Gwynne Anthony 2020

ART506 Dissertation 2019. Anthony Gwynne . 26 labour. In 1918, the BMRC came up with the use of concrete as an alternative to brick and stone as a building material for the construction of walls and the use of a cavity between the wall leaves to prevent damp and retain heat. The outcome was the general use of cavity walls we know and use today www.socialhousinghistory.uk) . In 1965, prevention of energy waste for homes was first introduced into the Building Regulations when it became a requirement to reduce heat loss through the building fabric. For comparison, U-values (see 4.3 for an explanation of U-values) for walls in 1965 were 1.7 compared with 0.21 today; roof 1.5 compared with 0.15 today; ground floors had no requirement compared with 0.18 today; windows 4.8 compared with 1.6 today (www.thegreenage.co.uk) . Plastic damp proof membranes also became a requirement in solid ground floors (fet.uwe.ac.uk) . In 1984, the Building Act first introduced the Approved Documents to provide practical guidance in support of the Building Regulations (Paragraph 3.3.1 (iii). Changes in legislation led to the Building Regulations and Approved Documents we use to construct buildings in the UK today (Paragraph 3.3.1). For example: Approved Document C states the resistance to moisture in buildings as follows: (i) Ground supported floors (moisture from the ground) Any ground supported floor will meet the requirement if the ground is covered with dense concrete laid on a hardcore bed and a damp-proof membrane is provided. Suitable insulation may be incorporated (Figure 7 ).