Build Magazine December 2015

Build Magazine 5 National standard aims to promote better home design to contribute to householders’ improved living conditions The UK’s new Home Quality Mark (HQM) is an impartial, 5-star rating scheme for new build homes that has been created to benefit householders across the UK. Registered HQM homes will result in reduced household energy bills, and contribute towards an improvement in householders’ health and wellbeing. Created by BRE, the UK’s leading building science centre, which gift-aids its profits to the BRE Trust, a registered charity that works to improve the quality and sustainability of the country’s buildings and built environment, the HQM has been designed to empower and enhance the lives of both buyers and renters of new residential properties. It is expected that new homes meeting the highest HQM criteria will be up to 50% more energy effi- cient than existing dwellings in the UK. Additionally, they are being built to ameliorate a wide range of health-related issues brought about by inferior qual- ity housing. These include poor air quality, cramped and badly designed living spaces and the impacts of climate change, such as flooding. With the number of annual deaths in the UK that occur due to a lack of heat predicted to rise by 257% by 2050, as well as 5.4million people suffering from asthma in the UK, improving air quality in the home is of increasing importance. With approximately three people dying every single day from this respiratory condition, a healthy indoor air environment underpinned by quality air filtration and humidity control in homes is required. Those living in properties with absent or inefficient heating systems are particularly vulnerable, as are fuel-poor families: those who spend 10% of their income on maintaining a satisfactory indoor temperature. The HQM addresses a gap in the market and a public desire for a consumer-focused housing standard that is authoritative, clearly understand- able and which communicates the immediate and tangible benefits of high quality housing. According to recent surveys conducted on behalf of BRE, over 65% of people said if they were buying or renting a property, it would be important for it to have sustain- ability features. One in five would be prepared to NCC Sells Share in Property Project in Berlin NCC is selling a share of the Sonnengarten property project to Industria Wohnen for approximately SEK 515 million. The project, developed and built between 1999 and 2002, comprises 362 completed rental apartments, 13 commercial units and 169 parking spaces. The property project is located in Glienicke/ Nordbahn, north of Berlin. In 2006, NCC entered a sale and leaseback agreement for the properties included in the project. This structure has now been dissolved through this transaction and NCC’s share of the property-owning company is being sold to the Germany-based investment company Industria Wohnen. The purchase is being carried out on behalf of the residential fund Energieeffizientes Wohnen, which specializes in rental units with low energy consumption. “This specific project on the northern Ber- lin city border is fully occupied and highly appreciated by tenants. Over the past fifteen years, NCC has produced more than 1,600 housing and commercial units in the area,” says Joachim Hallengren, Business Area Manager, NCC Housing. The project will be handed over and recognized in revenue for the NCC Housing business area in the fourth quarter of 2015. This is the type of information that NCC could be obligated to disclose pursuant to the Securities Market Act. The information was issued for publication on November 26, at 8 a.m. About NCC Our vision is to renew our industry and provide superior sustaina- ble solutions. NCC is one of the leading companies in construction, property development and infrastructure in Northern Europe, with sales of SEK 57 billion and 18,000 employees in 2014. The NCC share is listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange. pay a higher price for a property with a sustainabili- ty stamp of approval. Indicative of the high levels of industry support for HQM is the announcement that leading house builders HAB, CALA Homes, Lendlease, Kier, Pock- et Living and Weinerberger are already contributing study sites across the UK in locations including London, Oxford, Royston, Sunderland, Watford, Winchester and Witney. Of the new Mark, Simon McWhirter, Head of Com- munications and Sales at Kevin McCloud’s HAB, says “It’s incredibly difficult for house-buyers to make informed decisions about the environmental performance of their homes if they’re doing so in a vacuum, which in effect is the present situation following the demise of the Code for Sustainable Homes. So we’re excited to be involved in the development of the Home Quality Mark scheme. It’s essential that there is a clear mechanism in place that our customers can understand, trust and also that we as developers can rely on to demonstrate the benefits and quality of new homes.” Gwyn Roberts, BRE New Homes and Communi- ties Team Leader, goes on to explain that ‘‘HQM aims to significantly contribute to the future of our housing industry, to set a new national standard and to become the de-facto sign of a better home. By talking directly to the consumer, we strive to encourage greater awareness and appreciation of the Mark’s merits and the varied and wide-reaching benefits it can bring to residents of all ages across the UK. The Government is aware of the Mark and is keeping a close eye on its progress.” Home Quality Mark Offers Consumers the Chance to Choose a Healthier, Smarter & Cheaper to Run Home