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Sustainability in building design and construction

Sustainability is a broad term describing a desire to carry out activities without depleting resources or having harmful impacts,
defined by the Brundtland Commission as 'meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.' (ref. Brundtland Commission, Our Common Future, 1987 ).

Some broader descriptions include social and economic sustainability (which along with environmental sustainability comprise
the three pillars of sustainability) although these can confuse the basic issue of the depletion of resources.

Sustainability in building developments is a vast and complex subject that must be considered from the very earliest stages as
the potential environmental impacts are very significant (ref. Technology Strategy Board).

The built environment accounts for:

45% of total UK carbon emissions (27% from domestic buildings and 18% from non-domestic).

72% of domestic emissions arise from space heating and the provision of hot water.
32% of landfill waste comes from the construction and demolition of buildings.
13% of products delivered to construction sites are sent directly to landfill without being used.

Once it has been decided to build a new building, as opposed to say changing working practices or refurbishing an
existing building, a very significant commitment to consumeresources has already been
made. Designers and contractors may be able to help limit that consumption, but they cannot change the overall commitment.

This consumption of resources can be even more significant if the client makes a decision to relocate, with the impact this has
on their staff, requiring that they either move house or change their travel plans. Decisions such as this which are often made
outside of any environmentalassessment process can have a far greater impact on sustainability than decisions
that designers are able to influence such as the form of the building and selection of materials.

Key decisions may be picked up by an environmental impact assessment on larger projects, but even then, this can be a
post-rationalisation process used to justify decisions to the local planning authority, rather than a genuine decision-making
process.

Clients may wish therefore to appoint an independent client adviser with specialist knowledgeof sustainability during the very
early stages of their project (before the consultant team has been appointed) to help them address these high-level decisions.

Clients may have an existing environmental policy, that sets out an overall sustainability vision, as well as detailed objectives
and targets. They may also have environmental accreditationsuch as ISO 14000 (a series of standards which provides
a framework for environmentalmanagement).

Other standards may be imposed by funders, the building regulations, and planning legislation(including the possible need for
an environmental impact assessment). It is wise however to write a specific environmental plan for the development being
considered, as building projectsinvolve many detailed issues that go beyond the scope of an existing corporate plan.

A project-specific environmental plan could form part of the brief, or on larger projects might be a stand-alone document. It

might include an overall vision, objectives and specific targets in relation to:

Business planning:

The need for a new building as opposed to doing nothing, refurbishment or changes in working practices.

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Selection of consultants:

Contractual requirements in relation to the selection of materials, monitoring and reporting, track

record, environmental accreditation and qualifications of staff.

Selection of location:

Availability of transport, the selection of a greenfield or brownfield site, the local availability of resources and services, the
local infrastructure and local ecology.

Project brief:

Procurement route, travel plan, working methods, standards, ecology and landscape, energy use and energy

source, flexibility and durability, waste management, water management, material selection and pollution.

Design:

Energy use and energy source, embodied energy, use of

harmful materials, material sources, ecology and landscape, flexibility and durability, waste management, water
management, disposal, travel plan and pollution.

Tender:

Contractual requirements such as monitoring and reporting, working practices, track record, environmental accreditation and

qualifications of staff.

Construction:

Transport, embodied energy, use of harmful materials, material sources, working methods, site waste management

plan, recycling, pollution, wheel washing, dust generation and noise nuisance.

Operation:

Energy source, energy use, water management, maintenance, resource management, waste

management, flexibility, durability, landscape and ecology, pollution, evaluation and feedback.

Resilience:

Resilience to climate change.

Disposal:

Dismantling and demolition, re-use, re-sale and recycling, landscape and ecology, hazardous materials and pollution.

The environmental plan should:

Set specific, measurable targets.

Set standards that must be adhered to.
Establish risks and mitigation measures.
Establish procedures for communication and training.
Establish procedures for monitoring and reporting.
Establish procedures for revision and updating.

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Environmental plans require policing, and on a large project this can be a full-time job for a specialist. At the client level, a
senior champion should be appointed to take responsibility for environmental matters.

Predicting the likely environmental performance of a development during the design phase is becoming more important
as regulations become increasing strict.

As well as the building regulations, and government targets for low carbon construction (see Low carbon construction

plan ), the National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that there should be a presumption in favour of
granting planning permission for sustainable development, this might include low-carbon developments,
and developments with resilienceto climate change. This should be reflected in design and access statements for outline
planning applications.

There are a number of assessment tools and standards available to help assess environmentalperformance:

BREEAM.
Passivhaus .
SAP  the Government's Standard Assessment Procedure for energy rating of dwellings.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an international green buildingcertification system.
The code for sustainable homes .

These assessment techniques are beginning to allow whole-life costing to form a fundamental part of the design process as it

becomes possible to demonstrate that higher initial costs can sometimes result in lower long-term impacts and greater long-
term benefits. Demonstration of actual performance in use may be necessary through requirements for a Energy Performance
Certificates (EPCs) or Display Energy Certificates (DECs)

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