Approaches
The first step is to define the scope via a web based
survey of the members using the Delphi technique of continuous refinement.
This will inform the first workshop where the goal will be to bring
together the relevant inputs to the scope of the area and to discuss the
integration issues between the different fields.
The outcome of the first workshop is a definition of
the scope of the integration problem.
The second workshop will aim to develop a framework and
specification of the tools of integration that will inform the community
of the scope of future research goals.
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BUILDINGS AND THE
ENVIRONMENT - WHY?
The quest
towards sustainable development in our societies puts the spotlight on the
built environment and the construction industry. Construction, buildings and
infrastructure are the main consumers of resources: materials and energy. In
the European Union, buildings require more than 40 % of the total energy
consumption and the construction sector is estimated to generate
approximately 40 % of the man-made waste.
[Sjöström, C., 1998, CIB World
Congress, Construction and the Environment, Väg- och Vattenbyggaren, Nr 3,
Stockholm]
Environmental burdens caused by construction can be minimized and
construction technology can be used to remedy the environment. Sustainable
construction is the response of the building sector to the challenge of
sustainable development.
[Huovila, P., Koskela, L. 1998, Contribution of The
Principles of Lean Construction To Meet The Challenges of Sustainable
Development, Proceedings of IGLC-6 6th Conference of the
International Group for Lean Construction, 13th -15th
August, 1998]
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS - WHAT?
Sustainable
development has several definitions, such as:
Development
that meets the needs of the present without compromising that ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
[The Brundtland Report, WCED, 1987]
Improving
the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of
supporting ecosystems.
[Caring for the Earth, IUCN/UNEP, 1991]
Development
that delivers basic environmental, social and economic services to all
residences of a community without threatening the viability of natural,
built and social systems upon which the delivery of those systems depends.
[International Council for local Environmental
Initiatives, 1996]
Determined
to promote economic and social progress for their peoples, taking into
account the principle of sustainable development and within the context of
the accomplishment of the international market and of reinforced cohesion
and environmental protection, and to implement policies ensuring that
advances in economic integration are accompanied by parallel progress in
other fields.
[Amsterdam Treaty, 1997]
It is about
ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to
come.
[Consultation paper 3 on a UK strategy for sustainable
construction, 1998].
Sustainable
objectives often emphasize environmental burdens. However, environmental
issues often cannot be tackled if the problem of poverty remains unsolved
separates different economic spheres when identifying major challenges to
sustainability.
[Hart, S., 1997, Beyond Greening, Harvard Business Review,
January-February]
Major challenges to
sustainability (Hart 1997)
SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IMPLEMENTATION - HOW?
The difference between the market economies, transition
economies and developing economies influences its implementation priorities.
The mature economies pay attention to a sustainable building stock either by
new construction or by refurbishment. In the transition economies the
emphasis is on new developments reducing the housing shortage and improving
their transportation networks. In the developing economies the social agenda
(e.g., job creation) is much higher on the agenda than environmental
concerns.
In addition to the “common” sustainability criteria, such as
energy efficiency, non-toxics or recyclability many other important
sustainable measures can be listed. Some examples of that kind are:
preserving property value, flexibility, long service life, use of local
resources, information dissemination, use of by-products, immaterial
services, mobility consideration or supporting local economy.
The building industry has to adapt to these new and emerging
construction markets, which have environmental and social dimensions.
Construction businesses are expected to integrate into, and consider more
fully, the issues valued by others at national, regional and community level
where the driving forces will be a mixture of political, social and market
forces, requiring products which respond to genuine needs and concerns.
[Bourdeau, L., Huovila, P., Lanting, R.
& Gilham, A., 1998, Sustainable Development and the Future of
Construction, A comparison of visions from various countries, CIB Report
225, Rotterdam]
