Preserving wildlife, ecosystems are very finely balanced systems of local plants and animals – everything works together well, because the system has developed over hundreds of thousands of years. An imbalance in the system, such as loss of habitat for animals, can have devastating effects.
- Identify & describe 2 sustainable construction techniques that could be used to minimise the impact of the built environment on the natural environment.
Though green buildings are interpreted in many different ways, a common view is that they should be designed and operated to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:
- Efficiently using energy with water, wind, heat and other resources.
- Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation.
The Sustainable Project Appraisal Routine (SPeAR®) is a software system developed by Arup and used to assess or show how sustainable a project is. It can be used as part of the design process or to assess a product, process or the whole project. The software covers four key aspects of sustainability:
- Environmental protection
- Social equity (fairness)
- Economic viability (whether it is affordable and worth the money)
- Efficient use of natural resources.
Task 3
Evaluate the effectiveness of one of the sustainable construction techniques in question 2 with the effectiveness of the technique that it replaced. Use the key factors identified in task 1 to support your evaluations making relevant reference to key development factors.
Using energy efficiently.
Significant features of the built environment that sustainable strategies could be applied to include the following:
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Location: suitability for, and effect on, landscape and environment or architectural period of surrounding buildings; proximity to amenities and transport infrastructure. Waste is a major factor to the sustainable development as a lot of good materials go to waste. This will result in more materials being made & not used to their full potential & in the long run effects the environment.
- Height and shape: structural integrity, aesthetic effect on surrounds effect on the aspect of other buildings (such as blocking views), effect of shadow on surrounds. Structures are essential for human survival and modern life – providing home and shelter; places for work, education, recreation, shopping and health support; roads and rail for travel; and structures for essential services such as water and power supply.
- Access: for buildings – ramps, lifts, and stairs; for roads – wildlife pathways underneath. To sustain something is to keep it going for a long time. To sustain the natural environment, we must make sure that human actions do not destroy any feature beyond repair.
Task 4
Select what you believe to be the most effective technique used in question 2. Justify your selection in the term of how effective the technique is, what it costs and what it may cost in the future.
Preserving energy using more efficient ways to produce it, such as: wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal heating & insulation. If you include these into your project you should be saving a considerable amount of money. With solar panels it will provide up to 70% of your homes annual hot water, reducing your energy bills & CO2 emissions & even your families’ carbon footprint for 25-30 years. So PV solar panels 2 x Schott Solar Panel 260 watt ASE-260-GT-FT costs £1,828. The average utility bill for hot water is £25 a month, making it £300 a year. The solar panels could save 70% of your hot water bills per annum leaving you having to spend £90 per year, so with the price of the solar panels at £1,828 & your bill now at £90, but with your savings at £210 a year, you will have paid off for your solar panel in roughly 8-9 years, but the solar panel doesn’t just provide savings with hot water it saves you money on gas as well, so you will see a considerable amount of money being saved every month. With wind turbines the initial investment could be quite high, yet they can be capable of paying for themselves within a matter of years. Geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the temperature of the ground, as a heat source, both heating & cooling for homes. If you properly insulate your exterior walls in your house, it will not only increase comfort but also help you save on heating & cooling costs.
