Sustainable Housing Design Principles
Critical review of a sustainable housing development – case study analysis
（Hassalo on Eighth, Portland, USA）
The main academic objective of the coursework is to provide you with a rounded background in the
principles of sustainable housing design. The techniques and skills learned aim to provide a path for current
and prospective housing professionals when undertaking their research dissertation and in future
professional life.
The context of this work is that you have been commissioned to produce a research report to critically
review a sustainable housing scheme (generally a development consisting of more than 10 dwellings). A key
question is, “Is it Sustainable ” for this you will need to consider what “Sustainable” means and you are very
likely to find it helpful to structure your report around an existing Sustainability Framework, such as Home
Quality Mark or One Planet Living.
As a researcher the project has one output: a professional report. The report should begin with a 1-page
executive summary (around 300 words) which is a full summary of the entire document. You need to
convince the reader (the client) succinctly that the report is worthy of their further attention, essentially by
conveying very clearly:
Content Section
Why is sustainable housing important and why now Introduction
What is the current state of play in sustainable housing,
including assessment methods of sustainability
Literature review
Describe the case study development and how you
gathered the data to assess its sustainability.
Methodology
What does the data gathered tell you about the
sustainability of the development.
Results and Analysis
Did the development achieve its aims, is it sustainable,
should this be repeated, what lessons can be learnt
Discussion and conclusions
The project outline is described in more detail below.
You will probably need to investigate a range of environmental issues associated with your case study. A key
part of the work will be to select a framework for sustainability that you can define, and then assess your
case study against. You are trying to answer the key questions:
– Is this development sustainable
– Which bits work well
– Which don’t
– How can the findings from your studies be applied to the wider context, maybe nationally or
internationally
–
The coursework has four main parts. Some preparatory work will be needed in order to manage your time
and resources.
– review the existing knowledge in the field, (literature review), this can be generally around
sustainable housing, and can also be specific about a particular sustainable feature.
– gather as much data about your development as you can that will help you to assess it. Probably this
will be mainly desk based research, but may include some photos of the development if appropriate.
Also, this could include getting EPC ratings information for some representative dwellings in your
case study.
– try and synthesise knowledge by analysing your gathered data. Is the development performing well
on each of the sustainability categories you are considering
– The last part is to bring it all together as a coherent report, with conclusions, trying to apply your
findings to the wider case of; should any or all of these successful features be replicated does the
planning system need to be amended somehow to encourage the good features and discourage the
less good ones If so, how
Project management and literature review
You will have to carry out background research on current knowledge and standards for sustainable
housing design. In addition, you should identify skills you need to acquire in order to carry out subsequent
work, such as analysis in Excel, or modelling using a simulation program for example, and allocate time to
improve these areas.
Data collection through survey
You should attempt to gather data that can be used to survey your chosen case study across a range of
factors, which contribute to its environmental quality, including its thermal, lighting and acoustic performance.
Here, you might use Google Earth, and/or plans submitted to the relevant local authority. You could also
check estate agent details and occasionally social media.
In your report you will almost certainly need to include a floorplan indicating orientation, along with any
relevant sections and elevations. The dimensions need not be exact, but good approximations will be
required.
You should also try and take sufficient information to be able to produce a basic simulation model of the
housing scheme – including orientation, site information, functions, occupancy pattern, building fabric,
system characteristics, etc, (even if you don’t do the simulation itself!).
A table containing basic overview information of the development will be helpful, this sho
uld include; number
of dwellings, year completed, any sustainability rating awarded, density of dwellings per hectare, and the
PTAL assessment. Refer to Chapter 3 of The Environmental Design Pocketbook for more ideas.
Site Assessment:
Using the tools, you will need to make an assessment of the site, this is very likely to include, climate, sun
path, bioclimatic information, and local amenities and facilities. You will need to work out how to present this
information clearly and succinctly.
EPC / Standard assessment procedure (SAP):
You may be able to estimate the current energy rating of your case study by finding Energy Performance
Certificates (EPC) online, and comparing it to a suitable benchmark.
Data collection through carrying out your own standard assessment procedure (SAP):
Only if you have sufficient data, and modelling skills, can you undertake this option. If you do, it is important
to only model the housing scheme at a level that addresses the needs of the analysis, in other words do not
get carried away by the detail.
Thermal simulation:
Only if you are familiar with thermal modelling software, you could try to estimate heating and cooling loads
during the course of a year in your case study. You may also be able to use information gained from EPC’s.
You may present these results in your report as spreadsheet or figures. The thermal modelling may use
simulation tools such as Climate Consultant, Ecotect, Passive Design Assistant, Sefaira, DesignBuilder etc.
Occupant survey (Note: it is very likely to be impossible to do this!):
In certain cases you may find you are able to obtain information from; residents, the facility manager or a
design team member for further insight into the housing scheme; perhaps via facebook resident association
information or Airbnb reviews for example. Do not send anything at all to any residents!
Data analysis
This part of the project will involve the analysis of the gathered data to identify the key sustainable drivers of
the case study, as well as any relationships between them. For instance, you may attempt to identify which
sustainable features or factors influence the energy use or the reported occupant satisfaction the most. You
are looking for evidence for general relationships, and to identify the specific conditions of your case study.
You need to assess the sustainability of the development against a sustainability framework of your choice
such as Code for Sustainable Homes / One Planet Living / LEED etc, and also work out a way to present
if, and how, the development is sustainable across a number of categories.
Data reporting – Putting it all together in a final report
The finished report should combine all the work and analysis into a coherent structure. You have to
summarise the key findings for your review of your case study, as well as any recommended actions. A well_x005f structured report that presents all the information and analysis concisely and in a consistent way, will receive
higher marks.
page 2 of 3
page 3 of 3
Final report:
The main body of the report should be 2700 WORDS excluding the Executive Summary/Abstract,
captions, tables, references and appendices. The total length should be no more than 20 PAGES in total,
excluding references and appendices, but including the Executive Summary, tables, figures etc.
It is not easy keeping to 20 pages, as you must include relevant data and link all aspects of the work
together in the conclusions. Try and only include information that is relevant. A sample of the collected data
may be included as an appendix. Other supporting information can also go in the appendix, such as
modelling inputs.
Tips on preparing your report
As far as possible, treat the report as a scientific or professional report, so include references to any
relevant sources using Harvard referencing style.
Label and number every figure and table, also add page numbers, by convention, figure labels are
below the figure, and labels for tables should be above the table.
Before handing in, go through the report and identify the purpose of each paragraph and graph,
avoid putting in graphs, pictures and charts unnecessarily – in other words, be a tough editor on
yourself.
Assume that the reader is educated but not necessarily a specialist in this field. It also will help if you
have someone else (such as another student or a friend, who is unfamiliar with the project) read the
report.
In the assessment, marks will be awarded for the following, in the proportion shown.
Marking Scheme Grade guide
mark 1 Introduction: basic description and aims of study 10% Grade %
mark 2 Literature review 20% A 70 – 100
mark 3 Range of data collection, 20% B 60 – 69
mark 4 Critical analysis and discussion of material 20% C 50 -59
mark 5 Conclusion 20% FAIL 0 – 49
mark 6 Presentation and Structure of report 10%