Paul Giesberg is founder and Principal Director at Planning for Sustainability Ltd. This firm specialises in supporting organisations with meeting the challenges of sustainable development in infrastructure and real estate development projects. Among the services that Planning for Sustainability provides are BREEAM advice and assessments and environmental impact assessments.
The Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) is the benchmark for measuring the sustainability of new houses in the United Kingdom. For many new building programmes it is required to carry out an assessment and meet demanding targets in terms of energy performance, water use, material use and other environmental and sustainability issues. This is particularly the case for house building that is part funded through government grants, for instance by Housing Associations. An increasing number of local authorities have set Code for Sustainable Homes ratings that need to be achieved for any new housing build in their area.
There are two formal parts to the Code for Sustainable Homes assessment process: a CSH design stage assessment and a CSH post construction review. The official and final certificate can only be awarded upon the post construction review. Technically it is not required to undertake a design stage assessment. The post construction review would than act as the complete CSH assessment. There is how ever a good reason to undertake a CSH design stage assessment. In case the assessment reveals a shortcoming in the design, alterations to increase the sustainability performance can be made relatively cost effectively before the start of construction.
There is a third stage that is often referred to when discussing Code for Sustainable Homes assessments: the pre-assessment stage. The pre-assessment stage is not a formal part of the CSH assessment process, but it is a valuable tool nevertheless.
Firstly a Code for Sustainable Homes pre-assessment helps to identify the constraints and opportunities for each specific development in achieving the required rating. Certain elements of the CSH credit award method are specific to the selected development site rather than to the design, specification and construction methodology of the buildings themselves. Once the constraints and opportunities have been identified a strategy can be developed for the cost-effective targeting of CSH credits.
A pre-assessment is also an excellent tool for a construction company wishing to tender for a contract with a Code for Sustainable Homes requirement. The pre-assessment will give further information about the building specification that is required to achieve the required CSH rating.
Finally, achieving a certain CSH rating is increasingly becoming a planning requirement. Submitting a Code for Sustainable Homes pre-assessment report with the planning application is an excellent means of demonstrating to the local planning authority that the requirements can be met.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Green Building: Intelligent Ways of Construction
- Trends in Green Building and Sustainable Construction
- Green Buildings and Green Walls
- Green Building to Strike a Balance With the Environment
- Eco-Towns promote green building techniques:
- THE CHALLENGES OF MARKETING INNOVATION FOR A BETTER SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- ENCOURAGING THE FUTURE WITH GREEN BUILDING
The Code for Sustainable Homes and Renewable Energy
By: Paul Giesberg | 24/11/2009It appears therefore a relatively straightforward excercise to detemine what would be the most appropriate system or mix of sustems to include in any particular development. There are however a number of issues that need to be considered that make the process less straightforward. This article explains these issues in more detail.
Code for Sustainable Homes: scoring well in the energy section
By: Paul Giesberg | 24/11/2009The Code for Sustainable Homes is a sustainability assessment tool for new built housing. It considers a number of topics in nine different categories. Of these categories the one on energy use can be considered as the most important category: it accounts for more than 35% of the total score. Scoring well in the energy section is therefore essential to gain a good Code for Sustainable Homes rating.In this article I review the credit requirements and discuss how feasible it is to meet each these.
Code for Sustainable Homes: scoring well in the energy section
By: Paul Giesberg | 24/11/2009The Code for Sustainable Homes is a sustainability assessment tool for new built housing. It considers a number of topics in nine different categories. Of these categories the one on energy use can be considered as the most important category: it accounts for more than 35% of the total score. Scoring well in the energy section is therefore essential to gain a good Code for Sustainable Homes rating.In this article I review the credit requirements and discuss how feasible it is to meet each these.
Code for Sustainable Homes: scoring well in the energy section
By: Paul Giesberg | 24/11/2009The Code for Sustainable Homes is a sustainability assessment tool for new built housing. It considers a number of topics in nine different categories. Of these categories the one on energy use can be considered as the most important category: it accounts for more than 35% of the total score. Scoring well in the energy section is therefore essential to gain a good Code for Sustainable Homes rating.In this article I review the credit requirements and discuss how feasible it is to meet each these.
Calculating the hours of experience for the PMP application - Part 3
By: Bogdan Gorka | 23/11/2009I have developed a model in MS Excel to calculate the hours needed for the PMP exam application.
Calculating the hours of experience for the PMP application - Part 2
By: Bogdan Gorka | 23/11/2009I remember quite well that calculating the hours of experience for the PMP Exam application was difficult for me because I had no clue how to approach it. I took me weeks to find ideas on the internet that allowed me some progress. As probably most people who are not consultants, I was not obliged to maintain my weekly timesheets. I had to find some other way.
Calculating the hours of experience for the PMP application - Part 1
By: Bogdan Gorka | 23/11/2009In order to be eligible to sit for the PMP exam, you also need to calculate the hours of your experience. These calculations will be needed for your application process. In this article I am showing you how to do it properly
PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ITS IMPORTANT STEPS:
By: M Mohsin Khan | 22/11/2009Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. It is often closely related to and sometimes conflated with program management.
Code for Sustainable Homes: scoring well in the energy section
By: Paul Giesberg | 24/11/2009 | Project ManagementThe Code for Sustainable Homes is a sustainability assessment tool for new built housing. It considers a number of topics in nine different categories. Of these categories the one on energy use can be considered as the most important category: it accounts for more than 35% of the total score. Scoring well in the energy section is therefore essential to gain a good Code for Sustainable Homes rating.In this article I review the credit requirements and discuss how feasible it is to meet each these.
Code for Sustainable Homes: scoring well in the energy section
By: Paul Giesberg | 24/11/2009 | Project ManagementThe Code for Sustainable Homes is a sustainability assessment tool for new built housing. It considers a number of topics in nine different categories. Of these categories the one on energy use can be considered as the most important category: it accounts for more than 35% of the total score. Scoring well in the energy section is therefore essential to gain a good Code for Sustainable Homes rating.In this article I review the credit requirements and discuss how feasible it is to meet each these.
Environmental impact assessment: do the regulations apply to your project?
By: Paul Giesberg | 16/11/2009 | Project ManagementThe environmental impact regualtions describe mandate that certain real estate development projects need to undergo an environmental impact assessment. Not all real estate development projects are covered by the regulations. In particular the regulations do not apply to most small scale development projects. In this article I will describe the process to determine if the regulations apply to a particular project.
Sustainable Building - Advice For Small Development Proposals Has Become More Affordable
By: Paul Giesberg | 13/11/2009 | Project ManagementIn the UK the requirements to build sustainable homes become more and more onerous. The trouble is that most of the requirements have been written with large development projects in mind. It is now a few years since the first of these requirements were imposed on all new development proposals and the sector, both planning officers and consultants, has now learned how to address the sustainability requirements of small development proposals effectively.
Environmental Statements - Addressing Contaminated Land Issues
By: Paul Giesberg | 13/11/2009 | Project ManagementContaminated land is often managed in the same ways as the various environmental receptor groups, although it is principally a cause of impacts rather than a receptor.Sticking to the structured approach of an environmental statement is essential to ensure a clear description of the existing environmental condition, the potential impacts and the actions taken to avoid, minimise, offset or manage the impacts.
The Implication of the UK Renewable Energy Strategy For Development Projects
By: Paul Giesberg | 13/11/2009 | Project ManagementThe department for Energy and Climate Change has recently published the UK Renewable Energy Strategy. This article examines the implications for development projects in the UK.
Code For Sustainable Homes (CSH) - The Role of the Pre-Assessment
By: Paul Giesberg | 03/11/2009 | Project ManagementThe Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) is the benchmark for measuring the sustainability of new houses in the United Kingdom. A CSH pre-assessment is not a formal part of the Code for Sustainable Homes assessment process, but it is a valuable tool nevertheless. This article describes why.