Sustainability

Question 1

What is BREEAM?

Answer 1

• Building Research Establishments Environmental Assessment Method,
• A method of assessing, rating and certifying a building sustainability.

Question 2

What are the nine criteria under BREEAM?

Answer 2

• Against nine criteria:

H - Health and Wellbeing.
E = Energy.
L - Land use.
P - Pollution.

W - Waste.
M - Materials.
W - Water.
M - Management

T - Transport.

Question 3

What renewable technologies do you know off?

Answer 3

Photo-voltaic panels
Air Source Heat Pump
Ground Source Heat Pump
Local labour
Blue roofs
SWMP
Low Carbon Materials

Question 4

What is a Passivehaus?

Answer 4

Dwellings, commercial and industrial buildings

• A Fabric first approach
Materials used to insulate a building mitigate the requirement for space heating
Achieved through Good insulation, air tightness and solar gains.

Question 5

What is Embodied carbon?

Answer 5

From Cradle to grave
Carbon footprint of a material

Producing
Transporting
Building
Demolishing

Question 6

What is sustainability?

Answer 6

A desire to carry out activities without depleting resources or having harmful impacts. Can fall under a environmental, social and economic category.

Question 7

What is the RICS doing regarding sustainability?

Answer 7

RICS has published the futures report which details sustainability including:

• established the RICS building carbon database
• Launched a professional statement on whole life carbon assessment

Question 8

What is the RICS building carbon database?

Answer 8

The aim is to provide a free and publicly available resource for building professionals to be able to benchmark their designs to a far greater extent and to more detailed comparative data than was previously available to any single company or individual.

Question 9

What is a SWMP?

Answer 9

A site waste management plan (SWMP) should deal with how site waste will be dealt with, dependent on its classification

Question 10

How does your project consider sustainability?

Answer 10

BREEAM Very Good rating
Air Source Heat Pumps
PV Panels

Question 11

What is LEED?

Answer 11

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design - framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings

Question 12

What does the Climate Change Act 2008 outline?

Answer 12

A legally binding commitment to cut emissions of greenhouse gasses by 80% by 2050 compared with 1990 levels

Question 13

What scores are possible in BREEAM?

Answer 13

Pass
Good 
Very Good
Excellent
Outstanding

Question 14

What regulations and codes of practice govern the construction industry in relation to sustainability?

Answer 14

Building Regs
Code for sustainable homes
BREEAM Assessment
SWMP
Passivhaus 
• Climate Change Act 2008.
• Energy Protection Act 2005.
Climate Protection 1995

Question 15

What is Net Zero Carbon?

Answer 15

Offset of embodied and operational carbon by introducing sustainable technologies and offset payments

Zero carbon by 2030 from construction and transport

Question 16

How do different materials impact carbon?

Answer 16

Clients look to reduce their carbon emissions through different methods of construction
Travel distances

CONCRETE

A lot of energy and water used to make concrete
Not good for environment
Typically not as reusable as timber and steel
A lot of greenhouse gasses used to make concrete
From the cradle to site

TIMBER

Can be reused and sustainable through regrowth
Recyclable

STEEL
Can be recycled Relatively little energy to use

Question 17

How would you advise a client to reduce their carbon offsets?

Answer 17

Use of timber frames and more sustainable materials

Use of sustainable technologies