Academic Research: Sustainability in the Construction Industry

This report examines the importance of sustainability within the construction industry, highlighting its impact on the built environment, including the creation of circular, recoverable, and flexible spaces. It discusses the benefits of sustainable construction practices, such as improved health, cost reduction, waste minimization, and optimal resource usage. The report cites One Embankment Place in London as an example of a sustainable construction project and explores future implications, including the adoption of smart technologies and artificial intelligence. It concludes that sustainable construction is essential for mitigating climate change, creating healthy environments, and improving the quality of life, making sustainable living and working spaces accessible to a wider population. The report also includes a reference page with various academic sources.

Sustainability in the
Construction Industry
Module: Academic Research and Writing
Student:
Group:

Contents Page:
1.Introduction
2. The importance of the Sustainability in the Construction Industry
3. Impact of Sustainability in the Construction Industry on built environment
4. Example
5. Future implications
6. Future Advancements
7. Conclusion
9. Reference Page

Introduction
Sustainability is the top priority across various industry in the current time period
because consumers are becoming more aware of the harmful impact caused by
business activities on the environment and their contribution to climate change.
Consumer inclination towards responsible and sustainable purchase along with
government policies focusing on improving sustainability of the nation have
compared businesses across industries to adopt more sustainable ways of operating
going forward.

The importance of the Sustainability in the
Construction Industry
• Overview of the construction industry in United
Kingdom:
• The construction industry is one of the largest sectors in
the United Kingdom economy which employs 3.1 million
individuals and accounts for over 9% of the workforce.
• The construction industry is considered a strong
employer of the United Kingdom economy because it
employs large number of high skilled as well as low
skilled workers in different parts of the country.

The importance of the Sustainability in the
Construction Industry
• Improved health: Developing green buildings in
walls focusing on the architectural and design
elements of the building so that it promotes
environment friendly living.
• Cost reduction: Application of sustainable
construction practises helps businesses in the
construction industry reduce costs by reducing
the consumption of resources required for
producing a specific structure.

The importance of the Sustainability in the
Construction Industry
• Waste minimization: The concept of
minimising waste is crucial for sustainable
construction as the meaning of sustainable
construction is to reduce damaging impact of
the construction industry on the environment.
• Optimal usage of resources: Sustainable
construction helps ensure that each resource
used in construction is utilised in an optimal
manner.

Impact of Sustainability in the Construction Industry on
built environment
• Circular built environment: Sustainable construction practises
help create a circular built environment which supports
longevity.
• Recover ability: The usage of sustainable construction practises
creates a built environment which is able to recover from climate
crisis and other types of natural disasters quickly.
• Flexibility: The flexibility of a built environment refers to the
diversity accessibility and networking of the built environment
which supports creation of flexible working and living spaces.

Impact of Sustainability in the Construction
Industry on built environment
• Healthy spaces: Sustainable construction is able to
create healthy living spaces in a built environment
which is beneficial for every resident creature and
plant life present in the built environment.
• Higher quality of life: Sustainable construction
supports improving the quality of life in a built
environment for individuals plants and creatures as it
reduces carbon emissions in the environment and
creates living spaces which are adaptable to the
changing needs of residents.

Example
• One embankment place in London is an example of
sustainable construction project which contributed
positively to its built environment.
• One embankment palace is created by
PricewaterhouseCoopers with the focus of getting the
minimum BREEAM rating while getting the status of
outstanding.
• It is considered one of the most sustainable building
in United Kingdom and is located at Villars St and
consists of 10 stories.

Example
• In addition to this, advanced technologies including Tri-
generation, combined cooling, heat and power system,
which was fuelled by recycled waste vegetable oil was
utilised to improve energy consumption and. Enhance the
stupidity of the building.
• Another technology which is utilised by the organisation
included chillier beams to replace air conditioning and
low power lift breaking along with eco-friendly carpet
tiles and electrical charging points.

Future implications
• In the future sustainable construction will be adopted across
many international markets as concerns of consumers and
governments towards sustainability of the construction industry
is increasing.
• Population growth and lack of resources for creating living and
working spaces will be the main priority of sustainable
construction in the future.
• This means that the focus of sustainable construction will be
towards utilizing available resources to maximize affordable
and sustainable living spaces for individuals without negatively
affecting the environment.

Future advancements
• Smart technologies: In the future construction
products and practices will increase the usage of
smart technology such as Internet of Things
virtual reality augmented reality and big data
analytics.
• Artificial intelligence: Sustainable construction
in the future will depend on the usage of artificial
intelligence to provide out of the box solutions
and practical answers for tackling barriers in
sustainable construction.