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Sustainability Flashcards

1
Q

What is BREEAM?

A

BREEAM is the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method. It is used to assess the environmental performance of new and existing buildings.

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2
Q

What different BREEAM ratings are there?

A
  • Unclassified - <30%
  • Pass - >30%
  • Good - 45%
  • Very Good - 55%
  • Excellent - 70%
  • Outstanding - >85%
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3
Q

What are BREEAM credits typically awarded for?

A
  • Access to transport links
  • Access to local amenities
  • Using sustainable technologies and materials
  • Minimising waste and having a waste management plan
  • Recording water / power usage
  • Natural ventilation
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4
Q

What can a QS do to achieve BREEAM credits on a project?

A

Life cycle costing - Stage 2 & 4

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5
Q

What are the sections of BREEAM?

A
  • Energy - Operational energy and carbon dioxide output
  • Management - Management, commissioning, site management and procurement
  • Health and Wellbeing - Indoor and Outdoor Issues (noise, air, light etc)
  • Transport - transport related CO2 omissions
  • Water Consumption and Efficiency
  • Materials - impact of material choice on carbon omissions
  • Waste - Waste management efficiency
  • Pollution - External Air and Water Pollution
  • Land Use
  • Ecology - Ecological value, conservation and enhancement of the site
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6
Q

What regulations and codes govern the construction industry’s approach to sustainability?

A
  • Building Regulations -Approved Document L (CO2 emissions to be 31% lower for residential, 27% lower for others)
  • Building Regulation O - overheating
  • BREEAM and other environmental assessment methods
  • Energy Performance Certificates
  • Site waste management plans (no longer compulsory, however)
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7
Q

Code for Sustainable Homes

A

The code for Sustainable homes is a national standard for sustainable design and construction of new homes. It aimed to reduce carbon emissions and covered the following categories;
* Energy
* Water
* Materials
* Surface Water Run-Off (Flood risks)
* Waste
* Pollution
* Health and Well Being
* Management (home user guide, security and reduce impact of construct)
* Ecology (protection of ecology and land use efficiency)
The code had a system of stars ranging from 1 to 6 for each of the nine categories above. The code was voluntary unless it was required for planning permission and it was for Eddington. The code was discontinued in March 2015 but the requirements of it are still applicable on Eddington.
Also note Part L of the Building Regulations in England relates to energy efficiency requirements and came into force in April 2014.

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8
Q

What is NABERS?

A

National Australian Built Environment Rating System (adapted for UK)

Rating of 1 - 6 for building efficiency across:
- Energy
- Water
- Waste
- Indoor environment

From Making a Start to Market Leading

Ratings valid for 12 months

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9
Q

What are the benefits of NABERS?

A
  • Compare - creates benchmark for comparison across industry
  • Validate & Communicate - cost-effective, independent validation ensuring confidence in reporting
  • Track & Improve - annual reporting
  • Competitive edge - lower running costs & environmental impact is more attractive to prospective end users
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10
Q

What are the 7 key principals of NABERS?

A
  • Measure actual impact
  • Relevant to building operations
  • Meaningful
  • Simple to do
  • Reliable ratings
  • Management is trustworthy
  • Development is collaborative
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11
Q

What is the value tool kit?

A

Suite of tools developed by industry, academia and government to reframe the definition of value on projects and how it can be measured.

Enables value based decision making focused on better social, environmental and economic outcomes

Measurement value is based on (least accurate measure of value to most):
- Input e.g. resources used
- Output e.g. services created or waste products from process
- Outcome e.g change in condition of capital due to project activities
- Impact e.g. things that happen as a result of the outcome being acheived

Published as a BSI Flex Standard in June 2022 ( full suite not yet published as of Nov 2022)

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12
Q

What are the Value Definition categories on the Value Tool Kit?

A
  1. Natural - e.g. water, resource use etc
  2. Social - e.g. Equality and diversity
  3. Human - e.g. Skill & knowledge, health
  4. Manufactured - e.g. Carbon, resource use
  5. Financial - e.g. Capital cost, operational cost, economic benefits
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13
Q

What is the Client Approach on the Value Tool Kit?

A
  1. Commercial - setting delivery strategy to meet Value Definition
  2. Risk
  3. Appointments - right teams across project life cycle
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14
Q

How does the Value Tool Kit relate to the RIBA Stages?

A

RIBA 0 = Need Phase (defining problem to be solved. Setting Strategic profile and developing Client Profile

RIBA 1 - 2 = Optioneering (considers options that address need. Setting Value Profile, Optioneering Value Scorecard and Delivery Model)

RIBA 3 - 4 = Design Phase (develop solution in detail to allow delivery to be procured. Develop Design Value Scorecard, clients Commercial Strategy and Tender Value Scorecard)

RIBA 5 = Delivery Phase (Develop Delivery Value Scorecard in line with Contract Award)

RIBA 6 -7 = Operation Phase (Develop Operation Value Score card)

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15
Q

What were the outcomes of COP27?

A
  • Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) oil and gas phase out started pledge at COP26 and calling for more companies to join
  • EU emission reduction targets increased from 55% to 57% by 2030
  • Global Methane Pledge - new countries signed to pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30%. Only 5 new countries joined
  • Deforestation - UK announced Forests and Climate Leaders Partnership to track commitments to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030 based on Glasgow forest and land use declaration from COP26
  • Not many new pledges from countries. Developing nations expressed disappointment in developed countries failing to meet 2009 promise of $100bn in climate finance by 2020. COP27 pledge for additional finance to be raised and new framework for COP28
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16
Q

What is the Paris Agreement?

A
  • COP21 Paris in 2015
  • Parties agreed to pursue efforts to prevent temperature rising more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels
  • Conference of Parties meetings follow the progress against the agreement
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17
Q

What happened at COP26 in 2021?

A
  • First time there was an explicit plan to reduce use of coal - responsible for 40% of annual CO2 emissions
  • Phase down rather than phase out
  • Agreement pledged to increase money to help developing countries cope and switch to clean energy
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18
Q

Are you aware of any impending changes to minimum energy efficiency standards?

A
  • Gov has recently proposed changes to the EPC requirements for commercial property & buy to let properties due to take effect from 2025
  • Currently minimum required rating for domestic rental is E but expected to raise to C and above by 2025
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19
Q

What is meant by the term Urban greening factor?

A
  • Tool that evaluates and measures the planting around building that aids the appropriate planning of greening on future developments
  • Plan for London is a target score of 0.4 for residential and 0.3 for non-residential
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20
Q

What is ICMS3?

A
  • International Cost Management Standard - framework for cost & carbon management in construction from concept to completion
  • RICS is 1 of 49 orgnaisation that have contributed
  • Standard enabling comparison of cost and carbon from construction measurement standards
  • Framework provides a format for defining, measuring, recording and presenting lifecycle costs & carbon emissions
  • Changed name from “measurement standard” as caused confusion, it isn’t a measurement method
21
Q

What is meant by the term embodied carbon?

A
  • Refers to carbon emissions generated as a result of energy consumption during extraction, manufacture, transportation, replacement and deconstruction of construction materials
  • Refers to emissions from all the activities involved in the creation and demolition of a building, less the operational carbon impact
22
Q

Why have a BREEAM Assessment?

A

Requirement of Client to show they are meeting their Corporate Social Responsibility
- May receive Public/Private Funding
- Demonstrate an acceptable level of sustainability performance to regulatory approval bodies
- Provide a marketable, sustainable asset.

23
Q

Are you aware of any changes to BREEAM?

A

Update in 2018 to how credits are awarded for each section.
Updated in 2022 to reflect the changes in building regulations

24
Q

What sustainable initiatives are you aware of that are implemented by the RICS?

A

SKA ratings encouraging green codes of practice for commercial properties
Value the Planet campaign - committed to forming a climate change expert panel to implement the UN’s sustainable development goals
- Responsible Business Report - solutions for companies to operate in a greener capacity including higher recycling rates, reducing energy, transport & water use

25
Q

What is sustainability?

A

Meet needs of present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

26
Q

What are the key principles of sustainability

A
  • Social -building healthy communities with sufficient numbers and a range of buildings
  • Economical - build strong, responsive & competitive economy ensuring sufficient land and right types
  • Environmental - contribute to protecting and enhancing natural, built & historic environment
27
Q

What is the purpose of a site waste management plan and when does it apply?

A
  • Enforced since April 2008
  • Compulsory on construction projects with estimated costs over £300,000
  • Regularly updated on how much waste is produced & recycled to learn lessons
  • Goal to make aware how much waste is being produced
28
Q

Name some legislation relating to sustainability?

A

Landfill tax - charged by weight
Climate Change Levy - tax on energy used to promote energy efficiency

29
Q

What is a circular economy?

A
  • Set of business or resource strategies that help add or grow to business in a way that removed it from beign focused on how materials are used
  • removes business risk and association from resource use

Concept is to optimise use of resources with the purpose of re-using materials for a second purpose

30
Q

What drivers are there for businesses to uptake circular economy?

A
  • Improved financial performance available through full utilisation of space
  • Making spaces adaptable to move with changing market conditions and social expectations
  • Creating relocatable spaces
  • Residual Value models creating tradable future contracts for building materials at deconstruction, rather than the depreciation currently experienced
31
Q

What partnerships to Arup have for sustainability?

A

One of the latest partnerships is with NERD and the Uni of Manchester on the role out of Concretene.
Material to reduce the amount of concrete used and reduce carbon emissions of buildings by up to 30%
Time saving - achieves 28 day strength 12 hours after being procured
Arup are in partnership through an equity deal to support in the roll out with their reach and expertise

32
Q

what are Arup’s commitments to sustainability?

A
  • Pledge to conduct whole-life carbon assessments for all building projects
  • Pledge to stop working with fossil fuels following COP26
  • Commitment to world Green Building Council commitments
  • Reduce purchases such as catering & stationary by 50%
  • Cut commutes by 20%
  • Reduce business travel by 50%
  • Office electricity procured by 100% renewable electric by 2023
33
Q

What are the World Green Building Council commitments that Arup have signed up to?

A
  • Considers the whole life impact of building’s carbon:
  • Existing buildings to reduce energy consumption and eliminate emissions from energy & refrigerants
  • All new buildings to have 40% less embodied carbon
  • All new buildings to be net zero operational carbon
34
Q

What was the RICS response to the latest UK Government energy strategy?

A

Strategy is to:
- Phase out boiler installation by 2035
- £30m to manufacturing o heat pumps
- investment in carbon capture & nuclear technologies
- Insulation scheme for 300,000 homes to be more efficient

RICS - lacks ambition e.g. 15 million homes needing energy efficiency improvements and 12 years to phase out boilers

35
Q

Can you name some of the United Nations 17 goals?

A
  • Sustainable cities
  • Affordable clean energy
  • Industry, infrastructure and innovation
  • Life on Land
  • No poverty
  • Gender equality
  • clean water & sanitation
  • No hunger
  • Life below water
  • Climate action
  • Partnership for goals
36
Q

Discuss some of the United Nations 17 goals?

A

Sustainable cities
- Make inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- Ensure access to safe & affordable housing with basic services
- Air quality & waste management

Affordable & clean energy
- Increase renewable energy share in total energy consumption
- Double rate of improvement in energy efficiency

Responsible consumption & production
- Prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse to limit waste

Industry, innovation & infrastructure
- Promote inclusive & sustainable industrialisation
- Upgrade infrastructure to increase research use efficiency / cleaner technologies

Climate action
- Strengthen resilience to climate related hazards in all countries
- Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

37
Q

You mention you’ve worked on projects in London. What planning legislation is there in London focussing on sustainability?

A
  • Major developments required to provide a Circular Economy Statement for the whole-life cycle
  • New developments must use Energy hierarchy
  • All project must submit a fire strategy
  • Required to submit Preliminary Air Quality Assessment to show no contribution to air pollution
38
Q

What is the Energy Hierarchy?

A
  • Be lean
  • Be clean
  • Be green - on-site renewables
  • Be seen
39
Q

What is the RICS assessment method?

A

SKA rating is an RICS environmental assessment method, benchmark and standard for non-domestic fit-outs.
- 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 measures (GPM) in fit-out and how to implement it
- Benchmark the performance of fit outs against each other and the rest of the industry

40
Q

What types of SUDS are you aware of?

A

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems, this relates to efficiently distributing waste water from properties, examples include

  • Permeable surfaces to absorb rain water and prevent blocking up surface drains
  • Attenuation tanks to reduce the amount of water discharged into the sewers at a given point
  • Rain water harvesting
  • Splitting waste pipe distributions to surface water and foul water
41
Q

You discuss Sustainable design techniques and methods can you please tell me a few

A
  • Microgeneration to generate electricity with renewable sources like solar panels and wind turbines
  • Passive solar design to control heat gains and reduce cooling requirements
  • Efficient mechanical heating and cooling solutions
42
Q

Do you know of any other environmental assessment methods other than BREEAM?

A
  • WELL Certification - Health & Well-being
  • SKA rating -operated by RICS and relates to sustainable (non-domestic) fit-outs. Certified by an RICS accredited SKA assessor.
  • Pasivhaus -works by reducing heat loss to minimise heating requirements. Achieved by using very high levels of insulation, high performance windows and frames, exceptionally airtight building fabric.
  • LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - US equivalent to BREEAM, improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. Platinum Gold & Silver
  • Energy Performance Certificates -all domestic or commercial buildings available to buy or rent in the UK must have an EPC. An EPC tells you have energy efficient a building is and advises of improvements that could be made to increase efficiency.
43
Q

What is the UK doing to move toward net zero?

A
  • £6.6 billion in this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency on existing buildings
  • New target was a further 15% reduction in UK energy levels from 2021 by 2030 set in 2022
  • Energy Efficiency Taskforce to help establish the funds
  • Part L update requiring reduction in emissions for new homes
44
Q

What is the difference between operation and embodied carbon? Why is it important?

A

“Operational - energy consumption from day to day running

Embodied - resulting from maintenance, repair, replacement, installation and components, procuring.

Both need to be considered across the building lifecycle to understand the whole life cycle carbon. May find the embodied carbon associated with a measure to reduce operational carbon out weighs the carbon that would be saved e.g double glazing vs triple glazing and the carbon associated with producing the additional pane of glass

45
Q

What schemes are there focusing on the reduction of operational carbon?

A
  • Building Regs - - part L
  • Planning requirements
  • Sustainability assessment rating schemes e.g. BREEAM
46
Q

What are the core principles of the whole life carbon measurement publication?

A
  • Provide consistent whole life carbon measurement
  • Comprehensive modular structure
  • Integration of whole life carbon assessment into the design process
47
Q

What is in the RICS Carbon tool kit?

A

”
- RICS 2021 Sustainability Report
- ICMS life cycle costs and carbon emissions standards
- RICS Whole life carbon assessment in the Built Environment PS (2017)
- Build environment Carbon Database (BECD)
- RICS Data standards
- RICS Life Cycle Cost and Carbon learning Modules

48
Q

What tools for measuring sustainability have the RICS developed?

A
  • International Building Operation Standard - measurement and management of buildings. Key pillars; compliance, economics, functionality, sustainability and performance
  • SKA - fit out, informal self assessment

Sustainability (1 decks)

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