The Construction
Centre today announced its support of the Government’s Carbon Challenge
plans, which aims to create five zero carbon or near zero carbon developments
throughout the UK in order to provide working examples to the building industry.
The idea of the Carbon Challenge is to encourage housebuilders to implement
good building practices in order to meet the 2016, CO2 emissions targets. The
Construction Centre has a vast database of products and search terms which enables
anyone in the building industry to find suppliers and products they are looking
for and for the Carbon Challenge projects it will be a valuable resource for
many architects, industry professionals and contractors. Additionally its’
sister website The Renewable Energy Centre is dedicated to this subject with
information on sustainable practices and products.
The first two projects in Peterborough and Bristol have already been set in
motion with many major contractors bidding for the work. Many firms are keen
to show that they are committed to sustainable building and these projects are
the perfect marketing tool to gain credibility. Known as “eco villages”
the developments will need to achieve Level 5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes
alongside innovative design and environmental performance. The Carbon Challenge
is all encompassing and also requires consideration of the supply chain and
use of products for the development of the eco-villages while ensuring standards
and benchmarks are still adhered to (such as the Quality & Price Standards).
For the contractors, the Carbon Challenge is a positive way of showing the
practical outworking of the Code for Sustainable Homes and how a high level
rating can be achieved. The programme also welcomes smaller companies looking
to supply renewables to the housing market and there have already been a substantial
amount of enquiries from local suppliers for both these projects.
The Construction Centre and The Renewable Energy Centre have over thousands
of companies listed on their websites and will support the development of the
Carbon Challenge eco-villages through providing central and reliable online
locations for the procurement of sustainable and renewable products and services.
Richard Simmons, Managing Director of The Construction Centre said “We
are committed to providing the building industry with the most comprehensive
directory of product manufacturers and suppliers. The Carbon Challenge will
provide over a thousand homes and due to the nature of zero carbon requirements,
alternative building solutions will need to be sought and renewable technology
incorporated. The Construction Centre is the only specialist resource which
any contractor, architect or specifier should use to find products and suppliers
for developing zero carbon housing.”
The Construction Centre will serve to facilitate the opportunities available
to companies as a result of the Carbon Challenge and will continue to encourage
and promote sustainable building throughout the UK.