Sustainable Design and Construction Practices
And how we can be more mindful of what we contribute to the built environment
Sustainability by definition is a societal goal that broadly aims for humans to safely co-exist on planet Earth over a long time. However, specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and therefore have varied in literature over time.
8% of global carbon emissions are due to burning limestone for cement production. With the building and construction industry being the main consumer of cement, this means they are responsible for a large portion of global carbon emissions. It is only right they try to change course and move towards a sustainable future.
In construction, techniques and materials acquisition that can reduce waste, energy, and various inefficiencies at building sites is part of the evolution of sustainable design.
Let's take a look at some best practices that builders around the world should take into consideration for the future:
Prefabricating Materials in Controlled Environments & Managing Construction Waste
Prefabricated construction, or “prefab,” is a method of construction that uses components made off-site in a factory, which are then transported to the job site, and assembled to create the structure. Imagine it almost like large lego pieces.
Compared to traditional construction, prefabricated and modular buildings are more eco-friendly in both the short term and the long term.
Traditional construction processes require more building materials which lead to more waste. Prefabrication has a lower environmental impact because all extra materials are recyclable. The factory knows exactly what size each piece needs to be and can minimize the amount of excess produced. On a traditional construction site, waste goes directly to a landfill. Additionally, a factory’s controlled environment allows for better air filtration therefore better wall insulation, which directly improves the efficiency of energy. Even fossil fuel consumption is reduced with less on-site traffic and streamlined transportation.
Offsite production of building parts results in reduced emissions and work disruption. This type of controlled production preserves wetlands or protected areas nearby and minimizes local flora and fauna disturbance.
Site Management for the Improved Environment
In order to maintain a project site that takes into consideration the surrounding environment, a site plan must implement best management practices that significantly reduce harmful chemical use, energy waste, water waste, air pollution, solid waste, and/or chemical runoff (e.g., gasoline, oil, antifreeze, salts) compared with standard practices.
Any site improvement plan must address all of the following operational elements that occur on the building and grounds:
- Maintenance equipment
- Snow and ice removal
- Cleaning of building exterior
- Paints and sealants used on building exterior
- Cleaning of sidewalks, pavement, and other hardscapes
Without proper upkeep of the project site, stormwater and chemical runoff can impact adjacent sidewalks and buildings. Noise pollution can interrupt neighboring buildings. Poorly stored equipment can disrupt the daily flow of life.
It is important for all parties involved in the preconstruction planning to ensure there are practices in place to maintain an environmentally friendly job site.
Material Selection
Selecting building materials can be complex. You have to take into account toxicity, performance, the environmental life cycle, cost, and other factors. Builders and architects alike have used life cycle assessments, environmental product declarations, and risk assessments to guide their long-term decisions on what type of building they will build.
Truly understanding what makes a building product green requires thinking in the long term. Green characteristics differ from product category to product category and deciding which trade-offs are worthwhile is important.
Below you will find a comprehensive list of just how many considerations there are when it comes to material selection:
- Recycled Content: Products with identifiable recycled content, including postindustrial content with a preference for post-consumer content.
- Natural, plentiful, or renewable: Materials harvested from sustainably managed sources, have an independent certification (e.g., certified wood) and are certified by an independent third party.
- Resource-efficient manufacturing process: Products manufactured that reduce energy consumption, minimize waste (recycled, recyclable, and or source-reduced product packaging), and reduce greenhouse gases.
- Locally available: Find building materials, components, and systems available locally/regionally to save energy and resources in transportation to the project site.
- Salvaged, refurbished, or remanufactured: Saving material from disposal and renovating, repairing, restoring, or just improving the appearance, performance, quality, functionality, or value of a product.
- Reusable or recyclable: Select materials that can be easily dismantled and reused or recycled at the end of their useful life.
- Recycled or recyclable product packaging: Products enclosed in recycled content or recyclable packaging.
- Durable: Materials that are longer lasting or are comparable to conventional products with long life expectancies.
As buildings become greener, so do construction sites. Off-site fabrication, improved on-site maintenance, landfill avoidance, and green material selections have begun to fundamentally, yet slowly, transform the way we construct buildings today. With continued efforts toward a sustainable future, construction as we know it can make a huge and impactful shift that will ripple throughout the industry.
References
https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/materials-selection-decisions-for-sustainable-buildings
