Sustainability in architecture: building’s contributions to climate change

From a student perspective, the climate crisis can seem quite daunting.  There feels like a lot of responsibility to bring about change within the construction industry to reduce global warming and building’s contributions to climate change.

I personally don’t believe that the design and construction industry needs ground-breaking material or technology to solve the climate crisis.  I believe that a systemic change (or series of changes) in methods of practice will lead us towards a more sustainable future, with many small changes adding-up to make a big difference.

Before even considering the sustainable aspects of a design, we must ask ourselves two questions.  To what extent is the project actually necessary?  How appropriate is the design concept for the client’s requirements?  These are included in Work Stage 0 ‘Strategic Definition’, and should be given equal importance by all stakeholders to initial factors like site and budget.

This could be implemented by simply asking ‘why is there a new building?’

Straight forward questions like this could influence a positive change in the concept from the very beginning.  After all, the easiest way to increase sustainability of a build is to build less and to build smarter.

Choosing to use sustainable materials is usually the go-to when discussing sustainability in architecture.  However, this can sometimes lead to gimmicks and ‘tick-box’ solutions being applied.

The embodied carbon in a material is a big factor to consider, this is the amount of carbon generated from material to the product in use (e.g. manufacturing, transportation, etc.).  Sometimes, a material that is seemingly very sustainable on the outside is actually not at all.  This is because toxins/pollutants are produced during the manufacture then through polluting cargo ships travelling thousands of miles to deliver them.

In most cases, the embodied carbon of a material is a much more suitable measure of sustainability than other factors.  Therefore, we should be looking to reduce embodied carbon where possible.

As technology has advanced over the years, renewable energy sources have become very popular.  When it comes to improving sustainability in architecture, they are proven to be more efficient and effective than non-renewable sources. 

The main argument against renewable energy systems on a domestic scale is of course the cost.  However, this should be discussed at RIBA Work Stage 0 of a project as an expense that must be taken into account.  For example, X amount of your project will be spent on renewables.

I do believe in the idea that our national grid should be powered by renewable energy, allowing every building supplied to have a sustainable energy source.  As of last year [2021], this is becoming more of a reality.  Between the 10th April and 16th June 2020, Britain’s national grid was actually coal-free.

However it is achieved, renewables are the future and are a must in new build projects.

The social impact of sustainability in architecture is often overlooked.  This is something I am very passionate about and believe must be considered for a project to truly be ‘sustainable’.  I’m not suggesting that every new home should double-up as a community centre by any means, but it can be much easier than it seems to have a positive social impact.

Conceptually, there may be an aspect of a design that could benefit the local community in public buildings or landscape design.  But there are many other ways in which a project can (and should) have a positive social impact.

This could be through:

-Enrichment days on site with schools and local charities.

-Work experience placements for students within the design team.

-Ethical material choices (Considering the brand’s reputation, how workers are treated etc.).

A great local example of this, that I have personally experienced, was during my time working on site with ’Irebuild’.

A day on site was arranged for the Exeter Chief’s Hitz programme, designed for 16-18 year olds not currently in education or work with aims to give them employability and life skills to go on into further education or employment.  On site we taught students some basic skills, such as de-nailing reclaimed laths and planting trees.  I taught students how to clean-up and sand a large oak slab – which was later installed as a window sill in the house.  In the afternoon the group went surfing and bodyboarding which was as enriching for us as it was the students.

Experiences like these could lead to new opportunities or training programmes for the young people involved – which is something that can’t be quantified and is incomparable to the cost of one day out of a building program.

These four concepts are ideas that I have developed from my time both at university and on-site as an apprentice.  My main belief is that to instigate change we must all take small steps towards working more sustainably.

There is a lot of pressure on everyone involved in the construction industry at the moment when it comes to sustainability, particularly designers. This can feel very overwhelming at times, but on the other hand we are being offered a great opportunity to make a difference to reduce the effects of climate change.