Introduction
When a contractor needs to design a building, he/she must choose a design which complies with BREEAM assessment and design method for sustainable buildings. It (BREEAM) enables designers to set standard for sustainable buildings (NoAuthorFound, 2007, pp 177) thereby minimizing energy demands and limiting carbon technologies. It uses most recognized and valued measures of performance to evaluate building’s design, specifications and construction. These measures include aspects related to internal environment, energy and water use, transport, pollution, ecology, wastes, materials and management processes. This paper critically analyzes and gives recommendations on how to choose low or medium rated building in order to obtain good or better rate that suits BREEAM’s rating and assessment systems for buildings.
Management
Sustainable Procurement: Construction and Handover
In regards to building procurement, the designer should use performance specifications that encourage maximum innovation (Brierley et al., 2010, pp 154). Considering money value, the designer should ensure flexibility in order to secure scope changes at reasonable cost. The designer should set appropriate contract period with his/her relevant skills and capabilities so as to deliver proper planned project outcomes.
Designer should consider key objectives relating to the designed building, risks arising during delivery of the proposed project, and level of complexity of relating to the whole project. Key objects should be identified at the project definition stage (Morledge and Smith, 2013, pp 88). The objectives should relate to scope of the project, time, cost, quality, innovations evaluated through performance and property agent’s expectation. Sustainability including economic, social and environmental aspects (Jacobs and Kinzie, 2012, pp23) should also be considered. Risks, on other hand, might occur during project delivery thereby affecting the project’s outcomes. Skillful designer should adopt proper procurement strategy to mitigate or manage particular risks (Ozdemir, 2004, pp 298). Designer should also consider and determine the most appropriate method that easily identify the risk in question and deals with it. Inappropriate risk might results to contractual disputes, project budget overruns and litigation.
Level of complexity, on the other hand, is determined by combining project duration, size, level of technology, and degree of innovation required by clients. For example, complex strategies lead to resource and time wastage hence unsatisfactory project outcomes.
The best sustainable procurement strategy should have full documentation that sufficiently describes the plan of the project. Designer should follow the documentation to construct the building project. The design constructed should clearly define the quality, scope and functionality requirements of the project (Gransberg et al., 2006, pp 69). Managing contractor’s work is to prepare project brief which includes estimated time and budget required to complete the designed project.
Alliance should be structured in such a way that rewards and commercial risks are shared between parties involved in the design and like alliance, bundling is also a procurement strategy that involves delivery of several projects under a single contractor (Strelitz, 2005, pp 108). When labour market is under strain as a result of unlimited workers, bundling should be applicable. Bundling is to be considered in accordance with Public Works department.
When confirming the most sustainable procurement strategy, the designer must remain flexible and rapidly address any misalignment between objectives and selected procurement strategies. During the implementation of the project, the key objectives should be checked regularly and elaborated procurement strategies must be corrected and modified pursuant to results. Having determined the appropriate sustainable procurement strategies, an optimum building contract should; be in line with the key objects; deal appropriately with the identified risks; and be suitable to the level of complexity of the planned project.
Thermographic Survey
This should be performed using a specialized camera that can easily take photos in the infrared spectrum (Vollmer and Möllmann, 2010, pp 530). The thermographer should easily understand the thermal readings and know how to perform each and every scan so as to obtain accurate data. To ensure accurate scan, all equipments covers must be removed. Potential sources of infrared reading such as reflections from thermal sources should also be avoided during thermographic scan. In addition, electrical equipments should carry enough potential and connected properly during their scan. Air current should also be isolated as they can cool the outer surface of the equipment leaving the internal parts of the equipment hot.
Thermographic survey ensures that equipments operate normally by showing the region where the analyzed equipment is generating hot or cold spots (Rabun and Kelso, 2009, pp 207). It confirms continuity of insulation and helps to avoid excessive thermal bridging and air leakage paths through fabrics. Good thermographic surveys can effectively be used to identify problems which leads to overloaded equipments (Dall’o’, 2013, pp. 367) and cause accidental fire. Thermographic scan should be performed to recently started equipments and those that are going to shut down to ensure efficient operations.
Materials exposed to mechanical movements and vibrations should also be scanned so as to reveal all the possible mechanical or electrical heating caused as a result of misalignments and washout bushings, or loose connections. Thermographic scanning of UPS batteries helps identify batteries with poor connections during battery rundown. Thermographic surveys eliminate costly repairs and unplanned equipment outages thereby reducing production costs.
Sustainable Procurement: Aftercare
Seasonal commissioning responsibilities should be completed in accordance with the required time once the building is occupied. Building services should be tested under full load conditions to ensure that heating and cooling/ventilation equipments function properly. The effectiveness of the system can be estimated and increased with the help of testimonies received from building inhabitants. Incorporating any revisions and re-commissioning of systems are important strategies to consider while achieving aftercare sustainable procurement of buildings.
Ventilation, thermal comfort and lighting should be reviewed appropriately through occupants’ feedback or by measurements. Cold storage systems, microbiological safety cabinets and fume cupboards should also be assessed when ensure quality aftercare in buildings.
Responsible Construction Practices
Responsible construction practices should aim at limiting climate change and putting ahead environmental protection of economic progress. Wastes from constructions sites should be properly disposed (Moavenzadeh, 1994, pp 107) to ensure the environment is properly sustained. Green house gas emissions from the construction sites can cause ozone layer depletion and flooding of lands (Gupta, 2006, pp 9), and should be avoided at all cost.
Constructions site notice should be established next to a construction site so as to avoid minor accidents. Well secured slit fence should be properly installed to serve as a warning to intruders. Moreover, concretes should never be washed out onto the streets or the ground. Instead, they should be contained, let dry, and disposed well at the landfill (Calkins, 2009, pp 97). Building materials such as wire mesh and steel rebar should be well covered and kept off the ground. Slit fence should entirely cover a region filled with large stockpiles of dust so as to limit wind erosion. In addition, responsible construction management requires that trash containers be covered in order to avoid high wind blow thereby polluting the environment.
Construction Site Impacts
Construction phase has major impacts on the environment because it is the high activity phase of the project implementation. Construction leads to clearance of vegetation and removal of top soil. Construction activities involving large buildings use heavy machineries which causes noise pollution and emission of dust into the atmosphere.
Proper management requires that the above environmental impacts be reduced to a level that is no longer harmful for the ecosystem. It is appropriate to limit the need for damaging the native vegetation and grow temporally ground cover plants into the unused areas so as to minimize dust pollution (Doxon, 1999, pp 197). Silencers should be attached to noise polluting equipments to minimize the effect of noise to the surrounding. Safeguarding sensitive neighboring sites from impact using barriers is also important. Moreover, top soil can also be used for leveling and landscaping activities (Peterson, 2011, pp 201) thereby minimizing cost and pollution at the same time.
Stakeholder Participation: Building User Information
Stakeholders understand the role of each other and how they can work on behalf of their company and their clients. Contractors manage the budget and ensure effective project supervision. Clients fund the project, and direct the content, style and overall look of the designed building in conjunction with timeline, budget and available resources. Local government should set safety standards and approve permit. In addition, unionized labour ensures high quality project human resources (Chinyio and Olomolaiye, 2010, pp 194).
Health and Wellbeing
Visual Comfort
Artificial lighting, day lighting and occupants’ controls should be considered to ensure best practice visual performance at the design stage. At the pre-requisite stage, high frequency ballasts should be used to fit all fluorescent lamps (Carmeliet et al., 2003, pp 16). Good day-lighting building criteria should be met in all relevant buildings. For example, schools should have a daylight factor of 2% (Gutman and Glazer, 2009, pp 48) and wards for patients in healthcare buildings should have a daylight factor of 3%. Glare control designs minimize higher energy consumption when established using appropriate lighting stategies. Permanent openings or windows should be established to ensure adequate view out.
During internal lighting design, illuminance level should be specified in regards to the SLL code for Lighting (Tregenza and Loe, 2013, pp 109) that ensures luminance of the luminaires is limited in order to avoid screen reflections. For external lighting on the other hand, illuminance level is estimated using the BS lighting for public areas.
Indoor Air Quality
The design should encourage and organize a healthy internal environment through installation of appropriate equipments, ventilation and finishes. Air pollution should be minimized by removal of contaminant sources through dilution and control (Greifinger et al., 2007, pp 186). The building should be designed in such a way that it minimizes air pollutants and provides fresh air according to the criteria of relevant standard for ventilation. Air quality sensors should be established to provide demand-controlled air ventilation (Tschulena and Lahrmann, 2006, pp15).
Thermal Comfort
While planning a building construction, parameters which ensure appropriate thermal comfort must be considered. The building should allow variations of outdoor temperature and screen excessive solar radiation in order to avoid overheating (Augustesen, 2006, pp 29). During heating seasons, transparent elements should be aspired to reduce high solar gains. Heat insulation is achieved by efficient shading of windows, opaque building elements with U-value less than 0.5 W/(m2K) and reasonable building heat capacity with floor area of specific mass of not less than 300 kg/m2.
Water Quality
Building designers should maintain well plumbing systems to ensure healthy consumption of water (Bisharat, 2004, pp 6). The plumbing system should be inspected at least once every month for proper maintenance. Water tanks should also be cleaned at least once every 3 months to ensure high quality collection of clean water. Samples should also be taken for microbiological and chemical analysis to be tested (Ratnayaka and Brandt et al., 2009, pp 232).
Acoustic Performance
Sound insulations should meet the appropriate standard required for buildings. A qualified acoustician should provide early advice on sites with external noise impact. Good acoustic requirements should be placed in sites with persons with hearing and communication problems. Sound insulations should be measured appropriately in accordance with BS regulations (NoAuthorFound, 2006, pp 75). In addition, measurements should be conducted in at least four rooms with highest level of sound effect.
Safety and Security
Security and safety requirements should aim at protecting resources, building occupants and structures from multiple hazards. Designers should understand the risks they (hazards) pose in order to take appropriate approach that combats these hazards. Hazards mitigation should be conducted to eliminate natural or man-made environmental hazards thereby minimizing loss of property and life; common goal of secure and safe facilities can only be achieved through effective communication between building designers and security teams (Sendich, 2006, pp 43).
Energy
Reduction of CO2 Emissions
CO2 emissions from high energy consumption are offset using zero carbon technologies. Double counting of energy from zero carbon sources must be avoided at all cost. Designers should use building energy modeling that ensures low carbon installation.
Low and Zero Carbon Technologies
Energy should be generated from renewable sources using these technologies so as to minimize carbon emissions into the atmosphere. An energy specialist should conduct a feasibility study in order to achieve low or zero carbon energy source for the designed building (NoAuthorFound, 2013, pp 70). In addition, electricity should be provided from 100% renewable sources. Low and zero carbon technologies should be installed in line with recommendation of the feasibility study that intends to regulate the level of CO2 emissions.
Energy Efficient Transportation Systems
The transport system of the construction should have the best transport system which minimizes emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere. It should be well developed with efficient fuel and drive technologies. They can even use natural gas and biomethane to avoid emission of several tones of CO2 (Engineers and Of, 2012, pp 180 – 181). Apart from vehicles, lifts and escalators should be established in such a way that they consume the lowest energy as possible.
Energy Efficient Laboratories Systems
These are designed to minimize the emission of CO2 to the atmosphere as a result of high energy consumptions in the laboratory. Recirculatory filtered fume cupboards should be established in accordance to the relevant guidelines and recommendations contained in BS. The laboratory fume cupboards should be able to measure the volume flow rates in exhaust duct. Any cupboard leakages should be avoided at all cost. Through calculations or modeling, equipments must show significant effect of 2% reduction or increase in the total energy consumption. It is also important to take into account that the measured energy efficient does not compromise the safety and health of the building occupants.
Transport
Cyclist Facilities
Cyclist facilities encourage building occupants to cycle. Cycling improves health (Armijo, 1999, pp 5) of building occupants thereby increasing productivity. Access to these facilities should be convenient, clearly visible and safe.
Water
Water Consumption
Recycling and efficient components should be used to reduce potable water for consumption in buildings. The BREEAM Wat 01 calculator should be used to assess the efficiency of building’s domestic water consumption. Urinals, showers, taps and baths should also be included in the calculations. The calculator is used to define the activities which should be assessed in the building. To reduce costs, it is also necessary to use rainwater system to avoid expenses that would have otherwise been incurred using potable water.
Water Monitoring
Water monitoring encourages reduction in the level of consumption of water. Water consuming plants (consuming more than 10% of total building’s water demand) should be monitored by fitting them with sub meters. Each meter should have a pulse output that enables connection to a system which monitors the level of water consumption.
Water Leak Detection and Prevention
Leaks that might result to loss of several gallons of water should be detected using an efficient water meter. Toilets and faucets should thoroughly be checked to avoid any leakages. In addition, control devices such as central control unit and time controller should be fitted to ensure supply of water only when it is needed.
Materials
Life Cycle Impacts
Low environmental impact should be ensured throughout the construction process. Assessment of the main building elements should be done in accordance with BREEAM building’s quantified environmental life cycle (Curran, 2012, pp 324). The BREEAM Mat 01 calculator should be used assess the materials.
Hard Landscaping and Boundary
After full life cycle of the material used is considered, external hard surfaces and specification of materials should be recognized to encourage boundary protection and limit environmental impact. All external hard landscaping and boundary protection should be more than 80% in order to achieve higher ratings.
Responsible Sourcing of Materials
Well written documents containing design specifications should be used during the construction process. There should also be a document stating specific recycled materials and timber procurement in accordance with UK Government Timber Procurement Policy. Company EMS should be structured in accordance with BS instructions and responsibly sourced
Insulation
Designers should use thermal insulators with low embodied environmental impact, and also responsibly sourced (Appleby, 2011, pp 190). The Green Guide rating for these thermal insulators should be determined, and the insulation index calculated using BREEAM Mat 04 calculator. In addition, more than 80% of the thermal insulators used should be responsibly sourced.
Designing for Robustness
The design should incorporate suitable protection and durability measures that prevent damages to vulnerable locations in the building. Protection should be against high pedestrian traffics and any internal vehicle movement or parking in restricted areas.
Waste
Construction Waste Management
Effective management promotes resource efficiency leading to reduction of construction waste. There should be a Site Waste Management Plan that identifies key demolition materials and cover any related issues for recycling of key refurbishment materials (NoAuthorFound, 2007b, pp 46). Moreover, waste materials should be sorted into separate groups for easy recovery.
Land Use and Ecology
Site Selection
Designers should select previously used lands and avoid using lands that have not yet been disturbed. More than 75% of the proposed development’s footprint should be on areas that had been previously used in the last 50 years.
Long Term Impact on Biodiversity
Constructions should be sited in such a way that they minimize long term impact on biodiversity. UK and EU legislation relating to enhancement and protection of ecology should be adhered to during the whole construction process. In addition, contractors should choose sites that ensures minimal disturbance of flora and fauna.
Pollution
Impact of Refrigerants
Refrigerators should be established in such a way that there is no leakage which may give rise to emission of greenhouse gases. Direct Effect Life Cycle CO2 emitted from refrigerants should be calculated using BREEAM Pol 01 calculator and analyzed effectively. Refrigerants should have a Global Warming Potential of less than 10. Furthermore, automatic shutdown should be established in refrigerators to prevent leakages.
Surface Water Run Off
Drainage measures should be considered to ensure low peak of surface run-off water from the construction sites to watercourses. Appropriate consultant should ensure there is no discharge for rainfall up to 5mm from the construction sites by establishing a comprehensive and up-to-date drainage plan.
Reduction of Night Time Light Pollution
Upward lighting should be minimized to reduce unnecessary energy consumption and light pollution (Appleby, 2011, pp 189). All external lightings should be automatically switched off between 11pm and 7am leaving only the security lights operational.
Noise Attenuation
Noise pollution should be greatly minimized to prevent nuisance to the neighboring community. Noisy buildings should be established in secluded areas with no buildings within a radius of 800m.
In conclusion, buildings should be established in accordance with BREEAM recommendations to ensure environment is not only maintained, but also sustained. High quality buildings should be established in areas which were previously used or contaminated thereby conserving the ecosystem. Furthermore, pollutions should be greatly minimized in order to achieve a life sustaining environment.
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