Speaking at a recent MacConvilles Surveying networking event, Duncan Baker-Brown RIBA, a director of the Lewes-based firm BBM Sustainable Design, told guests that for every five houses built in the UK, one ends up in landfill.

He explained that while new build generally encompasses elements of sustainability, more important is considering what can be done with the current building stock and how redundant buildings can be re-used.

Duncan - the man behind the UK’s first A+ rated house ‘The House that Kevin Built’, which was built in six days live on Channel 4 with Grand Designs’ presenter Kevin McCloud – was guest speaker at the first in a series of networking events at MacConvilles Surveying’s offices in Ditchling Road, Brighton.

“Put simply, people do business with people – so we wanted to hold events that bring people together. We are all aware of the need to address sustainability in the construction industry and, as surveyors, we are keen our clients are given the best advice on how to turn this to their benefit and reduce cost in these challenging times,” said Toby Rollestone, a director of MacConvilles.

Duncan told guests about Rural Studio in Alabama in the US - a design-build architecture studio run by Auburn University, which aims to teach students about social responsibility, while also providing safe, well-constructed and inspirational homes and buildings for poor communities in Alabama. He highlighted one case study where students had used old car windscreens in a church building and, in other examples, had savaged car number plates as shingles and 36,000 carpet tiles for a load-bearing wall.

“The construction industry needs to reduce, reuse, and design for demolition,” said Duncan.

Explaining more about ‘design for demolition’, Duncan said that buildings should be seen as providing resources for future buildings and showed guests a photograph of a visitors centre in Romney Marsh which can be unbolted in the future and used again.

He continued: “We need to look at more ways of retro-fitting old buildings while, in many cases, maintaining their history.”

In projects such as The Green House in Ripe, Duncan highlighted how BBM Sustainable Design had refurbished the building, salvaging, recycling and reusing existing materials and increasing its thermal efficiency by wrapping the exterior in recycled insulation clad in sweet chestnut from woods no more than ten miles from the building. Other projects discussed included The Bridge in Hastings and Hamsey Village Hall.

Duncan then told guests about ‘The House that Kevin Built’ and explained that it is currently being rebuilt at Grand Parade in Brighton – home of the University of Brighton School of Architecture and Design – with some new ideas included. It is a project that is being monitored by The Building Research Establishment.

Toby was delighted by the positive response to the evening and added: “To get the construction industry moving again, we all need to work together. At MacConvilles we work on all types of buildings and see the benefits that a little careful thought and design can bring, improving efficiency and lowering cost.”