How Can We Make Construction More Sustainable?

There are ongoing efforts around the world to make construction more sustainable and environmentally friendly. This means using renewable materials and incorporating renewable energy into buildings and houses. Clearly, it is particularly important that we make impactful choices that will help to protect our planet from the continual damage it undergoes.
This article will outline some of the ways in which we can change the way that construction impacts the environment, and mention some of the efforts that have already been made. 

The Construction Industries Efforts

The CIOB have created a campaign called ‘Carbon Action 2050’. This campaign provides a ‘toolkit’ of practical steps that can be used within the construction industry to reduce carbon emissions. This is just one of the ways that the Chartered Institution of Building has put their efforts into making construction more sustainable. 

RICS, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has also played its part in promoting the sustainability of the built environment. Not only do they take part in a wealth of research, but they have also made a future report which outlines some of the future goals in sustainability. These include building roads out of recycled plastic, their action agenda and more. Not only this, but they have also created a RICS Building Carbon database which allows construction professionals to view comparative data on carbon emissions. RICS Membership also allows a community of construction professionals to work together and increase the future sustainability of construction.

Use of Sustainable Materials

Sustainable materials are just one of the ways that we can make a change for the future of the environment. Sustainable materials are given such a name when they meet some required guidelines. Some of these include, for example, not depleting non-renewable materials, and having no adverse effect on the environment when used. 

In an effort to increase the sustainability of a build, it is encouraged to use as much recycled materials as possible. For example, reusing house materials. This could mean not entirely demolishing a building to make a new one, or using materials left over which are still good quality. In terms of natural materials, these include concrete reinforced with natural fibres, geo-textiles, straw bales and more. 

Incorporating Renewable Energy Sources

During the construction process, there should be efforts to incorporate renewable energy sources. Solar panels, wind turbines, renewable water filtration systems and many more are all things that can be incorporated into the build. This means that once the construction process is over, there is less disposable energy being used. You have probably seen a lot more solar panels attached to roofs in recent years.

Education

Being educated in how we can increase sustainability in construction is especially important. The more that we are able to spread the word about how we can reduce the negative impacts on the environment, the more successful we will be. If you want to learn more about how you can increase sustainability in construction, then why not take a sustainable construction CPD. This short course will allow you to incorporate your knowledge and understanding into your professional work. You do not even need to be a construction professional to take it, it can be useful for anyone wanting to learn more about this topic.