Net Zero Carbon and the Climate Emergency
Our chosen theme for SPACES over the coming year will be Net Zero Carbon and the Climate Emergency, and looks to support our members by organising webinars and technical meetings to cover various aspects and challenges on the topic to assist in project delivery.
As a collaborative organisation, encapsulating all the professions of the Built Environment, we are focussing on how we can work together to meet the UK target to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The emphasis will be on real experiences, lessons learned and the need to work collaboratively to deliver workable solutions to reduce our carbon emissions.
This will be your opportunity to be part a number of events dedicated to public buildings and zero carbon before the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) that commences in Glasgow in November.
Watch Webinars in your own home or office
Roundtable Discussion
Wednesday 28th April 2021 @2:00pm
On Wednesday 28th April we will launch this year’s theme by holding a roundtable discussion on Net Zero Carbon and the Climate Emergency led by four leading experts covering the challenges we all face and how they themselves are tackling them in their own organisations.
We are very pleased to welcome
Councillor Joshua Schumann, Cambridgeshire County Council
Marina Robertson, Senior Director, NPS Group
Patrick Begg, Outdoors and Natural Resources Director, National Trust
Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, Director, Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University
For more information and to book your place, please see our website.
Virtual Conference
Monday 7th to Friday 18th June 2021
Experts from client side, design, construction, academia & the public sector will be discussing Zero Carbon, the Climate Emergency and why we must act now!
There will be the variety of our previous annual Study Days, there will be experts on a wide range of subjects including:
The Latest Technologies
Regulations and Standards
Insights Into Sectors – Schools, Houses, Offices
Refurbishment
Design Tools
To minimise disruption to your working day, we will be running early morning and late afternoon webinar sessions over a two week period. You will be able to take part in all the sessions or just those ones that interest you.
The programme is being finalised, so please follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for the latest updates. Tickets will be released on 13th April 2021, but you can register your interest here now.
Free for SPACES* members and for Non members £150+VAt per person for a two week pass. For more information on SPACES membership see our website.
*SPACES membership is FREE for Public Sector Employees.
Thank you to our sponsors, Atkins, Faithful+Gould, IES , NPS and Willmott Dixon.
Previous webinars have been videoed and the links are available to members by logging into their account and going to the information suite.
Events Calendar
Virtually meet your colleagues
Technical Meeting
Tuesday 29th June @1:00pm
There will be an online Engineering Technical Meeting. The chair for the meeting is Steve Rufus, Vice-President, SPACES and Head of Profession – Engineering.
This meeting is open to all SPACES members, but will be of particular interest to engineers. Please let Fiona know if there is a technical matter that you wish to add to the agenda.
Please see our website to book your place.
Technical meetings are free and only for SPACES members. For more information and to book your place see our events calendar or follow this link. NB To receive the invite you must register through the SPACES website. Joining instructions, including the zoom link will be sent the day before.
NB Technical Meetings will not be videoed. Minutes from the previous meeting are available to members by logging into their account and going to the information suite.
Have you been involved with a Public Building or project that has made a difference to a community?
Yearbook and Awards 2021
Submission Deadline was Friday 26th February 2021
Thank you for your submissions. The judging has started so keep an eye out on our News Page, Twitter and LinkedIn for announcement of the shortlist.
For other ways to be involved with the awards and yearbook, please see our website.
Have you got a question?
SPACES Technical Enquiries
We now have a LinkedIn group for our members to post questions. This is for members only. Please click on this link to join.
- Do not post anything that you wouldn’t want your Chief Exec or your Mother/Children to see.
- Respect other members of the Group
- What happens in the Group chats stays in the group
- This group if for those signed up for SPACES membership only as per our records
- The group and the posts are moderated by SPACES, we reserve the right to remove anything that goes against our By-Laws.
Summary of what’s been happening
Useful Information
Updated Guidance on Ventilation
Public Health England updated their guidance Ventilation of indoor spaces to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
See here for more information.
Kingspan K15 insulation
The MHCLG have sent a letter to Building Control Bodies on the retraction of three tests carried out on Kingspan K15 insulation.
See here for more information.
Phase 2 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme
BEIS have released information on Phase 2 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has been released.
Phase 2 of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme provides £75 million of grant funding for the financial year 2021 to 2022. It will have a stronger focus on heat decarbonisation than Phase 1, in order to deliver greater carbon emission reductions. It will support the public sector in taking a ‘whole building’ approach when decarbonising their estates.
Phase 2 opens to applications at 14:00 on 7 April 2021 and will close when sufficient high-quality applications have been submitted.
Successful projects need to complete by 31 March 2022.
See here for more information.
Local authority remote meetings: call for evidence
MHLG are seeking views on the use of the current arrangements which have allowed local authorities to hold meetings remotely or in a hybrid format during the coronavirus pandemic.
This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 17 June 2021
See here for more information.
Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures
CROSS has been relaunched and has a new new website and now includes reporting on fire safety.
See here for more information.
Open consultation – The Future Buildings Standard
Consultation on changes to Part L (conservation of fuel and power) and Part F (ventilation) of the Building Regulations for non-domestic buildings and dwellings; and overheating in new residential buildings opened on the 19th January 2021.
The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 13th April 2021.
You can download the press release here, and the consultation here.
Tom Brewster
It is with sadness we found out that a former member of SCEME and SPACES, Tom Brewster, retired Wiltshire County Council, former President of SCEME (2005-2007) and Treasurer for a number of years passed away on the 13th March.
A card, tributes and donation have been made in his memory.