Correspondence: Jonathan Scott, The Robert Gordon University, Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen AB10 7QB, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1224 263710; Fax: +44 (0) 1224 263777; E-mail: j.r.scott@rgu.ac.uk

¹has worked in research and teaching for The Robert Gordon University on a variety of projects, developing his interests in the areas of environmental design, energy monitoring, lifecycle analysis, social and occupancy evaluation. He completed his PhD in the field of environmental design in 2004, and he has since been employed as a research fellow at The Robert Gordon University.

²is Director of the Environments for People Research Centre and Research Coordinator of the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment. Since 1998 he has developed the portfolio of Architecture and Built Environment research in RGU from practice-based projects to more mainstream European and Research Council funding. He has published around 80 papers on a wide range of subjects including sustainability, assistive technology, disability and rural planning and development issues.

³is Reader at the Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment and has extensive experience of research concerning the evaluation of greenspace, the use of computer modelling within urban landscapes, environmental valuation within built heritage conservation and the strategic use of research within urban planning processes. A Chartered Surveyor, he has previously undertaken research and consultancy work for the EC, Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Executive and the EPSRC, and is currently undertaking further research commissions for NHS Estates and the ESRC.

Received 27 October 2006; Revised 27 October 2006.

Abstract

The development of an Environmental Site Assessment tool is described which is designed to be used by planners and developers of speculative housing, for the appraisal of whole new housing developments. The aim of the tool is to establish the implications of trade-offs between passive solar designs and more conventional suburban housing, while achieving a particular site density target. The tool can determine what the effect of changing housing density will have upon a passive solar development. The whole life financial and environmental costs are then calculated accordingly for a housing project. Although the research has involved detailed analysis of building performance, the focus of the tool is on the footprint of the house and the early stage design of housing layouts. Thus, it can have an influence on passive solar performance from the earliest part of the planning process, even before the sketch design stage. The intention, with further development of the tool, is to provide a comparative analysis between dominant current approaches and emerging environmental methods of construction in housing developments. At this stage, the tool is a prototype which aims to simplify a focused range of complex planning issues to give an informed and best case scenario of anticipated costs and emissions over the lifecycle of housing developments. Although this tool is aimed at smoothing the adoption of more sustainable housing practice during the planning stage, by providing discourse between local authority planners and the builders of housing developments, ultimately the main aim is to benefit the environment by reducing emissions and the homebuyer by reducing household energy costs and increasing comfort.