Sustainability is one of the most over, misused and misunderstood words in the building design vocabulary. So what does it mean? If a building is designed to be sustainable, does that mean it has been designed to be there forever – I give you ‘the Pyramids’. If a building has been designed using materials …

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It has almost 12 years since the terrorist attacks that brought down the twin towers of the World Trade centre in New York City. With the original sights of the towers now serving as a memorial to those who lost their lives, work began on the city’s newest skyscraper in 2006. Known colloquially as ‘Freedom …

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BuildingDesignExpert Podcast – Passivhaus pt.2 First published Monday 13 May 2013 This is part 2 of the second in a trilogy of podcasts featuring experts in their field from the BRE (Building Research Establishment). We continue our chat on Passivhaus, with Mark Standen – senior consultant in ‘Energy and Low Carbon Futures’ – incorporating Passivhaus. …

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BuildingDesignExpert Podcast – Passivhaus pt.1 First published Monday 6 May 2013 This is the second in a trilogy of podcasts featuring experts in their field from the BRE (Building Research Establishment). This time we are looking to the hot topic that is Passivhaus, and talking to Mark Standen in his role as senior consultant in …

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BuildingDesignExpert Podcast – BREEAM pt.2 First published Monday 22 April 2013 The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, or BREEAM, has been developed as a best practice scorecard for the construction of ‘Green’ buildings of all types. Assessment is made on the perceived lifecycle of the building from inception to the potential and ultimate building …

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