This is the second in a trilogy of podcasts featuring experts in their field from the BRE (Building Research Establishment). This time we are looking to the hot topic that is Passivhaus, and talking to Mark Standen in his role as senior consultant in 'Energy and Low Carbon Futures' - incorporating Passivhaus.

For industry professionals with a simple overview of the subject this is an unmissable opportunity to understand more about what Passivhaus is, and importantly what it isn't. Mark also provides an insight into the level of quality control required for Passivhaus compliance, and indeed how getting close to compliance is better than not addressing the design values at all.

This is the concluding part of my interview with Martin Townsend, Director of BREEAM at the BRE. We talk about exactly what is, or more to the point, what is perceived as sustainable design and materials/products specification. How BREEAM is currently evolving, and plans to successfully integrate the process of BREEAM into the BIMsphere

Martin Townsend is a Director of BREEAM at the Building Research Establishment (BRE). I first interviewed him at Ecobuild 2013, but time was short and he had so much to say, that he agreed to come back and talk in depth about BREEAM - how it started, what it has acheived, and indeed where it is going. This is part 1 of a two part inetrview.

If you would like to find out alot more about BREEAM, the following links should be useful:

Main BREEAM web page:-

http://www.breeam.org/

BREEAM buildings - casse studies

http://www.breeam.org/case-studies.jsp

Short video’s on a number of the BREEAM projects

http://www.breeam.org/page.jsp?id=312

Some of the work the BRE are doing via our NSO network

http://www.issuu.com/deal-magazin/docs/deal_01_2013_e-paper?mode=window

GreenBook Live - Information on BREEAM assessors:-

http://www.greenbooklive.com/

GreenGuide for Materials specification

http://www.bre.co.uk/greenguide/podpage.jsp?id=2126

In this podcast I talk with Alan Gilbert who is a mechanical ventilation expert from the Building Services Reseach and Information Association, otherwise known as BSRIA. He talks about the technical issues associated with mechanical ventilation in dwellings, and reveals some startling statistics that would under-line the view that many developers still are unaware of the consequences of incorrect commissioning of ventilation systems that they are carrying out on a daily basis.

This podcast is a collection of short recordings made with some interesting, some left field, and some key industry players at Ecobuild 2013. Listen to the back room view from Excel's head of security. Updates on sustainability via the BRE and Green Building Council, and the matter of fact traditional approach of a straw bale building specialist; with a few more besides.

Specified-By is the brain child of Darren Lester; an Architectural Technology graduate from Edinburgh Napier university who now holds an entreprenurial post there, having developed and established previous web site primarily in the CAD library market place. He has used all his experience and learning to bring Specified-By to the architectural design and specification professionals as a one stop solution for identification of products, their associated technical and performance data on a uniform platform. It combines product specification and CAD libraries into one neat package. He explains his ideas just prior to the official launch.