Welcome to the new Scott Hughes Design Sustainability Blog. We are a well-established, North-West-based, engineering and design consultancy working in the UK construction industry. We will be updating this page with topics and links to relevant information, inviting further contributions and comments from the world-wide-web.
To start things off, we thought we’d have a look at defining what it is that we mean by sustainability and by looking at how sustainable development indicators that relate to our industry have changed over the past five to fifteen years.
The definition below is laid out by the UK Government’s within their ‘Sustainable Development Strategy’ as being the overall goal of ‘Sustainable Development’. Sustainability can also be described as equilibrium between the environment, people and price.
The ability to provide for the needs of today, without compromising the ability of future generations to provide for the needs of tomorrow.
One of the most important considerations of ‘sustainable development’ relates to change within our physical environment – global warming, or more correctly, climate change. This week will look at the key ways that buildings can affect this global issue, with particular respect to atmospheric CO2 and by natural association, the use of fossil fuels to satisfy UK energy demand.
The UK Office of National Statistics recently published ‘Securing the Future: Sustainable Development Indicators In Your Pocket, 2009’ – a compilation of some 68 indicators, based on numerous statistical measures relating to Sustainable Development in the UK. The publication looks at how each of these indicators has changed over the past 15 years.
Since 1999, of the 99 statistical measures common to the all of the 1999, 2003 and 2009 comparisons, 49 show some level of statistical improvement, whilst 16 show deterioration. Since 2003, 43 show improvement and only 9 show deterioration.
From the above, it would seem that we are largely moving in the right direction, with many social and environmental measures relating to infant mortality and life expectancy, fear of crime, water quality, homelessness and land management all improving. Over the past 5-10 years improvement can also be seen where renewable energy supply and average domestic energy use are considered – the result of changes within our daily lives, coupled with technological improvements.
Unfortunately, when the few areas of deterioration are examined in more detail, it is clear that some of the key issues that affect our society, both now and increasingly into the future, are not yet being adequately accounted for. The UK Office of National Statistics has observed continuing deterioration throughout the last 10-year period in the following areas:
- Aviation emissions of greenhouse gases;
- Shipping emissions of greenhouse gases;
- Fossil fuels used for electricity generation;
- UK energy consumption exceeding production;
- Carbon emissions from electricity generation;
- Households living in fuel poverty.
Most of the above issues relate to energy use and production in the UK. All of the above issues effect or are affected by the use of fossil fuels to satisfy UK energy demand.
Some of the most surprising and alarming lessons learned are:
- UK energy consumption now outstrips production by nearly 20%;
- Average household expenditure on energy bills has increased by 60% over the past 15 years, whilst usage has only increased by 7%;
- The number of households containing vulnerable, young or elderly people, which are classed as being in fuel poverty, almost doubled between 2005 and 2006.
Within the Construction Industry, we have the ability to alter the way buildings are designed, built and at least as importantly refurbished to great effect. Buildings, both during construction, operation and demolition are responsible for almost half of UK CO2 emissions. They are also responsible for half of water consumption, one third of landfill waste and one quarter of raw materials consumed in the UK Economy.
Within the UK Governement’s ‘Sustainable Development Strategy’, clear aims and targets are set out towards the reduction of CO2 emissions related to buildings. The strategy requires that all new homes are zero carbon by 2016 and suggests that all new schools, public sector and non-domestic buildings achieve the same by 2016, 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Carbon Neutral / Zero Carbon: Where net carbon dioxide emissions resulting from energy consumed in the operation of the space heating/cooling, hot-water systems, ventilation and internal lighting is zero or better.
By 2012, the Government Strategy sets a target for a 50% reduction in construction, demolition and excavation waste to landfill when compared to 2008 levels, together with 15% reduction in energy use borne from the construction process and associated transportation.
These ambitious targets may be difficult to achieve, but are made more possible by considered design, procurement and management, and the use of effective and feasible sustainable technologies. Organisations such as The Carbon Trust provide guidance and a series of free publications addressing these issues, which, are increasingly becoming legislative issues both within the UK and European Union.
Planners, funders and increasingly, clients are requiring BREEAM, Code for Sustainable Homes, CEEQUAL and the American LEED accredited buildings from design teams. These assessment systems are used to steer developments, both new-build and refurbishment, into the direction required by the Government objectives, and increasingly by the market, towards low-energy, sustainable buildings.
The important issue that features within BREEAM and the Code for Sustainable Homes, which does not feature widely within the Government Strategy relates to improving the performance of the existing building stock in the UK. According to projections, in fifty years time, the majority of the buildings that we will live and work in have already been constructed. On this basis, it is clear that the overall energy efficiency of the UK building stock in fifty years time will be largely dependent on how buildings are refurbished and the technologies that can be adapted for use in this way.
Further information will shortly be posted detailing the ways that certain organisations are addressing this issue and where you can find more guidance on how to improve the performance of your existing building. Ways that you can promote and monitor continuous improvement and get BREEAM In-Use accreditation for marketing and EMS purposes will also be explained.
