 |
|
EHN Archives home page |
|
Green Zone: Join the green revolution Sustainability is at the top of the political and social agenda. EHN’s Editor at Large, Nigel Strickland, considers how the construction industry is responding, and discusses the significant challenges and opportunities for hirers. As individuals, we are now challenged and coerced every day to change the way we live, through simple acts such as recycling our domestic waste, paying congestion charges and emission-based vehicle taxes and fuel levies. As the influential 2006 Stern Report states, we must transform the way we function if we are to successfully confront climate change and global warming to safeguard the planet for future generations. However, important as changing our individual actions undoubtedly is, the biggest impact on sustainability will come through the activities of the business community. During a panel discussion at the recent Construction News Plant 2008 Conference, David Middleton, CEO of the Business Council for Sustainable Development - UK, suggested that the sustainability agenda represented the biggest challenge and opportunity since the Industrial Revolution. Indeed, a ‘green revolution’ is already transforming aspects of construction, and this will increasingly influence the UK hire industry, creating tremendous challenges and opportunities. Demand for on-site recycling The construction industry is the UK’s largest consumer of natural resources, using over 400 million tonnes of material per annum. It generates more than one-third of the UK’s waste, of which only half is re-used or recycled. Over 60 million tonnes is sent to landfill or similar disposal sites every year. More efficient use of materials would make a major contribution to reducing the environmental impact of construction, and demand for on-site recycling should, therefore, increase. This
trend
is
given
further
impetus
this
month
as
new
regulations
come
into
effect,
in
the
form
of
Site
Waste
Management
Plans
(SWMPs).
These
are
designed
to
ensure
that
building
materials
are
managed
efficiently,
waste
is
disposed
of
legally,
and
that
material
recycling,
re-use
and
recovery
is
maximised.
Any
construction
project
in
England
costing
over
£300,000
(be
it
for
new
build,
maintenance,
alteration
or
installation
and
removal
of
infrastructure
services
such
as
sewerage
or
water)
will
need
to
have
a
SWMP
in
place.
Add
in
the
escalating
cost
of
Landfill
Taxes
and
the
need
for
on-site
recycling
becomes
even
clearer. Another Plant 2008 participant, Donald Lack, Director of Faber Maunsell, said the drive towards reduced carbon emissions on construction sites was leading to innovative solutions. Water is an expensive and potentially scarce commodity, yet is vital for on-site welfare facilities, wheel washing plant and general construction tasks. Water piped in from a supply company is certainly not carbon neutral, with energy being expended cleaning, filtering and pumping it to site from a remote treatment facility. On-site capture and retention of rainwater, or ‘rainwater harvesting’, offers a real opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and expenditure. A conference attendee from one of the UK’s biggest hire companies later explained to me that, on a major Gloucester construction site, contractor Bovis Lend Lease was using rainwater harvesting for site cabins, supplying 75-95% of its site water requirements. Embrace new technology Donald Lack urged hire companies to take full advantage of new technology to reduce carbon emissions, citing LED lighting as a prime example. Most temporary illumination on road and site works uses conventional filament bulbs, consuming high amounts of energy; LED systems use less and are very robust with a far longer lifespan. He also described how some contractors ranked suppliers using a points system, allocating as much as 20% of the total to clearly demonstrable sustainability techniques. Such filtering was increasingly evident as major companies embraced corporate social responsibility (CRS) at boardroom level and took account of the economic, social and environmental impact of their activities. Having a valid CRS policy is more than just good PR for a plc. At last year’s Building Services Summit event, the example was given of how companies such as Tesco expect construction partners to ensure that all their suppliers implement CRS policies, too. Having a green supply chain will become a necessity for every contractor. Indeed, on a recent contract, suppliers to Willmott Dixon operating plant on site were expected to use bio-fuels for all machinery. David Middleton stressed that we are already experiencing the effects of climate change and suggested that, regardless of what actions we take now to remedy future carbon emissions, the legacy of our carbon usage to date will still be impacting 40 years from now. Although recent findings suggest last year’s flooding in the Midlands and northern England was not the result of climate change, scientific evidence indicates we can expect warmer, wetter winters, inevitably leading to an increased risk of flooding and subsequent demand for pumping equipment, dehumidifiers and driers. And if, as predicted, summers become hotter and drier, we may see changes in construction industry working hours, with the working day starting and finishing earlier. This would require the hire industry to follow suit. On a broader scale, the construction industry will undoubtedly see changes in the particular types of work it undertakes, reflecting the modified infrastructure required to ensure we can cope with the demands imposed by climate change. The Environment Agency has estimated that increased water reservoir capacity of 10–15% may be required to address potential deficits. Stronger flood defences will also be needed, with one authoritative study estimating that a cumulative increase in investment of £10–30m each and every year for the next 80 years would be required to prevent the costs arising from flood damages escalating drastically. The urgent need to address the challenge of climate change is also altering construction practices through innovation and new technologies, with volumetric construction, panelised construction and ‘hybrid’ systems all typical of the new techniques that house builders are using. Off-site fabrication will see many home-building sites resembling assembly zones rather than the traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ work sites, and this, in turn, will require more on-site lifting methods and machinery. Increasing pace of change On-site construction is also changing, with the ‘thin joint’ method utilising aerated concrete blocks rapidly becoming established as a fast-build system that exceeds the requirements of the Building Regulations with regard to thermal efficiency. The pace of change can only increase as, in his recent Budget, the Chancellor, announced the Government’s aim for all new, non-domestic buildings to be carbon zero by 2019. This follows the target announced last year for all new homes to meet this requirement by 2016. Many of the UK’s major hire companies are actively developing their own green initiatives and responding to the demands of customers for more sustainable working practices. The expectations of sustainability will, however, not just impact on the ‘big guns’ of hire. In the months and years ahead, we will all have no option but to change the ways we work. The one choice for all companies is to decide whether to just sit back, wait and then react, or to engage now and seize the initiative, exploring the commercial advantages of being part of this green revolution. • Executive Hire News › Archives › April 2008 › Green Zone › Join the green revolution
|
