Sustainability Flashcards
1
Q
Why is sustainability important to construction?
A
- Construction industry accounts for 36% worldwide energy usage
- Construction industry accounts for 37% greenhouse gas emissions.
- Construction can also result in hazardous waste, where improper disposal results in pollution - affects health and environment
- Buildings / infustructure have long-lasting effects, whole life, not just “one and done”
- Any legislation change to sustainability often greatly impact construction
2
Q
Can you define social, environmental and economic considerations in relation to sustainability?
A
Social sustainability is
- meeting the needs of community
- creating fair and inclusive environments
Environmental sustainability is…
- preventung harmful impacts on environment
- promoting sustainable consumption and production practices
Economic sustainability is…
- efficient use of resource, including labour
- ensuring financial stability for individuals and businesses
3
Q
Can you define the term ‘net zero carbon’ in the context of new build construction?
A
UKGBC (UK Green Building Council):
- When carbon omissions associated with building’s product and construction stages up to PC is zero or negative, through use of offsets / net export of on-site renewable energy
4
Q
Can you define the term ‘net zero carbon’ in the context of operational energy for a building in use?
A
UKGBC:
- When carbon emissions associated with operational energy on annual basis is 0 or negative
- Net zero carbon building highly efficient and powered from on-site and/or off-site renewable energy sources, offsetting any remaining carbon balance
5
Q
What is your understanding of the term carbon neutral / net zero carbon?
A
“net zero” aims to achieve a true zero impact by removing as much carbon as is emitted, while “carbon neutral” focuses on balancing emissions through offsets, which can be seen as a less stringent approach.
6
Q
When’s the best point of design to consider sustainable methods of construction?
A
Earlier the better, to minimise cost and programme delays in re-design.
7
Q
What is a U-value?
A
- Measure how effective a material is as an insulator
- Lower u-value = better heat insulator
8
Q
What is an Environmental Impact Assessment?
A
- EIA = process of evaluating likely environmental impact of a proposed project / development
9
Q
What is the SBEM tool?
A
- Simplified Building Energy Model
- Government-defined process in accordance with Building Regs Part L
- Used to demonstrate the energy performance of new and existing non-domestic buildings.
10
Q
Can you tell me a little about BREEAM?
A
- International scheme providing independent 3rd party certification of sustainability performance of individual buildings and infrastructure projects
- Assessment and certification takes place at several stages, design and construction to operation and refurbishment
11
Q
What are the BREEAM headline assessment categories?
A
- Management
- Health and wellbeing
- Energy
- Transport
- Water
- Materials
- Waste
- Land use and ecology
- Pollution
- Innovation
12
Q
Advantages of BREEAM certification?
A
- Level of achievement
- Lower environmental impact
- Considers internal environment (can increase productivity)
- Reduces operating costs
- Improves marketability
13
Q
BREEAM rating thresholds?
A
- Outstanding 85%+
- Excellent 70%+
- Very Good 55%+
- Good 45%+
- Pass 30%+
- Unclassified <30%
14
Q
What can a client do to achieve easy BREEAM points?
A
- Early design stages - bike shelters, local labour, locally sourced materials, planting, life cycle cost plan, waste management plan
- Land use and ecology - habitat protection and creation, improvement of long-term biodiversity
- Pollution - innovation within construction
15
Q
What is an EPC?
A
Energy Performance Certificate, introduced in 2007
- Legal requirement for building to be sold, let or constructed
- Valid for 10 years once obtained
16
Q
What does the EPC Contain?
A
- Sets out property energy efficiency from A to G (A is most efficient)
- Provides indication of how much it would cost to heat and power a property
- Includes recommendations of energy-efficient improvements, costs of undertaking and potential savings it could generate
17
Q
Can you tell me what the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) mean in relation to energy performance ratings?
A
- MEES introduced to set minimum EPC rating of E for rented resi and commercial buildings
- From April 2023, also applies to existing leases for commercial buildings (subject to certain exemptions)
18
Q
What is Passivhaus?
A
- Performance-based set of design criteria for very low-energy buildings
- Helps create buildings using 90% less energy than standard UK buildings
19
Q
What does COP stand for?
A
COP is the Conference of the Parties and is attended by countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty agreed in 1994.
20
Q
What is COP29?
A
The 2024 meeting was the 29th meeting which is why it’s called COP29
21
Q
What happened at COP29?
A
- Establishing the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG).
- Tripling climate finance to developing countries from USD 100 billion annually to USD 300 billion annually by 2035.
- Securing efforts to scale up finance from both public and private sources to reach USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035.
22
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.
23
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.
24
Q
What are the core principles of Planning and Decision making around sustainability?
A
- Creative processes should be used not just scrutiny.
- Proactive steps should be taken to achieve sustainable development.
- Secure the development of high quality built assets.
- Account for the character of the surrounding area.
- Support a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy.
- Conserve & enhance natural environment and reduce pollution.
- Encourage use of brownfield sites.
- Conserve heritage.
- Maximise use of public transport, cycling and walking.
- Support health, social and cultural well-being.
25
What are the most common environmental issues experienced on construction sites?
* Risks of Water Pollution.
* Air and Noise Pollution.
* High Energy Consumption and carbon emissions.
* Risk of land contamination.
* Damage to wild habitats.
* High Wastage production into landfill.
* Release of dangerous gases and chemicals.
26
What are the key pieces of legislation that affect sustainability in construction?
* Agricultural Land Act
* Building Act
* Clean Air Act
* Climate Change Act
27
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.
o Requires that EPC's are produced for dwellings and non-dwellings.
o Quantifies energy efficiency of buildings.
o Required when buildings are built, sold or rented.
o Commercial buildings over 500 sqm. and frequented by the public need to display a display energy certificate (DEC) based on actual energy used.
28
What are the different forms of taxation relating to sustainability?
* 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.
* The tax is charged by weight at varying rates depending on whether the waste is inert or active.
29
What is SKA Ratings code of practice?
* 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, known as Good Practice Measures (GPM).
* SKA can act as an alternative to BREEAM which have higher costs in comparison.
30
What is LEED (Life Cycle Assessment) code of practice?
* This method reviews embodied aspects of carbon emissions as well as life cycle assessment during construction and operation.
* LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
* It is a USA equivalent of BREEAM.
* Ratings are:-
LEED Certified.
Silver.
Gold.
Platinum.
31
What procedures does your firm implement to promote sustainability?
* Recycling of cardboard, paper and plastics.
* Use of Energy efficient lighting (motion sensors).
* Energy efficient equipment (LED lamps, energy efficient monitors).
* All company cars are to be EV’s by 2025.
* Cycle to work schemes.
* Reduce printing by using cloud-based systems.
* Charitable contributions (tree planting / environmental programmes).
* Sign up to Green initiatives and codes of practice (use office space with high EPC / BREEAM ratings).
32
What is the Paris Agreement?
* 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.
* The agreement commits all major emitting countries to cut their climate pollution.
* It also creates a framework for the transparent monitoring and reporting of each individual countries progress.
33
Name some sustainable building methods?
* Use of recycled materials such as reclaimed timber, recycled tiles and plastics.
* Ground Source Heat Pumps.
* Air Source Heat Pumps.
* Solar Panels.
* Wind Turbines.
* Solar Shading.
* Rain water harvesting.
* Green Roofs.
* Automated Building Systems (Lighting sensors).
34
What is your understanding of the term ‘Green Roofs’?
* A green roof is a roof covering that is partially or completely covered with vegetation that is placed over a waterproof membrane.
* Additional layers such as drainage layers, irrigation systems or root barriers may also be placed over the membrane.
* Rooftop ponds are an alternative form of green roof which are used to treat grey water.
* The vegetation, soil, drainage layer, root barriers and irrigation system are typically the key components of a green roof.
* Advantages of Green Roofs are that they absorb rainwater, provide extra insulation, increase biodiversity by providing habitats for wildlife, are aesthetically pleasing and lower urban air temperatures.
35
What are Photovoltaics and how do they work?
* Photovoltaics allow the conversion of sunlight into electricity.
* Sunlight contains energy known as photons.
* When photos hit solar modules within the solar panel they cause electrons to flow through the bottom layer.
* The movement of electrons generates electricity that flows to an inverter.
* The inverter converts DC electricity into AC that is then used to power the building.
36
What is a soakaway and how do they work?
* Soakaways offer a means of surface water drainage attenuation.
* They consist of large holes or pits that receive surface water from a drainage pipe.
* The soakaway allows the collected surface water to gradually infiltrate through the soil.
37
Can you explain your understanding of the term carbon neutral?
* Carbon neutrality is to have a balance between the carbon emitted and the carbon absorbed from the atmosphere in carbon sinks.
* This is an important measure of the impact that businesses and projects have on the environment and global warming.
* To date no artificial carbon sinks are able to remove carbon from the atmosphere at the levels required to offset global warming.
38
What is meant by the term solar gain?
* Solar gain is the name given to the increase in temperature in a space, object or structure due to solar radiation (the heat from the sun).
* A building can retain this solar gain by having high thermal mass or can avoid it by using reflective materials and insulation.
39
How can solar gain be managed in buildings?
* Limiting the size and area of openings such as doors and windows.
* Shading or orientating doors and windows from direct sunlight.
* Using reflective materials on the glass and building fabric.
* Insulating walls and roof spaces to prevent indirect solar gains into the building.
40
How does a ground source heat pump work?
* Heat from the ground is absorbed at low temperatures into a fluid inside a loop of pipe (a ground loop) buried underground.
* The fluid then passes through a compressor that raises it to a higher temperature, which can then heat water for the heating and hot water circuits of the house.
* The cooled ground-loop fluid passes back into the ground where it absorbs further energy from the ground in a continuous process as long as heating is required.
41
Please explain your understanding of the term SUDS?
* Stands for Sustainable drainage system.
* SUDS will slow down surface water run off by allowing it to infiltrate and soak into natural contours and landscapes.
* SUDS are considered to be environmentally friendly as they do not rely on the manufacture of plastic or clay drainage components and instead utilise natural vegetation and material to absorb surface water.
42
What are the benefits of rainwater harvesting?
* It decreases the demand for water.
* It reduces the need for imported water.
* Rainwater harvesting promotes both water and energy conservation.
* Improved BREEAM compliance can be achieved.
* Lower operational costs can be gained.
43
What is an EPC?
* 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.
* The most efficient built assets typically have the lowest fuel bills and are in band A.
* EPC’s are rated on a scale of A-G.
* The energy efficiency of the built asset along with the potential efficiency following improvements are identified.
* The EPC will also show the amount of CO2 emissions produced by the property in tonnes and will advise the amount this could be reduced by.
44
What sustainable initiatives are you aware of that are being implemented by the RICS?
* The RICS SKA ratings encourages green codes of practice for commercial properties.
* RICS has also launched the ‘Value the Planet’ campaign and committed to forming a climate change expert panel to implement the UN’s sustainable development goals.
* RICS has launched a Responsible Business Report filled with solutions for companies to operate in a greener capacity, regardless of the firm’s size. This includes introducing higher recycling rates and reducing energy, transport and water use where possible.
* Whole Life Carbon Assessment (WLCA): RICS has developed the WLCA standard to measure and manage carbon emissions throughout the entire life cycle of built assets. This standard helps in reducing life cycle emissions and achieving net-zero goals
45
What things do you implement to promote sustainability?
* Printing only when necessary.
* Car sharing.
* Use of energy efficient equipment.
* Recycling.
* Use of cycle to work schemes.
* Being careful to minimise waste where possible.
* Avoiding the use of plastic bottles.
* Use of cloud-based storage systems.
46
What is the Agricultural Land Act?
* Agricultural Land Act – Enables land to be acquired for a particular purpose for example to control pests and weeds, for use as woodlands or to support agricultural activities.
47
What is the Building Act?
* Building Act – This is the primary piece of UK Legislation that enables the Building Regulations to be enforced. This is to assist in the conservation of fuel and power, to prevent waste, misuse or contamination of water and to ensure those in and around buildings are kept safe.
48
What is the Clean Air Act?
* Clean Air Act – This legislation provides local authorities within England to introduce measures in order to control air pollution.
49
What is the Climate Change Act?
* 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.
50
Can you provide some information on UK sustainability strategies?
The Net Zero Strategy 2021
* It sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet the government’s net zero target by 2050.
British Energy Security Strategy 2022
* Aims to deliver cleaner, affordable and more secure energy through investment in British owned / located projects
51
What is OneClick LCA?
One Click LCA is an software tool designed for life-cycle assessments.
Leveraging its extensive product database and standardised data input, it aims to deliver detailed and accurate and detailed reporting.
Additionally, it features a report editing feature that allows customisation to suit the specific needs of the client, project, and targeted accreditation.
52
What is a LCA?
A Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method used to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with all stages of a building's life cycle.
This includes the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual demolition or recycling.
