Sustainability and the Built Environment Sustainable construction is the set of processes needed to deliver built assets which: Cause minimum damage to the natural and social environment Minimise the use of resources Enhance the quality of life Will be acceptable to future generations (DETR, 1999)

Sustainability and the Built Environment The six Guiding principles to enhance sustainability in the Housing Construction Industry (The Housing Forum) Reduce carbon dioxide emission Minimise pollution Consider the Whole Life Cost of the development Use resources to their maximum utility Provide for integrated communities Consult and engage existing communities

Sustainability and the Built Environment Guiding principles to enhance sustainability in the Housing Construction Industry Reduce carbon dioxide emission 28% of total energy use is within the housing sector Of which 86% is used for space and water heating Through effecting designs that rely on renewable energy Specifying materials that have low Embodied Energy. i.e. energy in the form of transportation, manufacture and disposal of the material Contractors observing energy saving measures through good house keeping

Sustainability and the Built Environment Guiding principles to enhance sustainability in the Housing Construction Industry Minimise pollution Through effective water management techniques Effective site management to avoid pollution Specifying non hazardous materials Consider the Whole Life Cost of the development Optimising the cost of maintenance Flexibility in the use of the dwelling Quality of workmanship

Sustainability and the Built Environment Guiding principles to enhance sustainability in the Housing Construction Industry Use resources to their maximum utility Developing effective strategy for waste management Designing buildings that are desirable and therefore can stand the test of time and not demolished within few years ….(achievable through customer satisfaction surveys) Designing integrated products that minimise waste (prefabrication and modular construction) Efficient management of trades during the construction of the facility

Sustainability and the Built Environment Guiding principles to enhance sustainability in the Housing Construction Industry Provide for integrated communities Planning to meet the housing requirements of the whole community through: Proper site selection Involvement of local stakeholders Use of local labour and professionals to help retain income within the local community

Sustainability and the Built Environment Guiding principles to enhance sustainability in the Housing Construction Industry Consult and engage existing communities Involving the existing communities in the planning process Maintaining level of openness through open days during the construction process

Sustainability/Environmental impact appraisal of alternatives Opportunities for influence on environmental/sustainability issues in a project Sustainability/Environmental impact appraisal of alternatives routes, sites, technologies new build v. re-use Life cycle studies Selection of advisors and design team Feasibility Studies Brief writing, including environmental/sustainable targets Stakeholder engagement Decision to build Project environment policies Innovative design solutions Performance specifications Outline Designs Environmental impact assessment Sustainability appraisal Public/community engagement Planning Permission

Scheme Design Tenders Construct Hand-over Commission Refurb/ Demolish Opportunities for influence on environmental/sustainability issues in a project Performance specifications for systems and products Life-cycle cost analysis Scheme Design Materials/component specifications Contractor selection based on environmental issues Tenders Construction planning Environmental management systems Waste management Construct Final environmental performance assessment/verification Energy/building management systems Hand-over Commission Environmental evaluation of options Adaptation for new use Demolition for re-cycling Refurb/ Demolish

Sustainability and the Built Environment BREEAM BRE Environmental Assessment Method For the manufacture of building materials (life cycle analysis of materials in BREEAM Specification: The Green Guide) design stage (BREEAM Envest and BREEAM Buildings) during construction (BREEAM Smartwaste) and post construction (BREEAM Buildings). BREEAM Specification and BREEAM LCA look at the environmental impacts of construction materials.

Sustainability and the Built Environment Environmental Profiles Methodology standardised method of assessing environmental effects of building materials over life cycle allow designers to demand reliable and comparable environmental information about competing building materials objective and workable approach that could be developed to deal with all building materials used in the Green Guide to Specification

Sustainability and the Built Environment Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Establishment of a calculation methodology: To calculate energy performance of buildings Minimum energy performance requirements: To be set for new buildings and for large existing buildings when they are refurbished; Energy performance certificate: To be made available whenever buildings are constructed, sold or rented out; Inspections of boilers and air-conditioning: Regular inspections of boilers and heating systems and inspection of air conditioning systems must be established