Sustainability

Creating a ‘Sustainable Development’ requires a process of design which strives towards creating equilibrium between the needs of mankind and the capacity of the world which we inhabit.

In practical terms this means simultaneously addressing social, economic and environmental aspects, commonly referred to as the ‘Triple Bottom Line’.

For a development to be sustainable it should make significant advances under all three of the aspects of the triple bottom line. Considering the construction period of building projects, this involves anticipating what will be regarded as good practice in 2 to 5 years hence, with a view to exceeding this standard. Exemplar sustainable projects have a fundamentally different approach to building design and construction. Projects incorporating sustainable solutions require an integrated approach.

The most successful projects adopt sustainable technologies and materials as direct alternatives, instead of add-ons to conventional solutions. It is important, therefore, to identify these technologies and materials as early as possible in the project. Projects incorporating sustainable solutions can be achieved with construction costs comparable to normal projects, but provide inherently higher residual value and long-term investment returns due to the nature of low energy design.

The following section considers key areas where decisions are required which relate directly to the sustainability of designing, building and operating a new College. The subject has been broken down into five headings rather than the traditional three; an additional heading has been added which considers how the projects sustainability is monitored and the distinction has been made between the impact the development has on the environment and the natural resources it takes from the environment.

Key to design stages referred to in this section: