Building Research Establishment Sets Out 2024 Manifesto

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26 March 2024

Ahead of the forthcoming general election, the Building Research Establishment is calling on the incoming government to issue a white paper on building standards within six months of taking office.

As part of a manifesto document, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has several recommendations for the government, spanning the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Health and Social Care. The BRE wants the government to commit to sustainable standards for UK buildings, providing more certainty for owners, occupiers, supply chains, and investors.

Let’s take a look at some of the BRE’s recommendations:

Collaborative Research and Development 

The BRE wants to encourage collaborative R&D and testing between the government and the UK’s net zero innovators, by working with low-carbon entrepreneurs at early stages of development to ensure innovative products will meet sustainability standards. They also recommend embracing technology like the digital twinning of UK infrastructure to enable improved planning and retrofit.

Develop the UK’s Building Standards

A clear timeline for the next stage of the Future Homes Standard beyond 2050 must be set, including a timeline for the development of a net-zero ready EPC system for homes, including a new provisional EPC for the 40 per cent of homes that do not yet have one.

In terms of investment, the BRE wants the government to establish smaller campuses as designated micro-investment zones to support dedicated specialist research and development in net zero technology, with the same advantages as larger zones.

Gillian Charlesworth, CEO of BRE, said: “As the UK’s second-largest source of carbon emissions, the building sector is in urgent need of decarbonisation, but not enough is yet being done. With a General Election on the horizon, it is essential that all political parties pledge to take radical, long-term action to achieve this.

“In order to solve the dual challenge of decarbonising the sector while also fixing the housing shortage, a new government needs to commit to proposals which take a holistic approach to the problem, ensuring outcomes are improved for individuals, communities, and the wider UK economy.”

Picture: a graphic showing a cityscape. Image Credit: Adobe Stock

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 26 March 2024

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