Building for a Changing Climate — Peter F. Smith 246X189mm + 3mm (bleed) + 3mm (board allowance) + 15mm (to go under the endpapers) on each outside edge – Spine - 14mm ISBN 978-1-84407-735-9 BUILDING FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE CHANGING A FOR BUILDING ‘What amounts to a revolution in building design and construction is needed to adapt to higher temperatures and climate extremes; also to ensure much higher energy efficiency. Peter Smith not only urges the need for change but, from his wide knowledge and experience, tells us how to change. Anyone connected with buildings will find this book an invaluable mine of information.’ Sir John Houghton FRS, former co-chair, IPCC Working Group 1 and former head of the Meteorological Office There is now a practically universal consensus the widely feared graver risks not addressed that our climate is changing rapidly, and as by the politically driven IPCC reports, he a direct result of human activities. While moves on to examine the challenges we will there is extensive debate about what we can face and to propose practical responses do to mitigate the damage we are causing, based on real-world experiences and case it is becoming increasingly clear that a studies taking in flood and severe weather large part of our resources will have to be protection, energy-efficient retrofitting, directed towards adapting to new climatic distributed power generation and the conditions, with talk of survivability replacing potential for affordable zero carbon homes. sustainability as the new and most pressing He ends with a wider discussion of options for priority. Nowhere is this more evident than in future energy provision. This is a provocative, the built environment – the stage on which persuasive and – crucially – practical read our most important interactions with climatic for anyone concerned with the measures we conditions are played out. must take now to ensure a climate-proofed future for humanity. In this frank yet pervasively positive book, sustainable architecture guru Peter Smith Peter F. Smith is Special Professor in Sustainable lays out his vision of how things are likely Energy, University of Nottingham, and former to change, and what those concerned with Vice President of the RIBA for Sustainable the planning, design and construction of the Development. He is the author of many books places we live and work can and must do to on architecture and the environment, including Peter F. Smith F. Peter avert the worst impacts. Beginning with the Sustainability at the Cutting Edge (Architectural background to the science and discussion of Press/Elsevier, 2007). BUILDING FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE Cover credits: The Challenge For Construction, ‘Lightning Strikes Home’ © Jeff Chevrier/istockphoto.com Planning And Energy www.earthscan.co.uk Architecture and Construction/Climate Change/Energy Peter F. Smith Earthscan strives to minimize its impact on the environment Prelims.qxd 11/5/2009 6:04 PM Page i BUILDING FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE Prelims.qxd 11/5/2009 6:04 PM Page ii Prelims.qxd 11/5/2009 6:04 PM Page iii BUILDING FOR A CHANGING CLIMATE THE CHALLENGE FOR CONSTRUCTION, PLANNING AND ENERGY Peter F. Smith publishing for a sustainable future London • Sterling, VA Prelims.qxd 11/5/2009 6:04 PM Page iv First published by Earthscan in the UK and USA in 2010 Copyright © Professor Peter F. Smith 2010 All rights reserved ISBN: 978-1-84407-735-9 Typeset by Domex e-Data Pvt. Ltd. Cover design by Rob Watts For a full list of publications please contact: Earthscan Dunstan House 14a St Cross St London, EC1N 8XA, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7841 1930 Fax: +44 (0)20 7242 1474 Email: [email protected] Web: www.earthscan.co.uk 22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012, USA Earthscan publishes in association with the International Institute for Environment and Development A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smith, Peter F. (Peter Frederick), 1930- Building for a changing climate: the challenge for construction, planning and energy / Peter F. Smith. – 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-84407-735-9 (hardback) 1. City planning–Environmental aspects. 2. Housing–Environmental aspects. 3. Climatic changes. 4. Sustainable urban development. I. Title. HT166.S588 2009 720'.47–dc22 2009021376 At Earthscan we strive to minimize our environmental impacts and carbon footprint through reducing waste, recycling and offsetting our CO2 emissions, including those created through publication of this book. For more details of our environmental policy, see www.earthscan.co.uk. This book was printed in the UK by TJ International, an ISO 14001 accredited company. The paper used is FSC certified and the inks are vegetable based. Prelims.qxd 11/5/2009 6:04 PM Page v Contents List of Figures and Tables vi Introduction xi Acknowledgements xiii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations xiv 1 Prepare for Four Degrees 1 2 Probable Future Impacts of Climate Change 10 3 The UN Carbon Trading Mechanism 22 4 Setting the Pace Towards Climate-proof Housing 27 5 Future-proof Housing 41 6 Building-integrated Solar Electricity 53 7 Sun, Earth,Wind and Water 60 8 Eco-towns: Opportunity or Oxymoron? 71 9 The Housing Inheritance 83 10 Non-domestic Buildings 93 11 Community Buildings 109 12 Conventional Energy 118 13 Coal: Black Gold or Black Hole? 132 14 Filling the Gap: Utility-scale Renewables 137 15 The Age Beyond Oil 154 16 The Thread of Hope 166 References 171 Index 175 Prelims.qxd 11/5/2009 6:04 PM Page vi List of Figures and Tables Figures 1.1 Extent of Arctic sea ice on 26 August 2008 compared with the average extent 1979–2000 2 1.2 Wilkins ice shelf undergoing calving 3 1.3 Potential for abrupt changes compared with linear IPCC forecast 3 1.4 Tyndall tipping points 4 1.5 Encroaching desert near Dunhuang, Southern China 8 2.1 Future storm activity in Europe if CO2 emissions rise unabated 12 2.2 Areas of Norfolk showing the percentage of land at risk of becoming unavailable for agriculture by 2050 16 2.3 Risk from storm surges in northwest Europe to 2080 17 2.4 River Thames basin: the area below the 5m contour is subject to storm surge risk, making a compelling case for estuary barrages 18 2.5 Area of land and size of population under threat from a 1m sea level rise 18 2.6 Hours when heat related discomfort temperature is exceeded in homes and offices 19 4.1 PassivHaus, Darmstadt, Germany 1990 28 4.2 PassivHaus characteristics 28 4.3 The ‘Autonomous House’ Southwell, rear view with 2.2kW photovoltaic cell array 29 4.4 Roof, wall and floor section of the Autonomous House 29 4.5 Passive solar houses 1998, Hockerton Self-Sufficient Housing Project south elevation and conservatories, exterior 30 4.6 Passive solar houses 1998, Hockerton Self-Sufficient Housing Project conservatories, interior 31 4.7 Solar House, Freiburg, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Research 31 4.8 Sonnerschiff Energy Plus development 32 4.9 Solar Village (Solarsiedlung), Freiburg 32 4.10 Eco-homes in Upton, Northampton, UK 33 4.11 RuralZed homes in Upton, Northampton, UK 34 4.12 Osborne House at BRE with lightweight construction and low thermal mass 36 4.13 Wall sections, Osborne House 36 4.14 Hanson 2,Architects T P Bennett 37 4.15 Hanson 2, first floor living room 37 4.16 Zero Carbon house by Barratt Homes and Architects Gaunt Francis 37 4.17 DCLG Case Study 4 Mid-Street, South Nutfield, Surrey, UK 38 4.18 BASF PassivHaus, Nottingham University 39 4.19 Stoneguard House, Nottingham University 40 4.20 Concrete filled insulated formwork to the ground floor 40 4.21 Steel frame, Stoneguard house 40 5.1 Folding sliding shutters 44 Prelims.qxd 11/5/2009 6:04 PM Page vii List of Figures and Tables vii 5.2 Passive solar house for Dr and Mrs Alan Wood, Sheffield, UK 46 5.3 Storm ditch between rows of houses, Upton, Northampton, UK 47 5.4 Steel frame construction with open ground floor 48 5.5 Suggested construction details of near-climate-proof houses including alternative solid wall construction à la Continental practice 49 5.6 Desiccant wheel and thermal wheel dehumidification and cooling 51 6.1 European solar radiation map in GJ/m2/year 54 6.2 City comparisons of solar radiation (kWh/m2/year); 30–36° south-tilted roofs, flat roofs, and 30° tilted roofs east or west on south-facing facades 55 6.3 PV efficiency according to angle and orientation 56 6.4 ‘Popcorn-ball’ clusters comprising grains 15 nanometres across 57 6.5 SUNRGI XCPV system of concentrated solar cells with proprietary method of cooling the cells 57 6.6 CIS Tower, Manchester, with retrofitted PVs 59 7.1 Solar power outputs from 3m2 solar thermal panels 61 7.2 Diagram of the CSHPSS system, Friedrichshafen, Germany 62 7.3 Friedrichshafen delivered energy in MWh per year 63 7.4 PV/thermal hybrid panels 63 7.5 Average summer and winter wind speeds in the UK over the period 1971–2000 at a height of 10m 65 7.6 Triple helix wind generator by quietrevolution (qr5) 65 7.7 Quietrevolution helical turbines, Fairview Homes, London Road, Croydon 66 7.8 Roof ridge accommodating cross-flow or axial turbines 66 7.9 Aeolian system for terrace housing 67 7.10 The Aeolian Tower 67 7.11 Archimedes Screw in the River Goyt at New Mills, Derbyshire 70 8.1 Thames Gateway main housing projects 75 8.2 The average individual’s contribution to annual CO2 emissions 76 8.3 Six degree heat island effect in London 78 8.4 Inversion producing a pollution dome 79 8.5 Extreme heat island effect, Chester, UK 79 8.6 Managing high temperatures