Education for Sustainable Development Programme Briefing Pack

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Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. About BRE 3 3. The BRE Innovation Park 4 4. Visit practicalities 9 5. Book a visit 12 6. Further information 13 Appendix A – Sample Visit Itinerary 14

Appendix B – Code of Conduct 15 Appendix C – Risk Assessment 16

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1. Introduction BRE is pleased to be working in conjunction with SetPoint and local schools to support the delivery of the National Curriculum and the new Engineering and Construction and Built Environment Diplomas, in teaching environmental change and sustainable development. Using the fantastic buildings located on our unique Innovation Park, at the centre of our Garston site, we are able to demonstrate to students’ sustainability in action. The BRE programme is delivered by trained STEM Ambassadors1, using a combination of presentations, facilitated group discussion and tours of our demonstration properties, tailored to the age group of the students. The visit will be a great opportunity for students to see numerous different innovative and emerging technologies in the houses of the future. 2. About BRE BRE has been Building a better world for almost 90 years through cutting edge research, consultancy and testing services. Our unrivalled knowledge in regard to sustainability and innovation is now used across the construction industry and in the corporate world creating better buildings, communities and businesses. BRE Global Limited is an independent third party approvals body offering certification of sustainability, fire, security products and services to an international market - Protecting People, Property and the Planet BRE and BRE Global is part of the BRE Group of companies owned by the BRE Trust, a registered charity.

1 STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths

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3. The BRE Innovation Park

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The Hanson EcoHouse The Hanson EcoHouse brings together many of the latest developments in sustainable construction using masonry and concrete materials. Designed as a three bedroom detached home the property demonstrates the benefits of off-site fabrication that, together with thermal mass and natural ventilation, helps to achieve a low carbon home. Renewable technologies and sustainable principles you will be able to see in this home include a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) compliant external paving solution; a solar thermal panel and ground source heat pump (GSHP). The Barratt Green House Winner of the 2007 Home for the Future Design Award hosted by the Mail on Sunday, the Barratt Green House demonstrates innovative design; the most successful features of which will be applied to houses built by Barratt in the future. Innovative eco-friendly features you will see in this house include an air source heat pump that converts the energy of air from indoors or outdoors into heat supplying the internal needs of the house. Hot water is supplied by a solar thermal panel located on the roof and photovoltaic panels will provide some of the electricity demand. A rainwater harvesting system is used to provide water to flush lavatories. The Cub House Transported fully fitted, the Cub House demonstrates how low carbon living is possible "off the shelf" for the consumer who wants to live responsibly and save money. Built off-site helps to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction process, reduce construction waste and enable the finished house to be delivered within 16 weeks of order. The majority of the energy demand for heating, hot water and ventilation can be met by the PV array. Air source heat pumps provide space heating, hot water and ventilation. Other features include high levels of acoustic insulation, low energy lighting, water saving features, rainwater harvesting, and high air tightness levels. The Renewable House The Renewable House aims to demonstrate that low costs and renewable materials are compatible in sustainable housing delivery. The Renewable House demonstrates the exceptional sustainability of renewable materials, but without compromising style or affordability. The Renewable House costs just £75,000 making it appropriate for the affordable housing market.

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Features of this house include a timber frame, Hemcrete walls and Thermafleece (made from British Sheep’s wool) which provide a very high level of insulation. You will also see an air source heat pump and heat recovery ventilation system. Stewart Milne Group’s Sigma Home The Sigma Home has been designed to provide flexible living to suit modern lifestyles and is ideal for high density urban spaces. The design is based on the traditional terraced house of the past, incorporating many contemporary architectural features and benefiting from modern methods of construction. Arranged over four floors to minimise the building footprint and to maximise affordability, the split level house adopts a semi open plan format with six levels, creating personal space, flexibility and communication between spaces. Renewable technologies and sustainable principles you will be able to see in the Sigma Home include solar thermal and photovoltaic roof panels, wind turbines and an innovative insulation material called ‘Energain’. The Osborne House The Osborne House was competed in 2006, a year before the other homes within the Innovation Park. The house is contemporary, adaptable and economic, addressing the need for affordable sustainable housing and as such is already being built across the country The house uses off site modern methods of construction and can be constructed in detached, semi or terraced versions. Renewable technologies and sustainable principles you will be able to see include solar hot water heating system, a heat recovery ventilation system and permeable paving around the exterior of the property. The Kingspan Lighthouse The Kingspan Lighthouse is a net-zero carbon home – a standard specified by the Government to which all new homes should be designed and constructed by 2016. The property also addresses other aspects of sustainability such as water use; pollution; health and well-being; and surface water run-off. The structure of the two-and-a-half storey, two bedroom house, is a simple barn-like form, with a 40-degree roof which accommodates the photovoltaics array. Renewable technologies and sustainable principles you will be able to see in

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the Lighthouse include photovoltaics; water efficiency techniques; a biomass boiler; passive cooling and mechanical ventilation and heat recovery. ecoTECH’s Organics House The Organics House by ecoTECH, a Swedish affordable housing provider, represents a low maintenance and well designed housing systems that aims to make sustainable homes accessible to more people. The property on the Innovation Park demonstrates a self-contained apartment on the ground floor and a house layout on the first and second floors. Construction, from the very first panel arriving on site to putting in the final fixtures and fittings took just 12 days, only four of which were spent putting the actual house together! Renewable technologies and sustainable principles you will be able to see in the Organics House include a grey water recycling system; intelligent floor ad ceiling cassettes incorporating pre installed plug and play wiring and lighting; triple glazed windows and an air source heat pump. The Willmott Dixon Community Healthcare Campus The Willmott Dixon Community Healthcare Campus brings together a set of initiatives that provide a glimpse of what the patient experience of local healthcare will be in the next twenty years when an older population puts the emphasis on technology that encourages assistance in the home. Originally the Willmott Dixon Re-Thinking School, the refurbished building illustrates the concept of 'assisted-living', where future healthcare technology will allow people to be monitored remotely in their homes and avoid unnecessary trips to local healthcare clinics that will be stretched owing to the aging population. Renewable technologies and sustainable principles you will be able to see include photovoltaic roof panels, wind turbine, heat absorbing material embedded in the walls, anti-microbial high reflective paint and natural ventilation. Landscape at the Innovation Park The BRE Innovation Park is an exemplar for sustainable landscaping and integrated design covering issues such as pollution, water, health and well being, materials, surface water run-off, ecology and waste. For example, the Park incorporates more than 75 native plant species in three distinct habitats - wetland, meadow and scrub. Innovations demonstrated by the landscaping include a porous paving system with an underground sump which can be used as part of a rainwater harvesting or sustainable drainage network. The landscaping also shows how it can act as a cohesive feature in a

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development. Here, for example, it includes a swale - a dry-stream like feature excavated to divert excess water from flash flooding so that drains aren't overloaded. This has been wrapped around a central space that is designed to be the hub of the Innovation Park. Coming Soon – New Property During 2010 a new property will be erected on the BRE Innovation Park. The Natural House The Prince of Wales' architectural charity, the Princes Foundation for the Built Environment, is constructing a low energy home built from natural materials. It will demonstrate an alternative response to environmental efficiency in sustainable homebuilding. The Natural House is expected to deliver significant energy savings from its manufacture through to its daily use. It will also be simple and quick to construct and appeal to the increasingly eco-aware homebuyer. As part of the Natural House project researchers will examine the impact of natural materials on air quality, on allergy resistance and on the general sense of wellbeing of the occupants.

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4. Visit practicalities Opening times BRE is able to host visits on specific dates throughout the year. Visits take place in the morning and last approximately two and a half hours in duration. To view our current availability please refer to the schedule on our website – www.bre.co.uk/education. Costs There is no charge associated with the visit. Visit itinerary A sample visit itinerary setting out the structure of each visit is provided in Appendix A. Please note. The properties you are able to view during your visit may vary according to availability. Photography Visitors are permitted to take photographs during their visit to the Innovation Park. Lunch areas BRE is not able to provide catering for lunch. However, we may be able to provide accommodation for groups wishing to consume their own food - prior arrangement must be made. Supervision BRE is a place of work and welcomes thousands of visitors each year, many of whom will also be visiting the Innovation Park. It is expected that staff will remain with the group/s at all times to supervise them, especially during the tour. For health and safety reasons and the logistics of moving students through the Innovation Park we can accommodate a maximum group size of 36 students. We also request a teacher to student ratio of 1:12. During the visit the group will be divided equally into small groups (maximum of 12 students in each) for the tours of the Innovation Park. It would greatly facilitate this activity if you could prepare how the group should be split in advance of the visit. BRE’s STEM Ambassadors have all been trained and undertaken Criminal Record Bureau checks. Code of Conduct Please refer to our Code of Conduct in Appendix B. Health and Safety BRE takes Health and Safety very seriously and it is the responsibility of all visitors to comply with our health and safety policy. Visitors will be fully briefed

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on arrival. Risk assessments for the visit are included in Appendix C. You will be required to send us in advance of your visit a list of the full names of all those participating in the visit including students and staff. Disabled access The Innovation Park is accessible for disabled visitors. All buildings have ground floor access; the Osborne House and Willmott Dixon Healthcare Campus of the Future also have a lift to the first floor. Planning visits BRE also provides short planning visits for staff should you wish to view the facilities prior to you bringing your students. For further information about this service please contact a member of the Schools Liaison Team. Travel and parking BRE’s Garston site is 20 miles from Central London, four miles north of Watford, and a mile from Garston itself. We are very close to the junction of the M1 and M25 motorways. Mainline train services from London Euston pass through Watford. Travelling by road

From the M1 Leave the M1 at Junction 6 (signposted A405, to St Albans if approaching from London and North Watford if approaching from the north). Follow the tight bend of the slip road round and join the southbound A405 towards North Watford. After half a mile, turn left at the traffic lights into Bucknalls Lane (signposted to BRE). Our entrance is on the left at the end of the lane, after the motorway bridge. From the M25 Leave the M25 at Junction 21A (signposted A405 to St Albans if approaching from the west and Watford / M1 if approaching from the east). Turn onto the A405, following signs to North Watford. After half a mile, continue

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straight on at traffic lights, passing under the M1. After a further half mile, at the next traffic lights, turn left into Bucknalls Lane (signposted to BRE). Our entrance is on the left at the end of the lane, after the motorway bridge. Satellite navigation / online route planner users An error in many mapping databases will give incorrect directions to BRE if you enter our postcode. Instead, enter WD25 9NH and this will bring you within sight of the BRE main entrance. (Please don’t use this code when posting items to us.) Parking BRE has parking for cars, minibuses and coaches. In order to prepare the appropriate parking space/s for you please ensure you notify us in advance of how you intend to travel to BRE. Public transport Travelling by train The nearest mainline station to BRE is Watford Junction, on the London (Euston) to Glasgow line. It is a three mile taxi ride or bus journey (see below) from the station to BRE. Local train services through Garston and Bricket Wood do not provide access to BRE. For details of train times and ticket pricing, call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 Bus services Local service 321 between Watford Junction station and St Albans, and the 724 airport coach service from Heathrow towards Harlow, pass close to BRE (alight at St Michael’s School). A pedestrian underpass connects across to Bucknalls Lane. For further information about public transport services, call the Hertfordshire Intalink Traveline on 0870 608 2 608.

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5. Book a visit Follow these three steps to book your visit: 1. Check availability using the schedule posted on the website

(www.bre.co.uk/education). Bookings will be taken on a first come, first served basis, so please be sure to select a first, second and third choice of dates

2. Bookings will be taken by email (education@bre.co.uk) or phone

(01923 664538 or 664303). Be sure to state the following with your booking request: a) Your name, educational establishment, address, contact number and email; b) Your first, second and third choice of dates; c) Number of pupils and staff attending; d) Year / age group of pupils; e) Subject of study f) Any specific access or disability issues, e.g. if you have anybody in your group in a wheelchair: g) Method of transport to BRE.

3. You will receive written confirmation of your booking and be requested

to send a complete list of the names of those attending at least one week before your visit.

If you have any questions regarding how to book, please do not hesitate to contact us for more information. Cancellation If you need to cancel your visit please contact us as soon as possible so that we may make the date available to other groups.

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6. Further information Educational visit contacts Helen Ball +44 (0)1923 664303 Chloe Halfhide +44 (0)1923 664538 education@bre.co.uk Postal address BRE Bucknalls Lane Garston Watford Hertfordshire WD25 9XX

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Appendix A – Sample Visit Itinerary

9.45am Arrive at BRE Registration

10.00am Welcome to BRE Health and Safety briefing Introduction to Environmental Change and Sustainability

10.30am Tour of Innovation Park (Students will be divided into groups and provided with worksheets)

Refreshments 11.45am Group discussion 12 noon Environmental Change and Sustainability continued 12.15pm Group Activity 12.25pm Conclusion 12.30pm Depart

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Appendix B – Code of Conduct

1. Please ensure you wear your visitors badge in a visible place at all times during your visit to BRE’s Innovation Park.

2. You are reminded that BRE is a working environment, in particular we

ask that you: a. talk quietly whilst visiting the houses b. respect other visitors on the Innovation Park c. respect the property of BRE both outside and inside the

buildings d. do not touch electronic display systems in the houses

3. For your own safety:

a. do not run anywhere on the site b. do not cross any safety barriers or fenced off areas c. do not cross any roads with adult supervision d. follow footpaths e. stay with your BRE Ambassador and at all times

4. In the event of a fire alarm or other emergency, you should go with

your BRE Ambassador to Fire Assembly Point F via the nearest fire exit.

5. Please ensure any rubbish is placed in recycling bins.

6. Toilets are located in the Visitors Centre for your use. We expect them

to be left in the same condition as you found them. (Please note toilets in the houses are not for use).

7. You are advised to wear shoes suitable for walking around houses and

in winter to bring warm clothing as you will be outside for some of the time.

Excellent behaviour is highly appreciated, and will ensure that BRE continues to host schools visits at our Innovation Park.

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Appendix C – Risk Assessment

HelpDate Activity Location Group Reference - Select here ? Review Date16th June 2010 School Visits to Innovation

Park BRE WatfordBRE Group Innovation Park 31st August 2010

Assessed by Signature Lab Manager (if applicable) Signature Approved by line manager Signature

Chloe Halfhide & Helen Ball N/a Tom Davidson

Operation Hazard Who might be harmed? Risk factor List existing controls to reduce risk

Are controls adequate ?

Describe and number the operation(s) or facility being

assessed.

List hazards here List groups of people at risk from the hazards identified

Calculate the Risk Factor List existing controls, or where relevant information

may be found

Enter Y - Yes or N - No

Note 1 Note 2 Note 3 Note 4Arrival on site Road traffic Injury BRE Staff and visitors Low Vehicles will be directed

straight to the visitors car park by Security at the main gate. A site speed limit of 15mph is enforced to slow traffic.Visitors will be met by BRE Ambassadors in the car park and escorted onto the Innovation Park ensuring contact between pedestrians and vehicles is kept to a minimum. Visitors will be accompanied by BRE Ambassadors throughout the visit and instructed to keep to marked footpaths and pedestrian walkways at all times. Visitors attention will be specifically drawn to safety when using the Home Zone and the need to remain vigilant of moving vehicles at all times.

Y

Facility Risk Assessment

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An organised group tour of the Innovation Park and buildings

Slips, trips and falls.Rain may make surfacesslippery.The swale.

BRE Staff and visitors Low Buildings are inspected and maintained to ensure risks are kept to a minimum. Visiting staff are made aware of Health and Safety information, and expected code of conduct for staff and students in the briefing pack which is issued at the time of booking and in advance of the visit. Ambassadors are trained in supervising visitors, particularly young people, throughout the buildings and within the Innovation park and are aware of the Risk Assessment. A maximum adult (BRE Ambassador) to child ratio of 1:12 will be maintained at all times. The same ratio is expected of School / College staff.Movement around the stie and number of visitors within the buildings will be controlled by BRE

Y

by operating a system of progression around the park, where groups visit buildings in a specific order and only enter once the group ahead of them has exited the building. A health and safety briefing is given at the start of each visit drawing visitors attention to procedures in the event of a fire or accident and the need to remain vigilant at all times. Also included is information about how to avoid slips, trips and falls and specifically details about what a Swale is and the need to stay back from the edge and use caution when standing in the vicinity.A full list of names of those attending is sought in advance of the visit and used to generate badges which are issued at the star of the session as a form of registration and

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collected again at the end to esnure everyone has left site.

Prince's Foundationbuilding Site

Moving plant andmachinery.Falling debris. Slips, trips and falls. Falls from height

BRE Staff and visitors Low The area is fenced off to prevent unauthorised access. Access will not be required or granted during the visit. The health and safety briefing delivered at the start of the visit informs visitors that the site is out of bounds and access is prohibited

Y

Fire on the InnovationPark

Burns, Smoke, Panic orinjury from 3rd partyactions

BRE Staff and visitors Low Domestic style smoke detectors are fitted within the houses, but not linked to a central system. Claxons are provided within the buildings to raise the alarm in the event of a fire. During the health and safety briefing delivered at the start of the visit visitors are asked to remain vigilant at all times, to take note of the fire safety signs within each building. BRE Ambassadors who accompany each group will be aware of procedures to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency including use of the 3333 or 01923 664333 numbers. Smoking is not permitted within the buildings to reduce the risk of ignition.

Y

Unfamiliar surroundings and materials.

Injury from equipment, furnishings and/or building structure where visitors are unfamiliar with surroundings

BRE Staff and visitors Low Visitors are briefed on the 'unusual' nature of some products / technologies on display.Visitors remain accompanied by BRE Ambassadors throughout the visit are supervised / informed when approaching or in contact with unusual equipment. Where necessary visitors will be prohibited from touching equipment if it is felt to be unsafe to do so.

Y

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Impact of weather on buildings and surrounding landscape

Flooding may make surfaces slippery. Electrical systems can be compromised.

BRE Staff and Visitors Low A health and safety briefing is given at the start of each visit drawing visitors attention to good practice in terms of entering the buildings, movement around the site and actions that need to be taken in the event of an emergency. This includes information on how to avoid slips, trips and falls, particularly when the ground is wet and some surfaces may become slippery. If surfaces/parts of the site become too hazardous to use they will be closed off and access denied.

Y

Quantity of visitors in thebuildings/on the site

Over crowding within the buildings which compromises safe evacuation

BRE Staff and visitors Low Groups for tourpursposes will be limitedin size according to theadult:pupil ratios of 1:12.A maximum of 39 visitorswill be accommodated atany one time within thebuilding as a whole. Thisinformation isdisseminated to visitorsin advance of the visit.

Y

Fire within the Visitors Centre

Burns, Smoke, Panic or injury from 3rd party actions

BRE Staff and visitors Low The building infrastructure has been subjected to checks in accordance with the IEE 17th edition. All fire detection, emergency lights and alarm main panel systems are checked by the facilities group. Portable fire fighting equipment is maintained by a 3rd party who test/inspect to BE EN 1869 and BS ISO 14520-1. BRE Ambassadors who accompany each group will be aware of procedures to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency including use of the 3333 or 01923 664333 numbers. The building contains very little in the way of domestic furnishings and all office style furnishings are in accordance with current flamability requirements. Smoking is not permitted within the buildings to reduce the

Y

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Preparation of refreshments

Electrocution Cuts from kitchen equipmentBurns

BRE Staff Low Equipment within the Visitors Centre has been PAT tested to demonstrate electrical safety.Common sense and good practice will be used in the preparation of refreshments to reduce the likliehood of accidents occuring. Preparation activities will take place withinthe Visitors Centre on the provided work surface adjacent to the sink. This will ensure a strong, durable surface is used and a sink is nearby for the treatment of any cuts or burns.

Y