What is 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. In their 1987 report ‘Our Common Future’ the Commission called for:

‘a form of sustainable development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’

For consistency with UK national policy on sustainable development, the steel construction sector has adopted the definition provided by UK Government. This is set out in 'Building a better quality of life' and subsequent publications, and includes the following key themes:

• Re-use existing built assets - meeting clients' functional requirements may not require new buildings and structures. Refurbishment and/or renovation which improves their sustainability may work better
• Design for minimum waste - design out waste both during construction and from the useful life - and afterlife - of the building or structure. Think whole life costs. Involve the supply chain. Specify materials with care and consider more efficient use of resources. Think about using recycled materials
• Aim for lean construction - work on continuous improvement, waste elimination, strong customer focus, value for money, high quality management of projects and supply chains, improved communications
• Minimise energy in construction - be aware of the energy consumed in the production and transport of construction products. Adopt 'green' travel policies
• Minimise energy in use - consider more energy efficient solutions in design including passive systems using natural light, air movement and thermal mass, as well as solutions involving energy produced from renewable sources
• Do not pollute - understand your environmental impacts and have policies and systems to manage them positively. Use environmental management systems under ISO 14001 or EMAS. Join the Considerate Constructors Scheme
• Preserve and enhance bio-diversity - look for opportunities throughout the construction process - from the extraction of raw materials, through the construction phase, to the landscaping of buildings and estates - to provide and protect habitats
• Conserve water resources - design for increased water efficiency in building services and water conservation within the built environment
• Respect people and their local environment - be responsive to the community in planning and undertaking construction. Consider your workforce
• Set targets - measure and compare your performance with others. Set targets for continuous improvement

Why is construction so important?

Construction has an important role to play in delivering sustainable development for a number of social, economic and environmental reasons.

Social importance:

• Whether at work, at home, in education or at leisure, on average, we spend 90 per cent of our lives in buildings
• The quality of our lives depends on the built environment
• In commercial buildings, our productivity is strongly linked to our built surroundings

Economic importance:

• The construction industry has an annual value of around £80 billion (2002) or 10 per cent of GDP
• The industry employs around 1.4 million people
• Construction activity is predicted to grow at around 5.1 per cent per year over the next 10 years
• Estimates vary but around 4 million new homes are needed in the UK over the next 15 years

Environmental importance:

• The construction industry consumes around 420 million tonnes of materials annually
• Buildings consume nearly one half of all the energy consumed in the UK
• Construction and demolition activities generate around 94 million tonnes of waste every year