The construction industry has contributed a great deal of the pollution and waste production that has negatively affected the environment. Not only does the construction industry consume massive amounts of energy and natural resources, but it also produces a large amount of greenhouse gasses as a byproduct.
As a result, the construction industry has seen many shifts in the way projects are constructed. With the public’s increased environmental awareness and the government’s push for environmental protection, sustainable building has become a popular way to construct buildings while preserving the environment.
When people think about the environment, they often think of the impact they have on the environment. They think about how their actions affect the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the land that they inhabit. However, they often forget that the actions they take during the construction process also affect the environment.
The good news is that there are steps that have been taken to ensure that the construction process is sustainable. Going green during the construction process can have a positive impact on the environment. It can also save you money.
Sustainable construction simply means choosing options for construction that will have a long-lasting impact on the environment.
Steps to Sustainability in Construction
The construction industry plays an important role in creating prosperous societies. Clearly, this industry can only grow if we are able to sustain it. If we are to meet each generation’s need for shelter, we need to take the right steps now.
The steps that we need to take to create sustainable construction are not that challenging. We just need to keep in mind that we need to create solutions that will be effective into the future.
When it comes to construction, there’s a lot of talk about sustainability these days. But what does it really mean?
Many people think sustainability means going green—using only “green” materials in construction, recycling materials from previous projects, using alternative energy sources, and so on. While those things are all important, there’s much more to it than that.
Here are some of the steps that we can take to ensure that our constructions are sustainable.
1. Ensuring sustainability during construction
There is a series of steps that construction companies can take to ensure they are on the right track to becoming sustainable and environmentally conscious construction companies. This will ensure that they are operating in the most environmentally friendly manner possible. The first step is to look at the construction process: how much energy and water is used at each step of the process, and how can the company minimize these? For example, a company can look at the amount of waste they produce, and how that can be reduced.
2. Designing buildings for re-purposing
A big part of improving urban sustainability is reusing existing buildings to house new uses. New York City has been exploring the idea of transforming the city’s public schools into multi-use community centers.
The New York City Department of Education (DOE) has created a new program called “Expanding Options for Community Schools,” which has partnered with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to use school buildings for community-oriented purposes.
The hope is that by creating spaces for new uses, school buildings can stay functional and contribute to their communities in new ways.
Clearly, the way we build buildings needs to change. Dense urban areas are the future, and we need to stop building with the expectation that every building will be in continuous use for as long as possible.
Likewise, we need to stop demolishing important buildings just because they’re old, and we need to start making use of the resources that are already at our disposal.
3. Lean Manufacturing to Reduce Energy
So how can we reduce the demand on our energy grid? One simple way is through lean manufacturing. Lean Manufacturing is not new. In fact it was created in the 1940s. But it seems to be making a comeback, this time with a new name “Industrial Internet.”
This is no rebranding effort, it is a new way of thinking that is part of a larger movement in manufacturing that includes a variety of terms such as “lights out manufacturing,” “collaborative robotics,” “robotics,” and “automation.”
Lean manufacturing has proven to be a great way to streamline business processes and increase profitability, but it can also have a positive impact on the environment.
The idea is to eliminate waste—not just physical, thrown-away items, but inefficiencies in a manufacturing process—in order to focus on the value-added portion of manufacturing.
These efforts can result in reduced energy costs, particularly in areas where waste includes unnecessary motion or idle time.
4. Construction Waste Management
The construction industry accounts for a substantial amount of waste generation. Construction activities involving demolition and excavation produce large amounts of waste, which is often disposed of by landfill.
The World Bank estimates that the construction industry produced over 80 million tons of waste in 2002.
If you’re a business that generates construction waste, you know the importance of finding a reliable and affordable construction waste management company to work with.
But the sheer number of construction waste management companies out there can make this seem like a difficult task.
The construction industry in the U.S. produces more than 12 billion tons of waste products each year. In fact, the volume of waste sent to landfills is rising, creating additional environmental burdens like methane gas emissions and air pollution.
The key to mitigating these effects is to more effectively manage construction waste, which can be defined as anything that is not actually part of the construction site’s material or equipment.
In order to manage construction waste, you should first determine what is and is not a waste product. The majority of construction waste is actually considered a resource, and can be reused in other ways.
Last Words
Many construction sites have a dusty and messy appearance. This is one of the reasons why many construction companies are not keen to have their site photos taken. In most cases, construction sites are littered with all sorts of objects including old tyres, bricks, bottles, paper, sand, and bags of cement and these can be very unsightly to the eyes. However, some construction companies get creative and use these waste materials in innovative ways.
The Natural Step framework is a great way to assess the sustainability of your project from the beginning. It’s a set of sustainability principles that measures your progress against three principles: health, happiness, and beauty.
