Sustainability Guide

This section focuses on the construction phase of projects. The construction industry can have a huge impact on Sustainable Development. During the construction stage, small actions can greatly affect the sustainability of the finished project. A 'lean' construction approach can save resources and be more sustainable.

Construction, building materials and associated professional services together account for some 10% of Gross Domestic Product and employ around 1.5 million people. The construction industry is responsible for 10% of the UK's total emissions of CO², with a further 50% resulting from the use of buildings. The industry generates 70 million tonnes of waste per annum, and is the most frequent industrial polluter.

The construction industry can therefore contribute to sustainable development in a number of ways:

By delivering buildings and structures that improve the health and well being of users, as well as enabling them to lead more sustainable lives.
By using materials that have low energy intensity and minimise environmental damage in their extraction, production, construction, occupation and dismantling of the building.
By producing high quality designs that are capable of long life and have minimum impact on the environment.
By providing employment and stimulating the economy.
By minimising use of natural resources and energy during the construction and operational phases.

Be Considerate

Who are the stakeholders in construction? We are all involved in either the process or products of construction at some point, but the main stakeholders are construction workers, local residents, shareholders and clients.

One way of demonstrating commitment to these stakeholders is through the Considerate Constructors scheme.
This is a national initiative to improve the image of construction through better management and presentation.
The scheme is a voluntary code of practice and is driven by the industry.
Members of the scheme must commit to a seven-point Code of Considerate Practice that includes:
Building a better quality of life

Considerate Constructors

Be considerate - think of those affected by the construction process. Consider the needs of traders, businesses, site personal and visitors, pedestrians, shoppers, the general public and the environment in general. Consider the needs of those with sight, hearing or mobility difficulties.

Be environmentally aware - keep noise to a minimum. Select and use resources carefully - local resources should be used where possible. Manage your waste and avoid pollution - recycle surplus materials.

Use materials with low embodied energy, those that were produced with renewable resources and processes that minimised harm to the environment.
Be clean - keep the site clean and in good order. Temporary barriers, lights and warnings must be kept clean and in safe condition.
Do not allow waste and surplus material to build up or spill into the neighbouring environment. Mud, dust, spillages and debris should be kept to a minimum.
Construction Staff

Be a good neighbour - consult with local people, including adjacent traders and businesses regarding programming and site activities. Keep in contact throughout the project. Provide site information and viewing facilities where practical.

Be respectful - rude behaviour should not be tolerated. Pride in management and the appearance of the site and the surrounding environment is to be shown at all times.

Be safe - all operations and vehicle movements to be carried out with care for the safety of passers-by, neighbours and site personnel. No building activity should be a security risk to others.

Be responsible - all site personnel, specialist sub-contractors, drivers and any other persons working on the site must understand and implement the obligations of the Considerate Constructors Code. Monitor compliance with it.

Participating schemes benefit from improved relations with local residents, enhanced reputations and the opportunity to enter the site for awards for excellence. Every construction project is eligible to join the scheme at any stage, from inception to completion. Participating sites are monitored to assess compliance with the code.

Low Energy Materials:
Timber
Is very sustainable as it is a renewable resource with benefits for wildlife habitat, oxygen production, carbon dioxide fixing. But the benefits can be outweighed if it has to be imported over long distance and if the timber has not come from a sustainably managed forest. Also preservatives should be used that minimise environmental harm; an alternative is to use oak / certain temperate hardwoods which contain natural oils that preserve the wood. Recycled timber products will need to be treated with high energy chemicals to resist fire, fungus and pests.

Stone
Its advantages include durability, use for recycling, associations with traditions and identity, attractive ageing, high thermal capacity, little wastage in processing. However it is often associated with high labour costs, many types of stone are imported over long distances e.g. Chinese decorative marble, and minerals are a non-renewable resource and their extraction brings many environmental problems. (See Minerals).

High Energy Materials:
About three quarters of the energy used in manufacturing and construction is embodied in three basic materials:

Cement and concrete
Bricks and blocks
Plaster and plasterboard

Ways to minimise their embodied energy and cost include:

Economic design of substructures and avoiding building walls that are stronger and thicker than they need to be
Sourcing bulky materials from the local area
Using recycled materials and industrial by-products
Using finishes (renders and coatings) to facilitate a wider choice of masonry materials to use. It is often easier to maintain and repair
Use cement substitutes such as lime
Don't always rely on high-tech composite materials - they often have a high energy content, a short life span and are hard to repair - e.g. uPVC windows.

Use Local Materials and Labour

Although materials are often specified prior to the construction phase, local materials should be selected wherever possible to stimulate the local economy and reduce the transport required.

Re-using site material: the most 'local' material you can have is already on site. Where there is demolition work, try to build re-use into the construction plan. This avoids the increased costs of exporting demolition materials as waste, then importing other materials for fill and hardcore. See 'Think About Reusing Buildings and Land' on re-use and the demolition option.

Local stone, timber, brick and other materials: Using local materials will also enhance the local nature of the project and aid integration with surrounding buildings. See 'Think About the Whole Place' on designing in sympathy with the setting.

Hiring locally: Using local labour keeps the wealth generated by the project in the local area, and may help local people to accept and support the project. Travel to and from the site is reduced (see Using Local Labour in Construction: A good practice resource book, Richard Macfarlane, 2000).

Choose Materials Carefully

The selection of building materials, generally at the design stage, should prioritise those with low embodied energy, those produced using renewable resources and environmentally benign processes.

Information on this is variable and those involved in choosing the materials must refer to the latest green consumer handbooks, eco-labelling systems and green guides.
Where possible re-use old stone

The embodied energy of the building should be assessed as a whole - typically a material of low energy intensity will be one that is nearby, naturally occurring and / or a by-product of other local activity.

High energy materials can be justified if a small quantity can facilitate the use of a large quantity of low energy materials in the rest of the building, e.g. stains for coatings to prevent the decay and degradation of timber.
Avoid materials that need to be transported distances

Environmental Management: a 'Champion' is needed

Sustainability should be embedded in the development process, from the design stage, through construction to handover. The whole development team should be committed to the environmental aims of the project. An 'environmental champion' should be designated to carry through environmental issues from design, through construction and onto the occupation of the building. He or she will have several roles:

Information - although operation and maintenance manuals often exist on site, many are too long and technical. The Environmental Champion helps to ensure the sustainable aims of the project are implemented by producing a Code of Conduct, to guide the site manager and workers and a Building Users Guide for the end tenant or occupier.

They should cover all aspects of the design (particularly heating, air conditioning, water saving devices, shading louvres etc), avoid technical jargon.
Digger

Management - principles set out in established Environmental Management Systems (EMS), such as ISO 14001 and the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), can be applied to allow accurate monitoring of environmental impacts throughout the supply chain and identify mechanisms for reducing them. Guidance is available on the integration of EMS and the principles of sustainable development. See The Natural Step and ISO1401.

Monitoring - managing construction with the aim of continuous improvement requires measurement of impacts, by assessing the project's performance against a set of indicators.

The Government's sustainable development strategy 'A Better Quality of Life' contains three main indicators that are directly relevant to the environmental impacts of construction:

Construction waste going to landfill
Primary aggregates (output per unit of construction value)
Amount of secondary and recycled aggregates, used compared to virgin aggregates

Consultation has been carried out with the construction industry with the aim of producing a set of practical indicators against which companies and groups can assess their performance in sustainable construction, and at both business and project level. Two new publications; Sustainable Construction Company Indicators, CIRIA C563, 2001 and Sustainable Construction Procurement, CIRIA C571, 2001 are a useful first port of call for any company starting to measure their environmental impacts. Of these indicators, some will relate to the company as a whole, e.g. 'Number of buildings achieving a BREEAM rating of Excellent', and some will be project specific, e.g. 'Amount of waste sent to landfill'.

Measuring Progress on Sustainable Development describes BREEAM (British Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method), NHER (National Home Energy Rating) and other significant assessment approaches. They can help to set the project's targets, which must be specific, achievable and measurable if they are to be of value.

Minimise Waste

The need to reduce waste at all stages of construction is the central message.

Over 90% of non-energy minerals extracted in Great Britain are used to supply the construction industry. Yet every year 70 million tonnes of construction and demolition materials and soil end up as waste - and 13 million tons of these comprise materials delivered to sites which are then thrown away unused. Waste minimisation is a key element of lean construction. Ways to recycle and dispose of waste are outlined in Design for Minimum Waste.

Lean Construction means not only reducing waste of materials, but also water.
The sustainable use of water in construction means minimising water wastage within buildings and within the site and preventing water sources from becoming polluted. See Conserve Water Resources.

Avoid Waste On Site
© Scottish Homes.

Energy use can be minimised too: construction workers on site should be made aware of the need for energy efficiency so that machinery, lighting, heating and hot water are not over-used. Automatic controls can be installed for lighting and heating. See Minimise Energy in Construction Use.

Prevent Pollution

Every construction job can cause pollution - yet most pollution incidents are avoidable. The major sources of pollution from the construction process are:

Waste materials
Emissions from vehicles
Noise
Release of contaminants into the atmosphere, ground and water

Strategies for prevention, control and mitigation do exist - and better performance is a matter of better management to ensure risks are identified and planned for using the appropriate techniques. Statutory procedures must be followed for storage and disposal of materials. See Do Not Pollute.

Protect Wildlife and their Habitats

Carrying out construction without careful planning can have a devastating effect on the natural environment. Special care needs to be taken to preserve and enhance biodiversity on site and in the surrounding area.

Consult with specialists to identify existing wildlife and habitats.
Plan ahead to minimise the effects of timing, noise, lighting, vehicle and labour movements, and sources of pollution and waste.
Identify measures you can implement to enhance biodiversity. See Conserve and Enhance Biodiversity.
Wild flower meadow

Communication

Communication after the project is completed is also vital, and often overlooked. A tenant or client may be dissatisfied with certain aspects of the building; but unless this information is transmitted back to the design team, the same mistakes may unknowingly be made on future projects.

The Environmental Champion can encourage invaluable communication to take place between all parties. By 'closing the loop' between completion of one project and the start of another, continual improvement can be achieved.

Rules of Thumb

Aim for Lean Construction

Aim for Lean Construction