Sustainability Flashcards
What is different legislation relating to the safeguard and enhancement of the environment?
- Climate change act 2008 : aim to reduce carbon emissions – reduce emissions by 80% by 2050
- Environmental Protection Act 1990 : environmental law in the UK that controls waste management and emissions into the environment. Puts duty of care to people controlling waste – they will need to treat it
- Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 : helps to protect listed buildings and conservation area in the uk. You will need to get permissions
What is sustainable construction?
- Means using renewable and recyclable materials when building new structures , reducing waste
- Building needs to be designed so that in its whole lifecycle has minimum impact on the environment
What is sustainable refurbishment?
• Undertaking refurbishment by:
o looking at materials used i.e recyclable materials
o manage waster: can any excavation material be used
o look at possibilities of harvesting rainwater such as greenroof, sufficient fixture and fittings
o Energy – energy efficient fittings like LED, energy efficient heating
What alternative materials are you aware of?
- Green D+ (instead of red diesel)
- Precast Concrete Slabs
- Recycled plastic
- Recycled steel
- Use demolition arisings
- Decking made from recycle materials
What is BREEAM?
- Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method
- It is an international scheme that provides independent third-party certification of assessment of the sustainability performance of individual buildings, communities, and infrastructure projects.
- Take place in multiple stages of the life cycle
What are the BREEAM headline assessment categories?
- Management
- Health and wellbeing
- Energy
- Transport
- Waste
- Pollution
- Energy
- Innovation
How is BREEAM used to enhance sustainability?
- Demonstrates level of achievement and shows how a company commitment in preserving the enviroment
- Compliance can lower environmental impact
- Improves marketability of client or developer
- Reduce operating costs
What sustainability credentials does your job have?
- BREAM Excellent
* 84%
What is ISO14001 Certification?
• Set of standards related to environmental management
What is Green D?
- Direct replacement of red diesel
- Reduces carbon footprint
- Fossil free fuel
- From 100% renewable raw materials such as fat, waste vegetables and other oils through hydrogenation process.
Why is sustainability important to construction?
- Construction industry is estimated to be emitting 39% of the worlds carbon emissions.
- Construction industry can be a major player for decreasing the emissions through sustainable measures
What are the typical environmental issues that are faced on-site?
- Dust
- Sound solution
- Disposal of waste
- Use of chemicals
- Sewage treatment
What regulations and codes of practice govern the construction industry’s approach to sustainability?
- Building regulations – conversation of fuel and power: approved document L
- EPCs/DECs
- Site waste management plans (SWMPs)
- BREEAM and other environmental assessment methods
What is sustainable development?
- It is developments that meet the standards of today without compromising the ability of the future
- Three principles of sustainability are social, environmental, and economic.
Can you define social, environmental and economic considerations in relation to sustainability?
- Environmental -minimizing waste and energy, protecting and enhancing the environment where possible.
- Economic – efficient use of resource, including and ensuring the design and construction meets the functional needs of a user
- Social – Development needs to respond to the wider community. Properties built with the community in mind like a development might have a park that will help the wider community
What measures does your company take in relation to sustainability?
- Recycling points
- Lights are switched on timers and sensors
- LED lightning
- Sun reflective glass film
- Car share or using public transport
- Promote the use of electric cars
- Minimizing travel
Name some of the technology available to help meet Part L of the building regs?
- Wind turbines
- Photovoltaic cells
- Ground source heat pumps
- Rainwater harvesting
- Solar thermal water heating
- Green roods
- SUDS(sustainable urban drainage systems)
- Increase insulation
What is a green roof?
- When there is a layer of vegetation planted over a waterproofing system that is installed on roofs that is installed on a building
- Aims to increase thermal performance, lifespan of the roof and provides habitat for wildlife
• Installed on top of drainage membrane, and other layers like root barriers and waterproofing products.
What is a U value?
- U values measure how effective a material is an insulator
* Lower the value the better the material as a heat insulator
How does a soak away work?
• A pit in the going that receives water through the drainage system
How do ground source heat pumps work?
- Absorb energy from the soil that the soil has received from the sun.
- There is a series of buried underground pipes that extract the energy and convert it to heat and use it for the home.
Can you name some of the sustainability measuring systems?
- BREEAM
- LEED
- SKA – RICS owned – helps landlords and tenants to assess fit-out project
- CEEQUAL- Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment & Award Scheme
What is Carbon Neutral?
• Through calculating emissions, you aim to reducing emissions and offsetting residual emissions, net carbon
What is an Environmental Impact Assessment?
- Process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development
- Considers socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts
What are SUDS and can you give me some examples?
- Sustainable urban development Systems
- Manage the drainage of surface water in the urban environment
- Filter strips and drains
- Permeable surfaces
- Green roofs
