Ecobuild 2011 – the future of design, construction and the built environment

Plans are taking shape for this year’s Ecobuild which, having outgrown its former venue, will be taking place at London’s ExCeL on Tuesday 01 – Thursday 03 March. Against the background of economic uncertainty over the last few years, and the current spending cuts, Ecobuild represents the construction sector’s most important challenge, and its greatest opportunity, that of creating a sustainable built environment. And the sector meets that challenge – and that opportunity – with ever-growing enthusiasm. Over 1,300 exhibitors, 600 speakers and 50,000 visitors are expected to attend Ecobuild 2011, exceeding the record attendance at the 2010 event. Many exhibitors have taken advantage of the extra space at ExCeL to expand the range of sustainable construction products and materials they’ll be displaying at the exhibition. Regular exhibitors Daikin, Saint-Gobain, Schueco, Ideal Standard, Tremco Illbruck, Interface, Velux, Lafarge, Fronius, Forbo Flooring Systems, ACO Technologies, E.ON, and ICI Paints are just some of the internationally recognised names you’ll see at Ecobuild next year, along with hundreds of suppliers exhibiting for the first time, including Dorma, ArcelorMittal, IBC Solar, Edgetech, CR Lawrence, Roto Frank, UPM, LG Electronics, Hyundai, Stora Enso and Pilkington Building Products. Ecobuild is the platform for major launches including, for 2011, Bill Dunster’s straw house, StramitZED. It’s the very latest in his eco housing stable – a straw board home that can be built for £135,000; £20,000 less than the normal cost of constructing a code level 6 house. The StramitZED house is a joint venture between ZEDfactory and Stramit Technology Group. The straw boards are combined with timber and insulation from recycled newspaper and made into cassettes to build the homes. They will be marketed to developers, housing associations and self-builders. Modcell will be launching their Renewable Retail solution which aims to resolve the heat energy battle being fought in supermarkets, to keep customers warm and produce cool. Using prefabricated panels fabricated from straw bales to build super-insulated, high-performance and low energy ‘passive’ buildings, ModCell’s Renewable Retail delivers a turnkey building solution that reduces energy, saves money and carbon emissions, and allows shorter build times. Leading the line up in Ecobuild’s free conference are headliners Chief Construction Advisor, Paul Morrell, Construction Minister, Mark Prisk, Sir Terry Farrell, Baroness Susan Greenfield, Tim Smit of the Eden Project, Bianca Jagger and Professor AC Grayling taking on subjects as diverse as The radicalism of localism, The age of unreason: the psychology of climate change and Ending our love affair with more. The 2011 seminar programme, also free to attend, is Ecobuild’s biggest ever, with over a dozen streams and more than 130 seminars covering the most pressing concerns for built environment professionals: * future energy * energy in buildings * regulations revealed * simplifying standards guides and tools * refurbishing Britain * sustainability and the city * sustainable by design * sustainable small projects * from grey to green * sustainable architecture & design * beyond construction * installer business * installer skills Seminars are brought to life through a series of interactive attractions and live demonstrations taking place on the exhibition floor, from how to install a solar panel or a green roof, to timber frame construction and applying exterior wall insulation. Highly topical is Ecobuild’s Solar hub which will explain the fundamentals of photovoltaic systems – how they work, what components they include, and how and where to install them, with daily demonstrations and talks on building integrated photovoltaic tiles (BIPV), photovoltaic systems (PV), benefitting from the feed in tariff. Renew provides practical advice on achieving one of the most important aspects of an energy efficient building – a highly insulated, air tight building envelope – with daily live demonstrations of internal and external insulation for solid walls, loft insulation, insulated floor bases and glazing solutions. The enormously popular Cityscape returns in 2011 to focus on the greening of the built environment, and the encouragement of biodiversity. Comprising live demonstration areas and a variety of case studies and installations explaining the practicalities of greening and enhancing biodiversity, it will take the learning from Ecobuild’s From grey to green and Sustainability and the city seminars and help visitors gain experience of the practical skills required. New for 2011, Ecobuild’s Water wise will be bring visitors up to date on the changes to Part G of building regulations, understanding the water efficient systems and appliances that can now be installed into buildings. It will also explain the measures that can be put in place to significantly reduce our water footprints by fixing leaks, using water efficient white goods and other water-saving technologies, as well as implementing simple but effective behavioural changes, and demonstrate that not only does a reduction in water consumption save energy and carbon, but that it brings financial savings for businesses, the public sector and consumers too. Elsewhere, the aesthetic qualities of glulam are demonstrated in Extreme timber. A hyperbolic paraboloid, with two large curved and twisting glulam structures – one inverted to form a roof – demonstrate the extreme design possibilities of engineered timber for spectacular and sustainable structures. Another favourite with regular visitors to Ecobuild is the Natural, traditional….sustainable attraction, where daily interactive demonstrations will cover a wealth of natural materials and traditional techniques including dry stone walling, straw bale construction, rammed earth, cob brick making, traditional carpentry and lime rendering. Certain to provoke interest is Capita Symonds’ Cool Workspace attraction which showcases leading-edge materials, technologies and design solutions, demonstrating how they can help provide low-cost, low-carbon, but high impact solutions to adapt and re-use space and materials to create a flexible, adaptable and ultimately more sustainable workplace. Constructed using phase change wall panels and ceilings which store and release heat according to the internal and external temperatures, Cool Workspsace will feature heat recovery ventilation systems, smart meters, occupancy detecting lighting controls, smart phone technology and energy usage monitoring systems. It will be fitted out using recycled carpets and surfaces, and furnished with environmentally responsible office furniture. And of course it wouldn’t be Ecobuild without a whole host of new and surprising events, and the 2011 event certainly won’t disappoint. On Tuesday, 02 March ‘Rock star physicist’ Professor Brian Cox will be presenting an award to the winner of the CIOB’s Inner Space 2050 competition for students aged 11 – 12 years to design sustainable work and living spaces in orbit. Back in the exhibition, visitors will be invited to sink their teeth into some BRE Bites, a series of 10 minute ‘tasters’ on a range of topics including BREEAM In Use, Passivhaus, and Feed in Tariffs taking place daily on the BRE stand, and the Ecobuild Fringe is gearing up to deliver an eclectic programme again in 2011. An innovation that’s bound to be popular for Ecobuild 2011 is the introduction of an online itinerary planner which allows visitors to plan their visit in advance, including the times and locations of conference and seminar sessions, and live demonstrations, as well as listing exhibitors and products of interest. The exhibition will be organised in technology zones, with similar products, relevant seminars and attractions, all located in the same area. Getting around Ecobuild 2011 will be easier still at the new venue of course. ExCeL’s straightforward layout, with seminars taking place in rooms along the perimeter of the exhibition halls, and the conference located off the central boulevard, is simple to navigate. And getting there is easy too. ExCeL is easily accessible by public transport, offers free cycle parking and has ample car parking on site. The nearest rail station is Custom House for ExCeL, approximately 10 minutes from Canary Wharf. Key interchanges for the DLR are Bank, Tower Hill, Canning Town and Shadwell. During Ecobuild shuttle buses will run from the Thames Clipper river taxi stop at Canary Wharf (10 minutes) and from London City Airport (5 minutes). Get your free ticket now at www.ecobuild.co.uk