Oxford City Council
Latest NewsDavid Steel Sustainable Building Award A new award for environmentally friendly, resource efficient buildings - named in honour of council employee David Steel - will be presented to an architect this week. David, who died in November, was a dedicated Council officer and contributed significantly to the work of the Climate Change Action Team. The David Steel Sustainable Building Award aims to recognise developments that incorporate environmentally friendly solutions within their design. Architect David Hammond, of East Street, Osney Island, will be presented with an award produced from recycled glass and a plaque in recognition of his efforts in designing his family's environmentally sustainable home. He says: "We wanted to see how energy efficient we could make our house. It's been radically altered and is now virtually zero carbon. We are proud that we have reduced demand to 38 per cent of average UK consumption: the rest is renewable energy purchased from Good Energy. "The technologies I have used could easily be applied to new and existing homes; they have been around for decades. However the combination of heat pump, low temperature water under-floor heating and solar collectors as an integrated stand alone system using low grade heat, is still relatively unusual. "It's only when this approach to energy supply and usage is adopted by people in the public eye that it will be considered the 'norm,' and not something unusual to be concerned about. "We are particularly pleased that this design award comes from the Planning Department who are in a powerful position to affect this perception of what is good 'normal practice.'" Caroline Steel, David's widow, says: "I am delighted that David can be remembered in this way. I am proud of all his achievements at Oxford City Council and this was a project that was very close to his heart." The Lord Mayor of Oxford, Councillor Jim Campbell, says: "The architect deserves this award for his efforts to create a virtually zero-carbon house. "It is also an honour to present this award in memory of David Steel and the work he achieved at the Council." Councillor John Goddard, Leader of Oxford City Council, says: "This award is a tribute to David Steel who worked hard on the climate change issues within Oxford and contributed so much to Oxford City Council." *** Oxford City Council is committed to making Oxford more sustainable and to tackle climate change issues at a local level. Higher standards in energy efficiency and renewable energy from developments are already being implemented through planning policies and the Natural Resource Impact Analysis requirements - which require 20 per cent of houses on a major development site to be energy efficient. For developments to be considered for this new award they had to be built during the previous financial year. There was a judging panel of Councillors and officers. In future years, developers must demonstrate that they have exceeded the requirements from existing Building Regulations and other planning policy documents. Preparations for next year's award will start soon. Anyone who believes their development - built during the fiscal year 2006-2007 - can visit our website for more details. To find out more about the award and how to apply visit www.oxford.gov.uk/environment/Award.cfm or contact the planning policy team on 01865 252847. Particular features of David's house are:
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