Sustainability

Sustainability in development projects is influenced by: energy use; materials use; waste created; water use; ecological impact; transport; and land use. Increasingly, the planning process requires that a proposed development scheme will have to adhere to a range of environmental sustainability requirements, which can be incorporated into the design process by making use of the following:

Phlorum Limited has significant experience in providing these sustainability consultancy services.

Phlorum are also able to prepare an organisation for the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) that comes into force in April 2010, which states that all qualifying organisations must monitor and analyse energy consumption and purchase allowances for the carbon emissions they are responsible for. Click here to see what we can do for you.

In addition, Phlorum Limited can provide:

  • renewable energy strategies for proposed or existing buildings;
  • carbon emission assessments;
  • Passivhaus and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidance (the sustainable building assessment procedures for Germany and USA, respectively); and
  • sustainability policy creation and appraisal for all types of developments.

Our dedication to innovation in sustainability of the built environment is displayed in our work with the University of Brighton, which includes a collaborative partnership through the Government?s Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme. This is helping Phlorum Limited to develop a tool that predicts and models the life-cycle carbon footprint of new-build dwellings, accounting for carbon embodied within the building in its construction materials and processes, carbon emitted during its operation, and carbon emissions associated with deconstruction and demolition.

What is Sustainability?

The idea of sustainability is often quoted as being influenced by three constraining "pillars", incorporating economic, societal and environmental issues. Coined by Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland in 1987, the classic definition of sustainable development is:

"development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
Five years later, the notion of sustainable development became inextricably linked to climate change, a process which rose to international prominence at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. The UK’s Agenda 21, a product of the Rio Summit, had at its core the three pillars of sustainability, promoting the conservation of natural resources, cohesion of society and fiscal efficiency, with the total benefit exceeding the sum of its parts.

Kyoto & Your Business

In tackling climate change, the Kyoto agreement has set targets to reduce specified greenhouses gases by 2008 to 2012. The UK Government has set a voluntary target to reduce CO2 emissions to 20% below 1990 levels by 2010. The long-term target is a 60% reduction by 2050, although this looks likely to become a more ambitious 80%. The Government has also set a target for 10% of the UK energy supply to come from renewable sources by 2010, rising to 20% by 2020, proposals seen in the Mayor's London Plan as well as other Local Authorities' planning objectives. CO2 emissions from buildings (domestic and commercial) account for nearly half of the UKs total carbon emissions.

Climate Change and Your Development

For both ethical and legal reasons, developers and designers cannot afford to ignore the issue of sustainability. If given due regard, a sustainable development will look to ensure resource conservation and social harmony throughout the lifetime of the building. Sustainability should be incorporated from the outset of a project; from design, through construction, operation, and ultimately decommission. Legislation states that all new housing must be "zero-carbon" by 2016, an ambition achievable through high insulation, passive design, heat recovery and exchange, low energy appliances and on- or off-site renewable energy generation. Innovative design techniques such as "Lifetime Homes" and "Design for Deconstruction" prolong the useful existence of a building and its materials. Construction sites should use locally sourced materials, adhere to a waste management plan to reduce waste sent to landfill and subscribe to a scheme like the Considerate Constructors Scheme. By 2050, the UK is required to have reduced its CO2 emissions by 60%, yet over two-thirds of the 2050 housing stock has already been built. Therefore, focus should also be put on the redevelopment and/or retrofitting of existing buildings to make them more energy efficient.

What can Phlorum do?

Phlorum can advise on design strategies to ensure your development minimises it impact on the environment, in all stage of its lifecycle. We can suggest methods to reduce its energy consumption and carbon footprint, such as the use of passive design, use and sources of materials, design for deconstruction, and strategies for renewable energy, ventilation, and natural and artificial lighting. We will endeavour to outline the cost implications for each measure, and ensure our recommendations are tailored to your requirements and budget. With each proposed design, we will assess the energy consumption of the building and benchmark it against others of a similar type, until the development is as energy and cost efficient as possible.

sustainability data sheet



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