Cutting Your Waste Line

Kevin Pugh, Operations Director for building services consultancy, Sure Foundation proposes a formula for more 'friendly'' refurbishment

The vision of truly sustainable refurbishment is gradually turning to reality. Under the widely publicised Kyoto agreement, the UK government is committed to reducing greenhouse emissions to 12.5% below 1990 levels by 2010. Compounded by further legislation such as the Climate Change Levy and the growing consciousness of 'green' issues, there has been mounting pressure to cut energy consumption across all industries, particularly construction which accounts for a massive 10% of the nation's total.

With the current shortage of office space in many areas, combined with a change of use for many properties and increase in demand for workspace, the concept of refurbishment is expected to play a larger part in the reduction of overall spent energy.

Understanding the term 'sustainable refurbishment' helps to introduce the practical steps that should be taken to achieve this ecological goal. In a nutshell, the word 'sustainable' in this context, can be roughly translated as using the least amount of energy possible to reach certain pre-selected building services targets. When considering the regeneration of a property, one aspect that should be considered is the environmental cost. Therefore from an environment viewpoint it should always be the case that refurbishment is preferable to demolition and new build, due to the reduction in embedded energy.

So if the onus is on energy conservation, then what guidance can be offered for meeting this objective? From a general standpoint, the principle rules of sustainable refurbishment are characterised by good planning and foresight. By understanding every aspect contributing to green refurbishment from the outset, and taking into account future events, in particular emerging legislation (which I will return to later), you won't go far wrong.

Once a refurbishment project is under way, one of the major considerations that are overlooked is the subject of waste. Project managers should tighten management over the ordering, usage and disposal of waste materials. Typically, builders discard unacceptable levels of waste that ends up in a skip, whereas the construction industry as a whole is guilty of generating a staggering 70million tonnes of waste every year!

The worst scenario for waste disposal is resorting to a landfill site. This, by far, represents the least sustainable option available and should be avoided at all costs. What is needed here is better centralised management so there are greater controls over volume of materials ordered as well as an enforceable policy on recycling of waste. On the materials themselves, it is recommended that renewable resources are employed. For example modern PVC frames may boast lower costs and low maintenance, but are more harmful to the environment in their production, difficult to repair and are non-recyclable. Alternatively it is better to use timber for window frames, especially hardwoods such as oak which has its own self-preserving resins to guard from wear and tear. To cut down on transport costs, materials and labour should be sourced locally. Imported materials (e.g. Italian marble) should wherever possible be kept to a minimum and reclaimed concrete can be used as replacement for natural stone in many instances of resurfacing. However, it is cement (lime is a good substitute), concrete, bricks, blocks, plaster and plasterboard which accounts for the largest environmental costs, so these ingredients should be used sensibly and economically throughout a building.

Not only should the energy inherent in materials be considered, but a comprehensive energy efficient policy should be regulated for inside the building itself. Although it is fashionable for offices to be air-conditioned, natural ventilation will always represent a more energy conscious option. Taking advantage of renewable energy sources such as natural air cooling, daylight and solar energy (this can supply as much as 50% of hot water requirements for a typical building), rather than gas or coal, will in turn reduce the environmental burden. Of course, effective controls on lighting and heating should be fitted as standard.

So how can these strategies be applied in practice? A good example of sustainable refurbishment was shown in a recent project we were involved in, as part of a BISRA initiative. According to the body's own research, it is estimated that there is currently 8 million square metres of redundant office space in the UK, much of which is a living testament to the architectural atrocities of the 1960's, 70's when concrete monoliths were de rigeur. The mutated throwback from the Corbusieur era, had left the industry with an ecological dilemma - knock down or refurbish.

The Howard House project in Bristol was an example where the latter was feasible. After 25 years, the building services installations for this 7 storey, 3,100m² office facility were coming to the end of their life. With a shortage of available office space in the city centre, it was calculated that a rigorous refurbishment process would bring the building back to life for the delivery of modernised commercially let office space. The concrete frame structure comprised columns on a 4.8m grid. Cladding comprised precast concrete panels and double glazed windows. The workable solution that enables this successful conversion was based on the application of natural ventilation, together with a quasi-displacement ventilation system. This made use of existing ductwork that was routed, via columns 4.8m apart, to the original perimeter induction units. The building was able to take advantage of free air-cooling at night, and after the existing air induction units were removed, the net lettable floor area was increased by approximately 200m², a 6.5% increase.

This is a good example of how an older building has been adapted for a new age, but is also important to plan for sustainable refurbishment for new builds. The purposes of buildings change and therefore it is inevitable that some elements of refurbishment will be required in the future. A good example here is the introduction of call centres. This trend would have been hard to predict a decade ago, yet has had a huge impact on new construction as well as modification projects. It is fair to say, that high quality designed buildings will be able to stand the test of time far more than inferior or sometimes even 'fashionable' design. In the case of call centres for instance, buildings that would be considered ripe for refurbishment would be outstanding in character or indeed properties with wider dimensions that would give greater scope for alterations and will improve the longevity of a building's life.

Planning for changes in future legislation should also form part of a sustainable strategy. For example, the final phase of the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) comes into force on 1st October 2004, and will affect some 8.5 million people in the UK that are recognised as disabled. The act will reinforce the removal of discrimination against disabled people in terms of access and useability. This not only includes wheelchair bound (represents only 10% of disabled persons), but also deaf, blind, partially sighted and other physical and even mental disabilities. Most notably, the Act will prohibit the situation whereby a physical feature makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled persons to make use of facilities.

So is there a checklist that you can rely on? In relation to premises, a designer should consider the implications of: access to building; access to goods and/or services; using the WC; and exiting the premises. For access requirements, ramps, clear signage and door entry systems should be used, so that disabled persons have limited obstacles. Within the building itself, again signage, door widths, door furniture and lift design should all be considered. For exiting the building, provisioning for emergency evacuation should be fully covered, with the option of 'flashing beacons' for partially deaf and the possibility of 'evacuation chairs' for less mobile individuals. Intelligent use of lighting, colour, workstation layout, floor finishes and acoustics can also alleviate the problems that typically face disabled persons in less obliging environments.

As availability of both property and land falls and global warming escalates, the viability of a sustainable approach will be justified still further. The best advice that can be offered is look at the whole picture. Successful sustainable refurbishment will be rooted in a holistic approach that looks back and forward - at the same time!