Sustainability in construction and contracting

1. 1
Xavier Institute of Management
Bhubaneswar
SDCS Assignment
Sustainability in Construction and Contracting
Industry

2. 2
Table of Contents
I. Introduction 3
II. PESTEL Analysis 3
III. Initiatives 5
IV. Impact of Initiatives 8
V. Awards and Recognition 9
VI. Conclusion 10

3. 3
I. INTRODUCTION
Construction and Contracting is a key industry in numerous countries for both
employment as well as economic yield. Its yield is over £100 billion a year and it
represents 8% of the Gross Domestic Product giving livelihood to around 3
million specialists on the planet. In any case, Constructed structures are in charge
of almost 50% of the World‟s carbon emissions, half of the country's water
utilization and record for around 33% of all waste sent to landfill. In the course of
recent years the development business has gone under a lot of criticism as there
has been a developing understanding that the present model of improvement is not
supportable. Unfortunately, the environmental impacts caused by the construction
activities are endangering: annually 70 million tons of wastes are produced and
50% of all energy generated is used by the industry. As an aftereffect of this, there
has been a gigantic drive towards promoting sustainable construction.
The Government has set out a dream to drive towards a feasible development
industry. A joint commitment from the administration and the development
business is to work towards a more reasonable development industry. The centre
points are: to decrease the development business' carbon impression and
utilization of characteristic assets; and to make a more secure and more grounded
industry via preparing and holding a gifted and submitted workforce.
The vision is to structure and direct organizations, to guarantee that structures and
base are conveyed in a more asset effective and maintainable way. With
expanding energy and waste costs, harder ecological enactment expanded partner
desires, significant associations inside the business are progressively focusing
their endeavors on enhancing development practices to improve execution and
show mindful conduct. It is imperative that contractual workers bridle the
advantages of acting in a practical way with a specific end goal to wind up more
effective associations and exploit the financial advantages, and in addition having
a more positive effect on the earth and society by and large.
II. PESTEL ANALYSIS
Since Construction is considered as one of the fundamental wellsprings of natural
contamination on the planet, the level of information and attention to venture
members, particularly extend chiefs, with respect to ecological effects of
development procedures should be improved.
„Transportation Resource‟, „Noise Pollution‟, and „Dust Generation with
Construction Machinery‟ are the greatest environmental impacts of the
Construction & Contracting Industry.
Upgrading the recognizable proof of the major environmental impacts of
development procedures will enhance the adequacy of ecological administration
frameworks. Moreover, expectation of the related ecological effects of
development before the development stage will prompt enhancements in the
natural execution of development ventures and destinations. The determination of
major natural effects will help to consider a scope of on location measures
keeping in mind the end goal to mitigate them. The environmental impacts across
construction processes comprise Ecosystems impact, Natural resources impact and
Public impact.
a. Ecosystems Impact: The aggregated amount of adverse environmental impacts
like waste, noise, dust, and dangerous emanations still happen amid the

4. 4
development procedure which cause serious harm to people and biological
communities. With the ascent in the quantity of development of new
constructions, the biological systems effect of development has turned into an
important issue.
b. Natural Resources: Natural resources such as „„Energy‟‟, „„Land”,
„„Materials‟‟ and „„Water‟‟ are used in a typical construction process.
Moreover, a few development gear operations include utilization of normal
assets, for example, power and/or diesel fuel. The building business is in
charge of utilizing a high volume of common assets and era an incredible
measure of contamination as a consequence of vitality utilization amid
extraction and transportation of crude materials.
c. Public Impact: Most development tasks are situated in a thickly populated
region. Along these lines, individuals who live at or near development
destinations are inclined to hurtful impacts on their wellbeing as a result of
dust, vibration and clamor because of certain development exercises, for
example, unearthing and excavation.
d. T
h
e
s
o
c
i
a
l
a
d
v
a
n
t
a
g
es of Sustainable Design are identified with upgrades in the personal
satisfaction, Health and prosperity. These advantages can be acknowledged at
various levels – structures, the community, and society by and large. At a
building level, research on the human advantages of reasonable outline has
focused on three essential themes: Health, solace, and fulfillment.
e. The Construction environment can have both negative and positive effects on
the occupants' nature of Social life. Negative effects incorporate sickness, non-
appearance, weakness, distress, anxiety, and diversions coming about because
of poor indoor air quality, warm molding, lighting, and particular parts of
inside space plan (e.g., materials choices, decorations, and staff densities).
Decreasing these issues through practical outline frequently enhances Health
and execution. Enhanced indoor air quality and expanded individual control of

5. 5
temperatures and ventilation have solid constructive outcomes.
Notwithstanding lessening dangers and distresses, structures ought to likewise
contain components and characteristics that make positive mental and social
encounters.
f. At a group or societal level, the social advantages of economical configuration
incorporate learning exchange, enhanced natural quality, neighborhood
reclamation, and lessened wellbeing dangers from poisons connected with
building vitality use. Albeit more research has been directed on the advantages
of economical outline components to building tenants, interest is developing in
the group advantages of supportable configuration, and a few potential ranges
of quality to the Government.
III. INITIATIVES
a. Zero Carbon Homes
Single family dwellings with a very high efficiency rating are called Zero
Carbon Housing or Zero Energy Housing. They require a very low amount of
energy to provide for all the needs and activities of the families living in these
homes.
T
h
e
y
e
a
r
l
y
n
e
t
c
a
r
b
The footprint of a Zero Carbon House is zero. The carbon footprint is the sum
total of all greenhouse gas emitted directly or indirectly by activities in the
home such as room heating or operating an appliance, personal activities such
as driving a car, broader services such as the use of public transportation or air
travel, and individual consumption of food and other products. A home‟s
carbon footprint is the sum of two parts, the primary footprint and the
secondary footprint. This is expressed metric tonnes of carbon dioxide
equivalent (CO2e). The primary carbon footprint is a measure of the
CO2emitted due to the direct utilization of fossil fuels for consumption and
transportation. The secondary carbon footprint is the measure of indirect

6. 6
CO2emitteddue to the manufacturing processes of appliances used in the
house, and their natural decomposition. Examples of the parts that make up the
secondary carbon footprint are the manufacturing of clothes, cars, and
furnishings, as well as recreational activities by the inhabitants.
Determining a Zero Carbon Home
 Energy Efficiency: To be a zero carbon home, they have to be efficient in
the utilization of energy and also minimize the daily demand of energy.
New homes are required to install sufficient insulation and also be
"adequately airtight." The installation of 180mm (or more depending on
climate) thick insulation, recycling of gray water, replacement of
equipment and appliances with an energy efficiency rating of "A" and
insulating hot water heaters all contribute to establish and improving the
degree of energy efficiency.
 Carbon Compliance: To reduce the onsite consumption of Carbon,
technologies which promote low onsite carbon usage and zero carbon
energy, such as a community heating network should be used. The system
of a community heating network or "district heating" distributes heat for
residential heating and commercial water and space heating needs from a
central location. This substantially reduces the carbon footprint of
individual homes.
 Allowable Solutions: Some of the numerous types of approved carbon-
saving measures that could be used on homes consist of on-site, near-site,
and off-site options. On-site options include the installation of smart
devices, use of grid injected bio-methane, installation of site-based heat
storage, etc. Near-site options include local micro-hydro schemes,
communal waste management solutions, and local energy storage
solutions. Off-site options include investing in plants that turn waste into
energy, investing in renovating houses with low carbon technologies, and
investing in low carbon cooling, etc. Other alternative solutions include the
development of substitute projects such as reforestation, solar, hydro, and
wind power. This process is known as carbon offsetting. These projects are
considered carbon offsetting because they either prevent the combustion of
fossil fuels (via solar, hydro, wind energy utilization) or they utilize CO2
from the atmosphere (via reforestation) which results in offsetting the
amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by the combustion of fossil
fuels.
Private companies and government organizations are beginning to promote
zero carbon homes and zero carbon footprints. In the United Kingdom, the
Zero Carbon Hub helped the construction of Zero Carbon Housing and
converted it into a more common practice. The Zero Carbon Hub was a
public/private partnership to help reach the government‟s energy consumption
reduction goals set by the European Union under the Kyoto Protocol of 1997.
Earth ship Biotecture
An example of a Zero Carbon Housing
is the Earth ship Biotecture. It was
developed by Mike Reynolds. The

7. 7
Earthship is an environmentally friendly and completely sustainable home that
can be built anywhere in the world. They are constructed with materials that
are normally discarded and take up space in a landfill. This includes old tires,
bottles, and cans. Reynolds has three requirements for Earthship. One, a
sustainable architecture using natural and/or artificial materials should be
utilized. Second, the house should be dependent on natural off-grid energy
sources. Third, the house has to be financially feasible and must consist of a
DIY concept so that an average person can also build their own Earthship.
b. Green Building
Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building)
refers to both a structure and the using of processes that are environmentally
responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from
siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and
demolition. In other words, green building design involves finding the balance
between homebuilding and the sustainable environment. This requires close
cooperation of the design team, the architects, the engineers, and the client at
all project stages. The Green Building practice expands and complements the
classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a set of rating
systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green
buildings which was Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Other
certificates system that confirms the sustainability of buildings is the British
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment
Method) for buildings and large scale developments. Currently, World Green
Building Council is conducting research on the effects of green buildings on
the health and productivity of their users and is working with World Bank to
promote Green Buildings in Emerging Markets through EDGE Excellence in
Design for Greater Efficiencies Market Transformation Program and
certification.
Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement
current practices in creating greener structures, the common objective of green
buildings is to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human
health and the natural environment by:
 Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
 Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
 Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation
c. Designing Smart Cities
Due to the range of technologies that have been implemented under the label
of a smart city, it is difficult to obtain a precise definition of a smart city.
Deakin and Al Wearlist four factors that contribute to the definition of a smart
city:
 The application of a wide range of electronic and digital technologies to
communities and cities
 The use of ICT to transform life and working environments within the
region
 The embedding of such ICTs in government systems

8. 8
 The territorialisation of practices that brings ICTs and people together to
enhance the innovation and knowledge that they offer.
A smart city uses Information Technology to:
 Utilize physical infrastructure more efficiently through Artificial
Intelligence and Data Analytics to support economic, social and cultural
development.
 Engage effectively with local people in local governance and decision, by
using open innovation processes and e-participation, improving the
collective intelligence of the city‟s institutions through e-governance, with
emphasis placed on citizen participation and co-design.
 Learn, adapt and innovate and thereby respond more effectively and
promptly to changing circumstances by improving the intelligence of the
city.
The forms of intelligence in smart cities have been demonstrated in three
ways:
 Orchestration intelligence: Where cities establish institutions and
community-based problem solving and collaborations, such as in Bletchley
Park, where the Nazi Enigma cypher was decoded by a team led by Alan
Turing. This has been referred to as the first example of a smart city or an
intelligent community.
 Empowerment intelligence: Cities provide open platforms, experimental
facilities and smart city infrastructure in order to cluster innovation in
certain districts. These are seen in the Kista Science City in Stockholm and
the Cyber port Zone in Hong Kong.
 Instrumentation intelligence: Where city infrastructure is made smart
through real-time data collection, with analysis and predictive modeling
across city districts. There is much controversy surrounding this,
particularly with regards to surveillance issues in smart cities.
IV. IMPACT OF INITIATIVES
a. One of the major deterrents of growth in the construction industry is indeed
skepticism. It inhibits the growth rate at which the industry can grow, hence
proper initiatives and innovative processes need to be adapted so that the
industry realizes its full potential. A proper study on the impact of such
initiatives always helps in understanding the industry better. Some of the
impacts can be:
 One of the key innovations in construction is to create an alliance between
the different stakeholders. Unlike traditional forms of contract where risk
is allocated to different parties, under a true project alliance, the Alliance
Participants take collective ownership of all risk associated with delivery
of the project. It results in a save in overall project cost and delivery time.
 Drone technology has been implemented in some parts of the construction
industry. When it comes to surveying potential construction sites and
monitoring active sites, these drones are literally changing the construction

9. 9
landscape. It helps in monitoring workers and performs a quick survey of a
particular construction site.
 Mobile apps are ubiquitous. The presence of such apps in the construction
industry has definitely changed the perspective of the leaders in this
industry. Construction apps allow foreman and contractors to get the most
out of their gadgets. There are also calculating apps that help construction
managers better calculate supplies, including concrete volumes, roofing
materials, and hardware amounts.
 The identified challenges in the implementation of construction innovation
include degree of uncertainty, cost savings generation, minimizing the
environment impact of its consumption of materials and elimination of
waste by removal of all non-value adding activities. These are some of the
problems that can be solved with proper initiatives and innovative
practices. It is also recommended that the constructions workers or the
professionals operating in this industry follow a very comprehensive
policy.
V. AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
a. LafargeHolcim Awards:
Based on this concept and to make sustainable construction easier to
understand, evaluate and apply, the LafargeHolcim Foundation and its partner
universities have identified a set of five “target issues” for sustainable
construction, which serve as the basis for the adjudication process of the
LafargeHolcim Awards and as a framework for other activities of the
Foundation.
 Innovation and transferability – Progress
Projects must demonstrate innovative approaches to sustainable
development, pushing the envelope of practice and exploring new
disciplinary frontiers. Breakthroughs and trend-setting discoveries must be
transferable to a range of other applications.
 Ethical standards and social inclusion – People
Projects must adhere to the highest ethical standards and promote social
inclusion at all stages of construction, from planning and building to use
and servicing; to ensure an enduring positive impact on communities.
Proposals must demonstrate how they enhance the collective realm.
 Resource and environmental performance – Planet
Projects must exhibit a sensible use and management of natural resources
throughout their entire life cycle. Long-term environmental concerns,
especially pertaining to stocks and flows of material and energy, should be
an integral part of the design philosophy.
 Economic viability and compatibility – Prosperity
Projects must prove to be economically feasible with regard to channeling
and managing financial flows, promoting an economy of means and be
compatible with demands across the construction‟s lifespan.
 Contextual and aesthetic impact – Place

10. 10
Projects must convey a high standard of architectural quality as a prevalent
form of cultural expression. With space, form and aesthetic impact of
utmost significance, the material manifestation of the design must make a
positive and lasting contribution to the physical, human and cultural
environment.
VI. CONCLUSION
The construction sector is central to the overall economy of many developing as
well as developed countries, accounting for more than 10 % of GDP in case of
EU, providing accommodation and infrastructure, and playing a prominent role in
the global marketplace. Continued research and development is vital to provide a
sound basis for recovery from the effects of economic downturn and to address
the global problems of climate change and population growth. By taking
innovative approaches to the development and application of building and
infrastructural technologies, a viable future for the construction industry can be
ensured. As a result of which the well-being of every citizen can be easily
ensured.
Bibliography
Anon., n.d. Designing Buildings Wiki. [Online]
Available at: http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Zero_carbon_homes#Definition
Anon., n.d. Designing Buildings Wiki. [Online]
Available at: http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Designing_smart_cities
Anon., n.d. Designing Buildings Wiki. [Online]
Available at: http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Green_building
Deakin, M. & Al Waer, H., n.d. From Intelligent to Smart Cities. Journal of Intelligent Buildings
International: From Intelligent Cities to Smart Cities.