Need

Despite huge local expertise, there is nowhere in Cornwall where the Green Build suppliers can engage the public with this knowledge. There is still widespread ignorance of the urgent need to adapt both our existing and new buildings to reduce their effect on the climate and dwindling finite resources. It has been difficult to reach the general public and to get them to understand that we all have to change our wasteful lifestyles and that making these changes is a life enhancing process.

Solution

Green Build Cornwall Foundation will be located at The Eden Project and will bring together green build specialists from the charity, commercial and academic spheres. It will demonstrate tangibly what can and is being done in Cornwall. It will be designed and built as a cutting edge sustainable building exercise. It will be University monitored and used for training, awareness raising and sharing of best practice. All collaborators will be able to use the facility to engage with the public

Aims

To build an exemplar sustainable centre to interface between Green Build suppliers and the public.

Activities

» Publicise proposal and design. Rally support from potential collaborators in launch event & raise awareness of need to donate in December
» Locate strategic site, get owners to agree collaborative terms, preferably a gift; Prepare design brief & get materials donations agreed & donated
» Submit planning application, agree training integration, Get Project management plan, get contractors signed up, site preliminaries.
» Complete centre build & incorporate training, install monitoring and recording of whole process. Use media to generate interest in completed Centre

Success will be. Demonstrated by the completed build project

Use building process and result to implement CSBT Charter 2020 to share learning and best practice.

Activities

» By integrating training and recording of best practice during the build process
» Film and record building process including challenges and how they are overcome
» By engaging all collaborators to utilise and publicise their involvement in the building and to participate in a Green Building Foundation demo event.
» By involving the sustainable construction curriculum development manager in the process and capturing the learning in the developing new curriculum

Success will be shown by the collaborative partnership developed to build the centre all having implemented the CSBT Charter 2020 to share best practice and learning. (see Charter)

To increase understanding and awareness of sustainable construction methods

Activities

» U tube and media publicity of the project from inception to completion. Regular e newsletters, web posted reports and local press and media cover
» Develop curriculum and training courses for both the industry and general public based on knowledge and learning acquired and organise conducted tours
» Open book recording process including mistakes and costings, in order to demystify & remove fear of methods; integrated training and site monitoring.

Success will be measured by the level of interest in the project demonstrated by training participation, web hits, curriculum development and attendance at open days and events.

Establish academic partners to monitor and report on post occupancy efficiency and lessons learned.

Activities

» Combined Universities in Cornwall graduate energy dissertation projects and benign material monitoring R & D with Bath University on innovations.
» Allow graduate research into social effects of Foundation on behaviour and lifestyle changes. Post Graduate researcher from Plymouth University.
» Seek to engage Pan-European partners to share and compare climatically adapted buildings. Links with other climatic regions and exemplar buildings.

Success will be seen in academic reports generated and disseminated.

Impact

Long term changes will be shown by the main-streaming of sustainable construction from the exception to the Norm. The curriculum will be adapted to the needs of the 21st Century and it will have been demonstrated that training can be implemented on site, whilst innovation is happening. The latest developments will provide a shop window where the public can easily relate green techniques to their own lives and houses. CSBT will have a learning base that partners and public can share and utilise.

Risk

Risks are many and rewards are high. We may not get a site donated, so we are appealing to a number of landowners, who could all benefit from the project. We need our collaborators to really help us with free supplies of time, materials, labour etc. We believe we are a catalytic and doing organisation where all associates will gain significantly from joint success. Insufficient donations in December to match our summer pledges. We plan an autumn publicity event to inspire and engage supporter

Reporting

By e-newsletters and web based updates. We will also be making videos of progress for U-tube and we will be providing regular, at least monthly, media updates. We will monitor progress and organise guided site visits during the build & we will set up a donors e-reporting system.

Budget - Project Cost: £995,000

Current Funding / Pledges

Source	Amount
Sustain Cornwall Ltd	£8,000	Guaranteed
Sustain Cornwall Limited	£2,000	Conditional

Location

It will be located strategically in Mid-Cornwall at the Eden Project, on land in the China Clay area. It will serve the whole of Cornwall with a resident population in excess of 500,000. Cornwall and particularly Mid Cornwall is still classed as a post industrial deprived area. The main employer in the area has been china clay extraction, now declining. It is the location of the first proposed Poly-centric Eco-town developments. This centre will be to inform and inspire the whole community.

Beneficiaries

The whole population of Cornwall and potentially beyond by having a physical exemplar centre of Green Building Excellence, that they can learn from and apply to their own properties. Local people, both recently redundant and new workers will be able to gain new skills which can be taken forward to contribute to the Eco-town, the Beach and other forthcoming developments. Wider academia and the sustainable construction curriculum will benefit from schools to H. E. + the entire Construction Sector

Why Us?

Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust has established itself in the last decade as the catalyst in Cornwall for progressing sustainable construction. With over 1000 associates and a history of major influence on companies and organisations locally, regionally and nationally. It is the Charity that serves only the principles of Sustainable Development and Its aim is to work with all parties towards the common aim of Sustainability. Since 2002 CSBT has been preparing the ground for this foundation.

Read more about the Charity running this project.

People

Paul Bright Chief Executive, Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust (CSBT)

CSBT is the lead organisation & it hosts EU Convergence, Construction Sector Coordinator. As CEO Paul Bright will oversee the delivery of the project

Claire Maye, CSBT & E.U. Convergence, Construction Sector Cordinator

Claire Maye will administer the project and arrange and coordinate the construction training and liaise with the Curriculum Development Manager.

John Stagg/ Partner

Cornwall College Head of Faculty of Technology, Corporate Lead for Construction will oversee the Curriculum Development Manager and training on site

Dr Tony Kendle/ Partner

As Director of the Eden Foundation, Dr. Kendle will be able to oversee the dissemination of learning and best practice in events at the Eden Project