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All building and construction activities have environmental impacts ...
... as do most human activities.
I aim to produce designs whose impact on the environment is kept to a reasonable minimum.
This includes
... this includes such issues as using locally sourced materials (to reduce transport energy) and avoiding wastage ...
... this includes energy efficiency, use of natural light, using durable materials with low maintenance requirements ...
... this includes the use of materials which can be recycled effectively
... this includes avoidance of (for example) PVC, toxic and carcinogenic timber preservatives, materials containing volatile organic solvents ...
... such as non-managed timber extraction...
So much for the principles ...
in practice design (like politics) is the "art of the possible"
Architects do not work in a vacuum - we have to
Obstacles ... and opportunities
It is always easy to find a reasons for inaction.
However there are some real obstacles to the take up of environmentally friendly construction techniques.
... it is hard to get at the truth which lies behind claims made for environmentally responsible materials - for instance in the supply of timber - and which are sometimes merely unscrupulous marketing ('greenwashing') ...
... Architecture is a high risk profession in any case - specifying unfamiliar materials or using unconventional techniques increases the risk of a dissatisfied client suing the designer ...
... contractors tender for work on the basis of techniques and materials which are familiar - unusual materials and techniques are liable to become more expensive than they should because contractors are not used to using them ...
... many environmentally desirable materials are not available through national builders' merchants - this puts up delivery prices and increases delivery times, and in any case delivery of materials from a specialist supplier at one end of the country to a site at the other end is environmentally self-defeating ...
... unfamiliar materials can come on the market and disappear again in a short period of time - this does not help specifiers to become familiar with the techniques necessary to use them successfully ...
Reasons for optimism
... the minimum requirements for construction set out in the Building Regulations have been rising for years, especially as regards energy efficiency - they may not be high enough yet, but howls of protest from the volume housebuilders (accompanied by PR reassurances that 'we are fully committed to environmentally responsible practice...') suggests that they are moving in the right direction ...
... clients sometimes ask for environmentally friendly construction methods and materials - even though it is often with an implicit or explicit rider that it should not increase the cost ...
... many of the environmentally damaging materials in use also have effects on the health of either construction workers or building users - this leads to pressure from both clients and regulatory bodies to find better (= "less harmful") alternatives ...
... the pressure is on, and is producing results, including genuine commitment on the part of many of the large materials suppliers.
... Climate Change has become a matter of genuine political concern, with a growing cross party consensus that action is required.
For more information: visit some of the links from this site including AECB, WWF and Construction Resources.
revised 12 May 2008