1. Tim Fenn
November
2009
Building Real Ecotowns: NW Bicester Ecotown
88 St James’s Street
London SW1A 1PL
2. What do most people expect when large scale housing developments
are announced?
Past Design Criteria Problems & Public Concerns
• Units per acre • Traffic congestion
• Cars/traffic/parking • Strain on local services
• Cheapest available building materials • Loss of open-space/urban sprawl
• Existing supply chains and skills • Negative visual impact
• Socio-economic environment • Environment & loss of diversity
• Size & location • Increased flood risk
• Amenities and 106 agreements • Loss of community
• Local architecture & design guides • Loss in house value
• “No Triple-bottom-line” thinking • Poor house performance
• Unsustainable
3. Renewable Energy
• Zero Carbon
• Energy from Waste Sustainable Construction
• Community Energy Centre Sustainable Transport
• Micro-energy generation • Low Energy Building/Zero carbon
• 50% reduction in car travel
• Local Materials
• Cycling/walking
• Climate Change Resilience • Public Transport
Waste Management • Retro-fit Existing Stock • Biofuels
• Zero Waste • Electric Vehicles
• Waste as Resource
• Materials from waste
Local Employment
Water Management
• 1 Job per house
• Recycled water
• Rainwater harvesting
• Virtual Business Centres
• Green Roofs • Entice Green Businesses
• SUDS • Promote Green Economy
• Water catchment management
Local Food
• Urban Agriculture
• Community Supported Agriculture
• Community Orchards Bio-diversity
• Green roofs
• Community Gardens Healthy Lifestyles
• Social Forestry
• More Exercise
Open spaces • Organic Food
• More Exercise/Healthy Living • Access to Open Spaces
•Social Forestry/Biomass • Healthy Buildings
•Linkages to the Country-side
4. Energy Efficiency:
Highest standards of energy efficiency e.g.
insulation, lighting, appliances.
Energy use information systems (e.g. Smart
meters) & develop awareness /ethos.
Low energy livelihoods. Local food, transport etc
Renewable Energy Generation:
Applicable Eco-town Standards Energy Centre based on Anaerobic Digestion
and biomass with community/local authority
Zero Carbon buildings partnership. CHP
2t CO2/yr total emissions Optional micro-renewable energy add-ons to
buildings, capitalising on forthcoming “Feed-in
tariffs”.
5. Transport
Promote More Cycling!
Bicester’s flat
Amsterdam 284 km of cycle-ways 28% bike.
York 22% through improved cycle-ways
and traffic calming
Applicable Eco-town Standards
Hull 16% by bike
Homes within 10 minutes walk of public
transport & services Copenhagen 26%
Access to and through the Eco-town priority to Basel 16%
walking, cycling and public transport modes
Hanover 16%
The design of the Eco-town should enable at
Holland: 36% increase in 17 years
least 50% of trips originating from the site to be
made by modes other than the car Cycling also promotes more walking and
has obvious health benefits.
Bicester? 60% of people commute!
7. Transport
Wide Cycle lanes
Dedicated cycle-ways
Traffic calming
Bike storage at schools, shopping
centres, businesses and train/bus stations.
Linkages to town centre and villages
Bike trailers at shopping centres
8. Transport
Then there’s the Velomobile.....
Ice’s (Inspired Cycle Engineering ltd, Cornwall) recumbent trike with Rainforest Designs ltd (Canada)
fairing producing high speed velomobile.
9. Water Management
Applicable Eco-town Standards
CSH 4 or 6 – 105/80l/p/d for water use
Zero increase in net rainwater run-off
No development outside Flood Zone 1
Key strategy opportunities
Reduce potential for flooding in Bicester
through storm water catchment management
providing amenity and biodiversity.
Waste water/AD integration. e.g. Zero water
closed system.
Design drainage networks to accommodate
effects of climate change.
Low household water consumption devices
10. Open Space, Amenities & Community Supported Agriculture
Applicable Eco-town Standards
Provision of local services and
amenities including 40% open
space..
Local food production
Key Strategies & Opportunities
Open Spaces for food
production/community supported
Agriculture.
Biomass for energy e.g. willows
Cycling, hiking, sport, leisure, tourism
development
Eco-graveyard
Environmental education/Eco-school
11. The Green Economy
Applicable Eco-town Standards
1 job per household (5,000 jobs) that can be
reached by walking, cycling or public transport.
Key Strategies & Opportunities
Incorporate into master-plan including waste
management, housing, energy, transport, business
development tourism, leisure & education.
Manufacture houses at a Bicester Factory.
Ensure ?% of local content thus create demand for new
local products.
Promote innovation for SMEs e.g. Centre for Sustainable
Design, Innovation Hubs, Environmental Investment
Network (EIN).
Create commercial centres for green business e.g.
Community business centres, “The Goods Shed”, Virtual
Offices, zero carbon commercial/educational.
Encourage eco-tourism e.g. University of Chichester
Promote Bicester: Corporate Social Responsibility/Triple
Bottom Line thinking to organisations.
12. Resource & Waste Management
Applicable Eco-town Standards
Plan for Zero Waste
View Waste as a Resource
Integrated Resource & Waste Management
Consider Total Waste
Key Strategies & Opportunities
Waste to energy – anaerobic digestion (CHP)
Exemplar internal and external waste storage
including underground waste storage e.g. Septic
tanks, recycling centre.
Community benefit from business opportunities
(e.g. Recycling, waste to building
materials), employment and energy security.
Waste prevention – education and awareness
campaigns creating a community ethos.
Zero waste to landfill
13. The Modular Framing System
Key Design Features
• Flexible system for range of designs
• High standards of energy efficiency (Passivhaus)
• Rapid erection and zero waste
• Air-tight construction
• Internal thermal mass to prevent overheating
• Products made from recycled materials &
linkages to job creation/waste management
• Low embodied energy in manufacture.
• Low life-long costs
Kirkland Frazer Moore
14. What could an look like? Design Criteria and Opportunities:
Applicable Eco-town Standards
Zero Carbon/Passivhaus
30% Affordable Housing
• Affordability
• Energy & Water Efficiency
• Desirability & Use
• Biodiversity and Landscape
• Durability (100 year plus)
• Sustainability & Embodied Energy
• Resilience to Climate Change
• Building Materials from Waste
• Employment, Skills & Rehabilitation
17. Why is energy important?
Energy Efficiency • CO2 emissions and climate change
• Era of cheap energy is over.
• Oxfordshire high energy use, Shiplake highest CO2 emissions in UK
• 5 million people in the UK suffering from energy poverty & rising
• Power stations coming to end of life, possibility of power cuts
3500
Future Heating Energy Costs 900
Future Heating Energy Costs:
Ecotown vs other 800
Within Ecotown
3000
700
2500 Part L House 3%
600
Part L House 10% increase in heating
2000 increase in heating 500 cost per year
cost per year
400 Code 4 house 3%
1500
Code 4 house 10% increase in heating
increase in heating 300 cost per year
1000 cost per year
200
ECO2H2O house in
ECO2H2O house in Ecotown 3% increse
500 100
Ecotown 3% increse in heating cost per
£ per year
year
£ per year
in heating cost per
0
0 year
Year
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
2028
2030
Bicester Eco-town: Resilient, bankable and desirable
18. Eco-refurbishment
• Upgrading existing housing stock creates link to existing town.
• Links to sustainable construction training, job creation etc..
• Each house type will require different insulation strategy.
• Renewable energy strategy site dependant
19. GreenBook/Card: Institute of Sustainable Construction
Employer Led Sustainable Construction Training & Accreditation
20. Requirements of an Eco-build Training Framework
• Primarily focussed on up-skilling existing workforce
• Promotes Multi-skilled workforce development.
• Promotes Specialist training/learning
• Encourages companies/individuals to undertake training
• Promotes/rewards life-long learning
• Acknowledges short courses & on-site experience
• Leads to highest accolades in training achievement (degrees)
• Promotes self esteem and status of construction workers
• Leads to “real” recognition of skill level
• Leads to higher standards
21. Sustainable Construction Skills Training
Training Framework
• Employer led Scheme (Leitch report)
• Sustainable Builders Green Card
• New skills relevant to Eco-refurbishments
Opportunities
• Construction led Green Jobs/Businesses
• Retro-fit/Eco-refurbishments role-out to existing stock
• Improved Standards
• Bicester: centre of green technology and innovation
• Lower CO2 emissions on existing housing stock
22. Sustainable Construction Skills Training
Core Awareness & Skills
• Airtight construction/ventilation:
Importance, testing, issues
• Energy in Buildings:
Insulation, windows/doors, CO2 emissions
• Water & Waste management:
Water use, dealing with waste, regs etc
• Technology:
Renewable energy, lighting, materials etc
23. Green Builder Training Framework
Buildings :
New Build, Retrofits, Commercial,Government
Craft Operative Site Manager
Awareness Understanding Operational Knowledge Competence
• Energy in buildings • Energy in buildings • Energy in buildings • Energy in buildings
• Air-tight construction • Airtight construction • Air-tight construction • Air-tight construction
• Water & waste • Waste & Water • Waste & Water • Waste & Water
• Technology • Technology • Technology • Technology
•Solar thermal
•Thermal Storage/PCM
Renewable
• Micro-Wind
Energy
• PHPP
Passivhaus
Design
• Thermal Mass
• Framing Systems
Modern
Methods
• Modular Construction
24. Organisational Framework: Green Builders
Other Regional
Construction
Training Groups
Institute Sustainable Construction
Additional Training
Passivhaus
Trust UK
