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WS - APC Mandatory Competencies > Sustainability > Flashcards

Sustainability Flashcards

1
Q

Please explain your understanding of the term sustainability?

A
  • 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.
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2
Q

What are the key principles of sustainability?

A

Social - Building healthy communities with sufficient numbers and range of buildings.

Economical - Build strong, responsive, competitive economies ensuring sufficient land and right types.

Environmental - Contributing towards the protection and enhancement of our natural, built and historic environment.

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3
Q

What are the core principles of Planning and Decision
making around sustainability?

A
  • Creative processes should be used not just scrutiny.
  • Account for the character of the surrounding area.
  • Support a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy.
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4
Q

What are the most common environmental issues
experienced on construction sites?

A

 Risks of Water Pollution.
 Air and Noise Pollution.
 High Energy Consumption and carbon emissions.
 Risk of land contamination.
 Damage to wild habitats.

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5
Q

What are the key pieces of legislation that affect
sustainability in construction?

A
  • 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 by 80% by 2050.
  • Building Act – This is the primary piece of UK Legislation that enables the Building Regulations to be enforced.
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6
Q

What are the Key Building Regulations that relate to
sustainability in construction?

A
  • Building Regulations Part L — Conservation of Fuel and Power.
  • Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations.
  • Requires that EPC’s are produced for dwellings and non-dwellings.
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7
Q

What are the different forms of taxation relating to sustainability?

A

Landfill Tax which is an environmental tax payable in addition to landfill rates charged by private disposal companies.

  • The tax was introduced as a means to encourage alternative methods of disposal such as recycling.
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8
Q

What different code of practice are you aware of for
measuring sustainability?

A

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.

SKA Ratings
- An RICS Environmental assessment method for non-domestic fit outs such as office refurbishments.
- SKA can act as an alternative to BREEAM which have higher costs in comparison.

WELL Building Standard
- The WELL Building Standard is an international system that measures, monitors and certifies a series of features to promote occupant wellbeing.

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9
Q

What is the Paris Agreement?

A
  • The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty concerning climate change.
  • It was adopted by nearly every nation and came into affect in 2016.
  • The goal of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius whilst targeting levels below 1.5 degrees Celsius when compared to pre-industrial levels.
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10
Q

Can you explain your understanding of the term carbon neutral?

A
  • Carbon neutrality is to have a balance between the carbon emitted and the carbon absorbed from the atmosphere.
  • This is an important measure of the impact that businesses and projects have on the environment and global warming.
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11
Q

What is an EPC?

A
  • Energy Performance Certificates were introduced in 2007 and are a legal requirement for a building to be sold, let or constructed.
  • Once obtained, an EPC is valid for 10 years.
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12
Q

What things do you implement to promote
sustainability?

A

 Printing only when necessary.
 Recycling.
 Being careful to minimise waste where possible.

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13
Q

What are the key principles of BREEAM?

A

BREEAM promotes sustainable building design and construction. Key principles include:

  • Assessing buildings on sustainability criteria
  • encouraging environmental best practices,
  • reducing energy consumption,
  • minimizing environmental impact.
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14
Q

What are the key principles of SKA?

A

SKA rating helps landlords and tenants assess fit-out projects against a set of sustainability good practice criteria.

  • Flexibility: Tailored to various project types and sizes.
  • Sustainability: Focusing on environmental and social sustainability aspects.
  • Benchmarking: Comparing fit-outs against a standard to encourage better sustainability practices.
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15
Q

What is LEED sustainability acreditation?

A

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the world’s most widely used green building rating system.

LEED certification provides cost-saving green buildings, which offer environmental, social and governance benefits.

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16
Q

What are the key principles of WELL?

A
  • WELL, a building certification system, emphasizes occupant health and well-being.
  • Key principles include air and water quality, lighting, fitness, and nourishment.
17
Q

How did you contribute when exploring WELL Gold and Platinum?

A
  • For Well Gold a client will need to score a total of 60 points.
  • For platinum it is 80 points.
  • Scoring is listed on WELL Website. I.e. 1pt for water quality / 3pts for light quality
18
Q

Give me an example of something sustainable you have incorporated onto a project?

A

ASHPs

19
Q

Are you aware of any sustainability legislation?

A
  • The Paris agreement 2016
  • Climate change act
  • The environment act 2021
20
Q

What are the EPC requirements going forward?

A
  • Government regulations require all rental properties to have an EPC rating of E or higher before being let to tenants.
  • This could be changing to C by 2025.
21
Q

Are you aware of any documents published by the RICS with regards to sustainability?

A

RICS Guidance Note on Sustainability: This provides best practices for surveyors in various sectors, focusing on reducing environmental impact.

RICS Climate Change Adaptation Guide: This offers guidance on how the built environment can adapt to climate change challenges.

RICS Professional Statement on Sustainability: This outlines the expectations for professionals in integrating sustainability into their practices.

22
Q

How is a green roof sustainable?

A
  1. Due to the reduced need for air conditioning in the summer and less heating in the winter, a green roof significantly reduces energy consumption.
  2. A green roof also extends the life span of your roof, because it shields the roofing material from the harmful influence of sun, wind and rain.
23
Q

What are the three principles of sustainability?

A

Environmental: Preventing harmful and potentially irreversible impacts considering natural resources, minising waste, reducing energy and enhancing the environment where possible

Economic: Efficient use of resources including labour and materials and ensuring the design is fit for purpose and reprents value for the end use

Social: Meet the needs of the wider community, enhance social interactions by positively interacting with the local environment surrounding the it.

24
Q

Can you provide an example of a sustainable technology and how it works?

A

Air Source Heat Pump
An air source heat pump works by absorbing heat from the air and transferring it to the heating and hot water system by using a refrigeration system similar to that of a fridge but in reverse

Photovoltaic (PV) Panels
PV’s convert sunlight into electricity. Light energy strikes cells and then electrons are knocked loose from atoms to create a current which is feed through an invertor to be used in battery storage or immediately to power the building

25
Q

How to PV panels then convert the electricity for use in a house?

A

Solar panels convert sunlight into DC electricity through the photovoltaic effect.

Inverters convert DC into AC electricity for household use.

The AC electricity is distributed to power the house, and excess power may be sent to the grid if the system is grid-connected.

26
Q

What is the difference between SKA and BREEAM?

A

SKA is generally more flexible than BREEAM and LEED, as it only scores the project on good practice measures that are relevant to the project. Assessor fees also tend to be lower.

As such, SKA tends to be the preference on smaller projects.

27
Q

What is approved document L?

A

Building regulations Part L – Conservation of Fuel and Power
Split into 4 parts – new and existing dwellings and new and existing buildings other than dwellings.

28
Q

What are the different levels of BREEAM?

A
  • Unclassified – under 30%
  • Pass – 30-45%
  • Good – 45-55%
  • Very Good – 55-70%
  • Excellent – 70-85%
  • Outstanding – 85% +
29
Q

What are some specific BREEAM categories?

A

BREEAM is a sustainability assessment method for the built environment that measures a building’s performance over its entire life cycle.

Energy
Materials
Management
Pollution
Transport
Waste
Water

30
Q

What can be done to increase a BREEAM rating?

A

Improve energy use
Use of recycled materials
Water use
Use of a BREEAM advisor.

31
Q

Why would life cycle costing be beneficial to a client?

A
  • Encourages the analysis of a client’s needs
  • Identifies the cost of ownership, which can be optimised by the balancing of initial capital running costs.
  • Promotes a realistic budget for operation, maintenance and repair.
  • Encourages discussion and recording of decisions about the durability of materials and components at the outset of the project.
  • More probable that the best value for money solution is adopted.
32
Q

What types of green roof are there?

A
  • Intensive – supports a wide range of plant and tree life, requires irrigation and regular maintenance. Circa £450/m2 excluding structural elements.
  • Extensive – lightweight, doesn’t require irrigation, supports mosses and grasses. Circa £300/m2 excluding structural elements.
33
Q

When would you use a site waste management plan?

A
  • Regulations that require a plan to be put in place for the efficient management of waste arising from construction projects.
  • Apply to all construction projects with a value of over £300,000.

WS - APC Mandatory Competencies (14 decks)

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