Following the success of the first guide, design for deconstruction, Locate Architects were commissioned to prepare the second of three detailing guides for SEDA which examine common commercial details and offer costed and approved alternatives which improve the environmental performance of the detail without significant deviation from the original.

This guide examines airtightness in construction and highlights the cost, energy waste, comfort reduction and deterioration of fabric associated with conventional ‘leaky’ construction. The guide gives generic guidance but importantly offers alternative details which will lead to significant cost and energy savings, are practical and cost effective to construct and have been accepted by Latent Defect Assessors and Insurers.

The guide was successfully launched on the 13th March 2006 at the Scottish Executive with an introduction from Rhona Brankin, Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs and presentations on all three guides.

The guide is web based and may be accessed and downloaded at www.seda2.org/guides. Initial discussions are underway with publishers to look at the possibility of producing a printed version of each of the guides.

© SEDA

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