Sustainability Flashcards
Define sustainability.
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
What percentage of the total UK carbon emissions are attributed to the built environment?
40% - 45% (source dependent)
What percentage of the UK’s landfill waste comes from the built environment?
32%
What percentage of products delivered to construction sites are sent directly to landfill?
13%
List some sustainable construction methods
- Prefabricated construction
- Selecting sustainable building materials, e.g. renewable materials, components with low LCC
- Consider site logistics, i.e. use local suppliers to save on fuel costs
- Project energy plan
- Waste management plan
- Water plan
- Implement sustainability requirements in PQQ/ERs
What design considerations would you expect an architect to make when designing a sustainable building?
- Maximising daylight
- Use ventilation (e.g. louvres) to cool building naturally without using energy
- Design for simplicity of operation and long life (reduce LCC/WLC)
- Reuse materials
What is a Waste Management Plan?
- Defines how materials will be managed efficiently and disposed of legally
- Defines how the re-use and recycling of materials will be maximised
List some recyclable materials
- Glass
- Wood
- Plasterboard and other gypsum products can be used and recycled for cement/plaster of paris
List some reusable materials
- Bricks
- Demolition waste for aggregate
- Building foundations can sometimes we reused, instead of being dug out and re -formed
What is the definition of a sustainable material?
A sustainable material does not deplete non-renewable (natural) resources. They have no adverse impacts on the environment when used.
List some sustainable materials
- FSC wood (Forest Stewardship Council)
- Anything that is being reused/recycled
List some sustainable FF&E.
- Aerators on taps
- LED lights
- Solar panels
How might you design a building to reduce water consumption?
- Smaller sinks
- Reduce toilet cisterns from 6L to 3L
- Vacuum toilets
- Rainwater harvesting; grey water for toilets
How might a building generate sustainable energy?
- PVC panels
- Wind turbines
- Active buildings generate energy*
How might a building conserve energy?
- Maximise sunlight and ventilation through window design and building position (take advantage of prevailing winds)
- Thick walls
- Insulation
- Double/triple glazing
- Passive buildings conserve energy*
What is the difference between a directive, act and regulations/rules/codes?
Directive - a legal act of the EU which requires a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result
Act - legislation passed by parliament. Acts set out broad legal/policy principles.
Regulation - Guidelines that dictate how the provisions of the act are applied. Enforceable by law.
Name some of the acts and regulations in the UK that relate to sustainability.
Acts
- Clean Air Act 1993
- Climate Change Act 2008
- Energy Act 2011
Regulations/rules/codes
- Building Regulations (Part L)
- MEES
What is the Clean Air Act 1993?
- Restricts smoke/pollution
- Result of the “Great Smog” of ‘52
- First introduced in ‘56
- Provisions relate to furnace installations, chimney heights, maximum grit/dust emission rate
- Maximum fines of up to £1,000 for non-compliance
What is the Climate Change Act 2008?
- Commitment to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 (1990 base date)
- Committee of Climate Change established to advise government and report annually to parliament
- Carbon Plan established: government required to publish 5-yearly caps on greenhouse gas emissions
- Policies relating to corporate reporting of emissions
- Followed Kyoto Protocol 2005
What is the Energy Act 2011?
- Big 6 energy providers must deliver efficiency measures to domestic users
- Introduced Green Deal
What was the green deal?
- Offered loans for energy saving measures eg. insulation
- Loans paid back to government on top of energy bills, but with insulation energy bills should be overall lower
- Widely criticised and ultimately failed due to high interest rates on the loan and little awareness of the scheme
What is Part L of the Building Regulations?
- Conservation of fuel and power
- L1A = Conservation of fuel and power in new dwellings
- L1B = Conservation of fuel and power in existing dwellings
- “Where a building is erected, it shall not exceed target CO2 level”
2013 Changes:
- L1A = 6% increase in performance of standards for new dwellings. TFEE rates introduced (Target Fabric Efficiency Rates)
- L1B = 9% increase in performance of standards for existing dwellings
- L2A and L2B introduced for new and existing buildings other than dwellings
What are the MEES?
- Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards
- To improve energy efficiency in buildings. Introduced in 2015.
- Buildings all given EPC ratings (energy performance certificate) A - G
Effective April 2018:
- F and G rated properties unlettable
- Fine of 10% of properties value if let for < 3 months, 20% if let for > 3 months
Exemptions:
- If it will take more than 7 years for energy efficiencies to cover cost of improvements
- If it will devalue property by more than 5%
- If client cannot get permission (planning, listed buildings etc)
Name some international regulations relating to sustainability
- Kyoto Protocol 2005
- Paris Climate Accord 2015
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
- Signed in 1997, effective as of 2005
- International treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Extension of the UNFCCC 92.
- Actions reflect the countries wealth, capacity to reduce emissions and emissions output.
- Countries must prepare policies and regulations to reduce GFG, increase absorption of GSG, and review and report on emissions
- First period ended in 2012, not enough countries ratified the protocol.
What is the Paris Climate Accord?
- Followed Kyoto Protocol
- Mitigation, adaption and financing for greenhouse gases
- Aim to keep temperature from rising 2 degrees by 2100
- Countries free to set their own targets
What is BREEAM?
- Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
- Best practice guidance and standards for the environmental performance of buildings through design, specification, construction and operation.
- Based on energy, water, health and well-being, pollution, waste.
- Rated unclassified < 30%, pass > 30%, good > 45%, very good > 55%, excellent > 70%, outstanding > 85%
What is LEED?
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
- Widely used in the US, whereas BREEAM is more popular in the UK
- Based on Water efficiency, materials and resources, innovative design etc
- Rated certified, silver, gold, platinum
What is the SKA Rating?
- RICS environmental assessment method
- Created for non-domestic fit-out projects, rates sustainability of the fit-out separate from the base build
- Free online tool to help improve sustainability
What is a BMS?
- Building Management System
- BMS are computer based systems used to control and monitor building services
- Can optimise buildings performance, give better control, gather data, report, improve safety, decrease OPEX
- Can alert you when parameters are exceeded
- Intelligent BMS collates a range of info on one interface
What is a BEMS?
- Building Energy Management System
- Used to monitor building services relating specifically to energy usage such as AC, heating, lighting. Not safety systems etc.
- Offers real time remote monitoring
- Records historic data useful for benchmarking
- Can be used to optimise energy use without compromising comfort or performance
- 10% - 25% savings on energy costs
- Requires maintenance eg batteries in sensors, checking connections
What are building services?
- Building services are things such as lifts, light switches, heating, fire alarms, ventilation, CCTV, IT systems
- Systems installed to make building more efficient, safe, comfortable and functional
- Controlled by sensors, clocks, switches
What is meant by ecological footprint?
- Humans demand on nature
- Requirements from nature to support people/an economy, such as plant food, fish, livestock, timber, forests to absorb CO2 etc to support a town
What is ecological footprint accounting?
- Measures populations demand on resources against the ecosystems capacity to supply them
What is biological capacity?
- The capacity for an ecosystem to support people/an economy/a town
What is an ecological deficit?
- When an ecological footprint is bigger than the biological capacity
- Countries in the “red” are in an ecological deficit
- The World is in an ecological deficit
- Opposite of ecological reserve
What’s the difference between a smart building and intelligent building?
I do not feel well placed enough to answer that - there are many discrepancies in the industry where definitions vary.
Some say intelligent is an expansion of smart, others say it’s the other way round.
Possibly one has greater capabilities, e.g. being able to be used remotely.
What are the pillars of sustainability?
- Social
- Environmental
- Economic
What is the triple bottom line?
- Accounting framework taking into consideration a company’s social, environmental and economic output
- Bottom line = economic only, final profit
- Economics of a company can be good, but the company will suffer if they have negative social/environmental impact such as high staff turnover, and may lose business from clients that endorse sustainability
- CSR in private sector drives triple bottom line
What are U Values?
- Calculate how effective a material is as an insulator
- The lower the U value is, the better that material is as an insulator
What is WLC?
- WLC looks at all costs incurred by a building from it’s inception, through construction and operation, to its disposal
- Better way of assessing VfM
- Inclusive of non-construction costs such as fees
- Spending more on architects fees could result in a better designed building, saving money long-term through lower energy costs
- Difficult to accurately assess future costs and life of building
- Difficult getting OPEX data from suppliers
What is LCC?
- Similar to WLC but not as broad. LCC is a part of WLC.
- Relates to capital cost and future cash flow of a building/component/system
- Does not account for non-construction costs such as fees, wages
What is a LCA?
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Method of assessing environmental impact of building component, whole building or building system throughout it’s life
- Can be used as a comparative tool vs other design options
What is the Department for Energy and Climate Change?
- Spends most of its resources managing historic nuclear sites
- Began in 2008, dissolved in 2016
What can be classed as contaminated land?
- Any substance which is or may become harmful to persons or buildings
- Includes land that is: corrosive, explosive, flammable, radioactive or toxic
What are the hazards to be aware of regarding contaminated land?
- Damage to fauna
- Contamination to ground water
- Hazard to human health
- Settlement
- Subsidence
- Damage to foundations
What can cause land to become contaminated?
- Asbestos works
- Cement manufacturing
- Oil storage
- Petrol stations/refineries
How long do EPC’s last?
10 years
When were EPC ratings introduced?
2013
They are required for all buildings sold, built or rented.
What buildings are exempt from EPC ratings?
- Temporary buildings
- Places of worship
- Standalone buildings w/ less than 50sqm floor space
- Industrial/agricultural buildings w/ low energy reqs
- Protected buildings
- Buildings to be demolished
List all the BREEAM categories:
Energy, Health and Wellbeing, Innovation, Land Use, Materials, Management, Pollution, Transport, Waste, Water
What is meant by Management (BREEAM)?
Encourages the adoption of sustainable management practices
What is meant by Land Use (BREEAM)?
Encourages sustainable land use, biodiverity etc.
What is WELL?
Focussed on wellbeing.
Certified based on: Air. Water. Nourishment. Light. Fitness. Comfort. Mind.
Rated platinum, gold, silver, like LEED.
What is fabric first construction?
Considering the building fabric before M&E systems to maximise the sustainability of the building.
Passive.
What is the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge?
- RIBA has developed the 2030 Climate Challenge to help architects meet net zero (or better) whole life carbon for new and retrofitted buildings by 2030.
- It sets a series of targets for practices to adopt to reduce operational energy, embodied carbon and potable water.
Why is the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge a stretch and step change for the construction industry?
Construction industry is heavily reliant on high carbon materials such as steel and concrete
Timber example - max building height
What are some of the RIBA 2030 targets?
- Reduce water by 40%
- Reduce operational energy demand by at least 75%, before offsetting
- Reduce embodied carbon by at least 50-70%, before offsetting
- Targets on Health & Wellbeing
What categories can you collect points in under BREEAM?
- Management
- Energy
- Health & wellbeing
- Transport
- Water
- Materials
- Waste
- Land Use & ecology
- Pollution
How do PV panels work?
Simply put, a solar panel works by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity.
