Sustainable Construction: Constructors

Who should read this factsheet? Experience learned from employing more sustainable
practices can be used to improve the pricing of future
This factsheet complements the general sheet Sustainable
contracts and improve profit margins.
Construction: An Introduction.
Environmental management. More and more clients are
It has been written for organisations or individuals who work
requesting evidence of Environmental Management Systems
on construction sites. This includes builders, trades people
such as ISO14001 from constructors. For example, The
and landscapers. It outlines the aspects of sustainability that
Environment Agency has undertaken a review of all its
you should consider, why they are important and what you
contractors, asking them what systems they have in place,
can do to operate more sustainably.
and helping them to reach agreed standards.
Mini case studies towards the end of this factsheet show how
Social performance. Clients are increasingly demanding
constructors are improving their performance.
that contractors demonstrate higher levels of care and
As constructors may also become involved in design and consideration for public and their workforce through
supplying materials and systems, you may also be interested compliance with schemes such as the Considerate
in reading the sheets for designers and suppliers. Constructors Scheme.

What can sustainable construction mean for my What can I consider doing?
business?
Constructors have a major influence over the short term
For constructors, sustainable construction means: impacts of a development and the materials used in its
construction, as well as the long term operational impacts
more-satisfied clients and repeat business through through their control of build quality. Economic viability is
working with the client, designers and suppliers to provide key. Consider what the client has asked for and the
the best solution constraints of the project. You dont have to make every
possible change to be more-sustainable but make the most
a better reputation with the local community and local
of opportunities to innovate and improved site practices.
authority through fostering a positive relationship and
Progressively roll out better practices across projects, until
avoiding conflict
they become normal practice, and then start the process
reduced wastage and costs and reduced risk of fines and again with another innovation.
legal action due to more efficient and thoughtful use of
Partnering and integrated teams. Constructing Excellence
resources, improved communications and health and
provides many examples of the benefits of partnering and
safety.
integrated teams. Such an approach is particularly important
Keeping up and getting the edge. Keeping up to date with when aiming for a more sustainable solution, as everyone on
innovation and best practice keeps you ahead of legislation the project will need to agree to it as a common goal. Early
and your competitors. involvement of constructors in a project can help you to
understand the reasoning behind the decisions made and
The Government is prioritising sustainability for
how they will impact on your area of work; this is likely to lead
developments in many areas, with significant changes to
to fewer problems, such as delays and cost over-runs during
Building Regulations and planning legislation expected -
the project.
requiring rapid adjustment by constructors in response to
new demands.

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In a recent gas central heating partnership between

Client
Portsmouth City Council, United House and sub-
contractors, an alliance has been built to provide long-
Through time
term training and employment for local people. This
Designers and

Contractor project is a Constructing Excellence demonstration. The

suppliers

first trainees are now employed full time.

involved in
completion Being considerate to site personnel. As the Considerate
Users, occupants,
and occupation Constructors Scheme suggests, there are benefits to being
tenants etc.
more considerate to site personnel. The Respect for People
indicators and toolkit can help constructors improve and
monitor training, health and safety, job satisfaction and
related issues. You can get information from
Constructors can gain from becoming more involved with the www.kpizone.com .
building users. Commissioning is a crucial stage that
Improved efficiency. More efficient use of labour and
constructors can not afford to miss out on. Listening to
materials saves money and time and reduces environmental
feedback from users can provide valuable lessons to take to
impact.
the next project
There are legal requirements regarding air and water
Working with the community. Registering your site with the
pollution and protecting ecological features such as trees and
Considerate Constructors Scheme will:
ponds. However, a straight-forward checklist of issues and
independently prove your enhanced performance actions for resource efficiency could also contain items such
as:
automatically enter your site for the annual awards
reuse of land and buildings, faades and foundations
bring business benefits due to less staff time spent dealing where possible; deconstruct to allow maximum reuse of
with complaints from the general public and regulatory materials; decontaminate land using sustainable methods
bodies.
specify local materials, and materials with a low
The table on the right shows the range of common-sense environmental impact (see the suppliers sheet in this
issues covered by the Considerate Constructors Code of series)
Practice.
minimise the accidental wastage of materials on site;
Employing or training local residents can also bring tangible reuse materials where possible, and then consider
benefits. Employing locals can provide a more reliable recycling
workforce, and improve recruitment and retention beyond the
project. www.ccscheme.org.uk consider how much money is being spent on transporting
materials, plant and personnel to site; try to source local
materials and labour; in urban or other sensitive areas,
public or company-

organised transport may prove a viable alternative.

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Information to help you become more efficient is available

from organisations such as The Environment Agency and Considerate Constructors Scheme Code of Practice
Construction Industry Research and Information Association headings and issues to address
(CIRIA) and BRE.

To aid understanding of environmental regulations, The Consideration

Environment Agency has produced NetRegs. With a general Positive consideration to the needs of traders and businesses, site
management section and a construction management personnel and visitors, pedestrians, shoppers, the general public
section, it is a useful resource for constructors and the environment in general.
(www.environment-agency.gov.uk/netregs).

Resource flow diagram, based on Environment

Noise, selection of resources, waste management and avoiding
NetRegs management diagram
pollution.

Emissions to air Energy loss

Raw
materials
Cleanliness
Finished
Packaging product Site cleanliness, well maintained signs, lights and barriers, and

Energy Construction Accidents dust mitigation.

process
Water Defects
Ancillary
materials Noise and Neighbourliness
nuisance
Time and Full and regular consultation
skills

Liquid wastes Solid waste

Respect
Respectable and safe standards of dress and behaviour, with

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) provide a instruction in dealing with the general public.

structure to deal with the range of environmental impacts

from your business. CIRIA has published a guide, Easy Safety

Access Environmental Management. especially for small and Care and consideration for the safety of the general public, traders,

medium-sized construction companies shoppers and site personnel.

Many of the principles of resource efficiency, and actions for

achieving it, are encapsulated in the idea of lean Responsibility
construction. The lean construction information on the Ensure all on site understand and implement the obligations of the
Constructing Excellence website gives more guidance. Code, and compliance monitored.

Waste management is an area where innovative projects

have shown the largest opportunity for saving resources and
Accountability
money. Examples such as the Greenwich Millennium Village
Poster displaying names and contact numbers
and the Safeway at Stratford (see case studies at
www.constructingexcellence.org.uk) have saved thousands
of pounds by adopting the waste management hierarchy

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The waste management hierarchy profile clients. Dyer & Butler's approach has helped to win
work from clients who demand more sustainable projects.
Reduce
For further information see www.dyerandbutler.co.uk

Carillion
Reuse Carillion has introduced a company-wide sustainability
programme which has helped in delivering better-engineered,
better-built and maintained facilities for customers.
Recovery:of materials (recycling) or Sustainability is a business differentiator, and has been a key
energy (energy from waste)
factor in winning work.

Business and sustainability benefits can be achieved

together, through the use of appropriate key performance
Dispose of residue
indicators, demonstrated by the companys sustainability
strategy model.

The annual increases in landfill tax will ensure that waste Carillion has found that the principles of sustainability
becomes even more important to control, and other changes motivates staff and can help to improve an organisation
will also have an impact. Partnerships between constructors through cultural change. Appropriate communication and
and waste management companies can help solve problems. training are required in order to gain benefits from adopting a
Tools such as BREMAP provide a GIS database to help pin- more sustainable approach to work and life.
point waste management facilities and materials / products
Carillion has published On being a good neighbour moving
within a region or chosen distance from your site and
towards sustainable construction, to disseminate the steps
SMARTStart and SMARTAudit can aid waste management.,
they have been taking forward.
(see www.smartwaste.co.uk ).
Through its sustainability programme, and in partnership with
Construction method. Careful consideration of the most
The Natural Step, Carillion has improved its sustainability
appropriate construction method, whether on-site or off-site
performance in a range of ways on the Great Western
can contribute considerably to reducing construction costs.
Hospital (previously called the Princess Margaret). A number
Off-site fabrication can help reduce defects, which are a
of case studies and reports have been written about the
prime cause of difficulties for constructors, and can also
project, including Sustainability accounting in the
reduce health and safety risks on site.
construction industry. The report uses GWH as a case study
Examples of constructors involved in more and shows over 1.5 million in direct and indirect cost
sustainable projects savings through a sustainability accounting process.
Innovations included in the project are as follows:
Dyer & Butler
Dyer & Butler is a civil engineering and building contractor Bespoke wall panels saved approximately 285,000 in
operating in the south of England, with an annual turnover of time and waste of plaster and paint. The panel supplier
approximately 25M. The company has achieved ISO reclaimed and recycled plaster waste.
9001:2000, employs an environment, health and safety and
A standard ceiling tile size was specified for the whole
quality manager, uses LPG vehicles (resulting in lower
hospital, again saving waste of materials.
emissions), and local labour when practical. The company
has an enviable reputation for repeat business from high-

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Scaffolding was avoided through modern construction Sources of further information

methods. This played a major role in the excellent
Association for Environment Conscious Building is the
accident record on site.
UKs leading independent environmental building trade
A job centre located on site throughout most of the organisation: www.aecb.net
construction phase facilitated the use of local labour. A
The Green Register. Brings all disciplines of construction
community liaison officer was also employed.
professionals in the industry together, and provides a link to
A balancing pond was constructed to capture run-off and clients: www.greenregister.org
so reduce water pollution.
The Considerate Constructors Scheme.
Features such as super insulation, natural ventilation and www.ccscheme.org.uk
solar shading together act to reduce the hospitals energy
Respect for People Aims to improve recruitment and
use by 30%. The extra insulation meant fewer radiators
retention through helping companies to treat their staff with
were installed, saving capital cost.
respect. Indicators and toolkits are available, as well as the
The floor covering was chosen according to whole life cost wallchart downloadable from www.kpizone.com .
and environmental impact data.
Easy Access Environmental Management. CIRIAs toolkit
For more information see www.ciria.org.uk and Engineering for small and medium companies about environmental
Sustainability March 2003 A strategy for sustainability. management systems: www.ciria.org.uk

Ecoconstruction. Guidance on choosing and specifying

materials: www.ecoconstruction.org

SMARTWaste. A suite of tools to help companies apply

sustainable waste management to sites: SMARTStart for
benchmarking (with a local government version);
SMARTAudit for more detailed auditing; and BREMAP for
identifying waste management facilities in your area:
www.smartwaste.co.uk

Sustainable Buildings: benefits for constructors, BRE

Information Paper IP13/03 Part 4. Based on case studies,
this paper outlines the benefits to constructors of producing
more sustainable buildings. It is one of a set of four:
www.brebookshop.com.

This sheet was produced for Constructing Excellence by the

Centre for Sustainable Construction, BRE, Bucknalls Lane,
Garston, Watford, WD25 9XX, www.bre.co.uk/sustainable

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5 Sustainable Construction: Constructors 15/3/04