Sustainable Futures Wright & Wright - Flipbook - Page 13
The challenges of sustainable development
Mel Allwood
‘We need to make
buildings that last
a long time and can
be disassembled
rather than
demolished, so that
the component
parts have value
and can be
incorporated into
new construction’
Opposite:
Ove Arup’s lifelong principles
of humanitarianism and
environmental responsiveness
continue to shape best
practice as construction
professionals confront the
challenges posed by the
climate emergency
The values of our founder Ove Arup
resonate down the decades. He said:
‘We should act honourably in our
dealings with our own and other
people... Humanitarianism also implies
a social conscience, a wish to do socially
useful work, and to join hands with
others fighting for the same values.’
Today, the greatest challenge
confronting designers of the built
environment is the effect of climate
change. The statistics may be familiar
but are worth repeating: 39% of global
energy related carbon emissions are
from buildings. This breaks down
as 28% from operational emissions,
used to heat, cool, ventilate and power
buildings, and the remaining 11%
from the processing and transport
of materials and products used in
construction and end of life repair.
Within a wider context, the global
sustainability agenda has been
evolving. Alongside more traditional
environmental concerns, best practice
now incorporates social and economic
aspects; for example, considering the
impact of construction and buildings on
people through inclusive design, as well
as health, safety and wellbeing.
The principal drivers of sustainability
in the built environment are climate
change, resource depletion, population
increase and urbanisation. Adding to
these are increasing expectations of
health, wellbeing, justice and social
inclusion. Sustainable development can
therefore be characterised as that which
responds to environmental needs,
including mitigation and adaptation to
climate change; social needs, including
quality and accessibility; and economic
needs, including value creation.
Buildings have long lead in times and
even longer lifespans. Within those
lifespans, expectations around building
construction and performance are
changing. In April 2021, the European
Union (EU) adopted a Regulation
commonly known as the European
Climate Law (ECL). The ECL enshrines
The challenges of sustainable development
in law the goals for the EU to become
climate neutral by 2050 and to reduce its
net greenhouse gas emissions by at least
55% from 1990 levels by 2030.
The UK is committed to reaching net
zero by 2050. This means that the total
greenhouse gas emissions would be
equal to the emissions removed from
the atmosphere, with the aim of limiting
global warming and resultant climate
change. This has implications for the life
cycles of buildings, from design and
construction, operational energy,
maintenance repair and refurbishment,
to demolition, waste, disposal and the
potential reuse of salvaged materials.
Committing to a circular economy is
crucial. We need to use less stuff to make
things, less of that stuff has to be new,
and the stuff that is new needs to be
lower impact. We need to design
buildings to run efficiently, optimising
natural sources of air, light and heat,
and using any energy that has to be
generated extremely sparingly. We need
to make buildings that last a long time
and can be disassembled rather than
demolished, so that the component
parts have value and can be
incorporated into new construction.
Making design decisions in a net zero
world will shift priorities. They include
prioritising retrofit over new build
and prioritising fabric first principles.
In terms of servicing, the emphasis
should be on incorporating energy
efficiency measures before renewables
or offsetting are considered, through
fine tuning the internal environment
with efficient mechanical systems,
providing responsive local controls and
specifying ultra-low energy appliances.
While there can be no sustainable
future without stopping – and ideally,
reversing – the build-up of carbon in
the atmosphere, other environmental,
social and economic strategies must also
be addressed. It is no longer enough just
to mitigate ill-effects; opportunities for
restoration and regeneration must also
be taken forward, and holistically.
13
