Enough Brownfield Land For 1M Homes
New figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government recently suggest that existing "brownfield" land could accommodate up to one million new homes. The annual round up estimated that 63,500 hectares of previously developed land had been available for development in 2005... more
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Work Starts On Experimental Green Fenland Homes
Work has started on a pioneering £5.3m scheme to build more than 100 eco-friendly homes in Fenland. The project, split between three areas in March and Chatteris, will usher in a new approach to the construction of affordable properties, which emphasises sustainability and environmental performance, as well as comfortable... more  back to top

CAT Earth Building Gets Aussie Expertise To build the tallest earth walls in the UK, you need first hand experience of the environmentally-friendly material. Which is why the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) has recruited structural engineer Toby Hodsdon of Buro Happold, to work on the Wales Institute of Sustainable Education (WISE), a new mini-university for... more
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LEADER -
Café Van Aims To Cut Construction Waste
Waste is endemic in the construction industry, and with growing concern for the sustainability of construction and ever-tougher landfill regulations, something has got to be done about it, say Kotuku, a London based non profit distributing environmental organisation, aiming to promote sustainable resource management in the construction industry through research, education and demonstration.

Kotuku's activities are mainly focused on the 90% of construction companies that employ less than eight people, with a specific aim to reduce the 13million tonnes of building products delivered to site and sent away unused. They spent two years researching the problem and came up with a novel solution - the Cafe Van - which travels around building sites delivering short and snappy presentations on waste minimisation and recycling materials to site workers and managers.

Arriving with drinks and sandwiches, Kotuku takes over the site’s tea break to deliver three interactive presentations on resource efficiency in building. The Cafe Van has proved extremely successful: more than 80% of the people who used the Cafe Van said that what they heard would influence the way they will work on site in future; knowledge of construction-related environmental issues almost doubled among participants; and after the three-session course, only 7% of participants felt they didn’t know very much about sustainability and resource efficiency (down from 66% before they visited the Van).

Kotuku have recently produced a report 'Ask the Fellows' in conjunction with recycling company London Remade. The report focuses on ways to reduce construction waste and inefficiency whilst increasing profitability. Ask the Fellows is based on findings taken from face to face research carried out from the Cafe Van in the London boroughs of Lambeth, Wandsworth, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham.

Visit www.kotuku.org for further information.

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