News
April 2010. New Charles Church Project
Following our success on Phase 1 of Kingshill North at Cirencester we are once again pleased to announce will be working with Charles Church on Phase 2 of the development to produce the construction drawings and details.
The development will consist of both affordable and open market 2, 3 & 4 bedroom homes designed in a traditional Cotswold style. The affordable element will be detailed to meet the requirements of Code for Sustainable Homes (level 3) and the Housing Quality Indicators (HQI).
For more information on this development please visit Charles Church website.
April 2010. Approved Document L 2010 and SAP2009 published.
The long awaited Approved Document L 2010 and corresponding SAP2009 documents have now been published and come into effect on 1 October 2010. There are some significant changes to both the legal requirements and the technical guidance, here's our bullet point changes:
Legal requirement for new build:
Regulation 17C applies, for CO2 emission rate calculations to be carried out and given to the Building Control Body, along with a list of specifications used in the calculations before the start of building work on the erection of a new building. This is in addition to the CO2 emission rate calculation required to be submitted after completion of the work.Changes in technical guidance:
The annual CO2 emission rate of the completed dwelling is now calculated using SAP2009 and must not exceed the target set by reference to a notional dwelling with an additional overall improvement of 25% relative to 2006 standards
The notional dwelling now includes a party wall heat loss of zero, meaning that the targeted improvement of 25% is in addition to treating party walls between connected dwellings against heat loss.
Secondary heating is counted as part of the annual CO2 emission rate of the completed dwelling only when actually provided for and credit is allowed wherever low-energy lighting is installed.
Some of the reasonable limits for building fabric and services performance specifications are strengthened.
Revised guidance is provided for avoiding thermal bridging at construction joints including the option of adopting a quality assured accredited construction details scheme approach.There are more detailed changes in the body of the document which will have a significant impact. We’ve already highlighted the following:
U-values must be calculated in accordance with BR443 and stated u-values represent an area weighted average. In practice this means your u-values will have to be significantly better than the limiting standards to achieve the TER.
Air pressure testing will become more important since the test results used for subsequent house types incurs a increase of 2.0m³/m²hr meaning the default compliance level is now 8m³/m²hr. The improvement in emissions, in our opinion, makes the default figure of 15m³/m²hr redundant for small developments.
Thermal bridges are significant in reflecting overall thermal performance and three options will exist; quality assured construction details (in the same manner as Robust Details), non-accredited construction calculated in accordance with BR497 or to accept unaccredited details with a default of y-value of 0.15.
February 2010. SMAS Work Safe Qualification
Christopher Stanley Associates are pleased to announce that we have passed the SMAS Work Safe Consultant Health and Safety Assessment which is recognised under the Safety Schemes in Procurement forum.
The scheme was launched online in May and is an agreement between assessment schemes, trade federations representing both clients and suppliers, and the HSE, to simplify the pre qualification stage of procurement, reduce duplication and improve standards of health and safety in the industry.
Lord McKenzie, the minister for health and safety said “The SSIP demonstrates very well how partnerships can be fostered. It has not only been backed by Department for Work and Pensions and the HSE but other Government departments, such as Business, Innovation and Skills, have also supported it.”
We are delighted with our recent accreditation as it will further enhance our reputation as a professional architectural consultancy.
January 2010. Tender Win
Christopher Stanley Associates are pleased to announce that we have won the tender to produce the construction drawings for Phase 1 of Charles Church’s brand new development at Kingshill North in Cirencester.
The development will consist of both affordable and open market 2, 3 & 4 bedroom homes and apartments and has been designed in a traditional Cotswold style. The affordable element will be detailed to meet the requirements of Code for Sustainable Homes (level 3) and the Housing Quality Indicators (HQI).