The Good Homes Alliance (GHA) is pleased to announce the launch of a new tool and accompanying guidance which aims to help planners and design teams identify and mitigate overheating risks in new homes at an early stage.
The tool and guidance were formally launched at a sold-out evening event on 16th July 2019 at Winckworth Sherwood in London, which featured short talks from the project team and steering group experts.
The important resources are now available to download for free from the GHA website – https://goodhomes.org.uk/overheating-in-new-homes.
To assist with the use and uptake of the tool, the GHA and the research project team will develop a number of training packages for local authorities and design teams, including half day masterclass tutorials and bespoke in-house training workshops using real case studies. For more information, please contact Julian Brooks at julian@goodhomes.org.uk.
The work has been led by a project team of Susie Diamond (Inkling), Julie Godefroy (Julie Godefroy Sustainability) and Nicola O’Connor (Mandarin Research) with support and feedback from an expert working group, the GHA team and stakeholder workshops.
The steering group has consisted of the following experts:
- Lynne Sullivan OBE, Chair, Good Homes Alliance
- Michael Swainson, BRE
- Joe Baker, London Borough of Haringey
- Dr Victoria Tink, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
- Chris Twinn, Twinn Sustainability Innovation
- Tom Dollard, Pollard Thomas Edwards
The Good Homes Alliance would like to thank the following partners for supporting the important work of this research project.
“The great thing about the GHA overheating tool is that it is very simple to use and so helps architects and builders consider issues of natural light, ventilation and shading at an early stage of a project. As a business VELUX is passionate about ensuring that our homes, schools and workplaces are healthy environments for their occupants, and so we are pleased to have been able to use our expertise and work with GHA to produce it. Overheating is a serious issue, and despite the usual assumptions about poor British weather, experts are warning us the housing stock may not suitably protect us against rising temperatures and we commend GHA’s efforts to bring the tool into use.”
Mick Schou Rasmussen, Managing Director, VELUX Company Ltd
“The facade of a building is the filter between the external and internal environment, and as such plays a key role in moderating the indoor conditions. The orientation of the facade, the overall U-value, amount and type of glazing, shading devices and provision for ventilation all have to be considered together in order to provide comfortable conditions. Get this wrong and there is a high risk that the building will overheat or otherwise require a high amount of energy to cool, which should be avoided where possible. It is therefore vital that decision makers have the tools available in order to make informed judgements and highlight any issues at the design and planning stage. The Centre for Window and Cladding technology was delighted to be able to co-sponsor this guidance tool.”
David Metcalfe, Director, Centre for Window and Cladding Technology
“The Concrete Centre is pleased to have supported and contributed to this valuable resource for Planners and the wider design team. Early design decisions can impact negatively unless well informed and joined up with the complicated set of parameters that contribute to creating a successful built environment. The benefits of thermal mass can contribute positively to both adaptation and mitigation measures for all building types to allay and delay potential overheating challenges.
Guy Thompson, Head of Architecture, Housing and Sustainability, The Concrete Centre