BICHARDHAWKES
lf greenwash is a fad dret,
let'shcpefor a healthrereode
To lose weight one must eat less and
exercisemore lt's the same with
becoming more sustainable we must
use less and recyclemore. So we have
to wean ourselveson to a healthier dret,
maybe switching from chocolatebars to
digestivebiscuits on the way to a seasonalfruit salad
BLr wner we rry o d-Lv-r .nuronmenlallyl^eJr'v
projects what worries me is the spin, greenwashand fad
diets at every corner There'sa classicexample of
greenwash on every garage forccourt: petrol pumps stancl
p l o u d lyin ne' r g Fcnlre vsal|n o en^r gN ds s oc iat
"s ' l
rng the colouJand the word is a step in the right direction.
llavlng lecen v 1 oved rrro oJr naw'passive"ouse
(seeCM March, page 29) I attendedtlns year's Ecobuild
event with a heightened awareness of the need for healthy
.a ing Waldmg ound n se. . h ofheal h/ ingt^dierts,it
was great to see the advancementin altemative buldrng
methods:there were timberiamed houses,renewable
technologiesand energy saving procluctsgalore.
But I was st l aiarmed at the nunlcer of exhibrtors that
had shpped through the eco fiiter. One thing that makes me
'dugn .c \,\nFn ou 'ldve con pdixes _vppsof
\ "plli o n.w
concrete shuttedng. Yes,it s no doubt innovative and
quicker but what is it doing at Ecobuild? You're still using
concrete, when most buildings aren't designed to justtfy its
embodied energy. Then there's the 'sustarnable technolc
gies' that are sold citmg unealstic performancedata
grouno soulce heot prJTrpsdje a parricua|ulptrl
Somehow I got the feelng that many
compa es were simply supplying chocolate
uaIs m green orgalllc wrappers.
Taking a break, and quretly eating an apple
(and a chocolatebiscrlit, I must conJess)I
hstenedto Paul King chief executiveof the
UK GreenBuilding Council,as he
presentedhis organrsatlon'sproposalfor
a Code for Sustarnable Burldrngs. This
new loose'fitframework would
acconimodateexsting
methods of measui
10 comment
tials, such as BRXEAM, and wauld cover all nondomestic
THE buildings. It would require allbuildings, new and old, to
PNAPASED undergo a regrlar health check, with public drsclosue of
CODEIS caloie intake. Naming and shaming that sounds good.
The proposal undoubtedly leads us in the dght
MORE direction,but I cant help but thinh it's more drgestrve
DIGESTIVE biscuit than frut saladinto itsdigest. conuction. The balanced
diet seems too drfficult As I see il, any sustain
BISCUITTHANdblc b.Lldmg. .ode n.cds ro focus o_ chdnoincr'hF
FBUITSALAD h a b . r s o f l n e u s e rd 'l d h e e s d d d n g - L i a a l o p do h m
/iV/IS code wrll only addressproperty and design professionals
without engaging the occupiers.If we don't look at
CONVICTIONunsustainable hrunan beha!'1our,we wili do little to
improve overall sustarnabiLity no matter how restrictive
If we are to have a new Code for SustamableBu dmgs,
I hope that it will iron out some of the bizarreinequalities
we faced in assessingoui ecchouse agarnstthe Code for
S isldinan," Homes RFcFlvingro c edr b usu q snall
local craJtsand materials due to lack of ISO or FSCaccredr-
'olron\,\as oal . Lika,visethetewas ro te' ogn tor lor
DIET PLAN::) .. :.., treating all our waste water on site, and the fact that we
got no credit for a vegetablegarden and compost system
.].]..1 i .|.'...:..i
, : :',. .:: I: unless I formed a nice flat path to from the back door lor
i:r :.:,ir r,i i r' :i ,r'', I edsywl-..l.har a..oss rourof col c ere.oerl'"psl) Ls
.::r.rr..r
i::rrr, i- about topped it off. If supporting sustainableproduce isnt
encouragedby the code,what on Earth, or beyond,is?
Codesshould act as gLridesto elicit change This is
wnd- rhe Bu d rg Fec|Lldrons do lalb.:l bv ladu, Ing the
fat content of a Mars bar rather than promoting apples).
But the astoundingly complex measurements ar1dcalcula-
tions required by the Code for SustainableHomes leaves
me ttrnking something has got lost in translation.Recent
changes now mean that a house with a swinlming pool
.dl 1 Sl .l 06 aSS6SSed ds ^O O e 4 Ot 5. N O' Vety gto.n. y ' o J ra
thinking? That ll be the cf odne
The problem with the Code for SustainableHomes is
that its hjgNy prescriptive.We need a code that's more
like the Building Regrulations- as long as you design in the
there s room to skin the cat in
spirit of the regrulations,
more than one way.
So I hope that a Code for Sustarnable Bulldrngs will be
bod m s."dors"!par-o ,lns. rn rs ludg.mFnl -t -'rus
'F :^ rc- rp r ^r 6- :.r ^l - F - oes m dl l dnd
'r \'al \
beautiful. We all know that fresh and
local is not so much a fringe
activity, but an essential
ingredient in cooking a
healthy meal
Bichard Hawkes runs
Hawkes Architecture
:,',ir r: construction-manager,co.uk