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BRE has unveiled plans to undertake a pilot project to measure the real-world health and well-being of building occupants by creating the Healthy Research Building – the UK’s first operational workplace research environment.

The project will see BRE refurbish one of its existing office buildings at its head office in Watford and create a fully operational office that will enable occupants to be monitored whilst they go about their day-to-day work. The aim of the project is to enable BRE to research the impact of indoor environments on human health and well-being whilst generating evidence-based information that can be used in practical ways to create healthier indoor spaces.

It follows the announcement that the International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) and BRE are pursuing alignments between the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL) and BREEAM that will make it easier for projects pursuing both standards.

The building, currently home to 60 members of staff, will be reconfigured into BRE’s Healthy Research Building and will form part of the company’s Innovation Park. The refurbishment will pursue BREEAM and WELL certifications and once work has been completed staff will be allowed to freely use the office whilst being monitored using advanced sensor technology and remote monitoring. Data relating to the health and well-being of the staff will then be analysed by BRE with the view of providing the industry with a greater understanding of how different products, materials and internal configurations affect occupants.

“It has been claimed that we spend over 90% of our time indoors and in an office environment, 90% of the cost is the people inside,” commented Martin Townsend, Director of Sustainability at BRE Global. “It is therefore vital that we better understand the effects that indoor environments are having on their occupants. By refurbishing one of our offices to achieve BREEAM and the WELL Building Standard and integrating state- of-the-art monitoring technology we will be creating the UK’s first living laboratory.”

In addition to creating the Healthy Research Building, BRE are calling upon the industry to help participate in the project through the undertaking of specific product testing to ascertain the impacts on occupant health and well-being.

“The health and well-being agenda is such an important part of our sustainable built environment and something that needs to be industry inclusive,” continued Martin. “As such, we don’t just want to research our own staff to drive this agenda, we want to work with the industry to create an inclusive agenda on research. To ensure we actively undertake the research that the industry needs we’re calling on the industry to work with us on an industry supported health and well-being research programme.”

The announcement comes at a time when the industry is increasingly looking at the importance of occupant well-being and the realisation that there is a huge gap in understanding how the built environment impacts biological sustainability as opposed to just environmental. The alignment between BREEAM and WELL will now provide a more cohesive approach to delivering projects that place sustainability and occupant health and well-being at the top of the agenda, and the Healthy Research Building will ensure that real-world data can be ascertained to help make informed decisions.

For more information on BREEAM visit: www.breeam.com and on WELL visit: www.wellcertified.com

Fibre cement Cedral Click has helped a self builder in Northamptonshire achieve an architectural fusion between their property’s impressive angular design and the neighbouring Grade II listed church spire.

The facade’s ability to visually reduce the impact of the building on the landscape is based around a symbiotic relationship with the slate grey Cedral Click and honey coloured stone, which work together to make the most of sunlight, shadow and sightlines in this beautiful Conservation Area of Broughton, Northamptonshire.

This juxtaposition of facade materials was accentuated by the architects following through the angular roof design within the facade. The effect is to further reduce the building’s dominance, whichever elevation it is viewed from, creating a structure that appears less imposing, yet retains a geometry that works with the church spire in the background.

Aside from Cedral Click’s visual possibilities, the flush-fitting boards give a sense of elegance and weightlessness, avoiding the issue on some buildings where a solid facade over dominates the overall design.

Cedral Click, with its lightweight yet strong properties, enabled the designers to create a structure with complex, engaging forms, yet one that still appears deceptively at home in this Conservation Area.

The 300m², three bedroom home was the inspiration of the Manning family and Market Harborough-based Leaf Architecture. Mr Manning said: “The support from Marley Eternit has been phenomenal, our sales contact took the time to meet us and discuss exactly what it was that we wanted. We couldn’t fault their customer service and Cedral Click has far exceeded our expectations and created a striking feature.”

Cedral Click is the UK’s first and only fibre cement tongue and groove cladding system where the planks fit together flush and is offered in a range of seven colours.

With the visual appeal of natural timber and the durability of a fibre cement product, Cedral Click has good resistance to fire (A2-s1,d0 to EN13501-1). Being made from fibre cement means that it won’t warp or shrink over time like timber. The installers used a concealed fixing system to enhance the sheer, smooth facade.

Cedral Click achieves an A+ rating in the BRE (Building Research Establishment) Green Guide to Specification based on generic rating: Cedral Click – autoclaved fibre cement (calcium silicate) cladding – (Element Ref: 806220701, 806220675, 806220676).

Marley Eternit also offers Cedral Lap weatherboard, a more traditional, clapper-board aesthetic where the planks overlap. Both Cedral Click and Cedral Lap are made from fibre cement, which ensures low maintenance and a life expectancy of 50 years.

For further information on Cedral just ask ME at www.cedral.co.uk or call ME on 01283 722588. You can also follow ME on Twitter @MarleyEternit. If it matters to you it matters to us, that’s why with ME it’s all about you.