Sustainability Guide for the Broads wins national RTPI award
RTPI National Award Winner: Broads Authority Sustainability Guide.
From left to right: Guide Booklet and CD ROM; Principles of Sustainable Design set out as a ‘Checklist’ from the Guide. All images credited to LSI Architects LLP. Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988: Reproduction is permitted providing authorship is credited.
A Sustainability Guide produced and designed by LSI Architects for the Broads Authority has been announced an RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute) National Award Winner in the category ‘Rural Areas and the Natural Environment’.
The annual RTPI Planning Awards are premier awards which have been running since 1978. They are for outstanding group achievement in town and country planning and celebrate the planning professions' contribution to the quality of life throughout the British Isles and Ireland.
The award judges commented: “It is refreshing and inspirational to see a guide that tackles a complex subject in a simple but effective manner. … It is widely used in pre-application discussions and has proved to be a best seller locally and nationally via the web. It is certainly a model that should be adopted by others.”
The awards recognise the diversity of planning achievement, whether in urban or rural areas, large or small in scale, involving new development or regeneration and whether promoted by the public, private or community sectors.
The awards ceremony took place on Thursday, 7 February 2008 at a London Hilton Hotel.
This RTPI accolade follows the recent regional RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) Innovation Award in 2007 for the Broads Authority Sustainability Guide. Although the RICS Awards are for built environment projects, LSI Architects still entered the Sustainability Guide under the ‘Sustainability’ category as the guide would have an important impact upon the design of future buildings. The panel was so impressed with LSI Architects’ submission for the ‘Sustainability’ category, they created a new ‘Innovation Award’ specifically for the Broads Authority Sustainability Design Guide.
The Broads Authority commissioned the Sustainability Guide to help property owners and developers in making planning applications to meet the requirements for sustainability. Yet another example of the East of England leading the way for innovative thinking.
Trevor Price, Principal Member of London and Norwich based LSI Architects, commented: “LSI Architects is delighted that the Sustainability Guide has won a second, prestigious award. Environmental Sustainable Design is a complex, technical subject that covers a range of issues such as land use, restriction of CO2 emissions and pollution, minimising waste and transportation, water efficiency, biodiversity, and the promotion of user health and well-being. These issues affect us all, and with the advent of global warming, this subject is hugely important. A major objective of the guide is that it can be read by lay people as well as design and construction professionals.”
Mr Price concluded, ”As a package the guide is a precious, accessible source of reference, which is intended to bring about an essential cultural change in the whole building design process. We believe the guide is unique, innovative, and should continue to make a positive contribution to the environment and the community in the Broads for many years to come.“
The guide, which was tailor made for the topography, location and needs of the Broads, was developed through research and consultation with key stakeholders from the Broads Authority. It is therefore clearly written and designed to be easily understood. The guide is incorporated in a DVD case, in a brochure form, and on a CD. The CD enables the guide to be read in A4 format, and printed if necessary.
Gillian Morgan, Broads Authority Director of Planning and Strategy, said: “The risk of flooding in the Broads is likely to increase in the light of climate change and sea level rise. Buildings need to be designed with this in mind. The Broads Authority Sustainability Guide aims to suggest positive ways in which the built environment can complement the sustainable balance of the local environment. It also aims to educate, informally through the media, and formally through traditional building workshops.
“The guide has successfully raised awareness locally and we intend to spread the message to the rest of the UK. Integration with local schools and their curricula means that sustainability will be seen as a priority by the next generation. The Broads Authority, in association with LSI Architects, is eager to promote this guide to all sectors of the community.”
The guide’s objectives are both practical and ethical and demonstrate that buildings can contribute to biodiversity and a sustainable future by using natural, local resources and by creating suitable interventions within the landscape. The guide provides a useful checklist to use when commissioning or designing sustainable buildings with helpful icons which relate to specific topics such as ‘energy efficiency’ and the cost of the technology - from cheapest to most expensive.
Four case studies are illustrated in the guide which demonstrate how the strategies of the guide can be implemented in four specific Broads topographies, namely waterside, hillside, marshland and boatyard.
The Broads Authority Sustainability Guide can be bought from the Broads Authority’s offices at 18 Colegate, Norwich for £5.00, by telephoning 01603 610734, or go to http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/planning/sustainability-guide.html
