Advice for buildings and spaces
Advice for sustainable design and management at the building scale.
Co-ordinating urban and transport planningBuilding at high densities in places accessible to public transport, and concentrating development in existing urban areas, encourages sustainable travel.
Tags: transport, regions and subregions, cities and towns, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Future-proofing energy demandsWe should design buildings and energy strategies with enough flexibility to respond to changing technologies and ways we use energy.
Tags: energy, cities and towns, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Designing for sustainable water useBuildings and neighbourhoods need to use water more efficiently.
Tags: water, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Avoiding overheatingRising summer temperatures and increasingly air tight buildings mean that heat gain is a challenge as well as heat loss.
Tags: energy, buildings and spaces
Improving the energy performance of existing homesAccording to the Sustainable Development Commission, energy used in existing homes accounts for 27 per cent of all UK emissions and around 85 per cent of the existing stock will still be in use in 2050.
Tags: energy, cities and towns, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Choosing low carbon and renewable technologiesThis page provides an initial overview of technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
Tags: energy, regions and subregions, cities and towns, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Making spaces more comfortableDesigners, planners and managers should make public spaces more comfortable in a changing climate, for example by increasing shade and shelter.
Tags: green infrastructure, public space, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Coping with extreme weatherPublic spaces should be designed to adapt to a changing climate.
Tags: public space, buildings and spaces
Coping with waste in high-density environmentsUnderground waste storage, vacuum waste collection systems and reverse vending machines provide space for managing waste in high density neighbourhoods.
Tags: waste, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Reducing energy use in new buildingsInnovative building design can maximise energy efficiency at the same time as creating a high-quality urban environment.
Tags: energy, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Integrating waste infrastructure into new developmentsNew neighbourhoods and major urban extensions provide excellent opportunities to integrate facilities for sustainable waste management. This should be recognised at the planning stage.
Tags: waste, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Chosing high quality design for new waste infrastructureHigh-quality design helps to change public perceptions of waste management activities as bad neighbours.
Tags: waste, buildings and spaces
Building waste to energy plants in urban areasWaste to energy facilities have been successfully integrated into major European and British cities.
Tags: energy, waste, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Using green spaces as wildlife habitatGreen spaces can provide great wildlife habitat and enhance biodiversity.
Tags: green infrastructure, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Creating new habitatsNew developments should seek to design in biodiversity from the outset and this should fit into the existing green infrastructure.
Tags: green infrastructure, buildings and spaces
Integrating water management into site and building designAt the site and building scale it is important that buildings are well integrated into the landscape and contribute to the overarching hydrology of the site.
Tags: water, buildings and spaces
Water management in public spacesPublic space needs to be considered in the context of wider issues of water management.
Tags: public space, water, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Developing green roofsGreen roofs and building facades can be built on new buildings and retrofitted on existing ones, especially in urban areas where there are few other opportunities for adding green infrastructure.
Tags: green infrastructure, buildings and spaces
Using green roofs for wildlife adaptationGreen roofs and building facades can encourage wildlife in the built environment.
Tags: green infrastructure, buildings and spaces
Choosing low-energy lifestylesWhile significant energy reductions can be achieved through the way we design our cities and the buildings within them, how we live our lives is also a key factor in reducing energy use.
Tags: energy, regions and subregions, cities and towns, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Post-occupancy evaluationDisplay energy certificates show that a building's energy performance rarely matches the design aspirations. Post-occupancy monitoring and feedback is essential to understand how to improve this.
Tags: energy, buildings and spaces
Choosing the right tree for the siteAt the site level it is important to choose the right tree and plant species for the location.
Tags: green infrastructure, buildings and spaces
Ground and air generated heatThe ground and air around a development site can be used as a source of heat for new buildings via a heat pump
Tags: energy, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Building in solar technologiesSolar technologies can generate either electricity – from photovoltaic cell panels, or hot water – from solar thermal panels.
Tags: energy, neighbourhoods, buildings and spaces
Planning a project waste strategyAt the city scale clear aspirations are required for the management of waste for construction projects. This can form part of overarching strategies for all waste through planning documents or corporate targets.
Tags: waste, cities and towns, buildings and spaces
Managing waste on siteSite waste management plans are a mandatory requirement in England on construction projects worth more than £300,000.
Tags: waste, buildings and spaces
CABE and Urban Practitioners
with the cities of Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield