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RICS APC > Sustainability > Flashcards

Sustainability Flashcards

1
Q

Why is sustainability important to construction?

A
  • From energy usage to emissions, the construction industry has a huge impact on the environment.
  • The built environment accounts for 36% of worldwide energy usage, and 40% of CO2 emissions.
  • Construction can also result in hazardous waste, and the improper disposal of such waste can result in pollution that affects not just the environment, but also the health of people living in that area.
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2
Q

What do we mean by sustainable development?

A
  • Sustainable development is defined within the Brundtland report as: Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
  • The three principles of sustainability are social, environmental and economic.
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3
Q

Can you define social, environmental and economic considerations in relation to sustainability?

A

Environmental:
Preventing harmful and potentially irreversible impacts on the environment through the careful use of natural resources, minimising waste, reducing energy usage and enhancing the environment where
possible.

Economic:
Efficient use of resources, including labour and ensuring the design and construction meet the current and functional needs of the users. Does the development represent overall value for money?

Social:
The development should respond to the needs of the wider community. For example, a failure might be a fast-food restaurant being built next to a school; whereas a library being constructed next to a university would be considered more socially sustainable.

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4
Q

How do you measure sustainability?

A
  • Sustainability can be measured by assessing the performance of Social, Environmental and Economic principles
  • Can also be measured using one of the construction sustainability assessments (BREEAM, SKA, LEED).
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5
Q

What is the Paris Agreement?

A
  • The Paris Agreement sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.
  • Under the Paris Agreement, each country must determine, plan and regularly report on the contribution that it undertakes to mitigate climate change.
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6
Q

What measures does your company take in relation to sustainability?

A
  • Recycling points.
  • Lights are switched on timers or sensors.
  • LED lighting.
  • Sun reflective glass film.
  • Carshare or use public transport where possible.
  • Promoting the use of electric cars.
  • Minimising travel.
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7
Q

Name some of the technology available to help meet Part L of the Building Regulations (Conservation of fuel and power)?

A
  • Wind turbines.
  • Photovoltaic cells.
  • Ground source heat pumps.
  • Rainwater harvesting.
  • Solar thermal water heating.
  • Green roofs.
  • Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS).
    Increase Insulation - reduce heat loss through building fabric.
    Solar shading.
  • Natural ventilation.
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8
Q

Can you explain what green roofs are?

A
  • Green roofs, also known as sedum roofs, grass roofs, or living roofs, are roofs that are partially or completely covered with plants and vegetation.
  • The vegetation is usually planted over a drainage membrane that sits on top of the roof, along with additional layers such as root barriers and waterproofing products.
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9
Q

What is a U-value?

A
  • U-values measure how effective a material is as an insulator.
  • The lower the U-value, the better the material is as a heat insulator.
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10
Q

How do photovoltaics work?

A
  • PVs convert sunlight into electricity. When light energy strikes cells, electrons are knocked loose from atoms. Positive and negative electrical conductors capture electrons in the form of current.
  • The energy is stored in batteries or immediately used to power the building.
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11
Q

How does a soakaway work?

A
  • Soakaways are mainly created as a solution to standing surface water.
  • They consist of a large hole or pit that receives surface water from a drainage pipe and helps the water slowly percolate through the soil, reducing the risk of flooding.
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12
Q

How do ground source heat pumps work?

A
  • Ground source heat pump systems are made up of a ground loop (a network of pipes buried underground) and a heat pump at ground level.
  • Fluids are pumped around the ground loop which absorb the naturally occurring heat stored in the ground.
  • The liquid is compressed and goes through a heat exchanger, which extracts the heat and transfers it to the heat pump.
  • The heat is then transferred to the heating system in the building.
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13
Q

How does rainwater harvesting work?

A
  • Rainwater harvesting involves collecting rainwater from a building’s roof or other surfaces such as permeable pavements.
  • The rainwater then passes through a filter, which eliminates debris, and is stored in an underground or overground tank.
  • This saved water can then be pumped to places where it is needed.

Domestic or commercial applications include:
- Flushing toilets.
- Washing machines.
- Washing vehicles.
- Gardening and irrigation.
- Cleaning.

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14
Q

Can you name some of the assessment schemes/criteria for measuring sustainability?

A
  • LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) - A green building certification scheme.
  • BREEAM (Building Research Establishment, Environmental Assessment Method).
  • SKA (operated by RICS, SKA rating is an environmental assessment tool for sustainable fitouts).
  • CEEQUAL = civil engineering, infrastructure and landscaping.
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15
Q

Can you tell me a little about BREEAM?

A
  • Stands for Building Research Establishment, Environmental Assessment Method
  • BREEAM is an international scheme that provides independent third-party certification of the assessment of the sustainability performance of individuall buildings and infrastructure projects.
  • Assessment and certification take place at several stages in the built environment life cycle, from design and construction through to operation and refurbishment.
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16
Q

What is the latest version of BREEAM’s assessment criteria?

A

BREEAM UK New Construction Version 6 (UK NC V6) was released on August 2022 following the updates to building regulations in England that came into force on June 2022.

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17
Q

What are the BREEAM headline assessment categories?

A
  • Management.
  • Health and wellbeing.
  • Energy.
  • Transport.
  • Water.
  • Materials.
  • Waste.
  • Land use and ecology.
  • Pollution.
  • Innovation.
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18
Q

What are the key advantages of BREEAM certification?

A
  • Demonstrates the level of achievement.
  • Compliance can lower environmental impact.
  • Improves the internal environment for building users (can increase productivity).
  • Can reduce operating costs.
  • Improves the marketability for the client or developer should they wish to sell or rent the building.
19
Q

What are the BREEAM rating thresholds?

A

Outstanding ≥ 85%
Excellent ≥ 70%
Very Good ≥ 55%
Good ≥ 45%
Pass ≥ 30%
Unclassified < 30%

20
Q

Can you define the term ‘net zero carbon’ in the context of new build construction?

A

UK Green Building Council definition:
‘When the amount of carbon emissions associated with a building’s product and construction stages up to practical completion is zero or negative, through the use of offsets or the net export of on-site renewable energy.

21
Q

Can you define the term net zero carbon’ in the context of operational energy for a building in use?

A

UK Green Building Council definition:
- When the amount of carbon emissions associated with the building’s operational energy on an annual basis is zero or negative.
- A net zero carbon building is highly energy efficient and powered from on-site and/or off-site renewable energy sources, with any remaining carbon balance offset.

22
Q

How can solar gain be reduced or prevented in buildings?

A
  • Use external shading systems (Brise Soleil).
  • Limiting the area of glazing.
  • Reduce or eliminate glazing to the south elevation.
  • Use of reflective film on the glazing.
23
Q

Which Building Regulations (Approved Documents) apply to sustainability?

A
  • Approved Document Part L - Conservation of Fuel and Power.
  • Approved Document Part O - Overheating
24
Q

What is Passivhaus?

A
  • Passivhaus is a performance-based set of design criteria for very low energy buildings, that can help create buildings which use around 90% less energy than standard UK buildings.
  • Passivhaus design seeks to eliminate the need for space heating and cooling and is based on the principle of reducing heating loss to a minimum.
25
Q

What is an Environmental Impact Assessment?

A
  • Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development.
  • The assessment will consider interrelated socio-economic, cultural and human-health impacts, both beneficial and adverse.
26
Q

What is the SBEM tool?

A
  • Simplified Building Energy Model.
  • A government-defined process in accordance with Part L Building Control Regulations.
  • It is a calculation of the energy performance of new commercial, industrial and retail buildings.
  • It is also used to generate Energy Performance Certificates for non-domestic buildings under construction and at the point of sale or rent.
27
Q

What is a DEC?

A
  • Display Energy Certificates (DECs) are designed to show the energy performance of public buildings.
  • They use a scale that runs from ‘A’ to ‘G’ - ‘A’ being the most efficient and ‘G’ being the least.

Public authorities must have a DEC for a building if all the following are true:
- It is at least partially occupied by a public authority (council, leisure centre, college or NHS trust).
- It has a total floor area of over 250m2
- It is frequently visited by the public.

28
Q

What is an EPC?

A

Energy Performance Certificate.

29
Q

What does the EPC contain?

A
  • The document sets out the energy efficiency of a property on a traffic light system of A to G - A being the most efficient.
  • An EPC provides an indication of how much it will cost to heat and power a property.
  • It also includes recommendations for energy-efficient improvements, the cost of carrying them out and the potential savings in pounds and pence that each one could generate.
30
Q

Can you explain what SUDS are?

A
  • Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) are systems designed to efficiently manage the drainage of surface water in the urban environment.
  • SUDS can provide an alternative to, or addition to, traditional drainage systems where surface water is drained directly and quickly into underground, piped drainage.
31
Q

Can you provide some examples of SUDS?

A
  • Filter strips and drains.
  • Swales.
  • Permeable surfaces.
  • Basins and ponds.
  • Underground storage.
  • Green roofs.
  • Rainwater harvesting.
32
Q

What are the most commons environmental issues experienced in construction sites?

A
  • Land disturbances and degradation
  • risk to flora and fauna
  • land and water contamination
  • Air pollution
  • Noise and vibrations
  • CO2 omissions
  • Waste
33
Q

What regulations and codes of practice are related to sustainability in construction?

A
  • Building Act 1984
  • Clean Air Act
  • Ageicularual Land Act
  • Climate Change Act
  • Environmental Protection Act
34
Q

What is the Paris Agreement?

A

Legally binding international treaty concerning climate change

35
Q

What is solar gain?

A

Name given to the increase in temperature in a space, object or structure due to solar radiation

36
Q

How can solar gain be managed in buildings?

A
  • reduced extent of windows
  • avoid extent of south facing windows
  • use reflective materials on glass and walls
37
Q

What sustainable initiates are being implemented be the RICS?

A
  • RICS launched the Value The Planet campaign and commuted to forming a climate change expert panel to implement the UNs sustainable development goals
38
Q

What are the key principles of sustainable?

A
  • Social - e.g. building healthy communities
  • Economical - e.g. strong and competitive economy
  • Environmental- e.g. protecting and enhancing natural and built environment
39
Q

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

A
  • Building Regulations - Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power)
  • Code for sustainable homes
  • EPC
  • Site Waste Management Plans
  • BREEAM
40
Q

When do Site Waste Management Plans apply?

A
  • Came into force in 2008
  • Compulsory for any construction project with an estimated cost over £300k
41
Q

What are some methods for measuring sustainability?

A
  • BREEAM and other environmental assessment methods
  • Whole Life Carbon Assessment
42
Q

Name some legislation related to sustainability?

A
  • Land fill tax
  • Climate change levy
43
Q

What are SKA ratings?

A
  • Apply to non-domestic fit outs
  • RICS environmental assessment method
  • sets of sustainability good practice criteria
44
Q

What is LEED?

A
  • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
  • USA equivalent to BREEAM

RICS APC (20 decks)

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