APC Sustainability Level 1

Question 1

What are the Building Regulations?

Answer 1

A set of regulations and standard that all new buildings must be built to.

Question 2

Can you name some of the building regulations?

Answer 2

• A = Structure.
• B = Fire Safety.
• C = Site Preparation.
• D = Toxic Substances.
• E = Resistance to Sound.
• F = Ventilation.
• G = Sanitisation and Hot Water.
• H = Drainage and Waste Disposal.
• J = Heat Producing Appliances.
• K = Prevention from falling, collision or impact.
• L = Conservation of Fuel and Power.
• M = Accessibility.
• N = Glazing.
• P = Electrical Safety.
• Q = Security.
• R = High speed comms networks
• 7 = Materials and workmanship

Question 3

Can you tell me more about Part L?

Answer 3

Part L Conservation of Fuel and Power.

• It is broken down in 4 parts.

Part L1 A = Conservation of Fuel and Power in a new Dwellings.

Part L1 B = Conservation of Fuel and Power in an Existing Dwelling.

Part L2 A = Conservation of Fuel and Power in a new non-domestic.

Part L2 B = Conservation of Fuel and Power in an existing non-domestic.

Question 4

Can you give examples of Environmental assessment methods?

Answer 4

BREEAM, which stands for Building Research Establishments Environmental Assessment Method, is a way of rating the sustainable performance of a building.

SKA - It can be used on any non-domestic fit out project, informally or by professionals, with similar criteria to BREEAM.

Question 5

What can be done onsite to improve sustainability?

Answer 5

• Waste Management, i.e. the segregation of waste for recycling.
• Sourcing local services to reduce carbon footprint.
• Efficiently using onsite machinery.

Question 6

What is a Waste Management Plan?

Answer 6

• It will outline how materials will be managed efficiently, and how waste will be disposed of legally.
• It should explain how the re-use and recycling of materials will be maximised.

Question 7

What do you understand sustainability to be in principle?

Answer 7

• Sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Question 8

What Statutory Requirements do you know about relating to Sustainability?

Answer 8

• COSHH.
• Building Regs.
• Energy Performance Certificates.
• Control of Asbestos Regulations 2008.

Question 9

What is COSHH?

Answer 9

• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health.

Question 10

What is an Energy Performance Certificate?

Answer 10

• An EPC is a rating system for rating the sustainability of a building.

Question 11

What is the Control of Asbestos Regulation 2008?

Answer 11

• A piece of legislations which imposed obligations on Employers to:
• Manage exposure to asbestos within the workplace.
• Undertake Risk Assessments before commencing work around asbestos.
• Create a detailed plan (Method Statement) of how the works will be carried out around the asbestos.
• Prevent and reduce exposure.

Question 12

How would find out about asbestos on a TfL construction site?

Answer 12

I would speak to the COSHH team and request the asbestos register for the site I am working with.

Question 13

What are the types of asbestos?

Answer 13

• White = Chrysotile.
• Brown = Amostie.
• Blue = Chrosidolite.

Question 14

What renewable technologies do you know off?

Answer 14

• Wind = Wind Farms (Wind Turbines).
• Hydro Electric = Water from dams.
• Solar = Poly voltaic Panels and solar panels.
• Ground = Ground Source heat pumps.

Question 15

When can SKA be used?

Answer 15

It can be used on any non-domestic fit out project, informally or by professionals, with similar criteria to BREEAM.

Question 16

What are recyclable materials?

Answer 16

Items that can be made into new products - Aluminium and steel cans, cardboard, glass, newspapers and plastic bottles are all recyclable.

Question 17

What is TfL doing to help the environment?

Answer 17

Introduce the congestion charge zone and ULEZ.

Cycle super highways to reduce transport usage.

Question 18

How can material resource efficiency be achieved within the supply chain?

Answer 18

Efficiency in procurement

​Supply Chain Analysis - Supply chain analysis involves reviewing the upstream and downstream processes in a category’s supply chain in order to better understand the flow of goods, information and money

Question 19

How can design, technology and construction

processes contribute to sustainable buildings?

Answer 19

…

Question 20

Do you know any international regulation for new buildings?

Answer 20

International Building Code -

Is one of the codes established in the US by the International Code Council (ICC) and is applied by most of the country’s jurisdictions as well as internationally, although it can be amended to reflect local conditions and legislation.

Question 21

How does legislation, regulation and tax effect construction industry?

Answer 21

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Question 22

What design considerations can influence sustainability?

Answer 22

Site - 
Location - 
Building Form - 
Materials - 
Lighting - 
Ventilation - 
Heating - 
Water and drainage -

Question 23

What is whole life costing?

Answer 23

Whole life costing (WLC) is a means of comparing options and their associated cost and income streams over a period of time.

At TfL it involves looking at the initial capital cost and the operating cost.