Construction of the UK’s first eco town, North West Bicester (NW Bicester), in Oxfordshire has begun.  Lead developer A2Dominion has started preparing the site for building works to commence for the initial phase, which will form part of the long-term vision to provide up to 6,000 sustainable new homes for Bicester.

The first phase of this pioneering development, known as the Exemplar, will see the construction of 393 highly energy efficient, zero carbon homes, creating the UK’s first true zero carbon community. This ground-breaking development will comprise of 40% green space, integrating cutting edge technology, economic opportunities and community engagement, with environmental integrity at its core.

Specifiers looking to maximise the energy efficiency of their clients’ central heating system should choose a magnetic filter before considering anything else, according to Eclipse Magnetics.

As well as improving energy efficiency by up to 6%, specifying a magnetic filter such as BoilerMag combats the problem of ferrous oxide or black sludge and in doing so avoids radiator cold spots, poor circulation, blocked pipes, excessive noise, frequent breakdowns and premature pump wear.

Construction firm G F Tomlinson has completed a new £15 million school building project.

The new Tibshelf Community School in Tibshelf, Derbyshire has been designed and constructed to accommodate more than 750 students from the local community.

Birmingham City University’s new multi-million pound flagship campus has been honoured with the ‘Sustainability Award’ at the recent Insider West Midlands Property Awards, beating competition from Birmingham Library and Two Snowhill.

The flagship Parkside Building, based in Eastside in Birmingham City Centre, was praised by judges for the ‘attention to detail’ put into the project; considering low carbon and low impact design and technologies, whilst also achieving BREEAM Excellent as a measure of its true sustainability credential.