Sustainability Flashcards
What happened at COP26
At cop26 a newly established Glasgow financial alliance was announced for net zero carbon emissions of 130 trillion of private capital to accelerate the transition to a net zero carbon economy
The private sector is now under more intense scrutiny from both clients and institutional investors on ensuring net zero commitments are robust and legitimate
What is COP26 and what does COP stand for
COP is the conference of parties and the is attended by countries that signed the united nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) a treaty signed in 1994
The 2021 meeting was the 26th meeting which is why its called COP26
Explain the term sustainabilty
To meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Key principles were also set out within the Brundtland Commission report, Our common future 1987 which identified the need for sustainable development based around environmental protection, economic growth and social equity. It called for the conservation of the environment and resources by gradually changing the ways in which we develop and use technologies
What are the key principles of sustainability
Social, Economical and environmental
What are the core principles of planning and decision making around sustainability
Creative processes should be used not just scrutiny
Proactive steps should be taken to achieve sustainable development
Secure the development of high quality build assets
Account for the character of the surrounding area
Support a climate resilient and low carbon economy
Conserver and enhance natural environment and reduce pollution
Encourage use of brownfield sites
Conserve heritage
What are the most common environmental issues experienced on construction sites
Risks of water pollution
Air and noise pollutions
High energy consumption and carbon emmisions
Risk of land contamination
Damage to wild habitats
High wastage production
What legislation affects sustainability in construction?
Agricultural Land Act - Enables land to be acquired for a particular purpose - for example to control pests and weeds
Building act - This is the primary piece of UK legislation that enables the Building regulations to be enforced. This is to assist int he conservation of fuel and power, to prevent waste, misuse or contamination of water.
Clean air act - This legislation provides local authorities within England to introduce measures in order to control air pollution
Climate change act - This is a legally binding framework to tackle climate change. it imposed targets to cut greenhouse emissions compared with 1990 levels 34% by 2020 and 80 by 2050
What are the key building regulations that relate to sustainability in construction
Building regulations part L - Conservation of fuel and power
Energy performance of buildings regulations
- Requires that EPCs are produced for dwellings and non dwellings
- Quantifies energy efficiency of buildings
- Required when buildings are built, sold and rented
- Commercial buildings over 500 m2 and frequented by the public need to display a Display Energy Certificate based on energy used.
What codes of practice are you aware of for measuring sustainability
- BREEAM (Life cycle Assessment)
/Sets best practice standards for the environmental performance of buildings through specification, design, construction and operation
/BREEAM stands for the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
/ The assessment is undertaken by a licensed assessor based on energy, land, ecology, water, health and wellbeing, pollution, materials and waste management
/Ratings are Outstanding, Excellent, very good, good, pass, poor - SKA ratings
/An RICS Environmental assessment method for non-domestic fit outs such as office refurbishments
/ The scheme assesses fit out projects against a set of sustainability good practice criteria - LEED (Life cycle assessment)
/LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
/ It is a USA equivalent of BREEAM
/ Ratings are: LEED certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum
What does my company do to be sustainable
/ Recycling of carboard, paper and plastics
/ Use of PIR on lighting
/ Cycle to work Schemes
/ Paperless office
What is the Paris Agreement
/ The paris agreement is a legally binding international treaty concerning climate change
/ It was adopted by nearly every nation came into affect in 2016
/ The goal of the Paris agreement is to limit global warming to well below 2 degree Celsius
/ the agreement commits all major emitting countries to cut their climate pollution
Name some sustainable building methods
/ use of recycled materials
/ Ground source heat pumps
/ Air source heat pumps
/ Solar Panel
/ Wind Turbines
What is your understanding of green roofs
These are roofs that are partially or completly covered with vegetation.
What are photovoltaics and how do they work
Photovoltaics convert sunlight into energy
What is a soakaway and how does it work
Soakaways offer a means of surface water drainage attenuation
they cosist of large holes or pits that recieve surface water
