"Le 65" Crunch

This is not a new French beer or other figurative metaphoric phrase but the upcoming reality of building regulations in 2010, says Professor Sean Smith of Napier University's Building Performance Centre.

From the regulation guidance 'alphabet soup' to the functional standards 'numbers' aligned to Construction Products Directive the year 2010 poses a range of issues and complexities across the UK.

We've been here before with regulatory potential clashes but perhaps not to this level. The future competing regulatory factors of thermal efficiency and sound insulation will once again lead to anomalies, new innovations and new house building taking a further leap forward.

Why is energy Part L (England & Wales) being placed before sound insulation Part E? (Or Section 6- Energy before Section 5-Noise in Scotland?) Simply - it is due to the overriding necessity and future role of energy that will be the driver in how many specifiers, developers and architects tackle these future clashes. Over 75 per cent of annual new homes are attached and will require to meet both, often competing material factors, towards compliance.

The draft SAP 2009 and the inclusion of party walls following Leeds Metropolitan's site research case studies have potentially shown the vital role that new build can have in changing future energy demand and reducing green house gases. Yes, less than one per cent is the annual norm we assign to new build's contribution, but this sector could potentially account for 20 to 25 per cent of all housing emissions by 2050. The collective potential reduction in emissions year on year is also staggering but also encouraging. The potential inclusion of the separating wall cavity and convection issues in SAP 2009 may address between 2 per cent to 3 per cent of all C02 emissions by 2050, which is comparable to 50 per cent of current emissions from air travel.

Importantly the Government should take full account of the role such SAP changes can make and the new build industry's contribution. At the same time, the industry should be allowed to let such amendments bed in and not be forced to chase very low carbon targets at very high cost too soon. If the additional costs are too high and too early, then this will stagnate further the industry's recovery from this severe economic downturn.

The clash with sound insulation standards is not new as has been found for previously addressing CfSH when chasing credits on 'two fronts' for sound and energy. However, the inclusion of separating walls may either drive designers to solid walls or adopt the measures to accommodate cavity walls. With solid walls a number of issues may arise such as attached diverse storey heights and the requirement for additional independent wall linings to achieve at 3 credit sound insulation performance. The junctions at separating floors for flats may also need to be accommodated and the structural tie-in of suspended internal floors.

Some of the methodologies for treating cavity walls such as sealing the cavity with a membrane already exist, such as 'Wallcap' from Icopal. This product was initially developed by the Building Performance Centre at Edinburgh Napier University from funding via Scottish Enterprise 'Proof of Concept'. The system was then licensed to Icopal Monarfloor which will return an income back to the University for research and studentships. Thus a funding cycle is established to develop further new research into this and other areas and support Napier's leading role in knowledge transfer for the industry. The first trials of the system were undertaken at BPAC's Hangar 17, which at present has over a dozen innovations being tested “out of sight” in its purpose built blockwork and timber frame apartment test buildings.

Such simple solutions for the industry are often multi-factor, in the case of 'Wallcap' this would also benefit sound insulation in apartments, may reduce the need for flanking strips in timber frame apartments and improve air tightness. A triple factor of functions from one product is highly advantageous in such d-economic times. Good estimators and buyers can realise such cost and function advantages, so for many developers and house builders it is these professions that hold the key to unlocking the cost-return factor.

Despite the positive impact of addressing cavity convected heat loss (or chimney effect) the industry receives significantly less in R&D support from government towards its new build and innovations, compared to other industry sectors. In countries such as Canada the R&D support for the construction industry is very much viewed as high-tech. Such steps towards new build innovation outputs and outcomes may also sometimes be transferred to the existing stock. It's a pity so many of the existing stock have had their external cavities treated and not the party wall cavity.

The new build industry sector has strategic value to the UK economy through faster turn around of applied research into manufactured products (compared to other industry sectors), positive role in reducing CO2 emissions, growing advanced waste and recycling capabilities and reducing future housing energy demand. The latter is probably the most important factor of all, as according to recent energy industry reports, we are approaching an “energy crunch”. We either reduce significantly our power demand or we should start preparing for the lights to go off. CO2 targets of 2030 and 2050 seem a long way off compared to base case power shortages by 2016 but challenging case or “worst case” as early as 2012.

This is not the future of others but our own and our future making.