- Case studies
- Projects seeking partners
- Lessons learnt
- Best practice today
- Life-cycle costing made simple
- Sustainable refurbishment
Sustainability in Constructing Excellence: Checklist
The checklist below is for appropriate for consideration by all construction projects, whether large or small.
Constructing Excellence encourages the construction industry to consider all aspects of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) and to guard against undermining one section for the benefit of another.
Corporate Social Responsibility
All stages
- Include Corporate Social Responsibility within business strategy and policy documents
Economic sustainability
Planning
- For large-scale housing, mixed use and civils projects, report on relevant factors in regional or local economic strategy, and how development will promote viability.
Design
- Use the Design Quality Indicators, to develop appropriate levels of functionality and flexibility.
- Appraise options using whole life costing.
- Design for accessibility.
Construction process
- Use the Key Performance Indicators
- Maximise opportunities for local businesses, labour and training.
Finished product
- Consider maintenance, operational (energy, water etc) and staff costs. Use feedback measure and tools (eg Post Occupancy Evaluation.) See environment.
Social sustainability
Planning
- Respond to regeneration impacts required in regional or local economic strategies. See economic.
- Use data from public consultations and participation.
- For high density, mixed-use developments plan for high quality public space and safe public transport accessibility.
- Larger schemes require affordable housing, and a mix of housing types and tenures.
Design
- Use the Design Quality Indicators, to engage everyone in the design process.
Construction process
- Use the Respect for People Indicators
- Register sites with the Considerate Constructors Scheme and use CSCS.
- Maximise opportunities for local businesses, labour and training
Finished product
- Consider staff costs, eg maximising satisfaction and productivity through a healthy environment. See environment.
- Encourage community use of buildings, through the Design Quality Indicators or as policy.
Environmental sustainability
- Holistic environmental assessment tools have been developed: SPEAR, BREEAM Offices, Retail and Industrial, EcoHomes, CEEQUAL (civil engineering), Bespoke BREEAM for one-off projects, and the Checklist for large mixed-use developments. If a demonstration project is using such a scheme or an equivalent, it passes this section. However assessment is sometimes inappropriate, so the following checklist could be applied. The Environmental Performance Indicators (EPIs) provide a set of benchmarks for site and building performance that have been used on a number of demonstration projects and that Rethinking Construction has agreed to use on a further 25 projects.
Planning
- Reuse land. Treat contaminated land on-site. Reuse buildings.
- Plan the footprint of the building with ecological features in mind.
- Consider how building users will travel to and access the site, and facilities and amenities nearby.
Design
- Design for minimum waste of materials. Provide facilities for the minimisation and management of waste.
- Protect and enhance biodiversity using the biodiversity EPI. Ensure natural features can be easily managed and maintained.
- Specify local and low environmental impact materials (eg use A-rated specifications from the Green Guide or equivalent and timber from certified well-managed forests). Use the embodied energy Environmental Performance Indicator.
- Optimise passive energy use (eg solar gain). Minimise energy use (eg lighting, heating/cooling, ventilation, insulation). Consider Combined Heat and Power and renewable energy sources. Use the operational energy EPI. Fit sub-metering and intelligent building monitoring systems.
- Specify flexible information and communication services.
- Ensure high indoor air quality through effective ventilation, and specifying materials, finishes and cleaning products with minimal harmful effects.
- Specify zero ozone depletion and low NOx systems and materials.
- Ensure fittings are low water volume. Consider rainwater and grey water recycling. Consider permeable design for hard landscaping. Use the water EPI. Fit sub-metering.
- Discourage single-occupant car use, through public transport and cycling provision, making the development safe and secure, providing showers and changing rooms.
- Consider ease of operation and maintenance through commissioning time and documentation.
- Consider daylighting, ventilation, humidification, personal control, and space for well-being and comfort. The Design Quality Indicators consider a range of environmental criteria.
- Design for flexibility or deconstruction with minimum waste.
Construction process
- Manage for minimum waste, using the waste EPI. Reuse waste on-site.
- Protect and enhance existing ecological features (trees, hedges, ponds etc) using the biodiversity EPI.
- Minimise air pollution (dust & fumes) and noise pollution.
- Minimise water use during construction, and guard against pollution.
- Consider transport to and from site using the transport EPI. Consider energy use through plant and site services.
Finished product
- Manage building systems, ecological features and waste for maximum efficiency considering the design.
- Use post occupancy evaluation and feedback.
- Follow the design criteria for maintenance, repairs and refurbishment.
- At end of current use ensure consideration for other purposes, and only if this is not feasible, deconstruct with minimum waste.