Sustainability Flashcards
What is sustainability?
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future
Why is sustainability important?
An ecosystem, lifestyle or a community that is sustainable is one which supports itself and surroundings. It is important to be considerate to the needs of future generations.
What are the three ‘pillars’ of sustainability?
Economic
Social
Environmental
What are the 7 elements of sustainable building?
Insulation
Air Tightness
Thermal Mass
Natural Light
Sustainable Material
Structural Systems
Deployment of renewable technologies
What is sustainable development?
Development that is conducted without depleting natural resources, and which balances the needs of the three pillars.
Over what period do you measure/access the impact of a building?
The entire life cycle of the building, not just during construction.
What is the Construction Leadership Council?
The CLC works between industry and government to identify and deliver actions supporting UK construction in building greater efficiency, skills and growth.
Give some examples of how the energy performance of a building can be improved.
Double/Triple glazed windows
A* rated boiler
Renewable energy sources
Sustainable building materials
Using local workforce
Better insulation
What is embodied carbon?
Embodied carbon is considering all the carbon that will be used in the creation of a product. From sourcing the materials, manufacture, delivery, construction and disposal.
What is BREEAM?A
British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method - assesses buildings against numerous performance criteria and awards credits. These credits then lead to a rating of unclassified, pass, good, very good, excellent or outstanding.
What is BREEAM?
A method of assessing the sustainability of a building in terms of design, construction and operation.
It looks at energy use, water use, pollution, transport, materials, waste, ecology and internal environment.
What is passivehaus?
Energy performance standard for dwellings, commercial, industrial and public buildings.
It is a building for which thermal comfort can be achieved via indoor air quality conditions. I.e. without the need for air recirculation which means they no longer need traditional heating or cooling methods.
What is the aim of the Paris Agreement?
191 countries joined to meet central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels and even try to keep them below 1.5 degrees.
Also to use 20% renewable energy by 2050.
What is the key target of the climate change act?
Carbon neutral by 2050.
Are you aware of any RICS campaign regarding sustainability?
RICS Value the Planet
The campaign promotes the preservation of the planet through the implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The campaign also highlights the public interest responsibility of RICS and demonstrate the benefits that the surveying profession provides in offering solutions.
