Designing low carbon buildings : a framework to reduce energy consumption and embed the use of renewables

EU policies to mitigate climate change set ambitious goals for energy and carbon reduction for the built environment. In order meet and even exceed the EU targets the UK Government's Climate Change Act 2008 sets a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. To support these targets the UK government also aims to ensure that 20% of the UK's electricity is supplied from renewable sources by 2020. This article presents a design framework and a set of integrated IT tools to enable an analysis of the energy performance of building designs, including consideration of active and passive renewable energy technologies, when the opportunity to substantially improve the whole life-cycle energy performance of those designs is still open. To ensure a good fit with current architectural practices the design framework is integrated with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) key stages, which is the most widely used framework for the delivery of construction projects. The main aims of this article are to illustrate the need for new approaches to support low carbon building design that can be integrated into current architectural practice, to present the design framework developed in this research and illustrate its application in a case study

Mitigation, Response and Recovery

Abstract: Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas and Louisiana nearly five years after Superstorm Sandy devastated the East Coast and caused 53 deaths, destroyed or severely damaged 100,000 Long Island homes, and left an estimated $42 billion in damages across New York State. This session will provide an overview of the disaster relief and assistance programs available under the Stafford Act, when they are triggered, and how private non-profit and cultural institutions can plan for natural hazards and take full advantage of available aid. There will also be discussion of the NYS Hazard Mitigation Plan, the Community Risk and Resiliency Act, and other efforts being coordinated by NYS agencies to enhance the State’s resiliency posture

Beneficial use of sediments : phytostabilisation, technosol & brownfield biofuels

Sandy river sediments arising during bridge construction were spread on a partially restored brownfield site for natural dewatering, prior to seeding with reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) for phytostabilisation, soil formation and perennial energy crop production (1). Material was excavated mid-channel from the river bed in early 2008 via a temporary coffer dam required during construction of the river pier of the Infinity Bridge (3). This section of the RiverTees was originally tidal until construction of the Tees Barrage in 1995 by the Teesside Development Corporation. The restoration and remediation of this extensive derelict former heavy industrial area was begun following Margaret Thatcher’s famously photographed “walk in the wilderness” in 1987 (4). In early February 2008 the excavated sediments were tipped wet onto a partially restored area of made ground, underlain by steel slag, then spread by excavator and dozer (photo 1). By early April the placed material had dried sufficiently to allow access for soil sampling and hand broadcasting of uncertified reed canarygrass seed at an application rate of 20 kg.ha-1 (photo 2). Soil analyses confirmed that levels of heavy metals, including Cd, CrT, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, Zn, exceeded CEFAS action level 1 “trigger” concentrations but were well below action level 2 marine disposal limits (5) or any applicable guideline values, other than Zn at the limit for topsoil (6) or subsoil (7) as saleable products. The sandy-soils had a low organic matter content (2-3 %) and low nutrient status, especially for available N. Although seed was broadcast directly on the crusted surface of the unamended and untilled soil, reed canarygrass showed rapid establishment (photo 3) and strong subsequent growth for c. 10 years without further agronomy (photo 4). Average over-wintered yields of 6 and 8 odt.ha-1 per annum were determined for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, comparable with long-term results from other brownfield sites (8). Uptake of PTEs in the mature biomass was sufficiently low to meet standards for reed canarygrass fuel pellets (9). Longer term benefits are now being evaluated (2)

Land Use Strategy (LUS) Delivery Evaluation Project : Volume 1: Main Report

Scotland’s first Land Use Strategy (LUS) – Getting the best from our land – was published in March 2011. The LUS is a requirement of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, highlighting the important contribution that Scottish Ministers expect land use and land management to make towards the climate change agenda in Scotland. The crucial component of the LUS are its ten principles for sustainable land use – the LUS Principles. The LUS Principles are the key mechanism by which the strategic intent of the national level LUS can be translated into regional and local level planning and decision-making, through existing land use delivery mechanisms, to inform action on the ground. The overall aim of the LUS Delivery Evaluation Project therefore was “to evaluate the range of current land use delivery mechanisms, to ascertain their effectiveness in translating the strategic Principles of the LUS into decision-making on the ground”. The evaluation considered eleven case study land use delivery mechanisms ranging from an urban Local Development Plan (LDP) to the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Partnership Plan

Rights of Secured Creditors in Returned and Repossessed Goods under the Uniform Commercial Code: A Study of Section 9-306(5)

Section 9-306(5) of the Uniform Commercial Code determines priorities among secured creditors when goods are returned or repossessed. Having developed a sales and return model utilizing the Code section, the author analyzes court decisions involving § 9-306(5) and concludes that difficulties in the application of the provision have been compounded by judicial attempts to avoid troublesome areas

The Legal Relationship Between the Bank and its Safe Deposit Customer

Today in the United States, virtually every commercial bank makes safe deposit services available for a small fee, either through a department of the bank or through a subsidiary or affiliated safe deposit company. Never before has the demand for safe deposit services been so great. More than ever before, Americans are turning to safe deposit companies and bank safe deposit vaults for the storage of their assets. This increased demand has caused increased concern among legislators and bankers about whether to regulate further the day-to-day affairs of the safe deposit business. Increased use of safe deposit vaults and boxes will predictably lead to more litigation concerning the rights and responsibilities of banks and their customers. It is therefore important to examine the legal status of the relationship of the bank to its safe deposit customer. This Article will explore the nature of the relationship, the ways in which courts have viewed the relationship and the problems that may arise as a result of the legal relationship of the bank to its safe deposit customer

The Legal History of Safekeeping and Safe Deposit Activities in the United States

This article explores the legal history of safekeeping and safe deposit activities so that future problems that arise in connection with safe deposit services may be dealt with in a rational manner, consistent with historical developments