2 February 2007

New sustainable housing design guide for Scotland

A new Sustainable Housing Design Guide for Scotland has been launched with new advice on how housing developers can make their buildings more environmentally friendly.

The on-line version of The Sustainable Housing Design Guide for Scotland, written by Dr Fionn Stevenson, Reader in Architecture at the University of Dundee, working with Nick Williams, a free-lance planning consultant, was officially launched by the new Minister for Communities, Rhona Brankin MSP at Architecture and Design Scotland in Edinburgh.

In her foreword to the guide, Ms Brankin outlined her hopes for sustainable housing in Scotland:

"My aim is that, within the next ten years, sustainable housing will become the norm," says Ms Brankin. "This will happen with resources from Communities Scotland and the Scottish Executive and with the continued work of their many partners and stakeholders. This guide, I believe, shows us how we can achieve that aim and bring good-quality, durable, sustainable housing throughout Scotland."

The 300-page revised guide was commissioned by Communities Scotland, the Scottish Executive body responsible for delivering affordable housing and regeneration in Scotland, and the Sustainable Development Commission for Scotland.

Dr Stevenson is delighted to have been re-engaged to revise her original guide, which was issued in 2000, and said the new version reflects the changes in the world around us since then.

"The first guide was very well received, but much has changed in seven years and climate change is now firmly on the mainstream agenda for construction," she said. "I see the guide as a small contribution towards helping to reduce Scotland's carbon emissions while at the same time promoting healthy, resource conscious and attractive housing for all".

The guide is aimed at all housing developers in Scotland, including the social housing sector (registered social landlords) as well as architects and other designers.

It is particularly useful in relation to sustainable design and specification principles and provides clear strategic priorities and "quick wins" for both existing and new build housing developments. It is not a detailed technical manual but provides a useful first reference source with 23 detailed Scottish housing case studies, comprehensive references and an annotated bibliography/website guide. It also contains useful material on maintenance as well generic lessons learnt from the case studies.

Sir Jonathan Porritt, Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, said "I warmly welcome this second edition of the Sustainable Housing Design Guide. It offers comprehensive and user-friendly guidance on how to incorporate sustainable development principles into maintaining, rehabilitationg and developing social housing."

"The organisations that own and manage Scotland’s social rented sector have a major role to play in helping achieve a sustainable future, and I believe this guide can help them do even more of this vital work for all Scotland’s future generations of people and places."

The guide is freely downloadable on-line from the Communities Scotland website: www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk