Can sustainable construction & maintenance behaviours really make a difference?

Dr. Stephen Thomson Head of Environment & Sustainability y Transport Scotland

S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y

Disclaimer

Views expressed in this presentation do not represent those of LOR or TS!

The winner was really making a difference in a sector often accused of indifference. Laing ORourke has created a faultless business case for implementing farreaching CSR policies that in itself ensures the sustainability of the programme.

ADAPTIVE Vs TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS There are a whole host of problems that th t are not amenable t authoritative t bl to th it ti expertise or standard procedures these are adaptative challenges because they require new y q experiments, discoveries, adjustments, attitudes, values and behaviours. So, the sustainability of change depends on having the people with the problem internalize the change itself.

Segregating waste helps with recycling. Do you segregate your waste? Environmental approach No need. We only produce mixed waste Weve tried it before and it does not work

OK what about timber? You must produce quantities of this waste OK, waste No, there is very little timber waste produced (following a quick walkround site inspection)

Just had a look at your skips. The setup is a bit of a mess Every site is like that About 50% of the waste is timber. Do you know its about 50% cheaper to remove timber only skips from site. I can organise this for you. Economic approach Really? OK, lets give it a trial

(the site kept the segregated waste skips for the rest of the contract).

500,000 500 000

31,101m3 f 31 101 3 of waste i 2009 in 4,409m3 to landfill 85.82% recovered in 2009

Can sustainable construction & maintenance behaviours really make a diff ll k difference? ?

Big difference between

saying committing t itti to promising

and actually doing and

What are YOU going to do that makes a differencethat makes the built environment that little bit better?

Defining sustainability?

Sustainable development is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Bruntland Report, 1987 Report

Sustainable development aims to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations
Choosing our Future: Scotlands Sustainable Development Strategy (2005).

CSR is business communities response to the sustainable development agenda

CIRIA Engage-Construct

Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY IS THE PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Orange idea from Prof Ed McCann The London 2012 Olympic Velodrome the most sustainable sports venue in the world? (Centenary Lecture)

Definition(s) remain constant

Appetite to deliver sustainability changes with time

Ciria C695 A guide to sustainable procurement In construction (2011)

Scottish Governments interpretation of sustainability: Government Economic Strategy

Ciria C695 A guide to sustainable procurement In construction (2011)

Sustainable Design

CLASSROOM AREAS FLEXIBLE TEACHING AREAS

PRE CAST PORTALS

Dense masonry load bearing spine walls Zero waste in production educed as e onsite Reduced waste o s e Future-proofing into operational phase to avoid realignment waste

Sustainable Procurement

M74 - Recycling demolition rubble from two 23 storey flats & +500,000 tonnes of aggregates for embankment fill

Clackmannshire Bridge - 80% fill material from RSA sourced onsite+ all excavated material from the site was reused

Make sure the sustainability deliverables are in the contract

Behaviour of the client and contractor is likely to be driven by the contractthis is certainly true when it comes to sustainability elements of construction

Employer Requirements

Contractor Proposal

may may

are encouraged d
would be expected to would to shall
Elements of control by client; from voluntary to mandatory

Social during construction & g maintenance phase: Community Benefits, Employability, Community Engagement & Education

Environment during the construction & maintenance phase: Climate Change & Waste

Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get Robert A. Heinlein

Climate is a long term average of weather (usually over 30 years) and trends in these average conditions are climate change. t d i th diti li t h Weather is what we experience hour-to-hour, day-to-day or even year-toy , year, and as anyone living in Scotland will know, it can be highly variable. y g , g y

West Scot a d est Scotland

1961-2004

+23%

Average Annual Precipitation

Future Projections
The key climate change trends for Scotland are:
Hotter, drier summers Milder, wetter autumn and winters

We can also expect to see:

Increase in summer heat waves extreme temperatures and drought waves, Increased frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events Reduced occurrence of frost and snowfall Sea level rise

80% GHG reduction by 2050 (vs. 1990) Interim emission target of at least 42% below 1990 levels by 2020

A85 Glen Ogle

A9 Raigmore Slip Road

Rest and be Thankful

Operational Carbon carbon b emissions associated with annual operations, activities i i i t d ith l ti ti iti & services which are not defined as standalone projects
(including the activities of the Tier 1 supply chain organisations)

Project carbon carbon emissions associated with delivery of major road or rail projects, and larger road structural maintenance schemes.

CMS pilot published: p blished Fox et al. (2011) al Proceedings of the Institute of Civil Engineers. Transport Vol. 164 August 2011 Issue TR3 Pages 165I P 165 179

Measuring sustainable construction & maintenance: BREEAM & CEEQUAL

 Glue

Who involved in influencing the rating?

Design managers Client / developer Architects p Landscape architects Construction contractors M&E Engineers Civil Engineers Supply chain of contractors Material suppliers Quantity Surveyors FM contractors Occupiers or users of structure

BREEAM Credits & scoring

% worth for each weighted credit (f/b) dependant on total number of credits available

Credit criteria from BREEAM 2006

Credit available

Weighting factor

Maximum credits available if total credits are achieved

Management Health & Wellbeing Energy & Transport Water Materials Landuse and ecology Pollution Total =
high weighting medium weighting low weighting

20 18 25 7 17 12 14 113

0.15 0.15 0.25 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.15 100

15.00 15.00 25.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 15.00

0.75 0.83 1.04 0.71 0.58 1.25 1.07

Are the BREEAM 2008 Minimum performance ratings represent the basic principles of sustainable design? basic design ?

BREEAM Rating: Minimum number of credits BREEAM issue P G VG E O

Man1 Man2 Man4 Hea4

Commissioning Considerate Constructor Building User Guide High Frequency Lighting g q y g g

1 1 1

2 2 1 1 1 10 1 1 2 1 1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1 6

Hea12 Microbial contamination Ene1 Ene2 Ene5 E Wat1 Wat2 Wst3 LE4 Reduction of CO2 emissions Submetering of substantial energy uses Low or zero carbon technologies L b h l i Water consumption Water meter Storage or recyclable waste Mitigating ecological impact

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1 1

Compliance Requirements & Info required i d

The cost of sustainable design? g

Primary School

BRE Putting a price on sustainable schools (2008)

So, what makes a sustainable project [according t BREEAM?...] [ di to BREEAM? ]

T5 - Cycle facilities

T5 - Changing facilities

HW3 Glare Control

HW3 Glare Control

MW7 Recycled aggregates

MW10 Design for robustness

Project 141 Bothwell Street

No BREEAM requirements in ERs or CPs

Client requested BREEAM assessment mid-construction with a target of Excellent

Initial Desktop Assessment I iti l D kt A t showed a project score of 50.46% - Very Good with a Potential to achieve 72.81%

Client paid for additional works to achieve Excellent = Very Unusual

Rainwater attenuation tanks

Automatic BMS linked to daylight controls

+60 cycle racks & shower facilities

Green roof (x10 species) across 200m2

Lessons learnt
The devil is in the detail of the BREEAM & CEEQUAL manual compliance requirements Before you start on design, be sure that you know what your signing up to in your output specifications with the client (Pre-assessment) checklist for designers, architects and consultants needed as a design brief with responsibilities and quick wins highlighted for a given rating band. Start BREEAM & CEEQUAL early, early, earlyclient has responsibility even before engaging with contractor. BREEAM can have an affect on gross floor area (GFA) e.g extra showers / lockers etc = Affordability Everyone wants Excellent, but we should be aspiring to excellent rather than promising delivery Vs affordability Weekly design team meetings can be avoided by remote monitoring using Excel checklist; with all design members / consultants responsible for certain c ed ts credits. Consultants, architects and clients need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities within BREEAM & CEEQUAL BREEAM & CEEQUAL is/was in-vogue: Legislation Vs Govt Policy Vs Voluntary by client Credits cannot be viewed in isolationthey are interlinked There are differences between England and Th diff b t E l d d Scottish building regulations Are contractors retrofitting current BREEAM & CEEQUAL standards into a project that may have been designed and budgeted 2 years previously Contractors could/should write employer requirements for client then red-line the hot topics Contractors must have a central team or responsible person to ensure that we are compliant in the design i th d i Never sign up for a specific BREEAM or CEEQUAL percentage; always agree on a rating band. About 25% of credits [ BREEAM] are p ocess bout 5% o c ed ts [in ] a e process driven; you either do it as part of your management system or you dont

Whats your role?

Mainstream sustainability principles where practicable

Risk being a leader, agitate and influence behaviours

Make a tangible difference to the built environment

Communicate that a sustainable built environment is perhaps simply one that is a wee bit better than the one we live in just now

Be realisticup to a point Economic austerity