Green Register host seminar on energy efficiency in historic buildings

Green Register host seminar on energy efficiency in historic buildings

Sustainable building pioneers The Green Register will run a new half-day seminar in London on 27 June 2014 entitled ‘Achieving energy efficiency and preserving historic buildings - surely too good to be true?’

Renowned architect Joseph Little of Dublin's Building Life Consultancy has been invited to share insights into the findings of a Dublin City Council commission which resulted in Built to Last, a “ground-breaking book” on how to make pre-1945 Dublin dwellings energy efficient while preserving their heritage value.

"It is not too strong a statement to say that the future resilience of our society will be based upon high levels of both energy efficiency and community resilience.”

“Interestingly certain aspects of community resilience depend on local heritage being preserved, and being able to recognise the places we live in after we have finished insulating them – ie that the dwelling or district still feels like home," commented Joseph Little.

"Built To Last is a body of work that explores the ill-defined place between preserving everything and insulating everything."

Fifteen case study houses were studied in detail and energy efficient retrofits proposed or assessed. The houses range from 1750 to 1942, from 45 to 1,000 square metres and from Georgian red bricks to inter-war cavity wall and mass concrete housing.

The seminar will address questions such as: What impact can micro-climate have on energy efficiency? How and why should a rendered solid wall be treated differently to a brick-faced solid wall? What’s the impact of replacing a suspended timber floor with insulated concrete? How do default U-values differ from actual U-values measured and why might that be important?

The seminar, which runs from 10:00 to 13:30, will include the case studies presented in detail, an analysis of the effects of internal and external wall insulation and simulation of moisture movement and condensation risk.

"The Green Register is delighted that such an eminent and knowledgeable speaker as Joseph Little will be sharing his ground breaking research with our delegates on this course." said director of The Green Register, Lucy Pedler.

Places cost £59 for Green Register members, £85 for non-members. A special 3 for 2 offer is open to all. Visit www.greenregister.org.uk for more information and online booking.

Last modified on Tuesday, 05 August 2014 14:56