Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker visited BRE’s head office site in Watford yesterday to tour the Victorian Terrace project on the BRE Innovation Park.
The flagship refurbishment project which has been part funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, showcases some of the latest retrofit solutions that BRE and its partners have been working on in advance of the Green Deal.
The solid wall building, originally constructed in 1855, has been transformed into a number energy efficient terraced housing units that demonstrate the latest processes, materials and technological advances in sustainable refurbishment. The aim was to create a ‘living laboratory’ to monitor product performance in situ, thereby generating a new knowledge base on the most effective ways to upgrade existing housing stock and reduce its impact on the environment.
The Minister met with representatives from partners British Gas, Saint Gobain and BASF and heard about the intensive trialling and testing programme being carried out on the homes and the range of sustainable products, materials and systems they incorporate. The resulting information will be used to help homeowners make informed decisions on improvements to their homes as the Green Deal comes into play.
Mr Barker also toured a number of other buildings on the BRE Innovation Park and heard about BRE’s progress in establishing a global network of Parks in China, Brazil, the US Canada and India that will drive green export growth for the UK construction sector.
‘This has been a fantastic visit to BRE. It’s great to see how the Green Deal will drive mass innovation in the UK which can then be exported around the world.’
For more details visit: http://www.bre.co.uk/podpage.jsp?id=2426
For further information, contact Linda McKeown at BRE:mckeownl@bre.co.uk
Taken from: http://www.breeam.org/newsdetails.jsp?id=799
To get your copy of the Green Deal visit: http://www.architectureanddesignforum.co.uk/green-deal.php
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