Green Deal Needs to More Attractive, concludes All Party Parliamentary Group

A new report, Re-energising the Green Agenda, presents the findings of the Commission of Inquiry of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment. While it supports the Green Deal, it argues it urgently needs improvements to make it more financially attractive.

It also suggests that the Government needs to give clearer signals that the Green Agenda is a priority, including commitment to revising building regulations, to build confidence in the construction sector.

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Urban Retrofitting Special Issue: BR & I Launch at BRE INSITE on 2 October

To celebrate the publication of Building Research and Information journal’s special issue on Urban Retrofitting, there will be a launch event between 12.30pm and 1.30pm on Wednesday 2 October at the BRE INSITE Conference at BRE Watford. The event will be hosted by Richard Lorch (Editor in Chief of Building Research and Information), Professor Tim Dixon (University of Reading), and Professor Malcolm Eames (University of Cardiff). There will be a discussion on the special issue and the chance to hear more about the related EPSRC Retrofit 2050 programme of research.

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Call for Abstracts: Doctoral Research Workshop on Sustainable Urban Retrofit

Call for abstracts

On Wednesday 16th October, the Retrofit 2050 project will be holding a doctoral research workshop on Sustainable Urban Retrofit.The workshop is intended to provide an opportunity for PhD students working on retrofit related issues within the six Retrofit 2050 project team universities to share theoretical and empirical insights on sustainable urban retrofit research.

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Disseminating insights from the Retrofit 2050 project – recent and forthcoming events

Over the past month, different members of the team have been busy disseminating insights from across the project at a range of different events. In February 2013, Malcolm Eames and Tim Dixon were invited to present the project at HM Treasury to an audience of policy advisors and senior civil servants. Peter Guthrie, Tim Dixon, Malcolm Eames and Carla de Laurentis presented at the Ecobuild conference and exhibition held at London’s ExCel Centre between 5th and 7th March along with Chris Jofeh of Arup, part of the project’s non-advisory group.

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Low Carbon Plans in UK Cities

Building on his work on the RICS ‘Hotting Up’ report, Tim Dixon has written on the state of low carbon plans in UK cities as part of the Future Cities Special Interest Group. Arguing that the battle against climate change and resource depletion will be won or lost in the world’s cities, he reflects on Carbon Reduction plans in UK cities, characteristics of successful plans and the challenges they face in a changed political and fiscal landscape.

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Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium Conference – Showcasing and sharing thinking on infrastructure

Judith Britnell gave a presentation of the work of the Retrofit 2050 programme at the Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium (ITRC) Early Career Researcher (ERC) conference held at Clare College, Cambridge in November 2012. The ITRC programme is developing simulation models and tools to inform the analysis, planning and design of national infrastructure.

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