Episode 27. We continue our focus on building performance; AHMM sustainability lead Craig Robertson shares important lessons from a building performance study of 2015 Stirling Prize-winning Burntwood School in southwest London. It is still much too rare for architects – and clients – to transparently share post-occupancy data, especially when it flags up a significant performance gap, so kudos to AHMM for sharing this study with us.
In the case of Burntwood School, heating loads were nine times the design prediction, while electricity loads were four times as much. Shocking as this may sound, it is not unusual. Craig explains why and what we need to do about it. A key premise of the study was to investigate the relationship between energy performance and indoor environmental quality. These must be looked at in tandem. Our conversation with Craig reveals, in practice, the many building performance issues we discussed in our last episode with Judit Kimpian.
AKTII’s David Watson on how to reduce the environmental impacts of brick
‘Over-specification of concrete is an industry addiction’
Henning Larsen’s Martha Lewis on how to screen materials for both chemicals and carbon
‘I’m no longer the wood weirdo,’ says Andrew Waugh
The Public Practice associates driving retrofit and net zero in the public sector
Je Ahn on setting up Studio Weave and working with found materials
Material passports and Architects Declare four years on
Architects must re-educate themselves on timber sourcing
Architype’s Ann-Marie Fallon: ‘Net Zero has almost lost its meaning’
‘We apologise for designing buildings that exploit the planet’
Chinese architect Xu Tiantian on revitalising rural villages
Historic England’s Morwenna Slade on why a ‘fabric first’ approach must be used with caution in heritage buildings
Adapting conservation area guidance for climate emergency
Balancing heritage and climate urgency in listed buildings
Educators Sofie Pelsmakers and Cíaran Malik on teaching climate literate design
The trade-off between ventilation and airtightness in the post-pandemic world
Why architectural education needs radical reform
Danish architect Lone Feifer on ‘absolute’ sustainability
Hawkins\Brown’s Louisa Bowles on what net zero actually means
Editional Studio on persuading domestic clients to build less and retrofit more
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