Chap IV.

CONCEPTS OF
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Civ418 _ Quality – Safety & Environmental Management
Dr Ines Ngassam – Dr Mwebi
A. Concept of sustainable development
 Sustainable development is development that meets
the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

 Sustainability is a social goal about the ability of people

to co-exist on Earth over a long time.

 Experts often describe sustainability as having three

dimensions (or pillars). These are environmental,
economic, and social.

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A. Concept of sustainable development
 Experts often describe sustainability as having three
dimensions (or pillars). These are environmental,
economic, and social.

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A. Concept of sustainable development

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A. Concept of sustainable development

THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)

https://sdgs.un.org/goals
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B. Sustainable development in construction
 The sustainable construction is “the practice of
creating structures and using processes that are
environmentally responsible and resource-efficient
throughout a building’s lifecycle, from siting to design,
construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and
deconstruction.”

 DO NOT CONFUSE WITH GREEN HOUSE !!!

A greenhouse is a structure which allows people to regulate
climatic conditions, such as temperature and humidity.

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B. Sustainable development in construction
6 Sustainable construction methods
1. Lean construction => a collaborative approach to project delivery in
which all stakeholders work together to optimize the project, minimizing waste
wherever possible.
2. Prefab, Modular, and Industrialized Construction
3. Sustainable Construction Materials
4. Carbon-Reduction Tools => Embodied Carbon in Construction
Calculator (EC3) tool
5. Circular Construction => economy approaches design and building
with the intention to reduce, reuse, and recycle as many resources as possible.
6. BIM (Building Information Modeling)
Sustainable Construction: 6 Methods for Greener Construction (autodesk.com)
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B. Sustainable development in construction
Green Building (green construction or sustainable building)
Refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally
responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planning to design,
construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition.

 Requires a cooperation of all: the contractor, the architects, the engineers, and the client at
all project stages.

 Every aspect stage and aspect of the project are concerned:

 Siting and structure design efficiency

 Energy efficiency => Low-energy house
 Water efficiency => water conservation
 Materials efficiency
 Indoor environmental quality enhancement
 Operations and maintenance optimization
 Waste reduction
 Reduce impact onto electricity network

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C. Environmental impacts Assessment
 The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process of
predicting and evaluating the environmental hazard & impact of a proposed
project or development schemes, taking into account co-related socio-
economic, culture, and impacts due to human activity, both beneficial and
adverse effects.

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D. Carbon management
Carbon management…
 … is an organized approach to measure, reduce,
and manage gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide,
from various sources and activities.
 … can involve technologies, practices, policies, markets,
and metrics that aim to mitigate the potential impacts of
emissions on climate systems and enhance the removal of
greenhouse gases from the atmosphere

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D. Carbon management

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E. Waste management & treatment
 Waste management or waste disposal includes the
processes and actions required to manage waste from its
inception to its final disposal.

 This includes the collection, transport, treatment and

disposal of waste, together with monitoring and
regulation of the waste management process and
waste-related laws, technologies, economic mechanisms.

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E. Waste management & treatment
Principles of waste management

Waste hierarchy

 Classification waste management strategies according to

their desirability in terms of waste minimisation.

 7 R’s – Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,

Regulate, and Research.

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E. Waste management & treatment
Principles of waste management

Product life-cycle

The product life cycle is the amount of time a product goes

from being introduced into the market until it’s taken off
from the market.

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E. Waste management & treatment
Product life-cycle – the stages

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E. Waste management & treatment
Product life-cycle – the stages

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E. Waste management & treatment
Product life-cycle – the stages

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E. Waste management & treatment
Product life-cycle – the stages

Base on the environmental impacts Base on the persons involved

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E. Waste management & treatment
Product life-cycle – Example: concrete

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E. Waste management & treatment
Product life-cycle – Example: Concrete

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E. Waste management & treatment
Principles of waste management

Resource efficiency

The understanding that global economic growth and

development can not be sustained at current production
and consumption patterns.

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