ENGINEERING AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Sustainability and the Built Environment

Coursework 1

Brief for the report

You have been commissioned as a Sustainability Consultant to provide guidance to a developer called (Caledonian Eco-towns) who are seeking to establish a future development plan for a neighbourhood scale residential development within the Glasgow City Council area. They are a company based in Glasgow, and are looking to grow their local development portfolio and view a market opportunity by establishing a reputation for delivering sustainable residential projects. They see Glasgow City Council as forward thinking in relation to sustainability (reflected in Sustainable Glasgow Strategy and City Development Plan) and as a city with plenty of development of opportunities in a variety of contexts and scales.

You have been selected given your knowledge of the sustainability policy and planning context, and your familiarity with three high profile sustainable projects within the UK and Europe which you can draw lessons from. You are commissioned to provide a report which scopes out initially three high level options for a potential development project which respond to the sustainability challenges faced in Glasgow, then drawing on the lessons of three high profile sustainability projects to identify the best option around which to develop a set of guidelines to a future development plan identifying a potential site, and also a strategy for its development which seeks to reflect the principles of sustainable development which reflects the local context and is commercially viable.

Your report should be split into three equal sections:

  1. Provide a critical appraisal of the sustainability challenges facing Glasgow, overview of the current strategies and policies guiding its approach to towards a sustainable city, establishing the current/ future opportunities for residential developments within the city. To aid this discussion please draw on the themes such as environmental manifestation, land use and density, development patterns, infrastructure, economics and society, and sustainable construction. The appraisal should establish three high level options to consider for a residential development within Glasgow.
  2. Following a critical evaluation of three pioneering developments, establish lessons which will help you shape your development proposal. The three pioneering developments: 1) Vauban in Freiberg (Germany), 2) BEDZED (South London), and 3) Northwest Bicester (Oxfordshire) each display similarities but also different approaches in terms of budget, size, approach to technology, and commercial model. The evaluation should take the form of a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) analysis for each, with discussion focusing on the key lessons which you will take forward to inform your neighbourhood development and to help you identify which of the three high level options to prioritise.
  3. Identifying a specific location within the Glasgow Council area, develop a set of guidelines to shape the future plan for neighbourhood scale development including recommendations on the nature of the site sought (greenfield or brownfield), the type of site (city centre, inner city, suburban), density levels, infrastructure, degree of engagement with sustainability principles (strong or weak module; Haughton’s models), design and construction, and the business model you intent to follow to ensure it is commercially viable. Ensure to make your guidance reflective of the local context outline how it is reflective of the cities sustainability challenges and future plans, and needs of the market.

Background to the three Eco-towns

There are recordings available for each of these as part of the lectures.

Freiburg

Vauban district of Freiburg is a neighbourhood to the south of the city centre, Germany. It was built as “a sustainable model district” on the site of a former French military base with construction beginning in 1998. In the year 2001 the first 2000 residents moved in and since then it has been developing and is recognised as one of the pioneer urban developments based around the principles of sustainability. It has influenced many urban planners with its focus on density, but also its establishment of innovative infrastructure solutions. It has had many successes, but has also helped us understand better sustainable living through its shortcomings.

BEDZED

The BedZED was the UK’s first Eco-development at a neighbourhood scale and has acted as the premier demonstration project in the UK for the development of low carbon living in residential environments since its completion in 2002/3. The aspiration was to try and take big steps towards delivering sustainability as opposed to the incremental steps often seen in projects of this time but despite acting as a successful demonstration project on many levels and informing government policy it has had many critiques arguing that it tried too much innovation in one project and has seen many criticise its eventual cost. It has gone on to influence new developments in the UK such as North West Bicester which have reflected a more commercial interpretation.

North West Bicester

In 2007 the UK Government announced plans to develop four designated eco-towns to new guidelines under Planning Policy Statement 1. In 2011 it was revealed that only North West Bicester would continue to be developed in line with these guidelines and a master plan was established and then approved with construction starting in April 2014 on an examplar phase for 393 homes. The aim for the UK’s first Eco-town was to establish a new sustainable community that is vibrant, resilient and truly integrated. The master plan for 6,000 inhabitants on agricultural land to the north west of the town of Bicester was developed in line with the Governments Planning Policy Statement 1 which called for eco towns to be zero carbon, adapted for climate change, reflect lifetime homes, green transport, green infrastructure, net gain for biodiversity, water efficient and promote quality. A key focus for the Eco-town is not only around promoting ecological health but also with a strong focus on community and economic development. The examplar phase sought 40% green space with 119 affordable homes, 274 private homes, a primary school, eco-pub and community centre with £6 million from Home and Community Agency, reflecting amongst other aspects an energy centre with district heating and housing built to zero carbon standards. Many have argued that Bicester when compared to the other three proposed eco-towns enjoyed a clear advantage in terms of its location beside transport infrastructure and its connectivity. Located in Oxfordshire in England the site is near junction 10 of the M40 motorway which has been adjusted to accommodate the development.

North West Bicester seeks to promote innovation in design and construction, but based on traditional architectural influences which are deemed to be commercially sympathetic. The development team is represented by A2Domainion who have brought Willmott Dixon as prime contractor, with a range of consultants and specialists including BioRegional Development Group as sustainability consultants who have applied their One Planet Living Principles which were established following their evaluation of the completed BEDZED.

Submission details

It is important that the report is well structured, easy to read, and demonstrates a good level of background research with emphasis placed on your own analysis. Key to this report is your ability to interpret the available information around the case studies and critically appraise in the context of the literature, policy agenda and best practice relating to sustainable development. Background research will be required for this coursework to obtain available information about Glasgow, the case studies, but a lot of emphasis is placed on your interpretation and what you think. You are encouraged to write in the style of a consultant’s report, but to align with academic requirements such as Harvard Referencing Style. Care should be taken not to use your word count up by repeating lots of content from the developer’s/ Council website. A bit of background is needed, but clever use of tables can help you remove words from the count.

The report should fall around 2,500 words (10% leeway either side) and should be fully referenced using the Harvard style.  The reference list and words used in tables is not included in the word count.

Submission date for coursework is Tuesday 10th March 2021,