by Brianna Crandall — July 18, 2016 — The BRE Trust, a U.K. charity dedicated to research and education in the built environment and funded by the BRE Group, has published its annual review of some of the latest built environment research. Available online, the report outlines research projects and activities across areas ranging from infrastructure sustainability and resilience to occupant well-being and energy.
Built environment projects
The BRE Trust Review includes summaries of completed projects and their results, including the three-year Future Cities research program, which was delivered in collaboration with over 70 partner organizations and had a total project value of over £30 million.
BRE Group research director Dr. Deborah Pullen stated:
With the global population and urban migration continuing to rise, this important program was created to explore critical future cities issues and the complex challenges involved in 21st century urban development. The program has delivered tangible tools, guidance and standards, all of which will be of benefit to diverse stakeholders across the built environment. We will also be using the outputs to inform further research in this area.
The review also addresses active projects including the Resilient Built Environment themed research program, which began in April 2015. During the year, five research projects focusing on climate resilience were launched, with flooding, wind and overheating the priority areas. The program has also developed to include research into community resilience, incorporating themes such as cybersecurity for smart homes and how to increase uptake of climate and flood resilience measures by building owners.
Partnerships
New strategic research partnerships with Loughborough University, University of Hertfordshire and University College London feature in the report as well. This includes funding by BRE Trust for applied research in high-performance buildings, sustainable construction, and resilient buildings and communities at Loughborough University’s Royal Academy of Engineering Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design.
The new partnerships expand on the research and education activities at the five existing BRE Trust University Centres of Excellence — in Bath, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Strathclyde and Brasilia. With 102 PhDs funded, the portfolio of active and completed research now topping £60 million and over 600 papers and conference proceedings published, the review highlights projects and their outcomes across all eight of its university partners.
Publications
The report also outlines recent publications spanning a wide range of research, knowledge and guidance for sustainability, fire and security, energy, health, materials and future cities. In addition, it details how the Trust is working to produce new and engaging dissemination formats to enable easier and more widespread uptake and learning.
One of the current bestsellers is the Lighting and Health report, which reviews existing research on the health effects of lighting (including daylighting) typically found in buildings, offering expert guidance for lighting designers as well as building occupiers and facilities managers.
The BRE Trust Review Spring 2016 report is available for download from the BRE site.
