Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Owner requirements for
sustainability
Owner brief
Review of owner's basic needs
Sustainability requirements in
performance terms
Definition of required
performance under defined
loads and actions
Assessment of physical loads,
associated actions, environmental
loads and related circumstances
Avoidance of over and under
design
Conceptual design
Consider re-use of elements
and design for deconstruction
Review of conceptual design
Choice of appropriate
materials and methods to
minimise overall
environmental impacts
Detailed design
Durability &
service life
design
Structural
design
Minimise energy usage
through life of constructed asset
Review of detailed design
Execution phase
Planning of through life care,
maintenance, interventions for
refurbishment, repair, etc.
Review of specification and
supply of materials
Assessment of
construction
Apply best practice
Avoidance of waste on site
Review construction quality in
durability critical areas
Review of constructed asset at handover and
commissioning (Birth Certificate)
Choice of appropriate
materials and methods to
minimise overall
environmental impacts during
through life interventions for
refurbishment, repair, etc.
Through-life care, maintenance, interventions
for refurbishment, repair, etc.
Review of through life interventions (Re-Birth
Certificates) up to end of life and demolition
Choice of appropriate
materials and methods to
minimise overall
environmental impacts at
end of life
End of life: dismantle and / or demolish
Figure 5.10 Schematic diagram illustrating the overall design process with associated links to service life design and sustainability-related
initiatives (Nixon, 2002)
There are aspects of these impacts which are associated
with the construction of the building or asset concerned (i.e.
the embodied impacts), and also those aspects which arise
from the through-life performance of the building or asset (i.e.
the operational impacts). For many contemporary buildings
the through-life performance characteristics are the dominant
influence. For example, in buildings the operational energy
used has typically had the greatest bearing upon the total
through-life environmental impacts incurred, with the oper-
ational energy derived impacts amounting to perhaps 75-85%
of the overall through-life environmental impacts.
However, in future operational energy usage is expected to
be greatly reduced in response to government legislation and
other drivers encouraging a move towards 'low operational
carbon' buildings. In such circumstances, the environmen-
tal impacts associated with construction (i.e. the embodied
