Further considerations include containment and contamination control, building security and opening times (e.g.
This means materials can be selected on their environmental merits.At the end of the building’s life, materials can be correctly reused and disposed of due to the knowledge of the material.. 3D printing building components enables exact shapes to be manufactured, improving accuracy and reducing waste for more sustainable construction..
Virtual reality can be used to create replicas of buildings and spaces so the client and building users can experience a building before construction.This means modifications can be made to the design to improve it, reducing the likelihood of post-completion changes and the associated material usage..Product as a service.
Product hire allows products to be used multiple times during their life across a number of different buildings and applications.This means the product is used more times over its life, making it more worthwhile to manufacture and reducing the number needed, which equates to a more sustainable construction practice.. Take-back schemes, where manufacturers and suppliers will take back products and materials at the end of their life, enable waste to be minimised and known materials to be recycled within the production process.
This reduces raw material requirements for new products.. Minimise impact and waste for sustainable construction.
Use low impact materials by considering the environmental impact at specification stage, alongside cost and technical considerations.So how do we accelerate?.
The drivers for change in this arena need themselves to change, in reality and in dialogue.. With tough and uncertain trading conditions, drivers which do not put economics at the centre of things, risk becoming marginalised.The aims of efficiency, intensification, recycling and waste reduction, if applied correctly, are directly shared with improving today’s economics.
In an arena where regulation and taxation will be aligned to carbon reduction, there is also a strategic necessity for long-term profitability.Framing the drivers in this way would chime much more favourably with shareholders, boardrooms, and in the political arena.. Economics are certainly the key driver in the generics manufacturers who operate in price-sensitive markets.