Projects & Reports

26th October 2016

Assessing the environmental impacts of construction – understanding European Standards and their implications

The context for environmental assessment in the construction sector is undergoing considerable change. This is largely due to the publicationof the long-awaited suite of standards from CEN TC 350, which interlink with those from International Standards Organisation (ISO) relating to life cycle assessment (LCA) and Type III environmental labelling. This paper, funded by the BRE Trust, is provided … Continue reading “Assessing the environmental impacts of construction – understanding European Standards and their implications”

26th October 2016

Whole life costing and life-cycle assessment for sustainable building design

The integration of Whole Life Costing (WLC) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) presents a powerful route to improving the sustainability of the construction industry. Combining economic and environmental assessment tools to obtain ‘best value’ solutions in both financial and environmental terms has the potential to make a significant contribution to achieving sustainable building design. WLC … Continue reading “Whole life costing and life-cycle assessment for sustainable building design”

26th October 2016

London Fire Brigade and BRE have published new guidance for assessing and identifying vulnerable people

In response, London Fire Brigade and BRE have published new guidance for assessing and identifying ‘priority’ people whose level of fire risk warrants additional measures such as a PPS (Personal Protection System). PPS are an automatic fire suppression device, designed to protect against specific fire risks in a domestic environment. It automatically activates over a … Continue reading “London Fire Brigade and BRE have published new guidance for assessing and identifying vulnerable people”

26th October 2016

Heat release and smoke production from burning Mobility Scooters

Ensuring fire safety for the residents of care homes and sheltered accommodation for the elderly is one of the biggest challenges facing the fire safety community in the coming decades.   The need to maintain fire safety provisions in such buildings often conflicts with the every-day life of the occupants. But, as well as the potential … Continue reading “Heat release and smoke production from burning Mobility Scooters”

26th October 2016

External Fire Spread

BRE Global has been awarded a contract by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to continue fire investigation activities on behalf of DCLG until 2018.  An important element of this contract is to ensure that findings from fire investigations are made available to the fire community, and other stakeholders. The articles below addresses … Continue reading “External Fire Spread”

26th October 2016

Fire safety issues with Balconies

Many dwellings, especially high-rise dwellings or blocks of flats, are now provided with a balcony.  With high demand for housing and limited space, there is likely to be a continued increase in high-rise developments.  As such, balconies are considered an important amenity in modern living. Indications are that fires on balconies are increasing. Download the … Continue reading “Fire safety issues with Balconies”