- INTRODUCTION
This short position paper outlines the current ‘state of play’ with regard to whole life costing in UK construction. It explains the concept and outlines the potential value of whole life costing for the industry and its clients. It briefly reviews current approaches and highlights some of the key barriers to wider uptake. It provides an overview of current DETR-funded research in this area and, by focusing on the gaps in particular between barriers to uptake and current research, identifies potentially fruitful areas for further work.
This paper has been prepared by Davis Langdon Consultancy and WS Atkins Consultants who are Research Management Contractors for the DETR Construction Research and Innovation Programme.
- OVERVIEW OF THE CURRENT INDUSTRY SITUATION
What is whole life costing?
Whole life costing is best defined as a set of techniques to assess the costs of acquiring and operating an asset over its life. Within the property and construction sectors, whole life costing (WLC) seeks to consider all the costs and revenues associated with building, operating and disposing of buildings and built infrastructure. Costs and revenues are usually expressed financially (though they need not be – WLC techniques can be used to assess life-time environmental impacts expressed, for example, in CO2 emissions or some other quantitative measure).
The main use of WLC in construction is to inform design and investment decisions by identifying the costs of alternative approaches to achieving the same objectives, over their life-times. This is important because a range of construction alternatives are typically available for a given design problem, each having different construction and operating costs. WLC provides a means of choosing between them, by estimating all their associated costs and revenues and bringing them together on a common basis (using discounting, an accounting technique that helps take account of the changing value of money over time) so that they can be compared.
WLC can also be used to assess the total costs of a single asset, so that an appropriate provision can be made to finance it. In practice, WLC has both uses, ie comparing alternatives and financing the chosen solution. However, because of uncertainties about the future and about the operation and durability of buildings and their components (see below under How is it being used?) its use in comparing alternatives at the design stage tends to predominate.
How valuable is whole life costing in construction?
WLC provides a potentially powerful set of techniques that can have a major impact on the effectiveness of property/construction investment and design decisions, ranging from decisions about whether to build or not, to the choice of particular materials and finishes, for example. While many clients and designers take whole life costs into account in an unconscious and intuitive way in their decision making, WLC offers a more systematic and explicit means of assessing these costs. The key benefit in construction is that it helps identify the most effective use of resources to meet the client’s objectives, thus helping to produce buildings/infrastructure that are fit for purpose.
Combined with a careful assessment of risk, WLC also provides a means of planning and budgeting for the effective operation and management of built assets. The technique can identify the balance most appropriate to a client’s needs between initial capital costs and future operating, maintenance/replacement and disposal costs.
It is a common misconception that WLC is about increasing initial capital cost to produce long life assets. If that were the case cash-constrained clients would have little incentive to take up WLC (see other ‘barriers’ below). However, while WLC can, of course, identify the need to improve longevity, but that is not its primary purpose. Its key focus is on meeting client need, and it is just as useful in identifying the lowest cost, shortest life asset, if that is what is needed.
How is it being used, and what are the barriers to wider uptake?
The use of formal WLC analysis in construction, whilst on the increase in recent years, is still at a low level. No comprehensive data on use is to hand, though a limited survey of construction professionals (including client representatives) by BRE for CRISP in 1999 suggests that, with the exception of PFI projects, only a small proportion of construction briefs include a requirement for WLC.
WLC can be used throughout the design and construction processes, though the depth and rigour of the analysis can vary considerably. WLC studies at the broad, ‘whole project’ level typically tend to be required at key ‘pinch points’ in design development, for example, at the initial investment appraisal and during concept/outline design. Studies of particular design choices (at the sub-element or building component level) tend to feature more during the development of scheme and detailed design.
Three important developments in the property and construction industries are increasing the use of WLC by construction clients, their advisers and contractors:
The increasing use of PFI/PPP procurement, with its emphasis on service rather than asset provision is encouraging developer/funder/builder/operators to consider asset operating costs more carefully.
An increasing realisation of the significance of cost of ownership on the part of property/building owners with large portfolios, and the resulting need to understand building performance and standardise building specification
A trend towards outsourcing of facilities management (FM) and property management generally – while this can shift responsibility for operating and maintenance costs, it focuses more attention on these costs as the source of operating profit for the dedicated FM/property management supplier
Despite these changes, and the potential of the techniques to help produce improved value for money investment and better buildings, a number of significant barriers to the wider uptake of WLC in construction remain. These arise mainly because the performance of buildings and infrastructure over time – which WLC seeks to assess – is both complex and highly uncertain:
Buildings and infrastructure provide a highly variable setting within which a whole range of different building materials and components interact with each other, with the external environment and with building users. The range of possible interactions is enormous, and relatively little has been done to develop a systematic understanding of the performance of different buildings (and their constituent parts) in different uses.
Attempting to predict such performance is a highly uncertain activity, even when based on the best of current knowledge about past performance. Many contemporary construction materials do not have a long history of use in buildings. Further, patterns of use can change radically over time in unpredictable ways; even buildings designed for longevity are frequently altered and adapted for changing uses many times during their life-times.
This complexity and uncertainty means that the results of most (if not all) WLC analyses are highly variable and are, at best, only a very broad indicator of likely whole life costs, especially when buildings with lives of 20 years or more are being considered. In the face of such complexity and uncertainty, it is not surprising that investors tend to focus on shorter-term issues that are more understandable and manageable. Because money reduces in value over time, investors (and their advisers) are more concerned about expenditure today (that is relatively certain and predictable) than about expenditure in the future (that may or may not be needed). Such investor’s ‘myopia’ lies behind claims of perceived lack of client interest in WLC, and is compounded by a number of significant institutional and fiscal barriers:
In a good deal of UK property development, there are clear distinctions between those who initiate and construct new buildings (developers), those who fund and finance them (financial institutions), those who use and operate them (tenants) and those who ultimately own them (investment funds). While the relationships between these parties are not simple, it is clear that developers (who pay for design and construction) may not have the same interest in understanding operating and maintenance costs as will tenants (who will bear these costs).
The different fiscal treatment of capital and operating costs in the UK – essentially, property running costs can be set against trading profit each year, whereas the current system of capital allowances does not provide equivalent relief for certain categories of capital expenditure. The net effect is to reduce real costs of operating property (these issues are dealt with in more detail in a report by Gleeds for CRISP, submitted in March 2000).
Taken together, the complexities and uncertainties inherent in WLC analysis, the attitudes of investors when faced with these problems, and the institutional and fiscal arrangements that tend to downplay the importance of operating and maintenance costs, provide a powerful set of disincentives for the widespread use of WLC in construction.
- What new work might be needed?
Work under the DETR-funded research programmes has tended to focus effort on resolving some of the complexity and uncertainty surrounding the performance and durability in use of particular materials and building assemblies. Further work is needed in this area, though the scale of the problem (in terms of the great variety of materials, components and assemblies, and their permutations in use) is considerable. Other work has focused on developing WLC techniques and forms of data analysis and presentation. Currently available tools and techniques are felt to be widely available and usable, and the need for additional work here is not so great.
A piecemeal approach to resolving complexity and uncertainty in building performance (whereby individual materials and assemblies are examined under either experimental or highly constrained conditions) will be a long time producing the kind of performance data needed for widespread and effective WLC use in construction. While some of this work will need to continue so as to increase understanding of the performance of key materials and assemblies in different circumstances, there is now a need for a more co-ordinated approach to capturing robust performance data across a wide range of building types.
The Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme, for example, has succeeded in developing building typologies and energy performance norms for them. These are based on an analysis of energy use patterns across a range of building types. The value of a similar approach to operating and maintenance cost information needs to be examined. This would require the participation of large property owners/managers, both in sharing data and in developing common methodologies and formats for its collection and analysis. Additionally, simplified forms of analysis and data presentation will be needed, based on currently available WLC techniques. It is only by developing simple forms of analysis that use robust performance data that some of the problems of complexity and uncertainty will be alleviated.
In parallel, a series of investigations is needed, focussed on alleviating the underlying institutional and fiscal barriers to the take up of WLC. Work under these headings might include, but not necessarily be limited to:
investigation of the role of WLC in developing buildings and infrastructure that is environmentally sustainable
appropriate forms of property leasing arrangements that reflect clear linkages between responsibility for initial design and construction, and responsibility for subsequent repair, maintenance and improvement
improved fiscal instruments that encourage investors to consider the real value of operating and maintenance costs.
-
DETR FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
- Current (1999/2000) DETR Business Plan
- Construction Process
WLC is included under theme 4 – ‘Tools and techniques for improving value’ as a priority topic under the ‘development of improvements in available management techniques.’ Current projects are listed in Appendix A.
- Technology & Performance
WLC is included as Theme 2 with the following priority topics identified:
- Industry-agreed product performance standards;
- UK test standards;
- Production of data needed for standard WLC methodologies;
- Production and management of a database for WLC information;
- Data on service and residual life of construction materials;
- The costs, benefits, serviceability and maintainability of construction materials;
- Case studies.
Current projects are listed in Appendix B, past projects in Appendix D.
Sustainable Construction
WLC is only indirectly addressed in the Sustainable Construction Business Plan which is more particularly concerned with Life Cycle Analysis and Whole Life Impacts. It appears under Theme 3 Improving Design “Better specification of building services for lower life cycle impacts” and Theme 5 under “Sustainable options for refurbishment and conversion”. Current projects are listed in Appendix C.
- Construction Research & Innovation Strategy Panels (CRISP)
CRISP now covers WLC under the strategic priority of ‘Performance’. CRISP is encouraging research in the use, and barriers to use, of WLC, Benchmarking and KPI’s.
There are two studies commissioned by the CRISP T&P group in this area, one by BRE, completed in February 1999 Report No CR 366/98 commissioned under the BRE Framework Contract, Code CC1505 “Study on whole life costing”. The second by Gleeds “Financial barriers and recommendations to the successful use of WLC in property and construction” submitted March 2000.
The introduction to the BRE report states that one of the objectives is to “focus areas of priority activities needed for a structured R&I programme in support of EPSRC and the DETR’s T&P Business Plan”. The recommendations that are made clearly cover other Business Plan areas, notably Process.
The Gleeds report looks principally at financial issues. It considers work carried out overseas, makes some limited reference to materials and construction methods and places some emphasis on energy as a major issue.
Future Projects
Construction Process
There were no project applications in the 1999 PiI round on WLC nor have any been invited from BRE under their Framework Contract.
Technology & Performance
Only one application in the 1999 PiI Round on WLC that reached the second stage has been approved for funding but a number of specifications have been issued to BRE for possible funding under the Framework Contract. See Appendix E.
OTHER PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES
- The Whole Life Cost Forum
A ‘Whole Life Cost Forum’ was launched by BRE on 29 November 1999 with the intention of representing the Construction Industry as a whole. Membership is to be in eight categories ranging from funders through owners, designers and contractors to suppliers and manufacturers. The aims of the Forum are to represent the Construction Industry in the field of WLC and it will represent members’ views to Government and to standard setting bodies. It aims to establish a Centre of Excellence that will provide methods and processes as a resource to members.
BRE have developed their ENVEST software to incorporate life cycle analysis facilities of environmental impact over the life of the building.
Construction Clients Forum (CCF)
CCF and CRISP held a Clients’ Workshop on ‘Innovation & Research in Construction’ in London on 14 January 2000. The objective of the day was to arrive at some specific research project ideas. One of the theme groups was titled ‘Cost of Ownership.’ The formally recorded output from the day should be taken into account when circulated.
EPSRC
There is an IMI project “A Generic Approach to Minimising Whole Life Cost in the Construction Industry” EPSRC Ref GR/N01811. The work is being carried out at the Construction Management Research Unit of Dundee University. The start date is 31 March 2000 and the end date 31 March 2003. The research will develop a flexible framework for collecting whole life data for use throughout the construction supply chain. It also aims to demonstrate how Integrated Logistics Support techniques (ILS), of which WLC is part, can be tailored for construction industry application. The consortium also involves PSDI (Project Software & Development Inc) the developers of “Maximo” which is the facilities management software used by WS Atkins.
Projects currently being undertaken by EPSRC include “Building Life Cycles: Design for Durability, Adaptability and Sustainability” Ref FR/L 74989 at Strathclyde University, “Developing an integrated database for WLC applications in construction” Ref GR/M 83445 is a joint venture between Robert Gordon and Salford Universities and “Standardised framework for risk assessment and management of PFI projects” Ref GR/M 86408 at Glasgow Caledonian University.
RELEVANT STANDARDS
ISO 15686
Parts 1-5 Buildings and Building assets- Service Life Planning
BS 5760-23 1997
Reliability of systems, equipment and components. Guide to life cycle costing.
BS EN ISO 14040:1997
Environmental management. Life cycle assessment. Principles and framework.
BS EN ISO 14041:1998
Environmental management. Life cycle assessment. Goal and scope definition and inventory analysis.
96/73122
DC Technical documentation in the product life cycle. Part 1. Definition of a life cycle model and allocation of technical documents to phases and activities.
97/402678 DC
Environmental management. Life cycle assessment. Life cycle impact assessment. (ISO/CD 14042.2)
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CURRENT PUBLICATIONS (not exhaustive)
Publications relating to whole life costing
HAPM Components life manual, compiled by Building Performance Group (BPG), loose leaf, regularly updated.
Building fabric component life manual, commissioned by Defence Estates as companion to above, compiled by BPG, published by Spons, 1999
Materials life costs, regular inserts in Building magazine, compiled by BPG
The building ‘OSCARS’ published annually by Jones Lang Lasalle, giving service charge information
Building maintenance expenditure by Local Authorities, 1977/8 to 1996/7, published by SCALA, 1997
There have been a number of publications in the USA, including:
Life cycle costing for design professionals, published by McGraw Hill, 1995
Life cycle costing manual for the Federal Energy Management Programme, 1995
Building Magazine
28 January 2000 Whole Life Cost Model
04 February 2000 Services Whole Life Costs
It is interesting to note that up to 1991 the former PSA published Cost in use tables
Appendix A
WLC PROJECTS IN CONSTRUCTION PROCESS BUSINESS PLAN
Projects specifically addressing whole life costs
BRE PiI contract: 38/19/157, cc1776
Promoting innovation in construction – the role of facilities management
Objectives:
Outputs:
Completion: September 2000
CCF PiI contract: 39/3/503, cc1760
Whole life costing guidance for clients and designers
Objectives:
- to develop guidance on whole life costing (wlc)
to test and demonstrate the guidance on live projects, helping to establish a standard, practical regime for wlc
- capture information as initial entries in a database, through which progress in reducing whole life costs could be monitored
- to recommend additional data or mechanisms to enable further progress
Output:
- guides for clients and designers/practitioners
Comment:
- The clients’ have recently been published (February 2000). The CCF believes that there is now no urgent need for the practitioners guide and consequently have requested (and have been granted) an early contract termination.
HR Wallingford PiI contract 39/5/127, cc1863
Whole life costs and sustainable project procurement in port, coastal and fluvial engineering
Objectives:
- to achieve better and more systematic use of whole life costing techniques in port, coastal and fluvial construction projects
- to develop a reliable database of maintenance cost, and a probablistic approach to assessing maintenance costs
Outputs:
- published guidance
- internet accessible database
Completion: May 2002
Projects in which whole life costs are a consideration
Design for just sufficient performance
Objectives:
- to propose, devise, trial and compare with conventional approaches a ‘just sufficient’ design approach
- to analyse real system performance to consider whether it is just sufficient to meet client needs, from perspective of end-user
- to provide guidance on plant / system selection, and design and control strategies
- to provide worked examples and models
- to increase awareness among clients of trade-off between initial and life-time costs
- to allow designers to offer alternative design choices, with clear explanation of risks and benefits
- to enable clients to make informed choices and decisions at an early stage in the design process
Output:
- guidance to both clients and designers on performance, risks and whole life costs
- guidance on plant, equipment and control strategies for maximum efficiency
Tavistock Institute PiI contract: 39/3/444, cc1463
Construction supply network
Objectives:
- to develop and demonstrate in two pilot projects a ‘Prime Contractor’ model for the procurement and maintenance of buildings
- to evaluate the nature and scale of benefits to the parties involved
- to assess the wider application of the model and associated systems approach
- to disseminate the model, methods and tools.
Outputs:
- workshops
- guidances / toolkits
Completion: December 2000
Comment:
- a defining feature of prime contracting is that the prime contractor develops a whole life cost model before construction begins and proves compliance with it after construction is complete
- the model is supported by a toolkit which includes:
F: Developing the historical reference cost
G: Deriving targets and incentives
J: Proving through life costs – the compliance plan and proving arrangements
LINK MCNS contract Ref: 01/003
Standardisation of window and cladding interfaces
Objectives:
- to produce a strategy for standardisation of cladding interface design
- to produce a strategy for interface design process improvement
- to demonstrate that effective interface design is essential for good design and construction, including a maintenance review taking account of life cycle issues
Deliverables:
- technical interface directory
- maintenance review report
- technical and process guidance document
- interactive CD guide
launch seminar
Contract completion: November 2000
Appendix B
WLC PROJECTS IN THE TECHNOLOGY & PERFORMANCE BUSINESS PLAN
Projects in which whole costing is a consideration
Concrete Society PiI contract: 38/18/009, cc 1565
Diagnosis of causes of deterioration or failure to concrete structures
Objectives:
- to prepare an understanding of the mechanisms for failure or deterioration of materials
- to prepare technically sound, practical information and guidance for the examination and appraisal of
deterioration or failure of concrete building structures
- to enable assessments of the condition and its likely future developments so that suitable repair and maintenance systems can be adopted
Deliverables:
- workshop and seminar
- technical report
- Concrete Society Website
Contract completion: March 2000
BSRIA PiI contract 38/6/168, cc 1714
Best practice for the condition survey of building services plant and installations
Objectives:
- To improve the performance of building services plant and installations by optimising the forward planning process for their maintenance, refurbishment and replacement. Whole life costs are not mentioned in the text of the proposal or in the outputs produced to date.
Contract completion: April 2000
BRE PiI contract 38/19/188, cc 1827
Standardisation of datasets for building life cycle energy and environmental modelling
Objectives:
- This project aims to produce standard datasets for use in energy and environmental modelling of buildings. In practice, that will be largely data on the properties of building materials and components. Its connection with whole life costing is simply that its results are expected to be useful in the development of whole life costing methodologies. This is referred to in the project implementation plan under ‘strategic fit’, where it is pointed out that ‘energy use is a significant part of the operational cost and thus the whole life cost of the building’. However, the project itself does not involve work on whole life costing methodology and its title would be just as apt if the words ‘life cycle’ were to be omitted.
Contract completion: October 2001
BRE PiI contract 36/8/4, cc1481
Electrochemical monitoring for service life predictions of concrete
Objectives:
This project aims to develop methods of monitoring corrosion in reinforced concrete structures using electrochemical measurements. Its relevance to whole life costing is principally that it offers a method of estimating the service life of a concrete structure. The project implementation plan claims relevance to ‘Standards’, ‘Fitness for purpose’ and ‘New technology,’ as well as ‘Whole life costs’ under the Technology and Performance Business Plan. For good measure, it also claims relevance to ‘Increase value to customer’ under the Construction Process, and ‘Monitoring performance and products’, ‘Incident investigations’, and ‘Risk assessment’ under Safety and Health. In other words, it is a project for all men and all seasons. In reality, it makes no specific contribution to whole life costing methodology and none of its outputs are expected to contribute directly to it.
Contract completion: March 2002
BRE Framework contract: 36/08/092, cc1600
Service life prediction for natural stone used in construction
Objectives
- To determine the effects of the natural environment and the effect of man-made pollutants on the long term performance of natural stones in construction.
- To determine the economic cost of damage to a building that results from the deposition of acidic pollutants and particulates in the context of natural weathering as part of an EC funded project, and give guidance on the associated remedial work.
- To integrate the results to assess the service life and whole life costs of natural stone in construction.
Contract completion: March 2001
BRE Framework contract: 36/08/152, cc1634
Whole life costs: durability of materials – concrete
Objectives
- To establish the nature and prevalence of durability issues in buildings and assess the implications for structural adequacy in relation to:
- Pre-cast high alumina cement concretes in buildings.
- Recently diagnosed problems in concreting materials, eg thaumasite, ettringite and mundic concrete.
- Service life design of concrete in relation to its external environment.
To ensure concrete fitness for purpose and durability over its design life through:
- To complete existing long term durability studies on:
Contract completion: December 2003
BRE Framework contract: 36/08/175, cc1708
Whole Life Costs & Environmental impact case study of external windows and doors in various materials
Objectives
To investigate the feasibility of developing a generic model for evaluating components for use in standard whole life costing/environmental impact methodologies.
To use the investigation as a case study, to track and develop the issues and difficulties encountered in developing a model, and solutions adopted to overcome them, in order to test the feasibility of whole life costing and environmental impact methodologies in other areas. (ie to identify the important issues that enable a generic model to provide an optimum approach to whole life costing).
To relate this work to, and advise on, other whole life cost studies and in particular to identify constraints due to commercial pressures and conflicts of interest. (ie to test the robustness of the generic model).
Contract completion: March 2000
BRE Framework contract: 36/08/204, cc1823
A watching brief on the performance of galvanised wall ties in cavity filled walls
- To build up a database of the performance of galvanised wire wall ties in cavity walls both with and without cavity insulation in order to provide comprehensive data on which DETR can base its policy decisions.
- (This is not really a whole life cost project, its primary aim is to determine whether there is a durability problem with galvanised wire ties that would degrade a high percentage of the UK housing stock. Costs are not included in the project, nor is service life prediction, although once the data is available, work on whole life cost and service life prediction could both follow).
Contract completion: March 2002
Appendix C
WLC PROJECTS IN THE SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS PLAN
Projects in which whole life costs are a consideration
BRE Framework contract: 36/8/173, cc1573
Objectives:
- To improve the understanding and awareness of clients and design professionals of the benefits and problems associated with an integrated approach to WLC and LCA (environmental life cycle analysis) analysis methods
.
- To identify how WLC and LCA methodologies are currently operated within the procurement process and to determine the feasibility of an integrated approach.
Outputs:
- Consultative workshops (and reports) with construction professionals to analyse current position and advice on options for integration of LCA and WLC.
- Case studies of the integration of LCA and WLC in live construction projects.
- Final Publication (BRE Information Paper) on integrating LCA into WLC.
Completion due 28/02/00
BRE PiT contract: 38/19/79, cc0888
Environmental Profiles of construction materials, components and materials (BRE)
Objectives:
- To promote the use of LCA methodology through the development an agreed methodology and database of life cycle environmental (LCA) profiles for construction materials.
Outputs:
- Launch of an internet-based database of LCA profiles, populated with industry supplied and agreed data.
Completion due 30/06/99 (completed)
BRE Exclusive contract: 36/8/12, cc1488
Support Government Policies on sustainable development (BRE) – a multi-task project containing one element of LCA/WLC interest.
Objectives:
- ide design consultants with a tool to identify the life cycle environmental costs of early design options for materials and systems.
Outputs:
BRE PiI contract: 38/19/184, cc1904
Life cycle environmental impacts – bringing the results to the market place (BRE)
Objectives:
- To promote the awareness and uptake of environmental life cycle analysis within Professional Institutions and other major Construction Groupings.
Outputs:
- Development and application of a series of dissemination programmes aimed at promoting awareness and uptake of LCA and targeted at a range of construction organisations. These will include:
- CRT
- British Property Federation
- GCCP
- Housing Associatons
- CIC
- CIOB
- Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply
Completion due 31/12/00
Appendix D
T&P RESEARCH PROJECTS
COMPLETED PROJECTS
|
Code |
Contract Ref |
Contractor |
Title |
|
0856 |
38/19/66 |
BRE collaborative |
Development of retrofit systems for masonry buildings |
|
0967 |
39/3/376 |
Taylor Woodrow |
Selection of measures for enhancing reinforced concrete durability |
|
0936 |
38/19/89 |
BRE collaborative |
Building materials performance in contaminated land |
|
1031 |
38/13/21 |
BCA |
Holistic approach to ensure durability of new construction |
|
0716 |
38/13/12 |
BCA |
Durability by intent (continued) |
|
1401 |
38/13/23 |
BCA |
Relating quality to whole life costing |
|
1098 |
39/3/350 |
Oscar Faber |
Advanced condition testing techniques |
|
1514 |
38/19/142 |
BRE collaborative |
Performance optimisation of advanced glazing systems |
|
0747 |
39/5/93 |
HRL |
Hydraulic design of barrages |
|
1161 |
36/5/150 |
BRE negotiated |
Watching brief on materials durability problems |
|
1214 |
36/5/205 |
BRE negotiated |
Development of a durability audit |
|
1187 |
36/5/176 |
BRE negotiated |
Durability of mortar in brickwork |
|
1208 |
36/5/197 |
BRE negotiated |
Durability: concretes with cement replacements |
|
1505* |
36/8/58 |
BRE framework |
Study on whole life costing |
|
1499 |
36/8/45 |
BRE framework |
Monitoring in-service structural performance of B.16 |
|
1759 |
36/8/90 |
BRE framework |
Durability of wall ties in cavity insulation |
* ref in text - project commissioned for CRISP T&P group
Appendix E
FUTURE PROJECTS
From the 1999 PiI round one proposal related to WLC has been approved for funding
File ref 38/03/585
Lead partner: Building Performance Group Ltd
Title: A system for ranking the durability of building services plant – phase 1: methodology and criteria
(a future phase might cover – Proposals for product durability labelling)
Key Objectives:
- To develop a methodology and specific criteria for identifying and ranking the durability (economic service life of building services plant.
- To assemble and make available as a published manual, rigorous data on the durability of common mechanical and electrical plant, with particular reference to the identifiable ‘benchmarks’ of quality available in the UK. To make explicit the key factors affecting durability in practice.
A number of other projects which may be funded by DETR are:
- Development of whole life cost and performance standard
- Production of a tool for assessing environmental impacts and determining the whole life costs of building components (an extension to BRE’s new ENVEST tool).
- Avoidance of delayed ettringite formation in large concrete pours
- Service life design to minimise whole life costs and promote sustainable construction
- A Digest – Corrosion of steel in concrete: Part 4
