12 - Sustainability Flashcards
Sustainability - Extract from Candidate Guide - Aug 2018 (updated Feb 2022)
What is sustainability?
Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. I.e. providing energy for ourselves now without making the planet worse subsequently.
Why is sustainability important?
An ecosystem, a lifestyle, or a community that is sustainable is one which supports itself and its surrounding. Sustainability itself can be defined by three core elements, each of which must be carefully considered in relation to the others:
- Environmental Protection
- Social Development
- Economic Development
What are the factors to consider with sustainability?
- Economic
- Social
- Environmental
What are the 7 elements of sustainable building?
- Insulation
- Air tightness
- Thermal Mass
- Natural Light
- Sustainable Material
- Structural Systems
- Deployment of renewable technologies
What is sustainable development ?
Economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources,
Over what period do you measure/access the impact of a building ?
The entire life cycle, not just construction.
What is the construction leadership council?
The CLC works between industry and government to identify and deliver actions supporting UK construction in building greater efficiency, skills and growth.
What is your companies sustainability policy ?
Clear desk policy, reducing the use of printed materials where possible, car sharing when suitable, the us of public transport, the use of technology where possible
Give me some examples of how the energy performance of existing building can be improved using a recent project as an example (or your case study)?
- Double glazed windows
- Insulation upgrade
- A* rated boiler
- Renewable energy
- Sustainable materials
- Local workforce
- etc
Explain what you understand by the term “Cold Bridging”.
Cold Bridging is where elements of the structure are colder than the main elements of the structure and condensation occurs on the surface, sometimes interstially which is inside the surface
Give me some examples of how you can avoid Cold Bridging.
Reducing bridging by considering full design , Overlaps and extending insulation where vulnerable , Carrying insulation down via roofs to walls, Carrying insulation down via roofs to walls
What is sustainability?
- To meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- Bruntland Commission Our Common Future 1987)
What is the Brundtland report ?
In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Today, there are almost 140 developing countries in the world seeking ways of meeting their development needs, but with the . It developed guiding principles for sustainable development as it is generally understood today. The Brundtland Report stated that critical global environmental problems were primarily the result of the enormous poverty of the South and the non-sustainable patterns of consumption and production in the North
What is a Brownfield Site?
Brownfield land refers to land that has been previously used for industrial purposes, or commercial usage and is now being redeveloped.
What is a Greenfield site?
Sites or land that is not constrained by any existing buildings or structures. It is the opposite of Brownfield land.
What is Embodied carbon?
Embodied carbon is considering all the carbon the will be used in the creating of a product. From sourcing the materials, manufacture, delivery, construction, and disposal.
What is BREEAM ?
BREEAM – British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method was developed by BRE and covers new construction as well as fit outs. It assess buildings against various performance criteria and awards credits. The total amount of credits will lead to a rating of unclassified, pass, good, v.good, excellent or outstanding. Two assessments are carried out for new builds, at design stage and on completion. Credits are awarded under Management, health and well being, energy efficiency, transport, water usage, materials, waste, land use, ecology, pollution, innovation.
What does BREEAM stand for ?
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
What is BREEAM ?
A method of assessing the sustainability of a building in terms of its design, construction and operation. Looking at energy use, water use, pollution, transport, materials, waste, ecology and internal environment.
What is SKA?
SKA – Originally a research proect by Skansen, RICS and Aecom to establish metrics for impact of an office fit-out. Since launching, it is used on Retail and higher education too. SKA rating can be assessed during design, at handover and during occupancy. The score is ranked according to the achievements in the thresholds of Gold, Silver and Bronze.
What is the Climate Change Act 2008 (addendum 2019) ?
- Sets out emission reduction targets within the UK. It commits the UK to reducing greenhouse gasses by 80% by 2050 but this was updated in 2019 to be net zero by 2050.
- This has lead to utilisation of existing sustainability options (such has life-cycle costing, carbon modelling, further collaboration), R&D for more sustainable materials and practices (cement accounts for 8% of global carbon emissions), New sustainability matrics to assess operational sustainability etc.
What is the Climate Change Act 2008?
- A Framework setup to create an economically viable path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Introduced as a result of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- As a result of the Kyoto Protocol in 1992.
What is the RCIS campaign in relation to sustainability ? Cna you expand on what the contents / message is ?
RICS Value the planet
‘Our Value the Planet campaign promotes the preservation of the planet through the implementation of the UN’s sustainable development goals. We encourage our professionals to implement the SDGs. The campaign also offers us a great opportunity to highlight the public interest responsibility of RICS and demonstrate the benefits that the surveying profession provides in offering solutions to society’s most challenging issues.’ Ref: RICS
What is green construction?
Green construction is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.
How does sustainability link to Building Regulations?
Part L of the building regs – Conservation of Fuel and Power. Part L aims to achieve zero carbon buildings or as close to it as possible giving practical guidance on ways of complying with Energy efficient requirements.
What does MEES stand for ?
Minimum energy efficiency standard - introduced march 20015 by the energy efficiency regulations 2015
What does MEES not apply to ?
Building not required to have an EPC such as industrial sites, non residential agriculture buildings, certain listed buildings, holidays lets etc
When is an EPC required ?
When a building is built, sold or rented
When must you display an EPC?
Commercial property’s over 500 sq. m frequently visited by the public
How long is an EPC valid for ?
10 years
What is EPC?
Requirement introduced in 2008. It is the measure of the designed energy usage and must be produced when a building is constructed, sold, rented out or subject to major alterations. Rates properties A-G and must provide recommendations to improve the property.
What is the purpose of EPCs and when is one required?
Energy Performance Certificate – Measure of the designed energy usage of a property and will look at factors such as windows, insulation and the potential for upgrading.
Display energy certificate is similar but used on public buildings. Required on all buildings rented out
What is the purpose of DECs and when is one required?
DECs were introduced to raise public awareness of energy use and to inform visitors to public buildings about the energy use of a building. A DEC is an energy certificate that shows the operational energy rating of a public building, from A to G where A is very efficient and G is the least efficient.
When is an EPC not required?
Listed buildings, places of worship and temporary structures
What is a U Value?
The value of how thermally efficient a part of a building is. It helps identify what areas need to be improved where there is heat loss such as roofs, windows or walls. Measured in W/m2k
what is w/m2k ??
Watts over meters squared kelvin
What is the difference between L1A and L1B?
L1A is for new buildings, where as L1B is for existing dwellings. This is as it would be naive to think it is suitable to attach the same provision when altering an existing building as opposed to building something new.
What is Passivhaus?
- It is an energy performance standard for dwellings, commercial, industrial and public buildings.
- It is a building for which thermal comfort can be achieved via indoor air quality conditions. i.e. without the need for air recirculation which means they no longer require traditional heating or cooling methods.
What did the UK agree to as part of the Kyoto protocol ?
12.5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Earth’s greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet. The main gases responsible for the greenhouse effect include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor (which all occur naturally), and fluorinated gases (which are synthetic)
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
Implemented the objective of the UN to reduce the onset of global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentration in the air.
What is the aim of the Paris agreement ?
To hold increase in global average temps to 2oc below pre industrial level and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5oc. Also to use 20% renewable energy by 2050
What is the Paris Agreement?
191 countries joined to meet central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels and even try to keep them below 1.5 degrees.
What is the Paris Agreement?
United Nations joined to create a global agreement to reduce the carbon emissions to prevent a global temperature increase of 2 degrees but aim to keep it below 1.5 degrees. It now has 191 members.
What is the key target of the climate change act ?
Carbon neutral by 2050
What is the aim of the climate change act ?
To be carbon neutral by 2050
What is BREEAM ?
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) is the world’s first sustainability rating scheme for the built environment and has contributed much to the strong focus in the UK on sustainability in building design, construction and use.
5 different standards for different buildings, most relevant are :
New construction - homes and commercial buildings
In use - commercial buildings
Refurbishment and fit out - homes and commercial buildings.
What are the levels of BREEAM ? OEVG
BREEAM Rating % score OUTSTANDING ≥ 85 EXCELLENT ≥ 70 VERY GOOD ≥ 55 GOOD ≥ 45 PASS ≥ 30 UNCLASSIFIED < 30
What is an EPC ?
Energy Performance Certificates were introduced in 2007 and are a legal requirement for a building to be sold, let or constructed. Once obtained, an EPC is valid for 10 years.
Where does the requirement for an EPC come from ?
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) which came into force in England and Wales on 1 April 2018, applies to private, rented residential and non-domestic property and is aimed at encouraging landlords and property owners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties by a restriction on the granting and continuation of existing tenancies where the property has an Energy Performance Certificate Rating of F and G.
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard Rating is E and above.
The future aims are It wants to to enforce a compulsory energy performance certificate rating of ‘C’ on new tenancies by December 2025, and on all rented properties by December 2028.
What is a DEC ?
The introduction of DECs will raise public awareness of energy efficiency in public buildings. DECs provide an energy rating of the building from A to G, where A is very efficient and G is the least efficient and they are based on the actual amount of metered energy used by the building over a period of 12 months. They also show ratings for the previous two years for comparison.
A DEC must be provided for a building (or part of a building which is designed or altered to be used separately) with a total useful floor area of over 250 m2 (total useful floor area is defined as the total area of all enclosed spaces measured to the internal face of the external walls, including areas such as staircases and galleries) which is occupied by a public authority.
The building must also be frequently visited by members of the public to receive a public service.
When are SKA assesments used?
Non-domestic fit-outs
What are the three pillars of sustainability ?
What are the four pillars of sustainability?
o Social
o Environmental
o Economic
What are the Sustainable Development Goals ?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
