{"id":105839,"date":"2022-02-15T16:27:54","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T16:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=105839"},"modified":"2022-02-15T16:27:54","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T16:27:54","slug":"environmentally-friendly-construction-and-demolition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/energy-news\/environmentally-friendly-construction-and-demolition\/105839\/","title":{"rendered":"Environmentally friendly construction and demolition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ben Griffiths, SHE and operations director, Rye Group,<\/a> looks at the ways construction and demolition companies are keeping their operations environmentally friendly, despite the perception that they can do little to be green<\/h2>\n

In the eyes of the public, the relationship between demolition and the environment<\/a> is simple, straightforward, and \u2013 in a word \u2013 detrimental. This isn\u2019t an unreasonable assumption, by any means. Demolition is, as the name implies, destructive, and the most striking visual representations of the industry \u2013 explosions and wrecking balls leaving dust and wreckage in their wake \u2013 aren\u2019t necessarily linked with environmental friendliness.<\/p>\n

On top of that, there\u2019s now a deeper awareness of less visible environmental impacts, with the emissions associated with demolition (and subsequent rebuilding) contributing to this perception of the industry as unsustainable. This is, as I say, a completely reasonable perception of the industry.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s always room for continued movement towards sustainability in every sector, and that goal takes on the flavour of urgency in demolition \u2013 especially when, according to a new report from Christian Aid, 2021\u2019s ten costliest climate disasters<\/a> caused damage in the region of \u00a3120bn. However, there is an important distinction between perceptions of demolition and the (far more sustainable) reality.<\/p>\n

Between environmentally conscious practices, nuanced carbon-based decision-making, and the disposal of environmental hazards, the industry is being driven forwards in potentially surprising \u2013 and often sustainable \u2013 ways.<\/p>\n

A balancing act for embodied carbon<\/h3>\n

The relationship between demolition and carbon<\/a> is a prime example of how demolition can play a part in unexpected acts of sustainability. Built environments are, of course, a huge contributor to emissions on a global scale \u2013 causing as much as 39% of all carbon emissions, in fact, according to a 2019 report from the World Green Building Council.<\/p>\n

Of particular interest to the demolition industry is \u201cembodied carbon,\u201d which makes up 11% of those emissions. Embodied carbon, in brief, refers to any carbon emissions produced from the materials and construction of a given building (as opposed to \u201coperational carbon,\u201d which refers to the emissions produced while maintaining the building).<\/p>\n

By demolishing a building, the story goes, all of that embodied carbon can be seen as wasted \u2013 a carbon footprint has been established in aid of a structure that now no longer exists. Obviously, this perception of demolition does nothing to prevent perceptions of unsustainability. The reality, however, is far more nuanced.<\/p>\n

A 2021 report from the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) found that, with sufficient attention to detail, demolishing structures to make way for rebuilding efforts isn\u2019t an extravagant waste of embodied carbon, but a temporary sacrifice in aid of creating \u201csomething that is going to be operationally more efficient and a nicer place to be (in terms of well-being and social value).\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s also worth noting that many firms are now turning to low-emission methods via, for example, the adoption of biofuels like HVO, meaning that the embodied carbon of any replacement buildings will be lower \u2013 another vital counterweight to add to the balancing act described in the UKGBC report.<\/p>\n

In this light, demolition is a vital cog in a machine designed to produce long-term efficiencies, reducing carbon emissions and improving wellbeing while clearing the way for more sustainable, low-emissions buildings to stand for years to come.<\/p>\n

Reuse, recycling, and hazardous materials<\/h3>\n

The UKGBC\u2019s report contributes to a larger dialogue over the relative merits of rebuilding versus reusing and refurbishing existing buildings \u2013 a debate which, as we\u2019ve seen, offers opportunities for demolition projects that contribute towards sustainable goals.<\/p>\n

Turning to the subject of reuse, however, it\u2019s clear that similarly sustainable principles are already folded into existing and always-improving demolition practices. After all, as the report suggests, \u201creuse\u201d can refer either to existing structures or \u2013 crucially \u2013 existing materials. And, in fact, the demolition industry is already remarkably thorough when it comes to the question of recycling during the course of the demolition process.<\/p>\n

Not only is 90% of all construction and demolition waste (CDW) currently recycled \u2013 for example by being turned into aggregates and employed on roads \u2013 but the government\u2019s Resources and Waste Strategy has set us on a path to the full elimination of avoidable waste within the next 30 years: a fact which doesn\u2019t necessarily gel with the plumes of dust with which demolition is often associated.<\/p>\n

Of course, certain materials can\u2019t be recycled \u2013 especially if those materials pose a threat to people and the environment due to their toxic or hazardous nature. Whether those materials take the form of industrial acids, asbestos, or even \u2013 as the HSE warns \u2013 microbiological hazards, the disposal of this kind of waste transforms demolition firms from explosive-wielding producers of waste to vital agents in the process of decontaminating and disposing of severe threats to the environment and to public health.<\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t mean that the industry should veer too far towards self-congratulations \u2013 there are always plenty more miles to travel on the road towards sustainability. These examples do, however, underscore a very clear gap between public perceptions of demolition\u2019s environmental impact and the nuanced reality of our service.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ben Griffiths, SHE and operations director, Rye Group, looks at the ways construction and demolition companies are keeping their operations environmentally friendly, despite the perception that they can do little to be green.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[307],"tags":[676,114,279,172727,465],"stakeholder_rel_tag":[],"contributor_rel_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-105839","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-energy-news","7":"tag-construction","8":"tag-demolition","9":"tag-environment","10":"tag-featured","11":"tag-sustainable-construction"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEnvironmentally friendly construction and 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