Building design

This chapter distills the work undertaken by CIC Start Online in respect of building design. It examines how environmental control systems and sustainable construction strategies work in conjunction with the social, economic and spatial needs of buildings. The chapter asks how renewable and low carbon systems can integrate successfully both inside and outside the construction envelope. This section compares different approaches to sustainable buildings. Sustainable design strategies often have quite different characteristics. Some buildings feature sophisticated technical systems and rigorous performance metrics to produce sustainable and low carbon solutions; key examples being those with comprehensive renewables generation and Passivhaus methodologies. On the other hand, an alternative design approach emphasises simple and robust construction and environmental control systems, often utilising low impact building materials and components. The chapter also looks ahead to future scenarios beyond simply looking to reduce carbon. Some design practices advocate tightly defined solutions, tailored to projected use whilst others suggest looser, more flexible and adaptable interpretations. The chapter illustrates these issues from a rich collection of feasibility reports and case studies undertaken by the project including the documenting of passive houses in Aberdeenshire, the Healthy House for the BRE Innovation Park, Enkelt Simple Living and Scotland’s Housing Expo. These case studies are carefully described and their relevance to the wider themes of the chapter are discussed. These examples and other exemplars found in the CIC Start Online Innovation Review series are used to identify key future trends that will influence building design. This section communicates the wide range of design approaches available and the importance of intelligently deploying technology to ensure the needs of building procurers and users are well served.