Sustainability Flashcards
Narrow Definition of Construction
Firms that deliver projects
Broad Definition of Projects
Includes wider supply chain that provides material resources
Construction 2025
-33% costs
+50% delivery time
-50% emissions
+50% net exports
Global Energy since 1973/2015
1973 - Oil 46
2015 - Oil 30%
UK Nuclear Power Plants
53% of UK Power by renewables
15 reactors, half retired by 2025
24% of UK power
How to improve/targets energy
UK Climate Change Act
Improve energy efficiency, reduce demand, more low carbon options, renewable sources
2008 - Reduce greenhouse gasses by 80% from 1990 by 2050
Weightman Review
Following Fukushima 38 lessons
Layout/design of plant
Flooding risk/emergency response arrangements
Safety reviews
Energy Hierarchy
Reduce Improve energy efficiency 0 carbon sources Near 0 carbon sources Use non renewables as cleanly as p[possible
Impact Equation
Ehlrich + Holden
Population x affluence x technology
Sustainable development definition
Development which meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Pitt Review
Summer 2007 flood 13 dead 55000 properties flooded
Met office work with environment agency
Robust building/Planning to protect communities
5.5m properties at risk
Urbanisation of the UK
2050 65% of people will live in urban areas
Reasons for flooding
Areas built over
Impermeable surfaces like tarmac
Need for more drainage
Types of flooding
Rivers/natural watercourses (fluvial)
Sea - low land
Rainfall - Land / sewers / reservoirs / canals
Flood plain types
Functional flood plain - where water would flow
Within natural plain but protected by banks
Flood zones 1, 2, 3a, 3b
SUDS
Sustain Urb Drain Syst cope with run off/create habitats
Filter strips - takes water from impervious areas
Swales - ditches
Infiltration Basin - depressions storing water
Purvious surfaces - Allow water through brick driveways
Ocean Acidification
Absorbing CO2 50% of anthropogenic C02
Affects ocean food chain
Anthropogenic Pollution
Originating in human activity
Rice fields, natural gas, landfill, agriculture
Methane 21x potent than CO2, landfill main source
E.F Schumacher Quote
Wrote Small is beautiful
It is inherent in the methodology of economics to ignore mans dependence on the natural world
Japanese/British Pre-fab
Produce 150,000 homes a year
Leadenhall 340m 85% pre-fab Laing O’Rouke
Products impacting the environment
80% of the products we produce impact the environment
BAPs
SAPs
HAPs
Biodiversity Action Plan
Species Action Plan
Habitat Action Plan
Biofuel
Fast growing trees/shrubs - animal waste
Dedicated crops - Short rotation crops
Dependant crops - main portion used for other things
EIA Definition
Drawing together in a systematic way an assessment of a projects likely significant environmental impacts
EIA Meaning
Required on certain developments
Measures environmental, social, economics of develop
Have to be one for roads, power stations, ports and harbours (Schedule I)
EIA 3 Stages
Screening - determine whether schedule II need an EIA
Scoping - Potential impacts / alternative
Review - determine sufficiency of EIA
Screening
Consider characteristics of development, location and potential impacts
EIA Consultation
Consultation erquired to those with an interest in the environmental effects, Planning Authority, Countryside Agency, HSE and English Heritage e.g
Adv / Disadv of EIA
Planned mitigation, avoidance at source
Time and cost to the project can take months
Greenfield / Brownfield definition
Not previously been developed on
Previously been developed with buildings, permanent structure or infrastructure
Competitiveness of the Construction Industry Report
1997 - Coherent quality control, increase regulatory environment, increase education and training and research and development
Contaminated Land
Elevated level of naturally occurring substances Ind/agr
Chemical spillages and landfill
Heavy industry - Oil/coal refinery and steelworks
Bad for people, animals, ecosystems, water
4000sqkm of contaminated land UK
Environmental Baseline
Current and future state if no development
Same time period of development life cycle
Population, noise, habitat
Provide alternatives/impact/mitigation
Egan Report
1998, 30% reworked
Labour 40-60% inefficient
10% materials waste
Improve efficie/quality/performance targets and innovate
M4I
Move for Innovation
180 exemplar projects
-10% time/costs
-10% productivity
Achieving Excellence in Construction
Develop long term relationships
Short decision time frame
Embodied Energy / Carbon
Energy Used to create Material x Carbon intensity
10% of total buildings C footprint from industrial manuf of materials / transportation
Brick wall/Cast concrete highest Embodied Carbon
Phase Change Materials
Ability to absorb / store heat
High embodied energy paid through operational saving
Provide summer cooling / winter heating
Hierarchy of flood building / site design
Flood avoidance - avoid flooding
Flood resistance - prevent flooding
Flood resilience - can enter impact reduced
Flood repairable - damage can be easily replaced
Fuel Poverty
Households that need to spend more than 10% of their income on fuel
LCA
Impact of material over lifetime Energy / cabron
Extraction, transport, manufacture, waste/pollution
WLC
Operation Carbon footprint + embodied in materials
Procurement, maintain/refurb, operational, disposal
Construction Waste
10m tonnes of construction waste 1.5bn a year UK
Kenneth Boulding
Spaceship Earth Cowboy economy (reckless with use)
Anyone that thinks exponential growth will last forever is either a madman or an economist
Environmental impact %
More than 10% of env impact of a product is determined at the design stage
North West Bicester
First Eco-twon 393 homes 0 waste to landfill 17500 sqm of solar panels Rainwater harvesting
Types of Solar Panels
Monocyrstalline - most expensive / efficient
Polycrystalline - med efficiency / price
Amorphous - least expensive least efficient
Triple Bottom Line
Social
Economic
Environmental
Parts of the Atmosphere
Troposphere - Weather
Stratosphere - Ozone
Mesosphere - Temperature decrease (mesopause)
Thermosphere - low density gasses
Hammarby Sjostad
Masterplanning important
Transport infra designed to discourage car use
Highly contaminated dumping cars
Lake capped with concrete
Soil/grease 900000+ contam 300000 heavily polluted
ISO 14001 : 2015
Certified envir management system provides framework
Air poll, water, sewage, waste, soil contam resource efficieny
Verification and Validation
Monitor to check objective has been achieved
Quality assurance
Report remed activi site conditions and maint plan
BedZed Triple Bottom Line
Social Amenity - Mix tenure, air quality, prox comm facili
Financial Effective - Afforda, low bills, public transport
Reduced Env Impact - 0 fossil fuels, 100% renewable passive solar heating
Pollutant Types
Heavy Metal - Toxic to animals
Hydrocarbon - Methane/Ethane
Toxic Organic Micropollutants - Pesticides
Radionuclides - Nuclear Waste / radiation Chernobyl
Land Remediation 4 Phases
Desk Study
Intrusive Investigation
Remediation and/or risk management
Verification and Validation
Phase 1 Remediation
Desk Study
Identify location, assessment of setting/history of site
Soil map needs to be assessed
Groundwater assessed
Aichi
Living in harmony with nature
Brundtland Report
1987
Our Common Future
Sustainable Development Definition
COP 21
Paris Agreement - Set targets
INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contribution)
Gambia and Morocco achieving target
Biomorphic
Biomimicry
Design in the shape of natural organisms
The design/manufacture of materials based on natures processes
PPM Levels
Current levels are 410ppm
1750 - 280ppm
Methane
Rice fields, landfill, animals
21x more potent than co2
In atmosphere for 12 years
Albedo Effect
The amount of light that is reflected by the planet
Ice caps melting reduces this
Kuznets Curve
As economies develop Environmental degradation increases
Turning point, then starts to decrease move into services
Arthur Pigou
Tax needs to equal cost of damage
Ronald Coase
Polluter pays principle
Vernacular Design
Based on local needs/amenities
Locally sourced materials/labour
Pollination
30% food production reliant on pollination
UK CO2 Emissions
Fell by 6% in 2015-16
Habitat Fragmentation
Major infrastructure splitting habitats
Need tunnels / relocate habitats
Cryosphere
Where water is in solid form
Ice caps, glaziers, mountain glaziers etc
Photosynthesis Formula
6Co2 + 6h2o + sunlight —> 6o2 + c6h12o6
Landfill Directive
Reduce negative effects on the environment
Stern Review
Nicholas Stern 2006
Climate change a market failure, no one accountable
Report detailing effect of food production, glaziers from climate change
Passive House
8% thicker walls
70% reduced carbon
Section 106 Agreements
Social amenity as part of development
Make agreements to make acceptable developments
Land Remediation Phase III
Remediation statement gives objectives to Plan Author
Description of ground conditions, contam type/methodology
In situ/Ex situ
Excavated / unexcavated
Types of Remediation
Chemical Leaching - washing
Solvent Extraction - solvent use
Windrow - soil + organic
Bioreactor - soil + nutrients + air + water in enclosed vessel
Land Remediation Phase II
Soil, surface and groundwater sampling
Contracted out and submitted to Local Plan Auth
Compare pollutants to a control
Mott Macdonald Land Remediation
No Standar, fit for purpose
Accepted level of contam
Review how it can be accessed ingestion/touch
Residential / Industrial Arsenic
200
500
Negative on Windrow / Leaching
Organic material removed
Syndney Central Park / Central Park
Increased land value from green space
Green Spaces / intergrate art
Freiburg
10% more to build houses
90% reduction in bills
All new builds need to be carbon neutral
No more than 75KWhm2 per year
Green Infrastructure Examples
Drainage Forests Local food Air / Water improvements Healthy soil Sustainable energy production Urban Heat Public Health (Mental health / ecotherapy) Social Cohesion Aesthetic value / tourism Effective material use
What is an EIA good for?
Provides information about development for planning authority, regulator, interested parties and the public
Characteristics of screening implications
Traffic Noise Pollution Sound Habitats Air quality
Characteristics of EIA Screening
Traffic Noise Habitats Pollutions 21 categories where EIA is mandatory
EIA Sites Compulsory
SSSI - Sites of Special Scientific Interest
World Heritage Sites
Environmental Statement
Sets out the developers own assessment of impacts for development made publicly available
Characterising nature of impact
Determine the significance of impact
EIA Adverse
Does not prohibit the development
Plan Auth must consider the impacts
Developer may have thought of improvements
May be used to consider alternative methods
Mitigation Hierarchy
Avoidance at source Minimise at source Abatement at site Abatement at receptor Repair Compensate
MET Matrix Design Phase
Materials, Energy, Toxicity ‘Quick and Dirty’
Durable/reusable or disposable/compostable
2 cycles organic (renewables) technical (extracted / processed)
MET Matrix Production Phase
Sizes/quantities
Supply chain relationship return excess materials
MET Matrix Distribution Phase / Resources Use
Local is better
Use something that is easily maintained
Part L
Conservation of Fuel and Power
Primary means of controlling building performance
3 Types of sustainability credentials
LEED
BREEAM
Passive Haus
Introduction Inclusion
Why the climate is changing - anthropogenic
The impacts it has - Ice caps, sea levels. xtreme weather
Wicked problem - Solution has negative impact on other
Iron Triangle
IPAT Equation
Energy Hierarchy
Construction 2025
Need to encourage behavioural change
UK carbon emissions falling
UK 53% renewable sources
UK climate change act 2008
Zero carbon homes
They are net neutral to the grid
Orientation natural light
High thermal mass - reduce energy / phase change
Wicked Problem
A problem that is very difficult or nye impossible to solve
Negative impacts on other people, hugely expensive
Advantages and Disadvantages of Blue/Green Infrastructure
Ecotherapy
New Habitats
SUDS
Carbon sequestration - naturally removed
What is not a greenhouse gas
Toxic Gas do wood chips give off
Carbon Monoxide
For Schedule 1 what is not needed
Screening stage
Heavy Metal detection Process
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
Ocean Current carrying heat from equator to higher
Thermohaline
Transition Towns
Totnes
Behavioural change
Making towns more sustainable
Bottom up / Grass roots
IR
GHG and water vapour absorb IR and retransmit towards earth then heat gets trapped
UV passes through layers reflected to weak to leave
