Sustainability in Building Development PDF

**1. Sustainability.** Is a broad term describing a desire to carry out activities without depleting resources or having harmful impacts. Sustainability in building developments is a vast and complex subject that must be considered from the very earliest stages as the potential environmental impacts...

**1. Sustainability.** Is a broad term describing a desire to carry out activities without depleting resources or having harmful impacts. Sustainability in building developments is a vast and complex subject that must be considered from the very earliest stages as the potential environmental impacts are very significant. 2\. **Renewable Materials.** Are sustainable materials, which means, these materials do not use up non-renewable resources. They can also be produced in high enough volume to be economically useful. Bamboo and cork are rapidly renewable materials used to create flooring materials for homes and office buildings. 3\. **Raw Materials.** Are materials that are in their natural state, before they are processed or used in manufacturing. 4\. **Light-weight Materials.** The lightweight of these materials meant that more can be transported at one time, which also saves time. Lightweight construction materials are often very environmentally friendly. Lightweight concrete, for example, can be used as insulation material, as well as building materials. 5\. **Lean Manufacturing.** Lean manufacturing addresses one of the worst things that can happen to any enterprise: waste. To not take full advantage of all of your resources is to lose efficiencies and, in so doing, stunt production. These neglected resources include everything from manufacturing project management tools, to the skills of the staff members. ***Introduction*** In today's society the idea of sustainability is possibly more prevalent than at any other point and time. Across our everyday lives we encounter the practice of sustainability from renewable energy resources to curbside recycling programs. As our demand for products, infrastructure and lifestyle amenities grow, so should our awareness that we live in a fragile balance between meeting these needs and meeting these needs in a way that has minimal impact to the environment and does not jeopardize our own public health and safety. We as Civil Engineers and future Civil Engineers play a vital role in the Sustainable Development in meeting the needs of the public. We are those designing and building the infrastructures that support us as a society. A Civil Engineers utmost responsibility is sustainability. ***Sustainable Development*** When you decide to follow a certain career path and make the decision to become a professional in that field, whether it be medical, law or in this case a Professional Engineer, you have a code of ethics that you are bound to. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Code of Ethics was designed so that a standard could be put in place as to how engineers should practice professionally. This Code of Ethics lays out seven Fundamental Canons that an engineer shall always govern their actions by. The first of these Canons introduces us to the concept of Sustainable Development. "Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties." (ASCE Code of Ethics, 1996) This concept of Sustainable Development could in many ways be considered the "Golden Rule" of engineering. If as engineers we follow this one Canon the other Canons immediately fall into place. Sustainability by definition is the method of using a resource in a way that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). Traditionally the concept of sustainability has been applied to relating biological systems (the Earth) and human systems (society). Although, very complex when looking at the direct relationships of human needs and biological impacts, the concept is really one that is as old as time itself that has been taught through the concept of not over harvesting from the Bible. For this discussion the concept of sustainability will deal primarily with Sustainable Development as defined by the ASCE in 1996: "Sustainable Development is the challenge of meeting human needs for natural resources, industrial products, energy, food, transportation, shelter, and effective waste management while conserving and protecting environmental quality and the natural resource base essential for future development."(ASCE Code of Ethics, 1996) ***Practice of Sustainable Development*** As civil engineers we play a vital role in Sustainable Development. When a client approaches a Civil Engineer to design a new project this immediately incorporates a multi-discipline process that may involve biologists, geologists, community interests groups, regulatory enforcement agencies and the business community. All of these groups have an interest in the project and seeing that the project is completed in a way not to put their interests at risk. It is the Civil Engineers responsibility to ethically combine all the disciplines interests and produce a design that meets the client's goals. For an example of this in practice we can take a look at a new manufacturing facility being built. The area that this new facility is being built was once used as cropland and will continue to have active cropland around it once completed. There is also a major body of water close to the facility that is used for shipping and recreation. A civil engineer will be responsible to determine: if the land used will be adequate to support the characteristics of the facility (i.e., soil characteristics, layout of facilities, site drainage, past land usage); if the transportation system to the new facility will be adequate; provide a design that will take into account the needs of the aquatic habitat and flora and fauna; design a facility that will minimally impact residents that may surround the facility; design a facility that meets EPA and OSHA requirements; and a design that is in conjunction with other businesses in the area. In order to successfully combine these needs as an engineer one must have a knowledge and understanding of multiple disciplines. The combination of this knowledge is projected out through the concept of Sustainable Development. As civil engineers ethically you cannot discount other disciplines and must always be aware of how they may affect your work. The concept of Sustainable Development is one that an engineer should never feel that they must violate in order to ethically complete a project. For an engineer to violate the concept of Sustainable Development in a project the size of a manufacturing facility, or any project they are jeopardizing the safety, health and well-being of the public and potentially damaging the environment. Knowingly doing this not only is unethical but in severe cases may even be considered criminal. At no time should violation of sustainable development be a solution to issues encountered in the practice of engineering. An engineer that practices sustainable development should never feel that they are acting unethically. During the design stages of the manufacturing facility if an engineer has taken all appropriate steps to gather the information needed from all involved parties to provide a client with a sound design, that engineer has acted ethically. Sustainable development should always take into account what is best for society and best for the environment in providing a client with a design that meets their goals. ***5 Techniques for Sustainable Building Construction*** For contractors, a strategy for saving time and materials can lead to higher profitability and the good feeling of not creating unnecessary waste. Here's a look at five techniques that are having the greatest impact on sustainable building construction. A quieter part of the sustainability story is the evolution in construction techniques and materials acquisition that can reduce waste, energy and various inefficiencies at building sites. However, green construction techniques play only a small role in achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This is why many contractors don't focus on them. The USGBC works on a point system, and most of those awarded come from a building's design, location and orientation, and its materials to a smaller degree. All of these contribute to LEED certifications. Lean manufacturing, in contrast, wins no points for contractors but contributes to less energy expended at a site. For contractors, a strategy for saving time and materials can lead to higher profitability and the good feeling of not creating unnecessary waste. Below are the five techniques that are having the greatest impact on sustainable building construction. 1\. Prefabricating Materials in Controlled Environments 2\. Construction Waste Management 3\. Managing the Site for Improved Environment 4\. Lean Manufacturing to Reduce Energy 5\. Material Selection ***Construction industry progress towards sustainability with renewable materials*** Today, buildings are held responsible for a large proportion of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. With an increasing number of government regulations encouraging net-zero carbon future to limit global temperature rise, the construction industry is on a way to design, construct and operate buildings that improve their environmental sustainability along with the internal environment for users. The construction sector is known to possess the huge untapped potential for improving sustainability in every component of its value chain with digitalization, innovative technologies and new techniques of construction. Construction companies are leveraging advanced technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), smart building technologies and new building materials to attain a greater maturity towards sustainability. *Government regulations encourage adoption of renewable materials* In the mission to transform the construction industry into a sustainable sector, various renewable materials in the construction market have been identified, which hold the potential to replace the existing construction materials. The major objective here is to save energy, water, and various non-renewable resources to reap long term benefits. Construction companies are particular about introducing renewable materials in construction activities to avoid the imposition of any regulations in the future. To propel such initiatives towards sustainability, recognized organizations such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) are encouraging the construction companies by awarding green building certification. The growing trend of such recognitions has been increasing the supply of renewable material in construction. *Use of sustainable materials impart brand recognition to companies* Along with growing awareness and restrictions, consumer awareness holds a major significance in promoting renewable materials in construction. Growing consumer awareness regarding the environment is adversely affecting the demand for conventional construction materials. In a way, consumer inclination towards renewable materials is a major factor fueling their use in the construction sector. The fact that sustainable buildings tap into this growing trend of eco-friendliness, is making them a marker for brand recognition for companies striving to make a difference in the correlation between construction and environment. *Wood creates profitable avenues in the market* Wood is one of the most sought after renewable resources that can contribute to sustainability in the construction industry. Though deforestation makes it difficult to think of wood as a sustainable material, it gets upper hand over man-made construction materials like concrete and steel that leave a high carbon footprint. Market players in the construction industry are using wood instead of steel or concrete to substantially reduce the environmental impact of construction, as well as its operating costs. Moreover, the manufactures in the construction sector are embracing advances in building technology to extend the use of wood in a wide range of non-residential, multi-story and long-span buildings. The construction industry has been introducing construction accordingly, to accommodate wood construction methods. *Manufacturers embrace technological advancements to create new materials* With the help of Green concrete technology, construction companies are utilizing waste materials with recycled commodities such as mining wastes, glass wastes, and burnt clay to develop renewable materials for construction. The output is a low-maintenance and long-lasting renewable material for construction called green concrete. Manufacturers are designing these concretes while keeping in mind the entire construction life cycle, composed of structural design, parameters, production techniques, and maintenance methodologies. This concrete is highly demanded in the market as there are they release no harmful emissions. Also, it ensures a reduction in the emission of CO2 into the environment. Plastic bricks are the other product of technology that are used as renewable materials in construction activities. This product is unique in its way of spreading eco-friendliness as it gives a viable solution to the ever-increasing challenge in the disposal of plastic. It is an innovative concept where plastic is reused and mixed with cement aggregates to crate shapes of bricks. This has proven to be a spectacular solution for overcoming the long-standing issue of plastic waste. A high ratio of tensile strength and weight of plastic material works in favor of these bricks. Manufacturers are adopting increasingly adopting these bricks as a construction material as they are lighter than conventional bricks. Moreover, they have superb insulation properties for noise and heat, which is way more than normal bricks. *Regenerative plants highly demanded as raw materials* Bamboo has been used as a renewable building material for decades in the construction of buildings. However, its preference has increased recently owing to the scarcity of the wood. Rapid regenerative properties along with low cost make it a favorite for manufacturers in the market. Bamboo roofing sheets exhibit a high tolerance to extreme weathering conditions, making them an apt construction material for the geographical region with extreme climates. Sugar cane is another naturally grown regenerative raw material used to create Bagasse, renewable materials used in construction. Besides, being composted in a short period without causing environmental harm, Bagasse is used as a biofuel for producing energy and heat along with electricity. These multifaceted benefits pile up its demand in the market. *Light-weight materials preferred for construction* A mixture of clay with other naturally occurring products such as rice ash husk and sawdust gives Porotherm bricks, a highly durable renewable material that can be used in construction. Construction companies are seeking these bricks as construction materials for their light-weight. Other attributes such as low water absorption, fire-proof and thermal insulation also enhance their applicability in the construction industry. Fly Ash bricks, made of waste products that refrain from releasing harmful toxins into the environment are giving new life to renewable construction materials. Manufactures prefer theses bricks over clay ones as this green building material is known to absorb less heat and water, which increases the profitability aspect for the investors. Besides being light-weight, the energy-efficient manufacturing of these bricks is garnering huge popularity for them in the market. Besides technical developments that are encouraging the sustainability and use of renewable materials in the construction segment, the millennial population is emerging as a major driver for sustainable buildings. The growing population of individuals taking a tough stance to battle climate change, by protesting on the streets and demanding systemic changes are the ones building paths of sustainable future for upcoming generations.