TOP TEN TIPS
S TO BUILDING
AINABLY
6. WATER for building sustainably. It incorporates the recycled glass, carpets from recycled plastics
According to Waterwise, the UK NGO idea that building on a brownfield site is are not that much of a stretch. It is a matter
responsible for improving water efficiency, better than a greenfield and that enhancing of the design team doing their research,
the UK has less available water per person the local ecology is better than not. finding the materials that can be used, and
than most other European countries and that specifying appropriately.
technically, London is drier than Istanbul 8. HEALTHY BUILDINGS Equally, a properly drawn waste
whilst the whole of the South East has less The sick building syndrome has received management plan for the build will enable
water available than the Sudan and Syria. a lot of press coverage. It is a factor of more virgin material to be used on site,
Things like aerated taps and shower many issues: more to be recycled to another site and less
heads will become mandatory and make • Materials - that “gas-off” sent to landfill. The DTI have shown that the
eminent sense. Grey water recycling plants formaldehyde, pesticides, average rubbish skip costs around £125 but
are becoming cheaper and more readily solvents, etc will contain up to £1,200 of materials.
available, but we still need to think about • Construction - air-tightness v Managing waste properly can reduce the
rainwater run-off and the effect it has on the ventilation build cost by up to 8%.
local, and wider, environment. The answer • Services & controls - thermal comfort The building should also incorporate
lies in measuring, monitoring and regulating and control of the indoor climate recycling facilities appropriate to the
the water coming into the building, its use • Spatial arrangement - layout, ceiling building’s function. It has been shown that
and how it leaves height, volume per occupant occupants propensity to recycle is increased
the building. • Occupant activity - moisture, if the facilities to allow it are to hand. That
odour, pollutants is, people want to recycle but need things
• Environment - damp, lighting, view made easy.
ur needs today without compromising
tions to meet their own needs.”
ess of Architects, June 1993
7. ECOLOGY of the sky, noise pollution 10. MANAGEMENT
Any building purporting to have green Sustainable building, like any good It is difficult to find any product that does
credentials will have looked long and hard building practice, addresses all these issues. not have an operation manual. The idea is
at the local ecology. Starting from the Natural materials do not gas-off, spatial that unless the user knows how to operate
premise that nothing we build is arrangements are an intrinsic part of the machine, it will not be operated
environmentally friendly, and all we can adaptability, ventilation and consideration of effectively. This impacts not only on the
hope to achieve is to minimise the impact the internal environment are an integral part machine and the user but on the user’s
the building has. A green roof may replace of the sustainability agenda. opinion of the manufacturer as well. The
the ground lost to the footprint, but it is only It is a fundamental tenet of sustainability same idea applies to buildings which are,
a partial answer and often not a practical that a building must be healthy. Or to put it after all, large, complex machines.
one. Hard landscaping around the building the other way, a sick building is Instructing the occupants in how to make the
tends to have a bigger impact and can be unsustainable. machine work properly ensures that all the
addressed with water permeable surface time effort and money that went into
treatment (permeable asphalt and concrete, 9. RECYCLING designing a sustainable building is not
grass pavers) and considered planting. It is not yet, but should be, another wasted.
These have the dual effect of reducing fundamental tenet of sustainability that the
surface water run-off and supporting local building uses as much recycled material as
flora and fauna. They also allow more water possible (82% of the materials in a
into the water table and reduce the risk of conventional build are virgin and 12% of
Submit your Top Ten Tips to:
flooding. those go straight to landfill). Using recycled
mail@abbeypublishing.co.uk
The BRE’s Environmental Assessment material is not always easy in a commercial
Method (BREEAM) sets out various standards property, but ideas like bathroom tiles from
SUSTAINABLE FM | NOVEMBER 2007
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