Case Studies#
One of the most important things for groups to realise is that the way the building is currently used or managed won’t necessarily continue in the future - sometimes, the right change is one that also changes these aspects of the building. To help with this thinking, in session 1, we provide two fictionalised case studies describing community groups that made major changes.
At this point in the sessions, we haven’t introduced any technical content about building changes, so it’s very likely the group will be uncertain about some things. That’s a natural part of the planning process! Here are some topics that we think are likely to come up. For the technical aspects, it’s enough to say that we’ll be considering a range of building changes in session 2 and there will be explanations available for them, but we include some basics here in case a brief comment from the engineer will help the group move the discussion on.
Case study 1:
Changing from church to community control of this building was essential to its success, but that can be a very emotive process.
This strategy of staging works and causes shorter periods of disruption (allowing work, for instance, during school holidays) but you need to plan carefully to get change in the right order and be ready to make changes to the plan as technologies and grants change
It’s a bit unusual to use infrared panels as the sole heating in a building that’s used a lot without any source of background heat, but it works for their users - they’re relatively warm because they’re surrounded by tall buildings.
Some conservationists are now suggesting that some buildings might not need heating to preserve the building itself at all, as long as they are absolutely water tight and well-ventilated (including the walls), and don’t contain special items like oil paintings; others recommend having some way of maintaining a minimum “setback” temperature.
Because of the heating strategy, this group didn’t go for lots of heat loss measures.
Case study 2:
Biomass isn’t allowed in built up areas, and UK policy documents express the aspiration that eventually biomass will only get used in power stations where they can also use carbon capture. However, with the right fuel stock, the carbon footprint of burning the biomass is offset by the carbon taken out of the atmosphere when the biomass grows. That makes it carbon neutral. Biomass is far better than burning oil and an attractive option for many rural buildings. Biomass for community buildings is at the very least a transitional strategy. It’s really hard to predict when that will no longer be the case.
This group didn’t have to go for underfloor heating - biomass creates a high enough temperature to feed radiators - but this means that eventually they can shift to a heat pump if that becomes a good move for them.
It’s often necessary to pay ahead for a small amount of professional advice to get started, but the larger professional fees can be built into the grant itself.
The reading materials include links to a range of real-life case studies that could be of interest to some group members.