Reusing existing buildings is set to be the next big thing because it is greener and cheaper than new build

Hampshire council's refurbished headquarters has kicked off this trend; a gas guzzling sixties eyesore has been transformed into one of the UK鈥檚 most energy efficient offices. It pioneers a way round the problem of naturally ventilating buildings next to noisy, polluted roads and is a model for a new generation of green office buildings that reuse existing structures.

In other news, the Part L consultation closed this week and already glitches are being discovered in the software used to calculate compliance. Modelling by engineer Hoare Lea showed the software heavily penalises biomass boilers, ventilation system that recover heat energy from expelled air and efficient displacement ventilation systems.

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Postscript

Thomas Lane is 黑洞社区 magazine's assistant editor (technical)

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