Sustainability in construction
Tata Steel is committed to promoting sustainable construction and is addressing a wide range of issues as part of a co-ordinated strategy. The following principles have been developed as a framework to help promote sustainable development.
Ethical and social responsibility
Flexible and adaptable designs
Functional performance and social impact
Architects and building designers should consider the environmental impacts of the construction process stages. Emissions to air, water and land, together with waste and noise should be minimised through the adoption of adequate controls and environmental management systems.
Tata Steel is the UK’s largest commercial user of rail freight and we transfer freight traffic from road to rail wherever it is economically and operationally feasible.
The Colorcoat® manufacturing site at Shotton in North Wales contains two sites of Special Scientific Interest within its boundaries, demonstrating an ability to manage our operations and their environmental impact without compromising biodiversity.
Businesses, at each point in the materials manufacture, construction and demolition stages, should adopt good practices with regard to the social well-being, safety and training of employees and local communities. Policies and procedures should be in place to monitor and set targets for improvements. Examples of these include transparency of employee rights, staff retention rates, equal opportunities, the provision of adequate pension schemes and involvement with community initiatives and environmental groups.
When specifying, architects and building designers should consider materials and structural systems which allow flexibility and adaptability to meet future changes to the building function and also to facilitate re-use and recycling of materials at end of life. These aspects will assist with economic impacts and the prudent use of resources throughout the building life-cycle.
Pre-finished steel is easily refurbished to extend a buildings functional lifetime and is itself ideally suited to refurbishment projects.
Steel frames manufactured by Tata Steel are readily re-used.
Buildings should add to the quality of life by providing the right combination of aesthetic appeal, functionality and ergonomics to serve an intended purpose. Occupants should have a feeling of well-being and security – for example, through efficient use of space, lighting and ventilation. Aspects of the building productivity and other social interactions should be addressed in the design.
Tata Steel works closely with designers to develop sustainable solutions such as the Innovative Logistics distribution centre, Hertfordshire which has gained a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating.
Repertoire® allows designers to specify Colorcoat HPS200® Ultra and Colorcoat Prisma® in virtually any colour, allowing freedom to improve the built environment.
The whole supply chain needs information to help informed decision-making including environmental data on operations, products and services. Tata Steel regularly publishes details about our environmental performance.
The industry should develop innovative, cost-effective solutions, which improve the quality of life, for example to provide housing and safe dwellings in areas of social deprivation, and maintain a physical and social infrastructure, which will meet the needs of whole communities in the longer term.
Designs should be efficient in their use of resources and energy, minimise waste, and consider other environmental issues such as preservation of bio-diversity with regard to building materials, the construction process, through-life use and end-of-life re-use or recycling.
Lightweight steel structures require fewer and lighter foundations to support them, whilst the long-spans that are possible mean that the building can provide and open, flexible space, which is easy to reconfigure with changes in use.
The energy used in the production of steel has fallen by 40% since 1970.
At the design stage, consideration should be given to the through-life-costing of the building, including the costs of manufacture, construction, operation, dismantling and disposal.
Tata Steel has researched and published information which compares the effect of pre-finished steel and other materials on life-cycle costs. The full report ‘Insite on Life Cycle Costs’ is available from this page.
Transparent, validated reporting of financial economic, social and environmental issues should be adopted, encouraging openness and fair business practice.
Tata Steel regularly publishes comprehensive information about our performance in key areas such as safety and the environment. Tata Steel has researched and published information about how Colorcoat® products perform throughout their life. The full report ‘Insite on Environmental Impact’ is available from this page.
