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Paper cuts

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So here I am sitting in my air conditioned office in the bright sunshine with our internal lights flashing at me thinking about my obscene paper usage. Perhaps the latter adjective is is a little harsh but I'm staring at six or seven visible pile of A4 printed sheets, magazines, books, brochures etc on my desk. Not forgetting the mess of wood-based products strewn on the floor which has yet to make it to the recycle bin.

The Green Way

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Back in 2003 when I was full-time at Building - yes those bygone print days - I got to know Mark Way pretty well. A thoroughly nice bloke he was at architect and engineer RMJM at the time as head of research. He'd dreamt up a simple yet great concept called Soft Landings, which I wrote an article on it back in 2003. As a typical hack I moved on to the next subject and have given the idea little thought in the intervening years. Until a piece I spotted in BSRIA's website came to my attention which promises to give Way's vision renewed momentum.

Swiss Re's disappearing natural ventilation

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Here's a cautionary and probably typical tale for post-occupation. Swiss Re was dubbed "London's first ecological building" when it was completed back in 2003, which would lead to up to 50% less energy use than a traditional office. This was partly down to its natural ventilation system. Martin Spring's revisit in today's Building offers the reality - Richard Stead, the current property services director says such savings are "a bit over-ambitious" as now that the building is multi-lease only one occupant (Swiss Re itself) is using natural ventilation. Why so - maximum comfort, tenants that want confidentiality who put up partitions and a lack of financial incentive in energy savings for firms that are paying top dollar rents for grade-a space.

Letter from Brussels

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EUSEW and So

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Back from a very wet Brussels, dodging in and out of extraordinarily named buildings (Berlaymont, Breydel, Charlemagne) and each one down a different rainswept traffic-ridden street from a central roundabout, it was clear that the EU's Sustainable Energy Week would take more cracking than just one day. The requirements to show passports, remove outwear and pass through scanners whenever entering a building slowed the whole thing down somewhat and made me pine (extraordinarily) for the NEC. Getting into the enormous Berlaymont, where the Commissioners commission for a press briefing, involved registration of passport numbers and took about half an hour.

The Weekly Green Gauge

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Just say POE

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If there's anything we can learn from the "Princess Diana is Still Dead" court case (I presume it's a court case although it could quite easily be a strange dream someone had after eating too many Cheezy Wotsits) it is surely that hopes and reality - both ours and Diana's - are often sharply at variance. "Being a princess isn't all it's cracked up to be," she once said with some understatement.

Post occupation evaluation, the defence

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Trust an engineer to perform a close reading of a House of Commons committee hearing. Iain Fraser, environmental engineer, from Chapman Bathurst has responded to my recent report that only 9% of Government buildings meet eco-standards saying that the thinks it most unlikely that the BRE will consent to a BREEAM-lite since it is so well-established and "as they see it fit for purpose." It was the suggestion of the committee head, Edward Leigh MP who had noted that smaller projects were more likely to lack BREEAM rating.

Witty Wicks

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To the House of Commons last night for a birthday bash in honour of the Association for the Conservation of Energy, which is a quarter of a century old. Very well attended, not least by a barrage of politician keen to display their environmental credentials. I spotted quiet a few Liberal Dem MPs and Lords, deputy mayor Nicky Gavron and a sprinkling of Tories and former ministers, including former energy minister Elliott Morley. Guest of honour was current incumbent Malcolm Wicks, who's been having a rare old of time of it of late.

Property predictions

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Today's Property Week offers a crystal ball on 2008. I've been thinking the sector would be completely obsessed with the credit crunch so could potentially lose interest in sustainability, but the experts writing in the magazine suggest otherwise. Four main predictions are made (the articles are subscriber only, I'm afraid):

Energy Performance Certificates update

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Interesting online seminar held by Property Week yesterday on energy performance certificates (you can still download it on their site after a brief registration). here's some highlights:

• How much do they cost? - There was a general consensus from the expert panel of three that a certificate for a large building would costs in the region of £2-3,000. WSP Energy director Chris Stubbs pointed out the likelihood of a bottle-neck when the roll out out takes place next year when demand for them will reach sky high so the price may go up.

Widening the net

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There's always the danger with discussions on sustainability that you end up discussing life, the universe and everything. It happened to me a few times this week. It can be slightly defeating as the detail and basics need to be right before you can start trying to change the world. But that shouldn't preclude a widening of discussions. Two disparate issues I considered with a couple of experts need much more thought - the law and IT.