Category Archives: News

ELIMINATING CONSTRUCTION WASTE

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Duncan was part of the panel for “Eliminating Construction Waste” last month.

Panelists: Robert Crocker and Duncan Baker-Brown


The panelists spoke about how to present linear model followed in design and construction can be modified and replaced with a more circular model. They also paid particular attention to the role of information technology in conjunction with sustainable waste management systems to better enable the reuse of materials like timber, glass and steel, and the vital importance of changing inappropriate regulation and of training and engaging designers to lead this process.

Organised on 29th Oct, 2019. Construction materials represent around 40% of all materials used in most advanced economies, and construction and demolition (C & D) waste makes up around 25% -30% of waste sent to landfill. This results in millions of tons of C & D waste being buried every year, representing huge losses in embodied energy, water and materials. In many jurisdictions the ‘linear’ expectations embodied in design and construction practice and regulation undermine the feasibility of more fully re-using construction materials.

DUNCAN BAKER-BROWN INVITED TO SPEAK AT MUSEUM OF FINNISH ARCHITECTURE

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As part of the Durat Talks series, Duncan Baker-Brown will be speaking about the circular economy and how the construction industry can transition to sustainable development. His talk is titled Circular Design and the Climate Crisis – Solutions for Designers.

As part of the Durat Talks series, Duncan Baker-Brown will be speaking about the circular economy and how the construction industry can transition to sustainable development. His talk is titled Circular Design and the Climate Crisis – Solutions for Designers.

The Museum of Finnish Architecture, one of Finland’s national museums, collects and distributes knowledge about architecture to both the public and industry experts. The museum records history, but also looks to the future with its events and exhibitions.

To sign up for the event, please click here: http://www.mfa.fi/durat-talks or here: https://www.facebook.com/events/258614315034102/?active_tab=discussion

PLANNING APPROVAL RECEIVED FOR PROPOSED REPLACEMENT DWELLING IN RINGMER

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BBM’s design for a replacement dwelling for a family home in Ringmer with serious subsidence issues was granted planning approval.

The existing house is a detached dwelling built in the early 1920’s, originally built as a farmhouse for an adjacent dairy farm. BBM’s redesign uses local forms of rural domestic architecture as precedents for the form, reincarnating the original essence of the existing dwelling.

A GLIMMER OF ENVIRONMENTAL HOPE

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Duncan-Baker Brown interviewed by Graham Lawton in the 9th November issue of New Scientist

In the column, Lawton reviews the progress made on environmental issues in the UK since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change announced last year that drastic changes were needed to avoid catastrophic global warming of more than 1.5 degrees Celcius. Lawton notes that while in general we in the UK haven’t made much progress towards preventing world-altering levels of global warming, the architecture industry has taken some positive steps.

A new organisation, the Architects’ Climate Action Network (ACAN), was set up to find ways to rapidly lower the carbon footprint of the construction industry. The impact this organisation could have is enormous. As Duncan Baker-Brown says in the article “architects specify what buildings are made of, and can therefore decide to make them out of environmentally benign stuff.”

Some architecture practices have even started dedicating a day a week to staff workshops considering how to make their daily work environmentally neutral or even beneficial.

DUNCAN BAKER-BROWN CALLS FOR GREEN OVERHAUL OF VAT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

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In an article published by both The Conversion and Ecologist (click here to read the whole online publication), Duncan Baker-Brown explains how the current VAT status of new build houses (0%) and refurbishments (20%) rewards big developers at the expense of domestic consumers who want to upgrade the thermal efficiency of the existing housing stock.

The environmental impacts of these policies are negative; demolitions and new-builds are encouraged over renovations, leading to unnecessary waste and carbon expenditure.

By 2050 more than 85% of our housing stock will still be old homes from the 20th century. It is these homes that need the eco-refurbishments to ensure we have some hope of meeting our government’s commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 80% by 2050. These targets can only be met if central government works with home owners and the small building contractors who renovate their properties. This simply will not happen while works to these existing homes is undermined by excessive taxation.

Baker-Brown suggests that a better approach for future governments to consider would be awarding a zero-rated VAT status to any home improvements that reduce CO2 emissions.

ARCHITECTS’ CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK HOLD FIRST ARCHITECTS’ ASSEMBLY

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Last week architects gathered after work to discuss how the construction industry can act in time to prevent climate catastrophe during the Architects’ Climate Action Network (ACAN) first Architects’ Assembly.

The assembly, inspired in part by Extinction Rebellion, was hosted at the Building Centre in Store Street by ACAN. ACAN is a climate activism group composed of people from the built environment who want to address the impending climate and ecological breakdown.

Environmental experts from a variety of backgrounds, including BBM’s director Duncan Baker-Brown, opened the assembly with some brief presentations looking at how the built environment influences climate change. Following those presentations, participants gathered in small groups and ran workshops to discuss how best to campaign for policy change and how best to chance their daily architectural practice to respond to the climate emergency.

Speakers included:

Farhana Yamin – Founder and CEO of Track 0, leading international environmental lawyer and climate change and development policy expert

Clara Bagenal George – Sustainability specialist, Mayor’s Design Advocate and London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) Champion.

Ciara Hanson – Chartered Landscape Architect, working on policy and methods of health impact assessment at London Borough of Havering. Also on Public Practice’s climate crisis R&D team.

Laurie Laybourn-Langton – Author and Associate Fellow at thinktank IPPR, leading a major project developing policy responses to environmental breakdown.

Duncan Baker Brown – Architect, Associate Professor at Brighton University and Principle researcher on two Interreg programmes related to the circular economy

DUNCAN BAKER-BROWN IS SPEAKING AT THE FIRST ARCHITECTS’ ASSEMBLY OF THE ARCHITECT’S CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK TODAY!

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Come to the Building Centre to listen to architects, environmental lawyers, sustainability engineers and other industry experts talk about what actions can be taken in light of the climate emergency.

Following these initial presentations, participants will form groups to discuss how policy and architectural practice can change in response to the climate crisis.

18:30 – 21:00, Tue, 22 October 2019

The Building Centre

26 Store Street

London

WC1E 7BT


Speakers include:

Farhana Yamin – Founder and CEO of Track 0, leading international environmental lawyer and climate change and development policy expert.

Ciara Hanson – Chartered Landscape Architect, working on policy and methods of health impact assessment at London Borough of Havering. Also on Public Practice’s climate crisis R&D team.

Clara Bagenal George – Sustainability specialist Engineer, Mayor’s Design Advocate and London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) Champion.

Laurie Laybourn-langton – Author and Associate Fellow at thinktank IPPR, leading a major project developing policy responses to environmental breakdown.

Duncan Baker Brown – Architect, Associate Professor at Brighton University and Principle researcher on two Interreg programmes related to the circular economy.

To register for the event please follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/acan-architects-assembly-tickets-73455494361