Have you ever said a word over and over until the connection between the meaning and the sound snaps? No? Try it with Sustainability. That is, if it isn’t an arbitrary jumble of syllables for you already.

Because it can mean a lot of things, it is le buzzword du jour. Because it taps into a truly global angst, everybody is jumping on the bandwagon, from top consultants to lightbulb makers.

But it seems to be more than a buzzword, and if it’s a bandwagon, we appear to be in for a long ride, because the fact is that pressure is building from a variety of sources for the industry seriously to incorporate sustainability into its modus operandi. (See ‘Green is go’, page 22.) Contractors will find themselves pushed from behind by government rules and targets. They’ll find themselves prodded from the flanks by campaigners and peer pressure. And, perhaps most profoundly, they’ll find themselves led by the front by clients whose claims of corporate social responsibility (see page 58) filter down to the way they build or extend their fixed assets.

The pressure is hardly as onerous as it might be in China where, by the end of 2010, all cities will be expected to reduce their buildings’ energy use by 50 per cent, and where, by 2020, that figure will be 65 percent. Still, the green vice is tightening in the UK.

Some will oppose “sustainability creep” for reasons that are valid and sometimes not so valid. How much does it cost to reduce the amount of waste generated in the building process, or design buildings for decreased energy use? If it’s extra, who bears it? And how do you do it, for starters? There is also the generalised objection to “more red tape”, an objection that carries a whiff of sanctity but doesn’t always bear close scrutiny. There is also the simple dislike of anything that interrupts the status quo or causes the competitive landscape of the moment to shift.

Despite the valid objections, we feel the pressure of sustainability is real, and welcome. As a balanced part of an effective forward-looking strategy it would be a good idea for the industry to become conversant with the issues and develop a receptive frame of mind.

Ready? Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability, sustainability ...

Source

Construction Manager