Information technology for construction. French Riviera, 25-28 October 2011

Posted on: 31 October 2011
By: mackene
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The 28th International Conference of CIB W078 “Computer Integrated Construction” jointly organised with the 7th CIB W102 “Information and Knowledge management in Building was dedicated to the latest broad achievements in research, development, standardisation and industrial implementation of advanced Computing, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Knowledge Management (KM) in the Construction sector and the Built environment. Information is available from the event, including papers covering topics that included: Managing ICT strategies; Standards and interoperability policies in a web based organisation; Integral design and knowledge development; Management of knowledge along the building life cycle; Product/Process Modelling based on Building Information Modelling (BIM); e-Government and regulation regarding the building and construction; Knowledge management stories in building and construction covering the following areas: energy efficiency management; performance based & client driven solutions; communities of practice; collaborative workspaces and virtual teams for construction projects; ICT for energy efficient / low carbon buildings; ICT for facilities management and risk management; ICT supporting smart buildings; ICT for sustainable and smart districts and cities; assisted living and building design.

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Informed Cities Forum 2011: Rio+20, local performance and the role of research. Naples, 26-27 October 2011

Posted on: 31 October 2011
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This event brought together local policy makers, researchers working on urban sustainability and the representatives of the institutions behind the main European local sustainability schemes to take stock of local governments’ achievements so far and outline a new vision for local sustainability, in preparation for the Rio+20 UN conference in 2012. Presentations are available online.

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International Conference on Tourism and Management Studies. Faro, Portugal, 26-29 October 2011

Posted on: 31 October 2011
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The aim of the event was to stimulate research and dissemination of scientific knowledge in the areas of tourism and leisure studies, as well as tourism and hospitality management, encouraging inter-disciplinary and comparative approaches. Papers of the plenary sessions and abstracts of papers are available online.

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Perspectives for European SD Policy & Governance in the context of recent EU policy strategies and Rio+20. Berlin, 27-28 October 2011

Posted on: 31 October 2011
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This 7th European Sustainable Development Network Workshop was hosted by the ESDN in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. In total, the workshop drew 45 participant from 16 European countries and spurred very lively discussions. A full workshop documentation, including the background paper, the workshop report, presentations, and the participant list, are online.

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Green buildings and the future of urban development. Freiburg, 27-28 October 2011

Posted on: 31 October 2011
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The fourth conference of the Local Renewables Series focused on green buildings and the future of sustainable urban development”. Organised by ICLEI, the conference looked at the evolving role of renewable energy in sustainable buildings and addressed the issue of energy efficiency, both from a technological and city development point of view. Issues covered in the conference included: the political framework for sustainable construction and urban planning from a European, national and regional perspective; upgrading options for the existing building stock;  best practice examples of zero emission districts across Europe; cutting-edge technologies and clever design for energy efficient  solutions; district heating and cooling; financing models and mechanisms, in particular, the new Energy Efficiency Fund; and challenges in the value chain of energy efficient building. Presentations are available online, together with presentations from the previous three conferences in the series.

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Posted on: 27 October 2011
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Providing the evidence base for local housing need and demand assessment

This research was commissioned and conducted while housing and planning policy was going through a significant amount of change. As yet, there are no statements on whether new guidance will be issued to ensure consistent assessments of housing need, on the new areas of neighbourhood planning or on the duty to co-operate. The research captures a ‘snapshot’ of time and aims to feed into how future guidance on estimating future housing requirements might develop to support local authorities in their duty to assess housing need and demand within the new policy context. In light of this research, the housing charity Shelter has linked with the Town and Country Planning Association, Home Builders Federation and many others to establish the Local Housing Requirements Assessment Working Group to work with practitioners to demystify estimating local housing requirements and is calling on the government to work with them in doing so. The group aims to produce a toolkit in Spring 2012.

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Place visioning in Scotland: Lessons learned

Posted on: 27 October 2011
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The issues of ‘place’ and ‘placemaking’ are central to the reform of the Scottish planning system. Since 2009, the Urbanism team at Architecture and Design Scotland  have been working with five planning authorities and communities across Scotland to explore what visionary and ambitious plans are, and how they can be achieved. This work took the form of partnership working on place visioning, using a variety of participatory techniques. The results of these exercises have been written up by Andrew Guest to share learning as a series of short reports. The visioning exercises worked at different scales of place, from strategic development plan scale to small city, small town and city district.

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Action plan for energy-efficient housing in the UNECE region

Posted on: 27 October 2011
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To address the challenges of improving energy efficiency in the housing sector, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has published an Action Plan for Energy Efficient Housing. It outlines three policy areas for action: energy efficiency governance; energy performance standards; and access to energy efficiency.

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Keeping the country running: Natural hazards and infrastructure

Posted on: 26 October 2011
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The Infrastructure and Corporate Resilience Programme, under the auspices of the Cabinet Office,  has published a guide which aims to support infrastructure owners and operators, emergency responders, industry groups, regulators, and government departments, to work together to improve the resilience of critical infrastructure and essential services. The Guide provides advice on: identifying and assessing risks from natural hazards; standards of resilience; business continuity and corporate governance; guidance for economic regulated sectors; information sharing; and understanding dependencies.

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Guides on low impact building materials

Posted on: 26 October 2011
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A series of five information papers for architects, specifiers, materials suppliers and building contractors on low impact building materials is being launched on 31 October 2011. The introductory guides published by IHS BRE Press provide an overview of the benefits and limitations of using various low impact building materials in construction projects. Materials covered in the series are hemp lime, straw bale, unfired clay masonry, cross-laminated timber and natural fibre insulation. Each publication examines the key properties of the respective materials and features research carried out at the University of Bath alongside input from industry experts with commercial experience of the materials’ application in major construction projects.

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