Summary
In January 2001, Westminster City Council, a partner in INTEGER (an action research network in the UK), asked INTEGER to investigate options for the intelligent and green refurbishment of housing in general, and specifically residential tower blocks. 50% energy savings and 40% water savings were targeted. A key part of the project was the development of a virtual reality model to ensure that residents were able to have a clear understanding of what the project would achieve and were able to participate fully.

Background
The strategy for the refurbishment was devised around the requirement for innovation in seven key areas related to social housing: management; social; design; construction; technology; environment; finance. Participation was particularly important, and consultation with residents continued throughout the demonstration phase. Residents remained in their own homes for as long a s possible during the refurbishment, as the prospect of moving was a major anxiety for many people; this meant that the programme had to be devised so that as much work as possible could be carried out from the outside, and residents were moved out for as short a period as possible.

Existing service infrastructures such as lifts and building service risers were maintained while replacement infrastructures such as external intelligent lifts and new, modern building services were installed, so that residents suffered as little disruption as possible. Multi-skilled teams were developed and trained to carry out rapid fit-out of flats on a rolling basis, to minimise disruption and to reduce the amount of time for which residents were required to vacate their flats

Control systems for heating, lighting and security systems within the block were upgraded to ensure efficient use of resources and reduce wastage. At the same time, the systems were set up to provide passive and unobtrusive monitoring of residents to check that regular habits are kept to, and hence pick up any unusual behaviour which might be a sign of distress.

Best value was addressed throughout the project - through use of innovative procurement routes, two stage tendering, partnering, early involvement of suppliers and off-site fabrication to drive unit costs down.

Results

• Energy - 50% energy savings and a 50% reduction in carbon emissions through more efficient heating and lighting systems, improved building insulation and use of renewable energies such as solar water heaters, photovoltaics and wind turbines
• Water - 40% water savings by efficiency measures including rainwater harvesting, use of spray taps and grey water recycling
• Waste - reduce waste in construction by closer management and off-site fabrication. Introduce pre-contract specifications for re-cycling. Reduce waste in use by considering waste separation, compaction and other technologies
• The micro-climate around the base of the building was improved through intelligent landscaping and the introduction of wind-deflectors. The balconies of the flats were made more habitable through enclosure.
• Life cycle costs were addressed - investing for the longer term in the housing stock. A 10% saving in year on year costs was targeted (compared to a traditional refurbishment benchmarked against savings of 9% identified in the feasibility study).

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