M10 - Sustainability Flashcards
Have you ever come across BREEAM? Can you name some of the categories?
- Management
- Energy
- Health & wellbeing
- Transport
- Water
- Materials
- Waste
- Land use and ecology
- Pollution”
What does BREEAM stand for?
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
What alternatives to BREEAM are you aware of?
- SKA Rating = RICS assessment method. It helps landlords and tenants assess fit out projects against a set of sustainability good practice criteria, known as Good Practice Measures (GPM).
- CEEQUAL = Civil Engineering
- LEED
What score does outstanding require?
> 85% outstanding
70% excellent
- ie: Exemplary use of sustainable strategies; solar panels, GSHP, thermal walls, green roof, rainwater harvesting flushing toilets, wind turbine etc
- Scored on each of the categories
What are the three pillars of sustainability?
Society / Environment / Economy
What is a U-Value?
U-values measure how effective a material is as an insulator
What is a waste management plan and when would you need one?
Describes how materials will be managed efficiently and disposed of legally during the construction of the works, explaining how the re-use and recycling of materials will be maximised. They are not mandatory but may be required for certain BREEAM assessments
How do you measure sustainability?
Sustainability is measured by assessing performance of Social, Environmental, and Economic principles
What is your awareness of sustainability?
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need
What do you think are the key challenges in achieving sustainability in your area of practice?
Changing mindsets, the need for behavioural change, costs, obtaining buy-in from all parties, and the need to increase demand for higher levels of sustainability in order to influence supply.
Why do you feel sustainability is important to you as a surveyor and to the profession generally?
The earth’s capacity is finite. Unsustainable land-use practices, buildings and construction coupled with an ever-growing population are responsible for the depletion of natural resources and loss of biodiversity and habitat. Materials and waste should be viewed on a ‘cradle to cradle’ basis, with waste being recycled
What sustainability legislation are you aware of?
The Climate Change Act 2008
What is social development?
Social developmentis defined as prioritizing human needs in the growth and progression of society
What sustainable technologies have you came across on your projects?
- Solar photovoltaic
- GSHP
- ASHP
How do photovoltaics work?
- Means ‘converting sunlight into electricity’
- Light energy strikes cells, electrons knocked loose from atoms
- Positive & negative electrical conductors capture electrons in the form of current
- Stored in batteries
