Sustainable Buildings

Question: Describe about the construction process. Answer: 1.1 Introduction Building and construction signify an important and complex part of the environment that fulfils the defined tasks and functions. Buildings provide both the working space as well as the living environment that improves the lives of different individuals in various parts of the world. The kind of structures that exist in the environment affects peoples health, well-being, as well as their satisfaction, which affects their social lives in different parts of the world. Notably, these structures have a lot of economic value. The hold an immediate commercial and economic value thus creates job opportunities in various parts of the world. Again, they help in triggering energy and substance flows. The process is paramount since it affects the global and local environment. Hence, they affect sustainable development. It is prudent to represent the mandatory features and properties in the design of buildings to make them suitable for both economic and social participation. They must also follow certain conditions to fulfil both the legal and statutory requirements together with the use of relevant specifications that customers deem fit for their benefits (Ciegis, Ramanauskiene and Startiene 2015). Before the implementation of any building structure in any environment, it is imperative to consider some requirements such as the ecological, social, and economic qualities that will embrace the utilization of the structure. Additionally, it ensures that the structure fulfils its function about the environment and society. Moreover, they should also warrant some degree to economic efficiency. Urban planning is an essential element in the design of structures since it outlines the necessary requirements for a particular structure. Social quality is also another significant factor during construction. It encompasses various attributes such as the cultural value of existing building as well as the quality of urban planning and design. The government should do much to ensure that they enforce the best policies that will embrace sustainable development in every part of the world (Berman, De Sousa, Linder and Misky 2016). That calls for the participation of every stakeholder including the government as well as the landowners. Every stakeholder must play his or her in the implementation and execution of sustainable building. That should enable them to understand and drive the form and extent of their influence in the most prudent manner. The guideline is useful for a broad range of individuals including the landowners as well as the government. The most helpful strategy to ensure a successful implementation of the above policies includes modelling the structure to the given assessment task. That will promote the success of the design in various environments. Again, it is proper to identify the respective stakeholders that will take part in the implementation of different policies within the organization (Sabnis 2015). The documents are useful to a wide range of individuals who will utilize various components to obtain an insight into the best approaches to embrace green building. Most of the structures that ICT companies builds can hurt the society in some ways. They demand a massive amount of energy and materials that lead to different adverse effects on the environment. Most ICT companies aim to increase energy efficiency. That can begin with facilities and later emerge as diverse methods to improve various sectors of the economy. Various schemes exist to promote sustainable design, construction, as well as the operation of buildings. Additionally, the concept refers to the structure as well as the process that preserves and controls the environment during the construction process. Ideally, the life cycle stages of development include site selection, design, construction, operation and maintenance, renovation and demolition. Every phase presents some challenges that might hurt the environment. Currently, there exist new building technologies that ensure sustainable building process. The primary concern of the approach is to reduce the impact of buildings on the environment. That helps in creating a green economy that embraces the lives of both plants and animals. The concept presents some concerns that every stakeholder should embrace to preserve the environment. 1.2 Target audience Some individuals can use the document to ensure that they contribute positively to the development of the green economy. That will make sure that the environment remains healthy for various elements, hence improving the quality of life. The section also expounds on various concerns that aim at the establishment of environmentally friendly buildings. The content of the report is useful for any company in the ICT that takes part in any of the following activities: The design and construction of various facilities such as the data centre. Operation and maintenance of such facilities Aim to improve the green procurement criteria to building as well as supply space Additionally, the approach presents some benefits that will improve the performance of various industries in any economy. Such benefits may include: Lower operating costs An increase in profits and market share Improvement in marketability Greater tenant attraction Reduced risks during the development process Competitive advantage that ensures the success of the business 1.3 Design and build specification The structure should maximize the use of materials to ensure the development of a well-structured layout. That will make sure that it meets the needs of different stakeholders as well as to serve the intended purpose. Notably, it should minimize the use of resources. That will ensure that it does not endanger the lives of different stakeholders in the community. Most importantly, the structure should embrace good health among the occupants now as well as in the future. That will ensure that the design is consistent with all other green building guidelines. The process needs to address some important aspects that will guarantee its success in the industry. 1.3.1 Sustainable sites The selection of the site might prove challenging and complicated. However, it is prudent to ensure that the site poses little environmental threat for the construction to be effective. The structure should ensure that it upholds the most appropriate strategies that will prevent soil erosion, waterway sedimentation, as well as airborne dust generation (Huedo, Mulet and Lpez-Mesa 2016). The site should be near the urban centre. That will utilize the supporting infrastructure thus preserving green space and wildlife areas. In case the management needs new land, they should consider the redevelopment of brownfields. Additionally, they should find an alternative transport to ensure the movement within the premise. Over the centuries, public transport, and the use of foot as a means of transport plays a significant role since it minimizes the greenhouse gas emission. 1.3.2 Water efficiency Water is one of the resources that constitute an important part of life. It is useful in various aspects of life, and every stakeholder in the construction industry should ensure that they minimize any level of wastage (Roosa 2016). That will help to preserve the exploitation of the environment. The design process should increase water efficiency within the building. That will decrease the amount of water needed for operations. The use of water efficiency landscaping emerges as one of the most important techniques that will reduce the irrigation requirements. Additionally, it is paramount to use the most innovative wastewater management technologies to avoid any wastage of water. 1.3.3 Energy and atmosphere Building and construction typically require a significant amount of energy to run most operations within the premise. It is prudent to ensure that it does not waste energy since that might pose some problems to the environment. The stakeholders should make sure that they install and calibrate energy systems to perform with the intended efficiency level. That will be possible once they reduce the overall power level of the acceptable energy performance. 1.3.4 Material and resources Most construction processes require a high amount of energy. That is common through the manufacture and transport of raw materials across the regions. Again, some of these operations may result to landfill waste. The reduction of the menace requires an efficient use of equipment and components, which gives room for recycling. Additionally, it is paramount to specify the level of used construction materials to reduce the need for virgin materials. Outsourcing materials locally can help to reduce the overall cost, which makes the process cheaper. 1.3.5 Sustainable building The process should take advantage of the elements that contain recycled materials such as the Stewardship Council forest products. The use of such products enhances the ultimate environmental sustainability and lowers the embedded carbon footprint present within the structures. 1.3.6 Indoor environmental quality The design should embrace the use of low-emitting materials in the construction to promote the well-being of the occupants. That should utilize various materials such as coatings, adhesives, as well as paints. Again, it is proper to use the right ventilations that promote outdoor air ventilations. Additionally, they should not allow for outside pollution that may affect the health of the occupants. 1.3.7 Innovation in design It is proper to make design decisions as early as possible since it can reduce the energy consumption of a building. That should encompass various elements such as the orientation and location of the buildings. These aspects can compromise shading and ventilation decisions. 1.3.8 Regional priority The idea is useful when determining the variation in climates among different regions. That will ascertain the requirements of the building to meet the demands of various stakeholders. Maximizing heating efficiency in different structures located in the colder regions helps to improve the lives of the different individuals in different regions of the world. On the contrary, cooling and water usage may gain more importance in the design process of structures located in hotter regions. The design should ensure that it account for the safety of those individuals living within the premise. 1.4 System requirements System requirements help in providing the guidelines that assist in the implementation of the programs. It is useful since it enables the project managers to understand the needs of the project before the implementation. Various programs help in increasing the uptake of sustainability-related techniques and practices in the built environment (Loorbach and Shiroyama 2016). Critical to the success of all programs is a source of funding and support to create, promote, and continue the effort undertaken by those programs. For instance, technical support is of much importance since it creates the capacity for sustainable construction and overcoming ignorance about new and innovative sustainable construction techniques that may differ from the ways things occur in different parts of the world. The organization designated to promote sustainability can directly provide the technical assistance. Again, it can effect indirectly by providing funding for assistance by external providers. Unlike technical support, which provides assistance for specific projects, training opportunities help to inform facility stakeholders on topics ranging from general sustainability, sustainable construction principles as well as rating system requirements to technical details of specific technologies and needs. Even though organizations may fail to implement training internally, they may find ways to increase the number of personnel attending existing sustainable building training events such as subsidizing the cost of training, providing release time to attend, or merely encouraging attendance at training sessions. Additionally, guidance documents help in distilling the broad range of available information on sustainability into a more concise format that contains information that relates to the particular context. These materials contribute to offer some benchmarking techniques to ensure the delivery of the best design in the industry. Demonstration projects contribute to illustrate what sustainable construction benefits the context of the project, without necessarily committing to an ongoing policy of constructing in the same way for future projects. Rather than mandating that organizations adopt sustainability practices, another approach is to reward teams that remain at the front to offer some level of motivation. That will enable the organization to aim at promoting sustainable development in their construction techniques. Lastly, it is useful to ensure modification of the group practices to ensure that the structures meet the requirements of the economy. The flow chart below illustrates t he necessary processes that the construction should follow to promote green economy in different parts of the world. That will embrace the health and well-being of various individuals that reside within the structures. 1.5 Conclusion Every stakeholder should embrace green economy that will promote the lives of individuals. The construction process should involve the use of the best materials and practices that will improve the well-being and lives of various individuals across the world. Most importantly, it is the role of the government and every citizen to maintain the policy. References Berman, L., De Sousa, C.A., Linder, T. and Misky, D., 2016. From blighted brownfields to healthy and sustainable communities: Tracking performance and measuring outcomes. Reclaiming Brownfields: A Comparative Analysis of Adaptive Reuse of Contaminated Properties, p.311. Ciegis, R., Ramanauskiene, J. and Startiene, G., 2015. Theoretical reasoning of the use of indicators and indices for sustainable development assessment. Engineering Economics, 63(4). Huedo, P., Mulet, E. and Lpez-Mesa, B., 2016. A model for the sustainable selection of building envelope assemblies. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 57, pp.63-77. Loorbach, D. and Shiroyama, H., 2016. The challenge of sustainable urban development and transforming cities. In Governance of urban sustainability transitions (pp. 3-12). Springer Japan. Roosa, S.A., 2016. Sustainable Development Becomes the Norm. Strategic Planning for Energy and the Environment, 36(1), pp.5-7. Sabnis, G.M. ed., 2015. Green building with concrete: sustainable design and construction. CRC Press.