What is Sustainability?

Sustainability in the Sustainable Constructed Environment is about:

Planning, designing, constructing and using our built environment as if we care about the future.
Saving money through appropriate design and efficient use of resources – lower bills for running costs such as energy and water.
Thinking about the future… today

Energy

‘Energy Use’ can be defined as the energy used during the construction and operation of the building. Measures can be taken during the planning and design phases of development to reduce energy consumption throughout the life cycle of a building and targets may be set.

Carbon

Carbon dioxide produced by human activities is thought by many to be a contributory factor to Global Climate Change. Measures may be taken to minimise the amount of carbon dioxide accountable to a building throughout its life cycle.

Health & Comfort

Healthy, buildings, developments and neighbourhoods should address issues that affect both physical and mental health and comfort. Noise, pollution and temperature can have a significant direct impact on health and well being. Design for lifetime homes, produce buildings capable of being adapted to meet the needs of their occupants, through aging or disabilities or a change in family profile, the continuity of communities can be preserved, leading to greater neighbourhood sustainability...

Communities & Culture

A sustainable culture within a local community should ensure that all members are actively included within a strong local culture. That the community is well run and that all members of society are encouraged to participate. The culture within a community should also be fair for everyone, including those from outside of the community, both now and in the future.

Nature

Nature is wild flora and fauna, it is also the landscape and weather patterns. Nature can be considered to be the aspects of the world that exist and operate independently from human activity. Nature can be effected by human action but is not dependant on it.

Water

This is defined as the sourcing, use, reuse and eventual disposal of water during the construction and operation of a development. Options for sustainable water use and disposal should be optimised through appropriate decisions made at the planning and design stages.

Waste

The construction industry inherently has a significant impact on the environment which can be measured in terms of the resources the industry consumes, the effectiveness of operation and management both on and off site during construction and the volumes and natuers of wastes generated. Minimisation of waste at every stage in the construction process can significantly reduce costs and can significantly reduce the environmental impact of the industry as a whole...

Transport

Motorised transport is a major consumer of fossil fuels and contributes to air, noise and water pollution, creating congestion and problems relating to accessibility and social exclusion. The use of sustainable transport methods such as walking, cycling and public transport should be incorporated into any development at all stages of the lifecycle to minimise the use of individual motorised transport wherever possible to create safe and pleasant places to live and work.

Materials

This is defined as materials selected to have a minimum environmental impact, during their whole life cycle, from cradle to grave. This should include consideration of impacts during the extraction and processing of raw materials, production of final products, installation, as well as during use or occupation. Issues associated with the end of the materials useful life should also be considered including the potential for reuse, recycling or disposal.

Food

Food can be considered anything ingested that is necessary for life, i.e. food and drink of either animal or plant origin. The quality of food in nutrient terms is dependent on freshness and growing/ rearing conditions and is effected by soil and grazing quality. Preservatives decrease the quality of food but the necessity for their use can be diminished by reducing transportation from source to customer.