RIBA Outline Plan of Work goes 'green'

Date:

22 November 2011

Press release contact:

Tessa Kordeczka
T: +44 (0)207 307 3761
E: Tessa.Kordeczka@riba.org

The greatest single challenge currently facing the construction industry is building low-carbon buildings. To further ensure that we build as sustainably as possible, the RIBA will today (22 November 2011) launch a short, practical guide to supplement the RIBA Outline Plan of Work, the most widely used framework for building design and construction.

The Green Overlay to the RIBA Outline Plan of Work includes a simple set of adjustments to each of the RIBA Work Stage activities to make sure that sustainable design is at the heart of the procurement process.

The Green Overlay also adds 'sustainability checkpoints' to show what else needs to be done to support a more sustainable approach, along with references to relevant standards, guidance and other sources of sustainable design intelligence. The Green Overlay will assist architects in offering their specific expertise in sustainable design to clients.

The Green Overlay will not only be indispensable to architects – it will also be essential reading for other construction professionals and clients to ensure that sustainable design is integrated into each stage of the design and construction process.

RIBA President Angela Brady said:
'The Green Overlay is a very significant RIBA initiative. It is part of a continuing commitment to tackling our most urgent priority: the delivery of low-carbon buildings that bring maximum value to clients and society as a whole, together with the most efficient use of resources.

The Green Overlay is straightforward and accessible and will encourage the conversations that architects need to have with clients and the whole design and construction team about truly sustainable design that goes above and beyond regulatory compliance.'

The Green Overlay is being launched at the RIBA conference Low Carbon Design: The power to deliver change, taking place in Bristol on 22 November 2011.

Notes to editors

For further press information, please contact Tessa Kordeczka in the RIBA Press Office on 020 7307 3761 or email tessa.kordeczka@riba.org|.

The Green Overlay may be downloaded from: http://www.ribabookshops.com/green-overlay|.

The Green Overlay to the RIBA Outline Plan of Work was produced with the help of a multi-disciplinary panel of architects and engineers, and was edited by Bill Gething RIBA, Principal of Bill Gething: Sustainability + Architecture.

The Low-Carbon Design conference on 22 November 2011 will explore how to put into practice the latest thinking on sustainability, retrofit and low-carbon technology, as well as the role of architects and built environment professionals in shaping policy framework in which they work. The conference will include a workshop, led by Bill Gething, on the Green Overlay to the RIBA Outline Plan of Work.