In more detail
Society recognises the need to move towards sustainable development.
Steel construction has an important role to play within the sustainable development agenda, not only because of its contribution to the national economy, but also because the built environment has a major impact on the quality of all of our lives, our comfort and security, our health and wellbeing.
Sustainable construction
The commonly accepted origin of the term sustainable development is The World Commission on Environment and Development – also known as the Brundtland Commission because it was chaired by the Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland.
Building design
Better design is the key to building and operating more sustainable buildings. Decisions made at the design stage have the greatest overall impact on the sustainability of construction projects.
Construction
The use of steel enables the construction of buildings to be undertaken safely and rapidly with minimal waste and minimal impact on local communities.
In use
Designing buildings for long life and minimising operational burdens of buildings are key aspects of sustainable construction. By extending the life of buildings, greater value is obtained from the investment in the material resources used to build the building. By minimising operational impacts, the whole life performance of the building is reduced.
End of life
Each year, construction and demolition activities in the UK generate around 90 million tonnes of waste. Traditionally, buildings were simply bulldozed and all too often the demolition waste simply landfilled! Steel on the other hand, has always been recovered and recycled!
Downloads
Brochures available in sustainability are available to download such as 'Sustainable steel construction - Building a better future' and 'Achieving sustainable construction'.
