </span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The day finished with another public event - a series of stimulating lectures by Monika Griefahn (one of the founders of Greenpeace), Prof Moustafa Tolba from Eygpt (formerly Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme), Rene Ngongo from The Democratic Republic of Congo (Vice President of the NGO, OCEAN), Dr Suryo Wardhoyo Prawiroatmodjo from Indonesia (environmental campaigner and educationalist), and Dr Gernard Knies (founder of Desertec). A lively debate followed. </span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The second morning focused around an experimental interaction between the Laureates and around 50 students from Freiburg University and local high schools. Brief presentations by 3 Laureates and 6 students, led to a lively debate, and a series of round table workshops on critical themes.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">In the afternoon the Convention reconvened to debate a draft declaration prepared by the Foundation Trustees, based on the previous day's debate and informed by the various lectures and discussions. During an intense and lively session we managed to pull together a clear and visionry statement ‘The Freiberg Call for Action’. This was confirmed and celebrated in a joint signing ceremony at the end of the afternoon of ideas, challenges and commitments. The Call to Action can be downloaded from </span></span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.european-environment-foundation.eu/text/85/en/the-declaration-.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;">www.european-environment-foundation.eu/text/85/en/the-declaration-.html</span></a></span></span><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">, and will be followed by a more detailed statement.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">An interesting aspect of the Convention was the extension of the invitation to partners, who took part in a side programme and the evening events. This certainly helped to create wider cross fertilization of ideas and broader networking.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">In bringing together such a broad range of interested and committed activists from around the world, the Convention was something of an experiment. It succeeded in its aim of agreeing a Call to Action to RIO+20 and in creating new links across many peoples, nations and disciplines. I found it to be a stimulating and inspiring experience. </span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Hearing about the experience and struggles of those from the developing world was a salutary reminder that the challenge our precious globe faces goes far beyond the UK's current narrow obsession with carbon emissions, and the Western world's comfortable reliance on technological fixes to maintain it's living standards.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Whilst carbon is of course important, we ignore the impact of deforestation, reducing biodiversity and species extinction, nuclear and other pollution, water scarcity and health, food security, population growth and world poverty at our peril. We need to tackle all these issues if we have any hope of achieving a sustainable future.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">I am committed to working together with my fellow Laureates in this new Convention to do our part in meeting this challenge. We agreed to meet again on an annual basis in order to hold Governments to account in our challenge to them at RIO+20, and to further promote proactive sustainable action.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">I have a feeling, and a hope, that we might just become a modest force for action and change. It is certainly worth trying.</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The Freiburg Call for Action:</span></span></span></div><div><a href="http://www.european-environment-foundation.eu/text/85/en/the-declaration-.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">www.european-environment-foundation.eu/text/85/en/the-declaration-.html</span></span></span></a></div><div> </div><div><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">A report on the Convention: </span></span></span></div><div><a href="http://www.european-environment-foundation.eu/text/84/en/blog.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">www.european-environment-foundation.eu/text/84/en/blog.html</span></span></span></a></div><div> </div> http://www.architype.co.uk/Report_from_1st_International_Convention_of_Environmental_Laureates--post--21.html