Sustainability

Question 1

What is sustainability?

Answer 1

Meeting the needs of the current generations without jeopardising the needs of the future generations.

Question 2

Why is sustainability important in the construction industry?

Answer 2

• The built environment contributes for 40% of the UKs CO2 emissions.
• Need to meet sustainability goals such as MEES and changes to building regulations.

Question 3

How can the type of materials impact the sustainability of a construction project?

Answer 3

• Minimising environmental impact.
• Renewable, recycled and local materials to reduce energy consumption.

Question 4

How can transportation methods impact the sustainability of a construction project?

Answer 4

Construction transportation contributes massively to global CO2 emissions, incorporating ways to improving efficiency with transportation to and from site to minimise fuel consumption for example.

Question 5

What is embodied energy?

Answer 5

Total energy consumed to create a building, including extracting, processing, transport and assembly.

Question 6

Whats an EPC?

Answer 6

• An energy performance certificate.
• Energy rating given to a property regarding its running cost and how sustainable it is.
• Minimum rating for a domestic dwelling to be rented is an E, rising to a C by 2030

Question 7

What is RdSAP used for?

Answer 7

To determine the EPC rating of existing properties.

Question 8

What does RdSAP stand for?

Answer 8

Reduced Standard Assessment Procedure

Question 9

How do you complete an EPC?

Answer 9

An EPC is completed by collecting accessing all areas in a property, sketch the over floor area of the property, record the walls types (HLP, Party, Alternative), and collect the relevant data: type of property, age, construction type, wall thickness, glazing type, heating system, insulation. This information in then inputted into RdSAP which produces an SAP rating ranging from 1-100.

Question 10

What factors can affect the energy efficiency in domestic properties?

Answer 10

• Construction Type: Wall, Roof Type (Flat Above?), Floor Type (Flat Below?)
• The type of glazing to a property, the heating system type
• HLP, Party Wall, Alterative Wall

Question 11

What methods can be incorporated to increase SAP (Standard assessment procedure) rating?

Answer 11

• Cheap/easy: LE light bulbs or loft insulation
• Expensive: Wall insulation (cavity/external), glazing, or heating system.

Question 12

What are the three pillars of sustainability?

Answer 12

• Environmental, social, and economic.
• Social - Building healthy communities with sufficient
• Economic - Build strong, responsive, and competitive economies ensuring sufficient land of the right types.
• Environmental - Contribute to protecting and enhancing our natural, built, and historic environment.

Question 13

Why is it important to incorporate the tree pillars of sustainability into construction?

Answer 13

• Creating long-lasting, responsible, and efficient developments.
• Reduce carbon footprint.
• Supports communities.
• Enhances wellbeing.
• Reduces long term maintenance costs.
• Encourages innovation

Question 14

How is sustainability achieved?

Answer 14

• Goal is sustainability in construction to limit environmental impact of building, during the construction and life of the building.
• Implementing ways to achieve this, selected sustainable materials, transportation methods, construction types, and waste management.

Question 15

What is BREEAM?

Answer 15

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method

It is one of the world’s leading methods to certificate systems for sustainable buildings.

Question 16

How is building assessed under BREEAM?

Answer 16

Buildings are assessed under energy, land use, materials, pollution, transport, and waste to give a rating.

Question 17

What ratings can be achieved under BREEAM?

Answer 17

Outstanding = 85%
Excellent = 70%
Very Good = 55%
Good = 45%
Pass = 30%
Unclassified = Less than 30%

Question 18

How does your employer measure sustainability?

Answer 18

• Our database holds our properties EPC ratings which can be extracted to analyse the stock and where improvements are needed
• Large scale projects involving solar panels and batteries

Question 19

How does your employer ensure to meet sustainability legislation?

Answer 19

• PCC have declared that we will become net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and will help the city follow, to align with the UK to meet net zero by 2050.
• MEES: All our properties must have minimum EPC rating of E, moving to C in 2025. Installing EWI to various properties.

Question 20

Example of a building with a BREAAM rating?

Answer 20

Bombay Sapphire Distillery
First retrofit project to reach BREAAM Excellent
EPC rating of A

Question 21

How could a building reach BREAAM status?

Answer 21

• hydro electric turbine
• reusing materials from the demolished building
• retaining 80% of the original structure
• using spent botanicals from the distillery process as fuel for the bio mass boiler
• social responsibility adopted in design
• community involvement