Building a sustainable future with CLT

With all eyes very much on the built environment getting its house in order in the sustainability spotlight, one solution might be waiting neatly packaged for developers to consider. Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), has many advantages over traditional build materials in terms of cost, speed and safety of construction and, critically, environmental concerns. Softwood boards […]

EV target needs to be sooner

MPs have warned the UK must stop selling diesel and petrol cars by 2030 as electric vehicles will match them in terms of range and price by then. Members of the climate change committee recommend bringing forward the target date previously set for such a ban of 2040. That is the date by which all […]

BEIS to launch energy efficiency consultation on commercial buildings

A Government consultation is to determine measures to drive up improvements in the energy and emissions record of commercial buildings. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has described the sector as a ‘huge untapped area’ for improvements. The fact that about 60% of commercial buildings are rented can lead to issues around […]

Draft Environment Bill ‘severely downgrades’ environmental laws from EU standards, MPs warn

The UK Government’s draft Environment Bill would lead to significant environmental policies being ‘severely downgraded’ in comparison to current EU rules, MPs have warned following their scrutiny of proposals. The Environmental Audit Committee criticised the Environment Principles and Governance Bill as ‘lacking coherence’ and claimed it leaves “many Governmental departments exempt” from environmental responsibilities. Committee […]

Developers urged to consider impacts on wildlife

Developers have been warned to take more care to protect wildlife habitats when undertaking construction projects following concerns raised over netting being placed over trees and hedges. In a letter to developers, Communities Secretary James Brokenshire MP reminded developers of their legal obligations to consider the impact of their work on wildlife and take action […]

Ecology advice after huge fine for developers who destroyed bat roost

Clients have been warned to consider ecology in the initial stages of their planning proposals after a huge fine was imposed on a development company for the illegal destruction of a building where protected bats were known to roost. Landrose Developments was fined £18,820 at Brent Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to destroying the breeding […]

New carbon tax model could make polluters fund green policies

Ministers are being urged to introduce a raft of policies paid for by a new carbon tax model that would make corporates in the oil and gas sector pay a premium for failing to decarbonise after a new Friends of the Earth report revealed at least £44 billion worth of costs are being caused through […]

Why the construction industry needs to embrace the fourth industrial revolution

The construction industry has been urged to shed its decades-old working practices and embrace the wave of digitalisation sweeping the global economy if it is to shake free of stagnation and flourish with trillions of dollars of cost savings. The fourth industrial revolution, as it has been termed, has seen a revolutionary merging of the […]

Syntegra Group acquires Building Services Group Ltd (BSG)

Syntegra Group are delighted to announce the acquisition of hotel specialist M&E consultants Building Services Group Ltd (BSG). The move transforms Syntegra into a 35-strong team working out of five offices (London/Reading/Tonbridge/Bristol/Leeds) with M&E design services now providing 55% of its portfolio. Alan King – Syntegra Managing Director – said: ‘With this move, we have strengthened […]

Biodiversity net gain guidance launched

Development plans are set to include detailed calculations on the biodiversity net gain of their projects in a bid to reverse losses of natural habitats from previous construction schemes. Industry associations have teamed up to produce guidance on the scheme first launched by DEFRA to improve provision of natural habitats for species potentially displaced by […]

Government measures needed to get tough on housing stock to meet carbon reduction targets

Legally binding carbon reduction targets will not be met in the UK unless the Government takes steps to tackle the “increasingly uncomfortable and unsafe” existing housing stock and implements stringent measures around new build projects. That is the conclusion of a report by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). The report criticises the withdrawal of […]

How could a no-deal Brexit affect the UK’s low-carbon energy transition?

Brexit…love it or loathe it, there’s simply no getting away from it as the divorce deadline looms ever closer with as much confusion as ever (if not more) about what life after Brussels will look like for Britain.With all the debates and meetings going on, publicly and behind closed doors, it’s clearly impossible to keep […]

UK cities to become ‘climate hubs’ under new £3.5m scheme

Energy efficiency improvements must doubl

A series of ‘climate hubs’ are to be created in some of the UK’s major cities bringing together research and best practice to tackle the decarbonisation issue. The Government’s £3.5m initiative, the Place-based Climate Action Network (P-CAN), will cover work in Edinburgh, Belfast, Leeds and some projects in London. The Department for Business, Energy and […]

It’s a snow-brainer – remote working is a sustainable business option

It’s that time of year when we’ve all got one eye on the weather app or out of the window to check for snow and the chance of a snow-day remote working from home. But should businesses capitalise on people’s enthusiasm for remote working and actively encourage it – not just rely on goodwill when […]

Syntegra project nominated for award

A project which Syntegra’s acoustics team were involved with has been nominated for an industry award. The New Build Site at Callum Court, 32-42 High Street, Purley, has been shortlisted in the Best Small Development category at the First Time Buyers Awards 2019. Awards literature says the award ‘will be given to small developments that […]

The 10 Year Challenge: How the UK’s low-carbon economy has changed

As our clients know, here at Syntegra we like to read widely around our subject to broaden our knowledge and expertise and spend a considerable amount of time explaining to potential new customers how making even very small changes to their sustainability record can have an impact on their environmental footprint. So we were delighted […]

Measures introduced to tackle poor indoor air quality at children’s nurseries

Five London nurseries in some of London’s most polluted areas are to trial new air quality filtration studies after research indicated indoor pollution levels can be much higher than outside. The systems are set to reduce NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 as studies show that children exposed to these smaller pollution particles and gases are more […]

Building Project: Bellenden Road photographic studio site

turnkey energy efficient building consultant

Project Info Client: Formal Property Group Completion Year: 2018 mechanical, electrical and plumbing design Location: Peckham, SE London The mechanical, electrical and plumbing design of a venture to transform a former photographic studio into modern residential spaces has been undertaken by Syntegra. Our team have been working on the site in Bellenden Road, Peckham, south […]

UK Clean Air Strategy launched

The UK Government has unveiled its Clean Air Strategy to how it will tackle all sources of air pollution. Exposure to the pollution still present in our atmosphere is one the UK’s biggest public health challenges, shortening lifespans and damaging quality of life for many people. It also harms the natural environment. Clean air is […]

See you on the slopes

Syntegra MD Alan King is networking with a difference this week – with built environment colleagues on the ski slopes. He’s representing the company at PropSki 2019 in the world famous ski resort of Chamonix in France – informal networking with hundreds of peers from dozens of international companies. The event, set up in 2012, […]

Emissions increase – focus on the built environment

The first rise in Co2 emissions for four years has been recorded by UN scientists who announced their findings on the eve of a follow-up to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. To meet the goals of the Paris deal, global emissions need to peak by 2020. But the UN emissions gap report suggests that won’t happen […]

Emissions reduction and cash savings identified by use of low carbon technologies

Carbon emissions from energy generation and use could be cut by more than half with the introduction of low carbon technologies, a new report has indicated. Electric vehicles, renewable energy and innovative new fuels could help power the shift and lead to a reduction in emissions of 54%, says the report, ‘Technology – the climate […]

Solar powered homes mandatory

In a bid to escape the bitter Brexit debates this week, I cast my reading net further afield and was pleasantly surprised by some brighter news from across the Pond. The item that caught my eye? It’s official: any new homes built in California after 2020 will have to be at least partially solar powered. The […]