A leading architect is calling developers of office buildings to ignore all the hype and start taking a more practical approach to cutting the carbon footprint in 2008.
Stephen McGhee, who is a partner in the Scottish architectural Practice Lawrence McPherson Associates, claims that too much emphasis is being placed on headline grabbing wind turbines and trendy green products and not enough on simple energy saving measures.
He said: "Much political spin and public interest has been levelled at green issues for a while now but most promote token green gestures but miss the big issue.
"The construction industry has been tackling green issues for many years but it too has been caught up in advertising spin from manufacturers keen to promote green technologies and the green nature of their products.
"Again a lot of this is misleading as although a product may be appear to be environmentally green and energy efficient in its operation, the embodied energy required to manufacture these products, including the raw materials, the transportation to its final site and the energy required to dispose of the product at the end of its life span must also be considered."
According to Stephen, who has more than 20 years experience in architecture, the simplest solutions are the most effective when it comes to making buildings more energy efficient.
Lawrence McPherson Associates have been thermally modelling buildings for many years and the Practice has fully integrated energy efficiency into the design process. Consideration is given to the buildings thermal envelope, proposed heating system and future energy use.
Stephen added: "We have found over the years that simple additions can make the biggest impact. As a Practice we currently fit spray taps to all sinks and wash hand basins that reduce the water consumption by 50% each time a tap is turned on.
"Also we have installed PIR detectors that track pedestrian movement within our buildings that turn the lights on when required and off when no one is within the rooms - this is very important in public buildings like libraries where some parts of the building are rarely used at all.
"Again these small measures reduce the energy consumption without any noticeable impact on the building's use. We have also increased the thickness of insulation used in our buildings beyond what is required within the building regulations. Less heat being allowed to escape from a building means that less energy is required to keep the buildings at the required temperature. The costs of these additions are much more palatable to our clients."
He points out that studies have shown that a building's occupants are a huge variable in energy consumption. Having heating systems set too high or left on when not required, obviously wastes energy. Bad ventilation within buildings also adds to this wastage as occupants naturally open windows for cooling ventilation when the heating is on leading to heat loss. The correct ventilation design is also important.
Air conditioning remains a big issue in commercial buildings and Stephen advocates an increased use of passive ventilation systems that work using air pressures rather than mechanical cooling. He said: "Air conditioning systems require considerable energy to function. Whilst there is a requirement in some buildings for air cooling, the majority of installations could be successfully managed by a passive ventilation system. Passive ventilation systems provide ventilation without the requirement of energy input. "
Stephen believes that architects should be focusing their attention on heating systems from renewable sources. He said: "There are many products on the market that allow us to produce heat from renewable sources, whether these be from the ground (geothermal) or from the air (air source). These solutions work with a heat pump which works on the principle of a fridge in reverse, creating heat from cold as opposed to cold from heat."
Photovoltic (PV) solar panels are another area where Stephen believes renewables can be introduced into commercial developments. Electrical energy consumption of modern buildings is considerable due to the number of computers and electronic equipment in use. PV solar panels generate electricity from the sun which can be directly re-used within a building. These panels reduce the energy consumption from the grid and in recent studies have shown that they are more efficient in producing electricity than wind turbines.
However he fears that the cost of introducing these is prohibitive for many developers. "We need more grant aid for developers of commercial buildings because at the end of the day it all comes down to pounds, shilling and pence for developers, particularly in the current market when returns are falling while cost of land is rising.
"Although there are grants available for the installation of these systems in private houses, there is very little currently available for commercial developments, meaning that a move to renewable energy is not financially attractive.
"My wish for 2008 is for the government to look at the grant system and cover the additional costs for the implementation of these systems. Making the costs of these comparable with a gas system would see an immediate shift to renewable heating systems.
"An immediate shift would see market forces take hold and more manufacturers would produce these products, increase sales and competition would bring the costs down in the long term thus reducing the amount of government subsidies required. Many examples of good grant systems exist throughout Europe and these should be adopted here. In Germany and Sweden the uptake of renewable heating systems is more than double that in the UK due mainly to their innovative grant systems.
"There is a will out there to make a change but efforts must be channelled in the right direction."
Founded in 1994, Lawrence McPherson Associates has offices in Ayr and Musselburgh, Scotland. The Practice is the biggest architectural and town planning Practice in Ayrshire.
Current projects for the Practice include numerous hotel and restaurant developments throughout Scotland, several large housing developments throughout Central Scotland for both national housebuilding companies and Housing Associations, together with several important healthcare projects including the masterplan for the new Irvine Community Hospital. The Practice also provides planning advice on a wide range of development issues across Scotland.
Projects and further information can be viewed on the Practice's new web site at www.lawrencemcphersonarchitects.co.uk.
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On behalf of ARCHITECTS, Lawrence McPherson Associates
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