Standards in Sustainable construction

Standards in Sustainable construction:
Sustainable development aims at improving the standard of life without compromising the
environmental qualities and for future needs. These interconnected objectives can be
achieved through rational management of demand of material resources and proper
management of building waste. International Council of Buildings (CIB) in1994 defined
sustainable construction as creating and operating a healthy built environment based on
efficient use of resources and in project based on ecological principles. The World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) introduced the term sustainable
development with the concept of eco-efficiency in 1991 as “the development of products and
services at competitive prices that meets the needs of human kind with quality of life, while
progressively reducing their environmental impact and consumption of raw materials
throughout life cycle, to a level compatible with the capacity of the planet”. This eco-efficient
concept is implicit of sustainable construction and aims at producing more products with less
resources and waste and present less environmental impact. The growing significance of
sustainability concept throughout the world has resulted in attitude change in consumption of
natural resources for infrastructure development projects.
Utilization of large quantity of natural resources for meeting the fast growing building
activities and generation of waste has exerted unavoidable pressures on natural environment.
With the growing significance in green building concept, and the mandatory inclusion
evaluation of life cycle assessment (LCA) in building design standards such as US LEED,
German DGNB, and the Australian Green Star Building, sustainable building has proven
substantial benefits to environment and economy. The recycling law by Japanese government
in 1991 which set minimum targets for several by-products has increased the percentages of
recycling. Waste plans with increased utilization by recycling were implemented in Belgium,
Germany Finland and Spain in consecutive years since 1995. The revised European Union’s
waste framework directive targets recycling increase to 70% (by weight) by the year 2020.
Current Construction Methods:

It is time for the human race to acknowledge the damage that is being done to our living
environment and take accountability and action to repair this in order to leave a healthier and
sustainable future for generations to come. Current methods of construction have primarily
proven to be unsustainable and energy inefficient as they are consuming too many vital
resources, requiring too much energy and maintenance and repair costs to keep them up and
are simply not constructed for longevity. This is creating mass deforestation which is killing
the lungs of our earth as well as habitat for millions of animals, release of excess carbon
emissions into the atmosphere and excessive use of fresh water supplies. In addition,
economic and cash flow drains from replacement and repairs of these limited life, poorly
built structures could be avoided as well as excess carbon emissions from the razing and
replacement of these buildings not to mention the land fill debris and additional material
requirements that occur from tearing down and replacing structures that were not built to last
in the first place.
Buildings not only use resources such as energy and raw materials, they also generate waste
and potentially harmful emissions. As the global population and economy continue to
expand, we are faced with the unique challenge to meet demands for structures that have
reduced environmental impact, last longer, are healthier and more productive to occupy and
less expensive to operate.
There are materials, methods and processes that exist TODAY that can extend the life of the
building more than fivefold and reduce energy consumption by more than half of the already
energy efficient structures on the market today. In addition, there are processes available to
renovate and reuse existing structures, not only save these buildings, but also to make them
significantly more energy efficient and less maintenance intensive.
The time is NOW to begin implementing these building methods to reduce our ecological
impact on this planet in order to turn around the damage that has already been done. We are
at a critical juncture for the human race and changes must be made in order to insure our
survival of this planet. Building minimum impact, energy efficient, low maintenance and
longer lasting structures with significantly reduced environmental impact is one step in the
turning this process around.
Sustainable Construction:
Home construction has a significant impact on the environment both from the construction
phase as well as through day to day operations. Building construction consumes a great
amount of raw materials and energy as well as waste such that each new structure should be
carefully considered during the design phase. In fact buildings consume 40% of the raw
materials used globally each year (over 3 billion tons), 40% of the energy consumed in the
world, 60% of the world's electrical consumption and 25% of virgin wood. Buildings also
emit about 50% of global C02 through construction and operation.
When possible, building materials should be selected locally to minimize their carbon
footprint, be durable and protected from the elements to last longer, require minimal
maintenance in order to minimize replacement and repairs and be selected to provide
minimum off gassing of volatile organic chemicals for a healthier living environment.
Structures should also be designed to maximize space usage as well as designed, oriented and
landscaped to take advantage of the earths’ natural heating and cooling and minimize
required energy needs. Renewable energies such as solar photovoltaic, wind power, water
heating and passive whole house heating and cooling should also be taken advantage of when
possible. Of course there are some situations where this is not feasible and other construction
methods should be considered. Either way, sustainable, ecologically responsible construction
provide healthier more productive living environments, substantially lower operating and
maintenance costs as well as having long term environmental benefits.
Building materials, natural resources and energy are becoming more scarce by the day and
we must immediately begin to minimize our environmental impact and begin utilizing the
natural processes of heating, cooling and lighting of our homes, construct more durable
structures, build homes that require less raw materials and require less maintenance as well as
reduce energy and water consumption in order to sustain future generations. Durability is a
major consideration these days and there are homes all over the world that have been
standing hundreds of years, but many of the homes and structures being built today have a
life expectancy of less than 100 years. It is an economic and environmental waste when we
raze these structures, send the debris to the landfill and consume more raw materials and
energy to reconstruct it. Proper design and materials as well as correctly refurbishing old
structures can create new structures that are protected from the elements such that they will
endure for generations to come.

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