Main Stage Speakers

 

Dr. Joe Jack Williams - Partner - Fielden Clegg Bradley Studios

Making early decisions count, understanding embodied carbon from the outset

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With the current climate crisis, every effort needs to be taken to reduce the impact of our built environment while responding to the needs of our society. Too often sustainability is responsive, taking a developed design and trying to reduce the impact of the building, led by complex building modelling and building rating systems. However, thinking about the environmental impacts of a project from the very outset can generate far larger reductions in carbon emissions, often with little or no additional cost. Using embodied carbon as an example, Joe will talk through some of the big design decisions that are often made, how they  impact embodied carbon, and how they can be unpicked to enable the low carbon buildings we all need.

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Dr. Laura Mansel-Thomas - Senior Partner - Ingleton Wood

Historic Estates - retrofitting to protect our history and preserve our future

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An over simplistic net zero strategy, following a fabric first energy hierarchy, can lead to an idealistic view which does not respond adequately to the needs of an existing estate or the requirements of a listed building. Such a strategy often leads to feasibility reports which, while certainly presenting a route to net zero, assume availability of large investment capital and high levels of costly intervention. We propose that a better approach is to create a strategic 10 year plan which is tied in closely with maintenance strategies, refurbishment plans and development aspirations, as well as truly reflecting improvements in technology and decarbonisation of the grid over time.

 

An understanding of PPM is vital, with economic lifespans of building components built into the strategy and plant upgrades coming towards end of life, with replacement programmes becoming opportunities for upgrades to lower Carbon heat sources, improvement of controls and zoning and the introduction of LZC technologies.

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Thirty-two years as an engineer and 28 years in construction, Laura has been working as an engineer since 1992 and a Building Services Engineer since 1996. Three years at Max Fordham’s gave Laura a chance not only to develop her engineering skills but also to find a love of architecture and buildings that continued throughout her career. In 1999 Laura moved to Atelier Ten as a Senior Mechanical Engineer, where she stayed until 2010. She spent many years as a project engineer for the low-energy Sloane Robinson Building at Keble College and the refurbishment of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and became an Associate Director in 2007.

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Crawford Wright - Head of Architecture & Design - Department for Education

Developing a climate resilient school estate.

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With 22,000 school sites in England and the widest possible variation of building types, age, condition and size how is it possible to develop approaches that mitigate and adapt to climate change whilst maintaining a suitable environment for great teaching? Crawford will discuss the Resilient Schools Project which pilots a new approach on four schools in Bradford – creating high impact,  low cost retrofit solutions.  Putting the user at the heart of proposals, emphasising the role of green infrastructure and the role of technology we aim to create healthy and productive schools which are safe secure and sustainable.

 

Crawford is Head of Architecture and Design at the Department for Education where he leads a multi-disciplinary team responsible for the design and construction standards for all state schools in England. Crawford has been leading school construction programmes including Academies, UTCs, Studio Schools and Free schools for over 15 years. Previous to this he worked in local authority capital programmes including museums, concert halls and libraries. Crawford is a chartered architect and has a background in social housing design and management. Currently he leads on developing zero carbon new school buildings and developing strategies for retrofitting the school estate.

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Marc Routledge - Technical Services Manager - Government Property Agency

Marc’s presentation will focus on the Whitehall district heating system that provides the heating network to Government buildings on the Whitehall estate. Marc is currently working in collaboration with other Government bodies providing instrumental advice on Net-Zero policy and how this can be applied to the decarbonization of this large heating network.

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Marc is responsible for ensuring that the GPAs hard FM assets are maintained and operated in a safe and efficient manner across the GPAs estate.

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From a wider GPA perspective, he coordinates MEP hard services strategies with project design leads and Net-zero teams, advising them on energy efficiency performance and criteria of engineering systems. This helps ensure projects achieve the GPAs commitment in delivering BREEAM Excellent and NABERS accredited buildings. From a broader sustainability and Net-zero perspective he is an active contributor to policy and strategies ensuring alignment to the Government’s ambitions on delivering a Net-Zero carbon building estate.

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Breakout Session Speakers

 

Ying Man - Associate Director Sustainability & Nigel Lloyd - Chair of Acocks Greener CIC - Acivico Group

Neighbourhood-led retrofit. Lessons learnt from retrofitting at scale in Birmingham - delivering more than just decarbonisation.

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Neighbourhood-led retrofit schemes such as Acivico Group's LAD3 project in inner-city Birmingham, are about more than just improving energy performance and lowering carbon emissions. We discuss the benefits of building community capacity to lead sustainable development, to turbocharge the fight against climate change and leave a positive legacy for future generations. 
 

Ying has previously worked on a plethora of housing grant schemes and was involved in the first scheme for retrofit works under the London Mayor's Warmer Homes scheme; a £4m project retrofitting properties for residents on benefits. He has also worked alongside energy suppliers to deliver a number of ECO projects on schemes up to £20m.  Most recently he has led Acivico's multi-award winning Local Authority Delivery Phase 3 (LAD3) project in Balsall Heath Birmingham, where he has been at the forefront of empowering the local community to take a neighbourhood approach to retrofitting at pace and scale.

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Nigel is originally a civil engineer (FICE), with experience working on 3rd world development. In 1994 he set up international consultancy Cambridge Professional Development which advises on learning from experience and improving the performance of professionals in all sectors at every level. Since 2012 he has been a Director of MOZES (Meadows Ozone Energy Services Company) in Nottingham. After moving to Birmingham he helped set up Acocks Greener in 2020, inspired by MOZES. As part of the Green Homes Grants project (LAD3), Acocks Greener helped to generate 451 applications for retrofit grants in 6 weeks, of which 230 were successfully retrofitted with grants averaging £10,000. As well as retrofitting his homes in Nottingham and Acocks Green, he is an energy adviser with BrumEnergy project www.brumenergy.info and currently training to become a Domestic EPC Assessor and a Retrofit Assessor. 

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Nick Hopper - Technical Director - Monodraught

Venturing Forward: Innovations in Ventilation Design for Enhanced Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency

 

This presentation explores cutting-edge advancements in ventilation design aimed at maximising both thermal comfort and energy efficiency in buildings. By delving into emerging technologies, holistic design approaches, and sustainable strategies, it offers insights into how future ventilation systems can seamlessly integrate with architectural concepts while significantly reducing energy consumption and enhancing occupant comfort.

 

Nick manages an entrepreneurial R&D department and named as inventor on many award-winning innovations.

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Shane Cryer - Concept Developer - Education - Saint Gobain

Simple solutions for poor acoustics

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Many new and existing schools have been commissioned or refurbished with critical acoustic elements value engineered out, especially for SEN students. Inspired aesthetics are often let down by noisy environments. How do you eliminate unwanted noise, even retrospectively, and improve the user experience. In this presentation Shane Cryer, along with Saint-Gobain Interiors, explores simple and

sustainable solutions, including off-site modular volumetric, to create a learning space which meets the BB93 standard for all students and looks at the Equalities Act.

 

Shane Cryer manages the education sector in the UK and Ireland for Swedish acoustic experts, Ecophon, part of the Saint-Gobain group of companies. After a career in the construction industry, having studied building and property surveying, he now concentrates on building acoustics. Working closely with organisations such as The Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and RIBA, Shane assists designers to meet BB93: Acoustic Design of Schools standard via acoustic design calculations, on-site testing, RIBA CPD seminars, conferences and has written several articles on SEN acoustic design in the trade press. Shane also manages several acoustic research projects around the UK.

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Mark Postill - Director- AtkinsRealis

Portfolio Net Zero - Beyond the Quick Wins

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One third of the way through the ‘Decade of Climate Action’ Local Authorities are now well versed in delivering the Quick Wins of ‘No regret’ solutions or those deliverable through central government grant funding.  But with the cost for standalone Net Zero interventions often proving unpalatable or uneconomic, the toughest challenges still lie ahead.   

 

Mark Postill, Decarbonomics Delivery Lead at AtkinsRéalis will provide options to navigate the multi-faceted and complex decisions to come.  This will cover portfolio screening, carbon triage, roadmap-layering, funding, interventions and delivery.

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David Papworth - General Manager - Junckers Ltd

The importance of low embodied carbon materials post completion

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As more and more buildings are designed for ultra-low energy consumption, selecting materials with low embodied carbon becomes increasingly important. Ensuring a building’s long-term carbon emissions remain low also becomes more dependent on the durability, longevity, recyclability, and effective maintenance regime of materials used within a building. The presentation will demonstrate how as an all-natural material, a solid hardwood floor from Junckers scores very highly on sustainable criteria and can make a marked difference to the long-term environmental performance of a building.

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Jonathon Hunter Hill - Sector Manager - Education - SAV Systems

How Passivhaus and heat network design principles can be employed in schools to achieve 65 kWh/m2/year.

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Understand the roadmap towards heat network readiness and 60/30 ΔT compatibility, with a focus on targets for public building connection by 2050. Understand the rationale behind using 60/30 ΔT in heat pump plant rooms. Delve into strategies for optimising thermal storage, mitigating risks through legionnaires prevention, and achieving cost savings through mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR). Learn about the significance of monitoring for data collection and the benefits of holistic design in energy centres and ventilation, including financial implications and real-world examples.

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Jonathon has worked at SAV Systems for his entire career, having studied Mechanical Engineer at The University of Leeds. Since 2013, he has been heavily involved in the education sector, primarily in managing SAV's range of decentralised MVHR, AirMaster. Over the years, his perspective has evolved from solely ventilation to a holistic approach, considering the integrated design of school buildings and the synergy between various building services.