The sustainable specification
Sustainability in building design and specification covers factors which have an effect on social, economic and environmental impacts and considers these throughout the lifetime of the project. To help understand this and develop the sustainable specification, two frameworks, the "sustainable loop" and the "three dimensions of sustainability" can be applied.
The two frameworks, taken together, provide a comprehensive assessment of a particular product. In terms of both economic and environmental impact, they give rise to the models of Life-Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) which provide a quantitative measure of sustainability.
The sustainable loop
In any evaluation of a product’s sustainability credentials, it is important to consider the whole lifetime of that product – from cradle to cradle. The sustainable loop provides an overview of all stages of a products life from raw materials through to utilisation in a building and end of life.
The three dimensions of sustainability
To assess the sustainable credentials of a construction product, it is important to consider each of these three performance dimensions over the whole lifecycle of the building and throughout the sustainable loop.
Life cycle costing and Colorcoat®
To demonstrate the economics of product choice, Corus has carried out extensive research in collaboration with Oxford Brookes University and Sworn King Partners (quantity surveyors) to compare the effect of pre-finished steel and other materials on life-cycle costs.
Life cycle analysis and Colorcoat®
Corus has carried out a comprehensive LCA study of pre-finished steel, comparing Colorcoat® products to assess their impact on a wide range of environmental indicators. The full report ‘Insite on Environmental Impact’ is available from this page.
Pulling together the sustainable specification
To assess the suitability of a particular product for a ‘sustainable specification’ consideration of both the sustainable loop and the three dimensions of sustainability is a sensible starting point.
Breeam guidance
BREEAM (Buildings Research Establishment’s (BRE) Environmental Assessment Method) is the UK’s leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings and has become the de facto UK standard...
