When it comes to building smart spaces for life, the construction process adopted will undoubtedly come up against challenges and industry will always be divided on the best approach to take. One of the practices increasingly playing a role is the Fabric First approach, which was founded on the principle on creating the most airtight building fabric as possible. The outcome is the amount of air that can escape is dramatically reduced, resulting in significant energy savings.
Among the benefits are reduced energy bills for the user, reduced carbon footprint, minimal sustainable technologies and reduced maintenance costs. But when it comes to fully understanding this pioneering process, where can information be obtained?
In this month’s issue, FC&A profiles the launch of the Fabric First Academy. This dedicated resource is a virtual information and educational portal designed to support architects, contractors and developers who are looking to embrace and promote the principles and philosophy of Fabric First construction. If you think this innovative building practice is the panacea for your project’s challenges, turn to 36.
To find out the performance benefits a fabric first can truly deliver, turn to page 6 for this month’s Greenhouse case study. The University of Bradford’s new £1.5m STEM building provides a highly sustainable learning environment within its campus. To achieve its BREEAM Outstanding target, the project utilised very high levels of insulation, high performance windows and doors, airtight building fabric, ‘thermal bridge free’ construction and mechanical heat recovery systems.
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