What is sustainable construction?

Every building has a significant impact on the environment in terms of energy use, shipping materials, the process of construction, the occupancy of the building and, finally, the end of its life. When it comes to planning a building, developers must consider everything from the earliest planning stages to the moment it is demolished.

Here in the UK, developers have to balance a number of issues:

1. Space for building: Finding new buildings which utilise less space but offer a high quality of occupancy that we’re used to.
2. Construction materials and occupancy energy use: The UK has targets that it has committed to. Government are under pressure to achieve targets.
3. Sustainable targets: Until 2015, there were various projects in place such as Sustainable Homes. Much of that was stripped back the by Cameron administration, but more and more building plans recognise sustainability. There are more targets in place to recognise that building projects have sustainable projects in place.

A shifting landscape

At the same time, we are facing a number of political developments. From global environmental targets to the dreaded B word, the landscape is shifting. To see where it may be going, it’s always worth casting an eye to London because, where the capital leads, the rest of the country usually follows.

The London Plan contains stringent sustainability requirements for new buildings. While most local authorities have requirements for buildings to reduce CO2 emissions, the London plan goes further with a plan for zero carbon use. This is now being rolled out across the country and can be very difficult to achieve for small developers who will need to employ a specialist consultancy firm to help them meet these tough goals. 

Standards have evolved across both commercial and residential sectors. Sustainable Homes was ended in 2015, but we now have initiatives such as the Home Quality Mark which is commonly regarded as representing a new code. Although local authorities haven’t gone as far as actively requiring it, they are recognising it and it does shape the requirements for developments. 

The total lifecycle

Standards are tightening, but the trend is also moving towards a total life cycle perspective. Every part of the construction process has an impact on the environment from the way materials are transported, to the construction process and during occupancy. Finally, when it comes to the end of life, developers are putting more work into seeing how materials can be reused.

Working towards a positive result

At Carbon Green Consulting, we work closely with the client. Exactly how closely depends on the individual client. Often, we will have input on the choice of materials and the purpose of each building. We will develop an individual strategy to match the requirements of that specific project to minimise energy use.

This is what we mean by sustainable development. It’s about looking at the entire life of a building, from beginning to end. It’s about using the right materials, constructing it in a way to minimise energy loss, monitoring how the building is lived in and finally how it is decommissioned. This approach is fast becoming the norm, so developers who get there first will find themselves at a significant advantage.

What is sustainable construction?

Every building has a significant impact on the environment in terms of energy use, shipping materials, the process of construction, the occupancy of the building and, finally, the end of its life. When it comes to planning a building, developers must consider everything from the earliest planning stages to the moment it is demolished.

Here in the UK, developers have to balance a number of issues:

1. Space for building: Finding new buildings which utilise less space but offer a high quality of occupancy that we’re used to.
2. Construction materials and occupancy energy use: The UK has targets that it has committed to. Government are under pressure to achieve targets.
3. Sustainable targets: Until 2015, there were various projects in place such as Sustainable Homes. Much of that was stripped back the by Cameron administration, but more and more building plans recognise sustainability. There are more targets in place to recognise that building projects have sustainable projects in place.

A shifting landscape

At the same time, we are facing a number of political developments. From global environmental targets to the dreaded B word, the landscape is shifting. To see where it may be going, it’s always worth casting an eye to London because, where the capital leads, the rest of the country usually follows.

The London Plan contains stringent sustainability requirements for new buildings. While most local authorities have requirements for buildings to reduce CO2 emissions, the London plan goes further with a plan for zero carbon use. This is now being rolled out across the country and can be very difficult to achieve for small developers who will need to employ a specialist consultancy firm to help them meet these tough goals. 

Standards have evolved across both commercial and residential sectors. Sustainable Homes was ended in 2015, but we now have initiatives such as the Home Quality Mark which is commonly regarded as representing a new code. Although local authorities haven’t gone as far as actively requiring it, they are recognising it and it does shape the requirements for developments. 

The total lifecycle

Standards are tightening, but the trend is also moving towards a total life cycle perspective. Every part of the construction process has an impact on the environment from the way materials are transported, to the construction process and during occupancy. Finally, when it comes to the end of life, developers are putting more work into seeing how materials can be reused.

Working towards a positive result

At Carbon Green Consulting, we work closely with the client. Exactly how closely depends on the individual client. Often, we will have input on the choice of materials and the purpose of each building. We will develop an individual strategy to match the requirements of that specific project to minimise energy use.

This is what we mean by sustainable development. It’s about looking at the entire life of a building, from beginning to end. It’s about using the right materials, constructing it in a way to minimise energy loss, monitoring how the building is lived in and finally how it is decommissioned. This approach is fast becoming the norm, so developers who get there first will find themselves at a significant advantage.