I have been working with Brian Murphy, a technician and architect by training, university lecturer, author and environmentalist. Brian is the founder and creator of Green Building Encyclopaedia, a growing information resource about creating healthy, environmental and efficient buildings.
I created a new website Green Building Calculator for Brian, which is an ecommerce site, allowing students, architects, self builders and others to purchase and download the GBE Green Building Calculator.
The product provides information regarding Energy Consumption, Carbon in use, Cost of building and Cost of running a building. It is an impartial, easy to use, value for money product that can make a real difference to the world around us.
Different building shapes, methods of construction, materials choices and resultant energy demand and consumption can be compared. The information provided is impartial, so that the right choices can be made.
Users will understand why 50mm of stone wool insulation, shown in the ageing textbooks, is no longer enough and sometimes has the wrong properties for the application. They will be able to do their own U value calculation independently of manufacturers or suppliers who will do them for free, without obligation.
Green Building Calculator can be used by clients, to do their own project analysis; self-builders, to check that quotes with specifications meet building targets, before they buy; building designers i.e. architects, technicians and technologists, CAD users, surveyors, M&E engineers, D&B constructors, small builders; design students; EPC, BREEAM, SAP, SBEM assessors, home energy advisors, energy consultants, overheating assessors, building performance advisors and carbon reduction consultants; the developer’s team; constructors and contractors; facilities and property managers; and University lecturers.
Brian Murphy commented: “With XR Extinction Rebellion, Greta Thunberg’s behaviour change campaign, Architects Declare and Architects Climate Action Network, as well as Government bodies declaring and becoming involved in environmental design in a bigger way, architects and other professionals now have a quick way of creating greener buildings or easing their way into the New Normal. We are currently submitting the Calculator for various awards, in order to gain more recognition.”
In addition to the website, we are working on a social media campaign, press coverage, email marketing and other ideas to spread the word about the Green Building Calculator.
