Sustainability - L1 Flashcards
Sustainability - Extract from Candidate Guide - Aug 2018 (updated Feb 2022)
What is sustainability?
Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. I.e. providing energy for ourselves now without making the planet worse subsequently.
What are the factors to consider with sustainability? Otherwise known as the TBL - Triple Bottom Line.
- Economic
- Social
- Environmental
What are the 7 elements of sustainable building?
- Insulation
- Air tightness
- Thermal Mass
- Natural Light
- Sustainable Material
- Structural Systems
- Deployment of renewable technologies
What is sustainable development ?
Economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources,
Over what period do you measure/access the impact of a building ?
The entire life cycle, not just construction.
What is the construction leadership council?
The CLC works between industry and government to identify and deliver actions supporting UK construction in building greater efficiency, skills and growth.
What is your companies sustainability policy ?
N/A
Give me some examples of how the energy performance of existing building can be improved using a recent project as an example (or your case study)?
- Double glazed windows
- Insulation upgrade
- A* rated boiler
- Renewable energy
- Sustainable materials
- Local workforce
- Heat Pumps
- Underfloor heating
*Solar gain
Explain what you understand by the term “Cold Bridging”.
Cold Bridging is where elements of the structure are colder than the main elements of the structure and condensation occurs on the surface, sometimes interstially which is inside the surface
What is the Brundtland report ?
In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Today, there are almost 140 developing countries in the world seeking ways of meeting their development needs, but with the . It developed guiding principles for sustainable development as it is generally understood today. The Brundtland Report stated that critical global environmental problems were primarily the result of the enormous poverty of the South and the non-sustainable patterns of consumption and production in the North
What is a Brownfield Site?
Brownfield land refers to any land that has been previously developed
What is a Greenfield site?
Sites or land that is not constrained by any existing buildings or structures. It is the opposite of Brownfield land.
What is Embodied carbon?
Embodied carbon is considering all the carbon the will be used in the creating of a product. From sourcing the materials, manufacture, delivery, construction, and disposal.
What is BREEAM ?
BREEAM – British Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method was developed by BRE and covers new construction as well as fit outs. It assess buildings against various performance criteria and awards credits. The total amount of credits will lead to a rating of unclassified, pass, good, v.good, excellent or outstanding. Two assessments are carried out for new builds, at design stage and on completion. Credits are awarded under Management, health and well being, energy efficiency, transport, water usage, materials, waste, land use, ecology, pollution, innovation.
What is SKA?
SKA – Originally a research proect by Skansen, RICS and Aecom to establish metrics for impact of an office fit-out. Since launching, it is used on Retail and higher education too. SKA rating can be assessed during design, at handover and during occupancy. The score is ranked according to the achievements in the thresholds of Gold, Silver and Bronze.
What is the Climate Change Act 2008 (addendum 2019) ?
- Sets out emission reduction targets within the UK. It commits the UK to reducing greenhouse gasses by 80% by 2050 but this was updated in 2019 to be net zero by 2050.
- This has lead to utilisation of existing sustainability options (such has life-cycle costing, carbon modelling, further collaboration), R&D for more sustainable materials and practices (cement accounts for 8% of global carbon emissions), New sustainability matrics to assess operational sustainability etc.
- A Framework setup to create an economically viable path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Introduced as a result of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- As a result of the Kyoto Protocol in 1992.
What is the RCIS campaign in relation to sustainability ? Can you expand on what the contents / message is ?
RICS Value the planet
‘Our Value the Planet campaign promotes the preservation of the planet through the implementation of the UN’s sustainable development goals. We encourage our professionals to implement the SDGs. The campaign also offers us a great opportunity to highlight the public interest responsibility of RICS and demonstrate the benefits that the surveying profession provides in offering solutions to society’s most challenging issues.’ Ref: RICS
What is green construction?
Green construction is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.
How does sustainability link to Building Regulations?
Part L of the building regs – Conservation of Fuel and Power. Part L aims to achieve zero carbon buildings or as close to it as possible giving practical guidance on ways of complying with Energy efficient requirements.
What does MEES stand for ?
Minimum energy efficiency standard - introduced march 2015 by the energy efficiency regulations 2015
EPC Exemptions ?
- listed buildings
- buildings with no heating
- religious buildings
- temporary buildings
- buildings due for demolition
- when it is not feasible to improve on cost basis
- If it can be proven that works will devalue by more than 5%
When is an EPC required ?
EPCs are required for all commercial properties over 50 sqm.
You must have an EPC if:
- you let the property (term>6 months)
- sell the premises
- newly built
- newly refurbished and changes involve providing or extending fixed heating, air conditioning or mechanical ventilation systems
- subletting or assignment of lease
When must you display an EPC?
Commercial property’s over 500 sq. m frequently visited by the public
How long is an EPC valid for ?
10 years (unless building altered)
What is EPC?
An EPC is a document that provides information about the energy efficiency of a building or property. It includes an energy rating, which is a measure of how energy-efficient the building is, along with recommendations for improving its energy performance. Introduced in 2008, it must be produced when a building is constructed, sold, rented out or subject to major alterations. Rates properties A-G.
What is the purpose of DECs and when is one required?
(Display Energy Certificates) DECs were introduced to raise public awareness of energy use and to inform visitors to public buildings about the energy use of a building. A DEC is an energy certificate that shows the operational energy rating of a public building, from A to G where A is very efficient and G is the least efficient.
What is a U Value?
The value of how thermally efficient a part of a building is. It helps identify what areas need to be improved where there is heat loss such as roofs, windows or walls. Measured in W/m2k
What is Passivhaus?
- It is an energy performance standard for dwellings, commercial, industrial and public buildings.
- It is a building for which thermal comfort can be achieved via indoor air quality conditions. i.e. without the need for air recirculation which means they no longer require traditional heating or cooling methods.
What did the UK agree to as part of the Kyoto protocol ?
Implemented the objective of the UN to reduce the onset of global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentration in the air.
12.5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Earth’s greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet. The main gases responsible for the greenhouse effect include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor (which all occur naturally), and fluorinated gases (which are synthetic)
What is the Paris Agreement? and where was it agreed.
Cop 21
United Nations joined to create a global agreement to reduce the carbon emissions to prevent a global temperature increase of 2 degrees but aim to keep it below 1.5 degrees. It now has 191 members.
Tell me about COP 27
(COP27) was held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, between 6 to 18 November 2022.
Four key themes were identified for COP27: mitigation, adaptation, finance and collaboration. The headline agreements from the conference were the establishment of a loss and damage fund and finalising the details to implement the Santiago Network. It was also the first time food security was recognised.
What is the key target of the climate change act ?
Carbon neutral by 2050
What is an EPC ?
Energy Performance Certificates were introduced in 2007 and are a legal requirement for a building to be sold, let or constructed.
Where does the requirement for an EPC come from ?
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) came into force in England and Wales on 1 April 2018, applies to private, rented residential and non-domestic property and is aimed at encouraging landlords and property owners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard Rating is E and above for rented property
It wants to to enforce a compulsory energy performance certificate rating of ‘C’ on new tenancies by December 2025, and on all rented properties by December 2028.
What is the current EPC spending cap ?
£3,500 including VAT
The cost cap: you will never be required to spend more than £3,500 (including VAT) on energy efficiency improvements. If you cannot improve your property to EPC E for £3,500 or less, you should make all the improvements which can be made up to that amount, then register an ‘all improvements made’ exemption.
What are the potential fines for not having an EPC ?
Commercial:
Max penalty = 12.5% of the RV of the building (max £5000/Min £500)
When are gas boilers being phased out ?
The government has announced that by 2025, all new homes will be banned from installing gas and oil boilers and will instead be heated by low-carbon alternatives. The ban is part of a UK action plan to reach carbon net zero by 2050
Are you aware of any recent standard with regarding to sustainability ?
Yes the recent introduction of approved document S - Infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles.
Part L - Conservation of Fuel and Power
What is responsible business?
RICS define responsible business as ‘operating efficiently and responsibly. It meets and exceeds legislation and always considers its impact on people (the workforce, community and society at large) and the environment’.
What is the Responsible Business Framework?
The RICS published the Responsible Business Framework in December 2021, leading on from their Responsible Business Report in 2019.
The Framework is not mandatory guidance, but instead provides best practice guidance on responsible business for organisations of all sizes.
Are you aware of any national or international agreements in relation to sustainability ?
- Paris Agreement - The Paris Agreement sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. It also aims to strengthen countries’ ability to deal with the impacts of climate change and support them in their efforts.
- Kyoto Protocol - The Kyoto Protocol – a milestone in global efforts to combat climate change. With the Kyoto Protocol, the international community agreed for the first time on binding targets and measures for combating climate change. The Kyoto Protocol stipulates global ceilings for greenhouse gas emissions.
- The Climate Change Act 2008 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act makes it the duty of the Secretary of State to ensure that the net UK carbon account for all six Kyoto greenhouse gases for the year 2050 is at least 80% lower than the 1990 baseline, toward avoiding dangerous climate change
What are SAP calculations ?
SAP stands for ‘Standard Assessment Procedure’ and is the government’s method for calculating the energy performance of dwellings. These calculations are only necessary for residential properties.
What or who are the BRE group ?
We are an innovative group of researchers, scientists, engineers and technicians who share a common goal – to make the built environment better for all. We generate new knowledge through independent research
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