Sustainability

The message that sustainability is as much about quality of life as measurable outputs came out of the first CABE Europan seminar, which was attended by young design professionals preparing to enter the competition.

The talk was given by Adam Ritchie, a partner for Max Fordham, one of the UK's leading environmental consultants, and Peter Maxwell, a CABE senior enabling advisor.

'A great place to live is usually a sustainable place,' Ritchie said. And he urged architects to remember that sustainable communities were as much about 'optimism and delight' as 'metrics' setting out quantitative impacts, like energy consumption.

That said, competitors would need to think about how their development could minimise man’s impact on the environment. He said that they would not necessarily be able to address every aspect of sustainable development in their design, but factors to consider might include: reuse of land and buildings; adaptation to climate change; choice of materials and how they are sourced; noise impact; flood risk; the quality of indoor comfort.

Key steps for competitors to take were:

Maximise the potential for passive measures in a home

The key, Adam Ritchie advised, was to opt for those steps that would design-in sustainability from the off. 'At the start you need to do the things that it's hard to go back on later, like getting the direction the buildings face, and the size of the windows right.' You might not be able to afford photovoltaic cells at first but by avoiding north-facing roofs in the design you could allow them to be implemented in the future, he said. Site layout, then, was crucial, and as well as sun and shade, schemes would need to think about how natural ventilation might be affected by noise and pollution from roads.

Clearly understand and the characteristics of your site , such as the way that waste or water was dealt with

'It would be very nice to know how the energy and water flows in and out of your site,' Ritchie said. 'For instance, what happens to the rain that falls on your site? Do you need the same quality water for flushing toilets as for drinking?'

Select the right form of renewable energy - depending on cost, local circumstances and density of development.

Many renewable resources have issues with efficiency of storage. For example, photovoltaics have the problem that the sun shines during the day when most people are at work. Storing the energy until the evening when people return from work is difficult and expensive. However, if one was to employ solar thermal power - storing the energy in the form of hot water - costs would be lower than with photovoltaics.

Understand the implications of layout on energy use

'At low density', Richie suggested, 'you might include small wind turbines on the dwellings, while a high density scheme could have one big turbine on site.' The form has an important influence on which renewable energy source to choose.

Inevitably cost pressures force architects to choose between different environmental measures. This makes an even stronger case for the optimisation of efficiencies gained in the basic moves of design, rather than relying on 'technological' solutions that can be casualties of the moment when designs meet cost pressures. In such a scenario it was best to opt for those steps that would design in sustainability from the off, and which could not be reversed later.

Peter Maxwell echoed the emphasis on fundamental principles. Getting the urban form right was more important than incorporating the latest funky eco-innovation, he said. The secret was to wed good design with sensible urban planning: 'The schemes that failed last year were either good architecturally with abysmal urban layout, or vice versa,' he said. To achieve good urban form he pointed competitors to the key principles set out in Planning Policy Statement (PPS1):

  • Address the connections between people, places and access to jobs and services
  • Integrate developments into the existing natural and built environment and reinforce local distinctiveness
  • Be an important part of providing successful, safe and inclusive places
  • Create places everyone can use and play in
  • Consider the impacts on the natural environment

Europan 9 is based on reality he said - real sites and briefs in Milton Keynes, Sheffield and Stoke-on-Trent. Density would be an important factor and competitors should heed the target figures. For Milton Keynes this was 30-70 dwellings per hectare depending on locations; for Sheffield 35 dwellings per hectare; for Stoke on Trent the level was to be decided by the competitor.

Maxwell outlined a number of places where competitors should go for further guidance. First up was the Building for Life award scheme, which outlines a standard for quality in housing. The Europan judges expected submitted designs to hit the gold standard. Also useful would be the CABE.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=446" title="About By design on the CABE website">By design guide, a benchmark publication outlining the arguments for good urban design, and English Partnership’s Urban Design Compendium, which examines detail of what makes good urban design, along with best practice examples. All these guides are available here.