Assignment Sample on Sustainable and Healthy Buildings Policy

Introduction

A continuous constructed ecosystem incorporates future climatic concerns as well as is intended for lifespan, adaptability, flexibility, installation, deconstruction, regeneration, as well as recovery. In past years, there is a growing push at the local, national, as well as even international scales to guarantee appropriate laws, policies, as well as legislation are in existence to mitigate manmade climatic disruption including resource scarcity.

The building sector seems to be under growing stress to mitigate such consequences, since the construction industry is accountable for upwards of 40% of Carbon dioxide emission (in certain countries) as well as uses considerable quantities of resources. The aim of this study is to review a UK-based policy that outline sustainability and promote health and wellbeing. Further, the study will critically evaluate the chosen policy in compare to other regions and conflict between targets of environment sustainability and health and wellbeing. At last, the study will suggest elements that should be considered in the policy and produce a high level of vision.

Outlining current policy framework

Details of current sustainability policy frameworks

Construction industry in the UK is vast and emphasis on sustainability and health and safety norms. Operating carbon pollution, building assessment, material, wastage, and management are indeed the major aspects of regulations/legislation linked to sustainable building design as well as construction practice in the United Kingdom.

UK Green Building Council’s (GBC) framework– Considering the UK Green Building Council’s framework aligned the target of mitigating carbon emission by 2050 in accordance with Paris Climate Agreement (World Green Building Council, 2021). The policy framework highlighted that the amount of energy consumed by the buildings must be decreased, as well as any need must be fulfilled with renewable energies wherever feasible. To reach net zero emissions, any leftover pollution from functional energy usage must be mitigated. Further, it is being evaluated that because of the necessity of combating climatic change, companies should collaborate to reduce emissions as quickly as feasible. However, this necessitates a common vision of what must be accomplished as well as the steps which must be followed. This framework is meant to serve as a stimulus for the property and construction industries to join together and start working towards uniform as well as achievable goals on the transformation to reduction of carbon structures.

Paris Climate Agreement and Climate Change Act– Another policy framework in the UK that delivers sustainable build environment is the Paris Climate Agreement. The Paris Agreement on Climatic Change is a constitutionally enforceable global convention on the subject of changing climate. In delivery of sustainable building the agreement restricted the operations of construction in the UK for environment friendly buildings.  The UK Govt’s Building 2025 policy, unveiled in 2013, established a goal of a 50% decline in GHG footprints throughout the built environment before 2025, compared to a 1990 foundation, in accordance with the Climate Change Legislation (Azzopardi-Muscat et. al. 2020). In future, some changes are expected in the policy framework regarding the resource use in build environment.

Health and wellbeing promoting policy in UK

In relation to the sustainable policy, the health and wellbeing promoting policy by World GBC –provide a critical learning tool for equitable and healthy built environment. The purpose of the Building Guidelines is to safeguard people’s safety, health, as well as wellbeing all across buildings. The restrictions are indeed intended to increase fuel as well as electricity conservation, preserve as well as enrich the ecosystem, plus promote long-term growth.

The policy is released as an administrative summary as well as a live online tool, bringing together experts throughout the building sector, health, and individual rights. A cross-sectoral investigation of the complete construction and building culture is one of the work’s innovations, broadening the range of wellness for all individuals as well as their buildings, towns, including societies.

The Framework’s 6 components include indoor environmental quality, fundamental rights throughout the distribution network, global warming resiliency, and much more, with the COVID-19 epidemic putting the relationship amongst the built ecosystem as well as people wellbeing into vivid perspective (World Green Building Council, 2021).

Further, there are some regulatory frameworks in the UK that also promote health and wellbeing in the built environment. The total rise in construction emissions indicates both poor conservation levels as well as minor advances in heating inventory in past few years, such as the introduction of heating systems. Establishing a clear vision, rendering low-carbon commercially appealing, adopting facilitating policies, as well as obtaining on with it” are considered as the 4 required elements of a comprehensive approach for the carbon reduction of energy in buildings.

Health and safety executive policy

The building structures’ continuing collaboration with strategic partnerships involves a partnership with the UK Health and Safety Executive to enhance how wellnesses as well as wellbeing best practices are communicated with other nations. They have also helped to form sector policy as well as best practice by operating with the regulatory bodies to create the first federal mandate for fragile highway users, the Construction Logistics as well as Cyclist Safety guidelines, and they’re on the panel of the UK building discussion – Build UK – offering to help to form sector policy and ideal practice (Jerome et. al. 2019).

The Lifting Operations as well as Lifting Equipment Rules (LOLER) had been considered underneath the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974, as this state that specific items are covered by this standard, like cranes, lifts, cables, lifting equipment, including commercial vehicles. Additional requirements relating to labeling of technology which aids in signaling safe operating capacities into the company will be addressed by this legislation. This statute, from the other side, does not applicable in some cases, such as when persons do not utilize lifts for business.

Critical review

Review the framework in relation to the approach taken in other regions

The identified sustainable frameworks in consideration with approach taken in other regions might change the strategies and targets, but the overall purpose is same. In USA, the green building approach for sustainable delivery include LEED that refers to Leadership in Energy and Environment Design that mainly focuses on building rating framework on the basis of sustainability (McArthur and Powell, 2020). On the other hand, it is being identified that with such rapid expansion, producing low- or net-carbon buildings is critical to ensuring a good wellbeing of individuals, minimizing negative environmental consequences, as well as maximizing economic prospects. The Asian Region Area Network’s Green Building Councils are reacting to such issues and possibilities on the reality.

Considering the health and wellbeing policy, it can be stated that in the Asian region, the approaches are different as of high level of climate change. However, while repairing older structures and investment in health-promoting as well as environmental new structures is unquestionably good for the environment, the immediate health benefits are not assured. On the other hand, health and wellbeing procedures in USA are critical for reducing the number of dangers on a building site and must be applied from the beginning. It’s quite simple for dangers to grow and catastrophes to develop when management fail to implement these health as well as safeguard procedures.

Building Standards are overseen by the Ministry for Communities as well as Local Government (CLG) in England & Wales (Pinheiro and Luís, 2020). The goal of such laws is to establish requirements for the construction, fire prevention, heating value, soundproofing, draining, circulation, as well as safety procedures of building.

The planned Future Buildings Guidelines for new construction in other region, and also the intended Modern Architecture Guidelines for the corporate sector, along with development changes, will all play a role. The panel further suggested that the new Construction Health Regulator’s mandate include climatic mitigation and adaptation strategies in structures. In compare to the evaluated policies and frameworks, approaches taken by other regions are not much different but they include different aspects in single policy and guideline that should be considered in the UK.

Potential conflicts between environmental sustainability and health and wellbeing targets

Between environment sustainability and health and wellbeing targets, economic expansion and climate preservation are the most prominent conflicts. However, there is a dispute amongst economy as well as equality, that presents itself in uneven income dispersion. On the other hand, both the policies and consideration can be integrated equally but when it is chosen to construct a new structure rather than, say, modifying working procedures or renovating an old structure, a considerable investment to spend resources has been committed (Altomonte et. al. 2020). Architects as well as builders could be able to assist in limiting usage; however, they are powerless to alter the total commitment. Such resource utilization can indeed be considerably greater if the customer decides to move, with the resulting impact on the health and wellbeing, which must either resettle or adjust their travel arrangements.

It can be stated that these kinds of choices that are frequently made independently of any sustainability review system could have a significantly higher effect on climate change than those that builders can affect, like building shape as well as equipment specifications. On bigger projects, a sustainability influence evaluation could follow up on key choices, although this is often a post-rationalization procedure used to defend conclusions to the regional regulatory authorities instead of a true decision-making procedure.

By considering both the policies in built environment, it is also evident that promoting sustainability and health and wellbeing is challenging in different region because of unfair and avoidable regulations. Many health as well as ecological issues is caused by unforeseen and frequently detrimental health consequences of built environment and climate change that are driven by economic forces as well as cost cutting (Carmichael et. al. 2020). The present discussion over climatic changes has re-ignited interest in the link between sustainable and wellness. Although money as well as supports are frequently mentioned as ways to encourage sustainable growth, environmentally development may also be lucrative on its own. Improvements in sustainable development, particularly waste avoidance strategies, may reduce waste management costs as well as emissions.

Recommendations

By considering the sustainability policy and health and wellbeing policy in relevance to built environment and buildings, several conflicts and gaps have been identified that will be improved in the new policy that will be able to address them.

National and corporate governance, best practice as well as policy compliance on location, as well as other dust-reduction techniques should all be used to effectively control dust generation. Because of the reduced volume as well as more regulated dust creation, off-site, compact building procedures may be desirable. It is also suggested for the new policy to promote the transition to more energy-efficient construction materials, notably in the area of conventional brick burning.

Climate legislation should be used to both compel and encourage businesses to improve their sustainable development. Even though it is a widely held belief that legislation in the form of standards, processes, laws, and controls is beneficial as well as acceptable, there seems to be evidence to support the claim that it stifles sustainability initiatives. A countrywide sustainable technology policy, wherein governmental and non – governmental groups work together to design and implement climate plans of action, can help to create a more ecologically friendly built environment. The awareness of environmental technological policy that establish the framework wherein creative activity may arise and be maintained is a second stage at which concept of sustainability for the building design could be managed.

Policymakers should raise annual (national) refurbishment levels to at minimum 3% while ensuring that recently renovated facilities are powered by sustainable power as well as have high efficiency capability (i.e. “A-class” structures). Higher rental increase should be avoided at all costs, as they may push present households and companies to relocate. Further, it is being suggested in the new policy to apply wellness factors, such as the potential advantages of better lighting as well as greater daylight exposure, noise removal technology, as well as other non-energy saving enhancements that will help in promoting sustainable built environment.

It should also be considered in the new policy to eliminate the health and environmental consequences of tools and components throughout the construction as well as designing acquisition process by thinking about the long-term sustainability of the materials and equipment utilized preliminary planning phase as well as using a life-cycle perspective to make long-term decisions, for example, cyclic economic strategy and eco-design.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be inferred that most of the existing policy paradigm is centered on the primary objective of climatic change prevention, but there is growing acceptance that some degree of climatic change is unavoidable, necessitating adaptive techniques as well as policies. In the study, sustainable framework and health and wellbeing policy is being discussed. It has been evaluated that the total rise in construction emissions indicates both poor conservation levels as well as minor advances in heating inventory in past few years, such as the introduction of heating systems.  Along with it, it has been identified that the Paris Agreement on Climatic Change is a constitutionally enforceable global convention on the subject of changing climate. It is being evaluated that because of the necessity of combating climatic change, companies should collaborate to reduce emissions as quickly as feasible.

References

Altomonte, S., Allen, J., Bluyssen, P.M., Brager, G., Heschong, L., Loder, A., Schiavon, S., Veitch, J.A., Wang, L. and Wargocki, P., (2020). Ten questions concerning well-being in the built environment. Building and Environment, 180, p.106949.

Azzopardi-Muscat, N., Brambilla, A., Caracci, F. and Capolongo, S., (2020). Synergies in Design and Health. The role of architects and urban health planners in tackling key contemporary public health challenges. Acta Bio Medica: Atenei Parmensis, 91(Suppl 3), p.9.

Carmichael, L., Prestwood, E., Marsh, R., Ige, J., Williams, B., Pilkington, P., Eaton, E. and Michalec, A., (2020). Healthy buildings for a healthy city: Is the public health evidence base informing current building policies?. Science of the total environment, 719, p.137146.

Jerome, G., Sinnett, D., Burgess, S., Calvert, T. and Mortlock, R., (2019). A framework for assessing the quality of green infrastructure in the built environment in the UK. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 40, pp.174-182.

McArthur, J.J. and Powell, C., (2020). Health and wellness in commercial buildings: Systematic review of sustainable building rating systems and alignment with contemporary research. Building and environment, 171, p.106635.

Pinheiro, M.D. and Luís, N.C., (2020). COVID-19 could leverage a sustainable built environment. Sustainability, 12(14), p.5863.

World Green Building Council, (2021). UK Green Building Council presents industry framework for net zero carbon buildings. [Online]. Accessed through <https://www.worldgbc.org/news-media/uk-green-building-council-presents-industry-framework-net-zero-carbon-buildings>

World Green Building Council, (2021). WorldGBC’s Health & Wellbeing Framework catalyses social impact across the entire built environment value chain. [Online]. Accessed through <https://www.worldgbc.org/health-framework>

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