by constructaquote - 1 June 2016
The Construction 2025 Industrial Strategy is hoping to achieve a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions released by the built environment over the next decade. Are you clued-up on green building techniques?
According to the Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics (July 2013), the global construction market is estimated to grow by over 70% by 2025 which means that eco-alternatives should move at the same pace.
Building towards efficiency
Tradespeople are becoming more and more aware of their necessity to adopt green building techniques. The focus has been on energy-efficient equipment and design, using sustainable materials and implementing efficiency post-build.
Design:
Building Information Management (BIM) is a common data environment (CDE) tool, which enables communication and collaboration to ensure that all aspects of construction remains sustainable through:
• Planning – BIM accurately constructs building models giving the opportunity to test solutions offsite.
• Collaborating – BIM allows a level of collaboration that enables all parties involved to understand each strand of the construction disciplines.
• Understanding – BIM tools allow easy visualisation thus enabling greater accuracy and comprehensiveness.
BIM is being embraced by industry professionals such as architects, engineers, contractors and business owners to achieve cost, time and sustainable efficiency.
Equipment:
The ECA energy scheme provides tax allowances for energy-saving equipment that are found on the Energy Technology List (ETL), such as:
• Solar thermal systems
• Boiler equipment – including steam/biomass boilers and room heaters
• Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment
• Lighting – including high-efficiency light units
• Pipe-work insulation
Using reclaimed materials can significantly prevent unnecessary production of new materials and also reduce landfill waste. When reclaimed materials are procured from an existing building site, the environmental impact remains almost non-existent.
Insulation:
It could be suggested that home energy use in the UK largely derives from heating and cooling interior rooms which in turn contributes to our high energy bills and increases the amount of carbon emissions released into the ozone. Techniques to help combat this include:
• Opting for closed-cell insulating materials which could reduce escaping temperatures
• Using exterior insulating wall sprays/creams that seal the material surface helps to prevent air gaps thus reducing air flow and escaping heat
• Using 6-inch-wide-studs to exterior walls to replace the traditional 4-inch ones. This provides additional insulation
Many EU countries are making eco-construction a national priority in order to ensure sustainable development.
Recognising that the built environment is responsible for large quantities of carbon emissions, many UK regions have demonstrated eco-innovations that are reducing the sectors carbon footprint.
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