BY

GAMINI RAJAKARUNA
• The goal of Environmental Sustainability is to
conserve natural resources and to develop
alternate sources of power while reducing
pollution which harm to the environment.
• Social and Economic Sustainability are depend
on Environmental Sustainability.
• Therefore Environmental Sustainability will be
the main Pillar which contributes to the
Sustainable Development.
 The Environmental Impacts of
Construction
• Construction is the single biggest industry in the
developed world.
• Construction Projects in European Countries
contributes around 13% of total GDP to European
economy.
• Yet it will have the greatest environmental impact .
• In Northern Europe , people spend over 90% of their
time inside.
• This means that the construction, use and
management of buildings have a dramatic impact on
both the human and the wider environment.
• The construction industry is directly and
indirectly responsible for about half the total
emissions of Co2.
• 90% of all surface mineral extraction and over
quarter of waste sent to landfills.
• .The actual land used in the project and the
surroundings land that might effect during the
construction phase.
• The projects developed in "Green Field “ sites
will have impact on loss of a natural habitat
,which may be of importance if the land forms
part of sites of Specific Scientific Interest or
area of outstanding beauty.
• In terms of sustainability ,the development of
certain projects can prevent access to
resources that may required in the
future.(Eg:London Heathrow Airport).
• The extraction process of materials used in a
particular project will have a impact on the
environment due to pollution(Eg. Colombo
Port City).
• .Waste produced during the construction of a
project.(Eg.Poor construction techniques ,Poor
Storage, handling or over ordering).
• .Pollution generated by amount of energy
consumption during construction phase.
• .Water resources may be polluted by run offs of
silt from the site.
• .Soils and ground water resources may become
contaminated by leakages or accidental spillage
of fuels ,oils and other chemicals.
• To address the above situation it is important to
consider
• a).Project Options and
• b).Sustainable Construction Strategies to be
incorporated in projects from its inception
 1.PROJECT OPTIONS

• 1.Possibility of re use of existing buildings in the

location after refurbishing to meet the objective of
proposed project.(Eg. Converting of Old Dutch Hospital
to Luxury Shopping complex etc.).

• 2.If an existing building to be demolished

,consideration must made of the environmental
impacts of large amounts of waste produce.
(Eg.Demoltion Waste)

.
• 3.In case old structures to be demolished,
demolition itself can produce significant
quantities of dust which release contaminant to
the environments.Eg.Asbestoes)
• 4. If the necessity of the new building is
mandatory then identifying a possible new
location to meet project objective.
• 5.Where ever possible used land should be used
thus preventing green areas.
• 6.Posiible consideration given to locate the
proposed new building in a different location
by taking into environmental factors
• 7..The construction of new building itself will
consume large amounts of energy and
materials all of which may have significant
environmental impact.
2.Sustainable Construction Strategies

• Project Managers can instruct the Designers to incorporate

following strategies during design stage
• Reduce energy consumption
• Use of renewable energy(Carbon free if possible).
• Use of material that are sustainable , have low embedded
energy and or do not result in toxic waste from
• Reduced consumption of water.
• Sustainable Drainage Syestems(SUD)
• Improve the Biodiversity.
 1.Reducing Energy Consumption
• Although electric lighting has now assumed
the role of being the primary means of
illumination for many buildings, people
generally express a strong preference for
natural light in their day to day living and
work environment.
• There also has been an interest in daylighting
as a means of reducing nonrenewable energy
use.
 2.Use of Renewable Energy
• Once the amount of energy used is reduced as
much as possible ,it is necessary to ensure
that the actual energy used has the least
impact on the environment.
• Using renewable sources that produce noCO2
or by using carbon –neutral sources, the
impacts related to climate change are
reduced.
• The sun radiates energy which falls on the
earth’s surface, and in the UK ,the average
power from this source is some 250 W/sq m.
• There are number of ways in which this
particular infinite ,carbon free energy can be
utilized.
 3.Use of Low Embodied Energy
Materials
Low embodied energy materials are known as
Green Building or Sustainable Building Materials
.They are
• From a natural and rich source
• Available Locally
• Recyclable
• Low in emissions
• Environmentally friendly
• Value for money
• Reusable
4.Reduced Consumption of Water
• Commercial buildings are made up of many systems that
rely on water.
• With today’s desire to design green systems, the engineer’s
goal has become not only to provide a functional design,
but also to keep usage and energy savings in mind.
• With or without the need to achieve U.S. Green Building
CouncilLEED points, water conservation can be
incorporated into a design, even if it is just at the fixture
level.
• Providing a system that reduces water usage will not only
lower energy costs, it will also ensure future availability of
resources and convey a corporate message that the
environment matters.
 5.Sustainable Drainage Systems
• .In natural environments, rain falls on permeable
surfaces and soaks into the ground; a process called
through infiltration.
• In urban areas where many surfaces are sealed by
buildings and paving, natural infiltration is limited.
Instead, drainage networks consisting of pipes and
culverts, divert surface water to local watercourses. In
some cases, this has resulted in downstream flooding
and deterioration in river water quality caused when
foul sewers are overwhelmed by surface water leading
to a release of dirty water into rivers..
.
• Sustainable drainage systems aim to alleviate
these problems by storing or re-using surface
water at source, by decreasing flow rates to
watercourses and by improving water quality.
.
 6.Biodiversity
• Biodiversity is the variability among living
organisms from all sources, including terrestrial,
marine, and other aquatic ecosystems and the
ecological complexes of which they are part; this
includes diversity within species, between
species, and of ecosystems.
• Biodiversity forms the foundation of the vast
array of ecosystem servicesthat critically
contribute to human well-being.
• Biodiversity is important in human-managed
as well as natural ecosystems.
• Decisions humans make that influence
biodiversity affect the well-being of
themselves and others.
• Biodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem
services to which human well-being is
intimately linked.