Careful
selection of construction materials reduced the total environmental impact
of the BedZED development by approximatley 25%. Here in an extract from
the BioRegional report, Nicole Lazarus explains how it was done.
BedZED: Construction Materials Report. Contents:
- Credits, background and introduction
- Summary
- Materials in construction
- Measuring the environmental impacts of materials
- Material selection (examples): Window frames, reclaimed steel and recyled sand.
Credits, background and introduction
Credits
BioRegional Development Group is an independent environmental organisation working with industry, retail and public sectors to bring sustainable practice into the mainstream. Established in 1994, BioRegional work in housing, construction, forestry, paper, textiles, energy and food industries to create sustainable living solutions that are easy, attractive and affordable. By using local resources wisely, we can increase our quality of life whilst leaving space for wildlife and wilderness.
Background
Information about material resource flows through
the UK economy is of fundamental importance to the cost-effective management
of resource flows, especially at the stage when the resources become 'waste'.
In order to maximise the Programmes full potential, data will be generated
and classified in ways that are both consistent with each other, and with
the methodologies of the other generators of resource flow/ waste management
data. In addition to the projects having their own means of dissemination
to their own constituencies, their data and information will be gathered
together in a common format to facilitate policy making at corporate,
regional and national levels.
Introduction
The Beddington
Zero (Fossil) Energy Development (BedZED) is a mixed-use scheme in South
London initiated by BioRegional Development Group and Bill Dunster Architects.
BedZED has been developed by London's largest housing association, the
Peabody Trust. The scheme comprises 82 homes and 3,000m 2 of commercial
or live/work space. The scheme was completed in September 2002.
The scheme enables people to live sustainably, within their share of the
earth's renewable resources, without sacrificing a modern, urban and mobile
lifestyle. It aims to achieve this within the cost restraints of a social
housing budget. BedZED makes a sustainable lifestyle easy, attractive
and affordable.
BedZED challenges conventional approaches to housing by tackling sustainability
in every area from the outset. It slashes heat, electricity and water
demand, eliminating the need for space heating and reducing water consumption
by a third. It has designed facilities and services that make it easy
to reduce waste to landfill, recycle waste and reduce car use. BedZED
achieves the high densities recommended in the Urban Task Force report
whilst still providing a healthy internal environment with unprecedented
access to green space and sunlight.
In addition
to the sustainability of the finished BedZED product, every aspect of
construction was considered in terms of its environmental impact. Materials
used in construction were carefully selected for low environmental impact,
sourcing locally where possible and sourcing reclaimed and recycled materials
where possible.
This report describes the choices of construction materials made on BedZED,
it quantifies the environmental benefits of these choices and describes
how the materials were sourced, specified and used. The report provides
case studies for individual materials and cost comparisons with alternatives.
This report is funded by Biffaward. It also forms part of the Tool Kit
for Carbon-Neutral Developments project funded by the DTI's Partners In
Innovation programme. Data from this project will also feed into a national
mass balance study of the flow of materials around the UK, funded by Biffaward,
and it will inform an eco-footprinting analysis, funded by WWF-International.
Acknowledgements
This report has been written with the essential
input of the BedZED Project Team:
• Peabody Trust
• Bill Dunster Architects
• Ellis & Moore, Consulting Engineers
• Ove Arup, Consulting Engineers
• Gardiner & Theobald, Quantity Surveyors
• Gardiner & Theobald, Construction Management
Further information
• The full report can be obtained from Bioregional: www.bioregional.com
