Scott, J R; Edge, M; Laing, R and Martin, P (2004) Optimising the relationship between passive solar design of new housing and the economics of construction and land value. In: Khosrowshahi, F (ed.) Proceedings of 20th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2004, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
In recent years the focus of mass housing developments built by speculative developers in the UK has broadly been on maximising density whilst retaining a predominantly detached housing form. This economically led strategy, aimed at maximising sale values, can conflict with the aim of radically reducing environmental impacts. That is, deep, closely spaced detached houses with narrow frontages are difficult to reconcile with the principles of good passive solar design. Whilst a variety of products have been developed to enable design professionals to model and assess the environmental performance (especially in energy use terms) of individual buildings, there are currently no tools for modelling the performance of whole developments, based on variables such as site layout, density, orientation and topography. Using passive solar design as an exemplar for sustainable development offers the opportunity to improve the environmental, spatial and aesthetic performance of speculative developments. This paper describes the development of a tool for planners and developers to optimise the passive solar characteristics of housing developments through an environmental site assessment, encouraging the use of basic environmental design techniques early in the design process.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | housing; land value; passive solar design; sustainability; life cycle |
| Index terms: | topography, environmental impact, aesthetic, environmental performance, sustainable development, density, strategy, environmental design, planner, modelling, life cycle, land, site layout, housing, design process, housing development, passive solar design, energy use |
| Subjects: | energy systems, physical geography and landforms, environmental impact, real estate economics, factor and component analysis, analytical methods, management, health safety and environment, site logistics, profession, sustainability assessment, construction type, sustainability and energy, design methods, value management |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Urban Studies, Site Management, Business Strategy, Health and Safety, Construction Technology, Project Management, Sustainability, Engineering Principles, Roles and Professions, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
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