sustainable development
“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
two key concepts in sustainable development
- the concept of needs (in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given)
- the idea of limitations (imposed by the state of technology and social organisation on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs)
defnition of resilient
“the ability of a system to withstand disruption and continue to function and develop”
- adding further that “resilient infrastructure is a low carbon infrastructure”
- falls short to mention water, nutrients, … holistic approach required
Principles of sustainability
- maintain the system within the limits of natural capital
- maintain environmental life support services and the assimilative capacity of the environment
- maintain human activity within the carrying capacity of the environment
- support an equitable, healthy and prosperous society
- account for the present and future generations
sustainable infrastructure assets have
” a long useful life, with minimum reliance on non-renewable resources, which minimise impacts on society and the environment, and which benefit, rather than endanger, economic prosperity in the long term”
Green Infrastructure
- buildings
- landscape
- hardscape
- water
Buildings : Green infrastructure
- green roofs
- green walls
Landscape : Green infrastructure
- bioretention
- green streets
- rain gardens
Hardscape : Green infrastructure
- pervious pavements
- perforated pipe and overflow inlets
Water : Green infrastructure
- condensate harvesting
- rain harvesting
- gray water harvesting
- passive irrigation
Sustainability drivers and issues
- transparency / stakeholders
- social license to operate
- sustainability performance and reporting
social license to operate
” the ability of an organisation to carry on its business because of the confidence society has that it will behave in a legitimate, accountable, and socially and environmentally acceptable way”
Emerging use of tools
- greenhouse gas inventories / life cycle assessments
- strategic sustainability assessments / baseline studies
- multi-criteria analysis / decision support
- project sustainability measures / rating tools
- product lifecycle
- carbon footprinting
- supply chain
sustainability rating tools for buildings
well established environmental and sustainability schemes
- UK: BREEAM launched in 1990
- US: LEED launched in 2000
- Aus/NZ: Greenstar launched in 2003 and 2007 respectively
sustainability rating tools for civil engineering infrastructure
- UK: CEEQUAL
- US: Greenroads, Envision
- Aus: IS
- NZ: Emergence
Green Star
- range of rating tools for buildings
- aims for best practice: beyond compliance
- over 100 rated buildings in New Zealand
- 3rd party verification
Green Roads
- rating tool for design and construction of roads
- aims for best practice: beyond compliance
- used by NZTA
- 3rd party verification
- US based
IS (Infrastructure Sustainability)
- rating tool for design, construction and operations of all infrastructure types
- aims for best practice: beyond compliance
- 3rd party verification
- piloted by Waterfront Auckland, Auckland Transport, and Auckland Airport
- developed in Australia 2012: in New Zealand in 2014
Rating Tool Benefits
- common language for sustainability in infrastructure
- consistent application and evaluation of sustainability in tendering process
- scoping whole-of-life sustainability risks for projects and assets, enabling smarter solutions that reduce risks and costs
- fosters resource efficiency and waste reduction
- fosters innovation and continuous improvement
- builds an organisation’s credentials and reputation in its approach to sustainability in infrastructure
Sustainability and designers
- consider sustainability (and resilience) in your designs
- investigate new technologies/thinking
- see the system as a whole
- take practical actions at an early stage
