Sustainability Flashcards
What is your definition of sustainability?
Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations (Bruntland definition 1987).
Why is the adoption of sustainable principles necessary?
- To conserve finite resources;
- Lower carbon emission - buildings are responsible for 44% of total carbon emissions;
- Reduce climate change.
Why does sustainability matter?
- Climate change – extreme weather events
- Biome shifting – deforestation, polar areas melting, extinct species
- Water shortages – drought
- Depletion of non-renewable resources
- Pollution
Aims of sustainability:
- The environment should be preserved
- Resources need to be retained for future generations to enjoy
- Humans need to continue to make and do the things that allow them to live comfortably
- LEDCs need to develop, through maximising production of their resources
- There should be a better balance between the consumption of those resources between LEDCs and MEDCs.
What areas does sustainability affect?
- People (social) – health and wellbeing;
- Planet (environmental / ecological) – emissions / planets resources;
- Profit (economic) – job creation.
What practical measures can you undertake to become sustainable in your home?
- Household waste storage – encourage recycling;
- Composting facilities;
- Insulation – reduce heat loss through building fabric;
- Internal lighting – use energy efficient fittings;
- Eco-labelled white goods;
- Low or Zero Carbon Technology – use local renewable or low carbon energy;
- Cycle storage – encourage cycling;
- Home office – provide quiet area to allow working from home.
What role does construction play in sustainability?
The construction industry is produces a large amount of carbon in proportion to other industries not only in the production of buildings but through their lifecycle and the government has committed to reducing carbon emissions through Kyoto Protocol (high level – UK initiatives, to achieve this) therefore it is important that the construction industry recognizes this and takes action.
What do you mean by the triple bottom line?
- Economic – profit. Job creation
- Social – people. Health and wellbeing. Housing conditions, regeneration
- Environmental – planet. Sustainable/Ecological
Triple bottom line in an organization (AECOM)
- Economic: Corporate profit (profit and loss account) – Generating jobs
- Social: how socially responsible an organization is – training for staff (GDP) , CSR – days for helping the community
- Environmental: recycling, initiatives for cycling to work
What is Carbon Neutral?
Carbon neutral, or having net zero carbon footprint,
- Means achieving zero carbon emissions
- by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount removed or offset, through i.e. sustainable energy production, and sold back to grid.
What legislation exists to govern sustainability?
- Building regulations – Part f.
- Energy Performance Regulations 2012 (EPCs).
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
- Climate Change Act 2008
- Energy Act 2011
What are the Building Regulations?
Set of national building standards
What qualifies as building work under the control of the regulations?
- What types of buildings are exempt
- Notification procedures that must be followed when starting, carrying out, and completing building work
- Requirements for specific aspects of building design and construction
- In England, the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) is responsible for the Building Regulations 2010 and the Building (Approved Inspectors etc.) Regulations 2010. The regulations apply to most new buildings and many alterations to existing buildings.
Approved Documents – general guidance on how specific aspects of building design and construction can comply with the Building Regulations.
How does sustainability link to Building Regulations?
Approved document Part F – Conservation of Fuel & Power, which relates to sustainability.
What is the aim of Part F and its key elements?
It covers the conservation of fuel and power in all structures, domestic and non-domestic and its aim is to achieve zero carbon buildings. It provides practical guidance on ways of complying with Energy Efficient requirements and has four divisions:
- L1A – New dwellings;
- L1B – Existing dwellings;
- L2A – New buildings other than dwellings;
- L2B – Existing buildings other than dwellings.
It controls and sets standards for:
- The insulation values of building elements;
- The allowable area of windows, doors and other openings;
- Air permeability of the structure;
- The heating efficiency of boiler systems;
- The insulation and controls for heating appliances and systems;
- Hot water storage;
- Lighting efficiency;
- HVAC systems.
SAP – Standard Assessment Procedure
method for calculating the energy performance of dwellings. Part of building regulations(part L). energy consumption per unit floor area etc.
What
What is the Climate Change Act 2008?
- Sets in place a legally binding agreement target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 80% by the year 2050 (based on 1990 levels as detailed in Kyoto Protocol).
- The government must report every 5 years on progress through ‘carbon budgets’.
- Must of the ensuing legislation in place is to ensure that the UK meets the target
What is the Energy Act 2011?
- Green Deal – scraped
- Private rented sector
- Reducing carbon emissions and home-heating costs
- Measures for reducing CO2
- Provision of energy efficiency measures to homes and businesses.
- There are a number of key measures included in the new Act.
- The Energy Act also includes provisions that will affect the private rented sector – both residential and commercial.
o From April 2016, private residential landlords will be unable to refuse a tenant’s reasonable request for consent to energy efficiency improvements to a property, where a finance package such as the Green Deal and/or the Energy Company Obilgation is available.
o Also from April 2018, it will be against the law to rent out either residential or commercial premises where a minimum energy efficiency standard has not been achieved - likely to be EPC rating ‘E’.
What is one requirement of the Energy Performance Regulations?
- Requirement of an Energy Performance Certificate or Display Energy Certificate
What are EPCs and DECs?
EPC (Environmental Performance Certificate):
Governed by the Energy Performance Regulations 2012
- Required for almost all buildings that are constructed, sold or let Buildings (not requiring an EPC– places of worship, temporary buildings, industrial buildings, buildings that are suitable for demolition).
- Set out the energy performance rating of buildings.
- It includes a comparison of the predicted energy consumption of the building to a benchmark and provides a lettered asset rating (similar to the A-G ratings commonly found on domestic appliances).
- EPCs are provided by accredited energy assessors who also provide a recommendation report to help owners and occupiers make their building more energy efficient
- EPCs are valid for 10 years.
- For new buildings, the contractor is under a legal obligation to provide an EPC to the client at handover.
- Currently there is no requirement to follow the recommendations.
The
DEC (Display Energy Certificate):
- A certificate showing the energy performance of a building based on actual energy consumption.
- Required annually for all public buildings over 500m2, and must be displayed in a prominent place.
- Shows actual energy use of a building and the associated carbon dioxide emissions, and also provide a comprehensive advisory report.
- Generally the DEC would compare the previous year’s actual energy consumption to a benchmark and include a lettered asset rating, although for a newly constructed building without any energy consumption data, only the predicted information from the EPC would be included.
- The DEC is also accompanied by an Advisory report, setting out how to reduce emissions from the building further - although this element need only be updated every seven years.
- As the DEC is the responsibility of the building occupier, the contractor would currently be under no obligation to provide it, although it would be a relatively simple exercise for them to undertake while they were preparing the EPC.
What are the key differences between DEC and EPC?
Similar – both show energy performance of a building (one based on operational usage and the other on building fabric and services)
EPC (Environmental Performance Certificate):
- Required on almost all buildings.
- Contractor obligation to provide.
- Issued on handover (Last 10 years).
- Assess performance based on fabric and services – they do not take into account how the occupier uses the building.
DEC (Display Energy Certificate):
- Required for all public buildings over 1,000m2.
- Employer obligation to provide.
- Issued yearly.
- Shows the actual energy performance based on actual usage of a building and its operational rating (benchmarked against other similar buildings)
It is therefore possible that a building constructed to a high EPC, could have a poor DEC
Due to the fact that it is managed poorly with a high wastage of energy.
What is an Environmental Impact Assessment?
Environmental Impact Assessment:
- Legislation: Governed by the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011
- What is it? Process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development – both benefits and adverse effects.
- When do they apply: The regulations only apply to certain types of development and/or projects (Large infrastructure projects, in a sensitive area). They can even apply to ‘permitted development’ - development for which you do not need to get planning permission.
- Purpose:
- To ensure that the environmental effects of a proposed development are properly considered.
- Provides the local planning authority with better information about certain types of project enabling them to make a more informed decision about whether permission should be granted and to allow imposition of more appropriate conditions and obligations to mitigate possible negative impacts.
- Aids design development.
- Submission:
- Environmental Statement to be submitted alongside planning applications.
- Environmental Statement which summarises the findings of the EIA process and is used primarily to inform decision makers regarding the environmental implications of the development – provides a basis for the planning consultation.
- Highlights potential impact of project on sustainability (PPP) & highlights need for impact to be reduced.
An Environmental Statement may contain:
- A description of the proposed development and its use.
- An estimate of the likely residues and emissions resulting from the construction and operation of the development. (water, air and soil pollution, noise, vibration, light, heat, radiation, etc.).#- An assessment of how the development complies with planning policy.
- An assessment of environmental opportunities and constraints.
- An assessment of appropriate alternatives. This may include an assessment of possible alternative sites, and so it is important that this is done during the very early stages of the project, not as a process of post-rationalisation after the client has already selected a site.
- An assessment of the likely impacts of the development.
Are there any upcoming changes to the EIA Regulations?
Expected 2017.
- The changes are will require greater reasoned justification at the screening stage,
- the consideration of new topics in the EIA and the monitoring of significant effects.
- Changes to the EU Directive will also require developers to select suitably experienced professionals to advise them.
What ways of measuring the sustainability of buildings are there?
- BREEAM;
- LEED;
- SKA – Commercial Fit-out projects.
What are BREEAM and LEED and what are the differences between them?
BREEAM: British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method LEED: Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design BREEAM UK BRE scheme (not owned by the government – can be a planning condition) Legislation / Best practice Percentage thresholds Based on carbon dioxide Main application in UK International use with adaptation Assessor collates & submits info Assessed on 9 credentials Independently audited
LEED US Green Buildings Council scheme Optional standards Quantitative thresholds Based on US dollars Niche application in UK International use with little adaptation Design team collates & submits info Assessed on 5 credentials Not independently audited Generally BREEAM dictates specific technologies or strategies, whereas LEED states the intention of the credit and leaves it up to the designer’s discretion as to how to meet it. Why
Why might a company was an environment assessment method carried out?
- Company might have a company target for BREEAM rated development
- LEED is not commonly used however an American Company might want their UK office to be LEED rated to keep it consistent across their global portfolio.
- Attracts higher rentals / more attractive to prospective tenants
How is BREEAM assessed?
It is assessed using the following categories:
1. Management (Stakeholder participation).
2. Health & Wellbeing (Acoustic performance, thermal comfort).
3. Energy (Reduction of CO2, energy monitoring).
4. Transport (public transport accessibility, cyclist facilities).
5. Water (water efficient equipment, monitoring).
6. Materials (responsible sourcing, insulation).
7. Waste (waste management, recycled aggregates).
8. Land Use & Ecology (ecological impact, enhancing site ecology).
9. Pollution (light, surface water runoff).
10. Innovation (exemplary performance in other criteria, new technology).
And is rated as thus:
BREEAM 2014 Changes
Updated to ‘catch up building types’ – consistency throughout the schemes
Refurb and fit out (2008, updated 2014)
New construction (2008, 2011 and updated 2014)
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out (Non-Domestic)
BREEAM is the industry mark of best practice for sustainable refurbishment and fit out. Projects currently seeking certification can use either:
BREEAM 2008 for fit-out and refurbishment or;
BREEAM New Construction 2011 for major refurbishment.
In-Use performance of an existing building or portfolio of buildings, you can use BREEAM In-Use.
Changes: BREEAM Refurbishment 2014 (Non-Domestic)
New standalone scheme
4 modular parts:
Shell, fabric and structure
Core services
Local services
Interior design
- Shell and Core buildings are now defined as either ‘Shell only’ or ‘Shell and core’ and have their own scope-specific assessment criteria and credit weightings.
- The Energy section has been updated in line with Part L 2013
- More credits at an earlier stage – e.g. if certain tasks completed by Stage 2
- Extra new credits – material efficiency
Can you give me an overview of the key elements of LEED?
- Green Buildings Council scheme that measures the environmental properties & performance in buildings.
- Provides a framework for implementing sustainable design & construction techniques as well as looking at the operational aspect of the building.
- Assessed over 5 key areas: o Energy efficiency
- Pass
30%
- Good
45%
- Very Good
55%
- Excellent
70%
- Outstanding
85%
BREEAM 2014 Changes
Updated to ‘catch up building types’ – consistency throughout the schemes Refurb and fit out (2008, updated 2014) New construction (2008, 2011 and updated 2014)
BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out (Non-Domestic)
BREEAM is the industry mark of best practice for sustainable refurbishment and fit out. Projects currently seeking certification can use either:
BREEAM 2008 for fit-out and refurbishment or;
BREEAM New Construction 2011 for major refurbishment.
In-Use performance of an existing building or portfolio of buildings, you can use BREEAM In-Use.
Changes: BREEAM Refurbishment 2014 (Non-Domestic)
New standalone scheme
4 modular parts:
Shell, fabric and structure
Core services
Local services
Interior design
- Shell and Core buildings are now defined as either ‘Shell only’ or ‘Shell and core’ and have their own scope-specific assessment criteria and credit weightings.
- The Energy section has been updated in line with Part L 2013
- More credits at an earlier stage – e.g. if certain tasks completed by Stage 2
- Extra new credits – material efficiency
Can you give me an overview of the key elements of LEED?
- Green Buildings Council scheme that measures the environmental properties & performance in buildings.
- Provides a framework for implementing sustainable design & construction techniques as well as looking at the operational aspect of the building.
- Assessed over 5 key areas: o Energy efficiency
o Water efficiency
o Internal Air Quality
o Material Selection
o Sustainable site – recycling / reuse / recovery of materials. - Total of 100 points available to give an overall rating of Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
- Communicates the efficiency & environmental impact of a building and can be used to show a company’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and attract tenants as environmentally efficient building offer lower operation costs & increased rent possibilities.
Can you give some example of how you can obtain LEED points?
- Reuse of materials.
- Sourcing local products.
- Maximising water efficiency by installing low flush toilets & restrictors on the showers.
- Providing additional cycle spaces above the minimum requirement.
How do you ensure that sustainability targets on projects are achieved?
- BREEAM consultant / assessment and regular monitoring of the status of credits.
- Air testing of the building to see how airtight it is.
- Monitoring of energy use and waste on site.
- Using responsibly sources materials; check for guarantees.
What is SKA?
Operated by RICS, Ska Rating is an environmental assessment tool for sustainable fit-outs.
Fitting-out spaces in an environmentally sustainable way using Ska Rating method can:
- Carry out an informal self-assessment of the environmental performance of their fit-out;
- Commission a quality-assured assessment and certificate from an RICS-accredited Ska assessor;
- Obtain clear guidance on good practice in fit-out and how to implement it;
- Benchmark the performance of fit-outs against each other and the rest of the industry.
In 2005, Skansen (interior construction company) initiated a research project with RICS and AECOM to establish whether it was possible to measure either the environmental impact of fit-outs, or codify good environmental practice on fit-out projects.
Accreditation ratings: Bronze, Silver and Gold, plus a percentage score.
It differs from other labelling systems in that it is:
- Project driven: it labels fit out projects irrespective of the base building.
- A free online tool to help organisations achieve more sustainable fit outs (businesses only pay if they want formal certification).
- Flexible scoping: the tool measures only what is within the specific project’s scope.
Anyone can use the free online Ska Rating tool to informally evaluate a project. Professional certification can be achieved by engaging a Ska assessor to rate and certify the project. RICS operates an accreditation scheme to enable qualified professionals to undertake Ska rating assessments on behalf of organisations and a list of assessors can be found on the RICS website. RICS charges £60 for each certification the assessors carry out. The assessor typically charges £2,000-£3,000 per certification, depending on the nature and complexity of the project.
What are the differences between BREEAM, LEED and SKA?
BREEAM, the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method, is system developed by BRE (a UK organisation). Points-based, this assesses developments against best practice, certifying buildings.
LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is an assessment method developed by the US Green Building Council and is also a point based.
Developed and operated by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), SKA covers non-domestic fit-outs. It helps landlords and tenants assess fit-out projects against good practice criteria, and covers only modified elements of the building.
What are the differences between BREEAM, LEED and SKA?
SKA
- Developed by RICS and Davis Langdon
- Non-domestic fit outs only
- Free online tool to informally evaluate the project (formal certification can be obtained if applied to RICS)
BREEAM
- Developed by Building Research Establishment
- Schemes covering new construction as well as fit outs
- formal certification at pre-construction and post construction stages
- BREEAM Assessor on board throughout the project as a Consultant
LEED
- Developed by the US Green Building Council
- Design team collates & submits info
- Assessed on 5 credentials
- Not independently audited
What is a Site Waste Management Plan?
- No longer compulsory from 2013,
- They may still be required for BREEAM assessments or by the local planning authority, and may be considered an environmentally responsible initiative by the main contractor or by the client.
- Document sets out how building materials & resulting waste should be managed during project.
- Prepared by client (or representative from consultant team) before construction work starts.
- Becomes the responsibility of the Contactor post contract. - Must be carried out in line with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 & the Environmental Protection Regulation 1991.
- SWMP must be kept in the site office and be available for all parties to review.
- Sub contractors must be made aware of regulations & the location of the SWMP.
- Includes:
o Description of project & works.
o Site location & contract sum.
o Selection of materials.
o Expected waste – type, quantity & waste action plan (reuse / recycle / recovered / disposed).
Code for Sustainable Homes?
- Government notional standard for building sustainable new homes
- Now been withdrawn (March 2015) – although legacy assessments can be completed
- Housing Standards Review – wanted it to be simplified so driven by the Building Regulations
- Local Authorities should no longer require it as a planning condition for new approvals
- Some parts put into Part L of the Building Regulations
o Only an element of Security is going into mandatory Building Regulations.
o The Government is proposing that the higher standards for water efficiency (although still below what could be achieved under the Code) and acces become “optional regulations” within the Building Regulations
o At most (including the optional requirements) around 30% of the current Code is available to local authorities to require through the updated/new Building Regulations.
What is Home Quality Mark?
- In the wake of the CfSH being abolished, BRE are developing Home Quality Mark – voluntary scheme
- Allow homebuilders to differentiate themselves in the market
- Consumers transform the way they buy homes.
- Homes built to the Home Quality Mark will be independently evaluated by a licensed BRE Global assessor using a 5-star rating system indicating the quality and performance of the new home, according to:
o Overall running costs.
o The impact on the occupant’s health and wellbeing.
o The home’s environmental footprint.
o Its resilience to flooding and overheating.
o The digital connectivity and performance of the home. - Developments built to standards such as Passivhaus or the Code for Sustainable Homes can be credited under the mark where compatible criteria apply.
What is Passivhaus?
- is an energy performance standard for dwellings, commercial, industrial and public buildings.
- Passivhaus is a building, for which thermal comfort can be achieved via sufficient indoor air quality conditions – without the need for additional recirculation of air.’ This means that a traditional heating or cooling system is no longer essential.
Talk me through the EIA on Hertsmere House?
- EIA Scoping forms first stage of the EIA process.
- Activity of identifying ‘environmental topics’ to be considered for the EIA. Also provides an early identification of receptors which may be significantly impacted by the development.
- EIA scoping form submitted to LBTH for review and acceptance.
- Consultants undertook environmental impact analysis and prepared their chapters
