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
What other examples of work contribute to the BREEAM scoring?
- Bicycle spaces
- Social clauses
- Close to transport links
- Close to ATM’s
- Considerate Constructors - Leaflet drops, Noise, Employment
What is Green Growth?
- Green growth is the utilization of natural resources in a sustainable fashion
- A green economy embodies low greenhouse gas emissions and the sustainable use of resources
Why does sustainability matter?
- Climate change – extreme weather events, rising sea levels
- Water shortages – drought
- Depletion of non-renewable resources
- Pollution
What is Carbon Neutral?
- Carbon neutral, or having net zero carbon footprint
- Means achieving zero carbon emissions
- Balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount removed or offset, through i.e. sustainable energy production, and sold back to grid
What are EPCs and DECs?
- EPC (Environmental Performance Certificate)
- DEC (Display Energy Certificate)
What is an Environmental Impact Assessment?
- What is it? Process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development – both benefits and adverse effects.
- When do they apply: The regulations only apply to certain types of development and/or projects (Large infrastructure projects, in a sensitive area). They can even apply to ‘permitted development’ - development for which you do not need to get planning permission.
- Purpose: To ensure that the environmental effects of a proposed development are properly considered.
What is RICS approach to Sustainability?
- RICS had a presence at the UN Conference at COP21 conference in Paris
- Guidance Note: Methodology to calculate Embodied Carbon
- RICS Report: Fostering the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in land, construction, real estate and infrastructure
- RICS UN Global Compact Communication on Engagement Report
How does the SKA sustainability assessment work?
- Owned & ran by RICS
- Carry out an informal self-assessment of the environmental performance of a fit-out;
- Commission a quality assured assessment and certificate from an RICS accredited Ska assessor;
- Obtain clear guidance on good practice in fit-out and how to implement it;
- Benchmark the performance of fit outs against each other and the rest of the industry
Is BREEAM a post construction certificate or pre-construction?
- Mainly a post construction certificate
- But you can have a design phase certificate
- BREEAM listings are found on GreenBookLive
If you wanted a check a BREEAM rating?
- GreenBookLive
What is the process of BREEAM?
- Understand which BREEAM scheme applies to your project
- Contact a BREEAM assessor
- Carry out a pre- assessment. Prediction of likely score
- Register for an assessment. (The BREEAM assessor will do that for you)
- Get certified (You can be certified both at design phase and post-construction. Design phase certificate is optional)
- Building will be listed on GreenBookLive
