An Introduction to Sustainable Development

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According to the popular or accepted definition, sustainable development is underpinned by a desire to ensure that those currently living on this planet do not adversely affect the quality of life of its future inhabitants’ future requirements. But with advances in technology, perceived needs are constantly changing and this has to be taken into account when predicting future needs. Notwithstanding the global warming aspect, there is an obvious need for conservation of fossil fuel-based energy resources, but this will only become a critical issue if alternatives do not emerge within the necessary timescale, whatever that is. Sustainable development requires a re-thinking of the way we design and deliver buildings, to the extent of examining all of our actions and replacing all unsustainable practices with sustainable alternatives.

What is sustainability?

In 1992 after the UN Conference on Sustainability in Rio de Janeiro, the UK signed up to the full Brundtland agenda, so why is it that 13 years later, Sustainable Development is still the exception rather than the norm? A key factor is that most of those involved in delivery do not actually know what sustainable development means. They may have a definition or they may have made clear and practical requests in terms a brief, but few people know how to turn words into actions, or what to expect from their sustainable building. This can result in an over simplification of the issues. And depending on their own priorities, many regard Sustainable Development as a single issue concept – for example, economics – from making a profit, to job creation and social inclusion or environment and energy. As a result, there is a tendency to focus on one area to the exclusion of the other two. But if we were to consider economics with jobs, social inclusion and energy and environment together, then rather than importing materials - from solar panels to timber kit housing from elsewhere, we might think of manufacturing our own components, thus generating new life in the local economy and getting a three-way hit in terms of sustainability. This might sound far fetched, but a number of large contractors and housing developers are beginning to look more closely at building upon the potential of the local supply chain.

There has been a tendency for UK product manufacturers to “greenwash” or “tweak” existing products rather than auditing and modifying them to make them truly sustainable. There is also a tendency to continue to use products banned or phased out elsewhere in Europe and even the USA – such as PVC, formaldehyde glue and mineral fibre and fibreglass stranded insulation - perhaps due to familiarity with existing products.

Despite the fact that sustainability is at the heart of Government Policy across Europe, and the fact that majority of public building projects are currently being delivered against design briefs that call for sustainability, the number of sustainable buildings being delivered is still relatively low. And even if a project is fully resolved, and the construction process is well managed, the outcome is not necessarily going to be ‘sustainable’. Sustainable development requires a partnership between the building and its stakeholders and a re-evaluation of each step in the process along the way. There are therefore many opportunities to allow things to slip - especially between stages in the handover from one party to the next.

Even amongst the green fraternity there is confusion about what Sustainable Development is. Some would argue that to say sustainability is about energy is misleading, however it could be argued that to say it’s all about energy – from the mental, physical and embodied energy wasted when we get it wrong and have to do it again twenty years later to the energy consumed to construct the building and that used over its life. The old saying ‘a thing of beauty is a joy forever’ was never more appropriate.

The challenge is huge, and all embracing. In order to ensure that we are actually delivering buildings at handover, which will thrive we require a full range of Key Performance Indicators – and these should be monitored over time. During the process of delivering their new headquarters, Edinburgh City Council recently developed a Sustainable Design Guide that can help any organisation - public or private - to set up an appropriate range of KPIs. This is available from the council and will soon be down loadable from their website.

We seem to be obsessed with price rather than value, and there is a perception that sustainable development costs more. In the hands of an experienced design team and an educated client, a sustainable outcome can be delivered at little or no extra capital cost. This is particularly true in the case of buildings that adopt a passive design approach – as costs for installing and operation of environmental services can be reduced.

Furthermore, once built – how do you measure performance? We are not good at singing our praises when we get it right – nor do we admit when we get it wrong. We seldom set aside money for monitoring and re-visiting our developments. If built-in to the contract, energy and environmental performance can be monitored relatively easily, allowing us to compare actual performance with predicted and to begin to understand the impact of the users. But this is only part of the story. This doesn’t tell us whether or not the users like the building – which is key to the probable longevity of the development in terms of sustainability. And so we go on, making the same mistakes over and over again, because we omit the feedback loop.

Waterfront Regeneration in Helsinki © Jim Webster, 3D Architects.

To achieve an excellent outcome requires a consultation process that incorporates community participation and consultation from the outset and throughout the programme of delivery – including post occupancy. A true consultation process develops ownership and positive attitudes in users and stakeholders. Through appropriate consultation, issues associated with sustainability: from energy in use, through healthy materials and interaction with the external environment and biodiversity to longevity for the building will automatically be considered. Conversely, lack of strategic process in consultation undermines our belief in the validity of the experience of users.

So how to put all of this together?

Sust. is a Scottish Executive funded project, devised by The Lighthouse – Scotland’s Centre for Architecture and Design, to bring together the parties required to build sustainable communities and to help them realise this through their own project ideas. The ultimate aim of the Sust. programme is to facilitate the mainstreaming of sustainable design in architecture, in other words to help make sustainable design the norm rather than the exception. Sust. is currently seeking to support new projects. Sust. support is open to all organisations – including Local Authorities. To find out more, please visit the Sust website at www.sust.org

Conclusion

In conclusion, sustainable development is a process to which all involved in the creation of a development or settlement must be fully committed. It requires a desire to produce places that not only meet the aspirations of the creators and the expectations of current users but which are also adaptable to meet the needs of future users. In addition, whether or not we believe that humans are the prime cause of global warming, these wonderful spaces should be created bearing in mind that we are dealing with a world where resources are limited, and therefore we should use them sparingly and with due consideration for the needs of those that come after us – not to mention the aspirations of those who went before us.

So it’s not just about the environment, materials or energy, or about costs and jobs or creating places that people will love – it’s about balancing all of these things so that when we create these spaces people will love them and cherish them and they will last – and we won’t have to waste energy in taking them apart and putting them in landfill sites and starting again in 20 years. Bad design is expensive - it is not like bad television, you cannot switch it off. It continues to infect our lives. A good architect can design a good building, but ‘good’ is like ‘nice’, lacking in inspiration. The combination of a good design team and contractor and an informed client can result in an excellent outcome. Sustainability should be inherent in design excellence.

To find out more, please visit the Sust website at www.sust.org or ring Lori McElroy on 0141 225 8429.