BREEAM
Reliable and independent environmental information about building materials and components is in high demand. BREEAM Environmental Profiles provide a useful way of providing this information. To be of help to the working architect, client or building specifiers, this information must be produced according to an agreed methodology. This is a standardised way of identifying and assessing the environmental effects of building materials over their entire life cycle, through their extraction, processing, construction, use and maintenance and their eventual demolition and disposal.
The reason for producing the agreed methodology is to ensure consistent assessment of different types of building materials, elements and whole buildings and to help the user by reducing the number of confusing claims about the environmental properties of alternative building products.
We are in the process of getting the SEL Source Control System evaluated by BREEAM in order to find out how many credits it accumulates for the end user.
Areas in which we know it scores well are:
- The SEL Source Control System provides a full Sustainable Drainage System in line with current guidelines and legislation.
- The SEL Source Control System includes Flow Control measures which help prevent downstream flooding and erosion.
- With up to 6 stages of treatment available, the SEL Source Control System treats diffuse pollution at source, without the need for resource rich treatment further downstream.
- SEL Permavoid® units are manufactured from recycled material, are recyclable and reusable.
- 1m3 of SEL Permavoid® provides the equivalent total void as 3m3 of uniformly graded imported aggregate when being used to provide attenuation. One full load of SEL Permavoid® is equivalent to potentially 20 loads of aggregate. Bearing in mind the possibility of vehicles leaving the site empty, this equates to potentially 38 less vehicle movements.
- As SEL Permavoid® can be installed as a sub-base replacement there is little excavation and therefore little muck away required. To provide attenuation, you would need to excavate three times deeper to provide the equivalent void capacity with uniformly graded imported aggregate than if you were using SEL Permavoid®. If you were providing the same void capacity as one full load of SEL Permavoid®, you would end up requiring an additional 26 loads of muck away (allowing the normal 30% bulking factor). Bearing in mind vehicles potentially arriving at the site empty, this equates to potentially 52 less vehicle movements.
- The above points therefore indicate that in certain circumstances one full load of SEL Permavoid® could replace 90 HGV vehicle movements!
- If you use SEL Permavoid® you will require less landfill space to dispose of excavated material; this is especially valuable when the material is contaminated.
- Using the SEL Source Control System greatly reduces the quantity and size of both underground pipe and chambers required against a traditionally constructed Surface Water Drainage System. This further reduces vehicle movements, the amount of time spent on site by machinery, the volumes of material excavated and therefore the amount of imported aggregate or concrete required for backfilling.