Module Information:

The module covers a broad range of topic areas beginning with how humankind has impacted on the environment and includes, but is not restricted to, the production of greenhouse gases, depletion and use of material resources, destruction of natural habitats and our dependence on fossil fuels for energy generation. Having established the ‘problems’ and ‘challenges’ that climate change, resource depletion, rapid urbanisation and population growth present we will then consider how we need to mitigate and adapt with specific reference to buildings, cities and infrastructure. This includes, for example, the benefits that green and blue infrastructure can bring in terms of habitat creation, flood management and creating recreational space that positively contributes to physical and mental health.

Aims:

The aim of this module is to give an overview of the challenges being faced by the world today due to changing climate and increasingly diminishing resources and specifically the impact this has on the construction industry. To consider the whole of the construction lifecycle and how development can be environmentally less impactful whilst benefitting the lives of those that live within it.

Objectives: 

To describe the causes of anthropogenic climate change and assess the impact of greenhouse gases including the contribution of the construction sector
	To explain the implications of different developments in the terms of environmental, social and economic sustainability
	To be able to give examples of zero and near zero carbon design
	To assess the implications of different materials’ choices and building methods in the context of sustainability
	To be able to suggest suitable tools such as appropriate assessment methods to make developments and buildings more sustainable
	To evaluate the suitability of regulatory and fiscal mechanisms for controlling climate change and driving sustainable construction
Learning Outcomes: 

The implications of climate change and to analyse its impact on the global economy
	The construction sectors contribution to climate change
	The methods of more environmentally sound designs which takes in account the need to mitigate and adapt in a changing climate
	The positive impact that blue and green infrastructure can make in terms of environmental, economic and social sustainability
	The impact of life cycle costs including the impact of different materials
	The tools that may be used to help evaluate the efficiency of buildings
	The environmental soundness of a development proposal
	The role and production of environmental impact assessments
	The issues involved in the re-use of land, surveying of land and land remediation
	The use and success of the political and legal drivers of change
Content:

During the first term, we will look at the evidence supporting anthropogenic climate change and the impact this is having locally and globally on the planet. We will consider the part played by construction and the built environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Other challenges such as population growth, resource depletion, pollution and waste generation, will also be looked at in the context of the environment we live in. The concepts of sustainability, sustainable development, the triple-bottom line of economic, environmental and social sustainability will be considered from theoretical and practical perspectives. The part fiscal and regulatory mechanisms for reducing climate change will be specifically examined in the context of construction and how practice is impacted.

Changing climate is presenting the UK and the rest of the world with a number of challenges; on a local level flooding is becoming a more frequent occurrence. We will look at why flooding is such a problem and the aggravating factors such as poorly planned urbanisation. The use of sustainable drainage systems, planning, the incorporation of green and blue infrastructure will be studied in the context of mitigating against future extreme weather events and rising sea levels.

Energy generation is one of the primary causes of carbon dioxide emissions. We will examine traditional forms of energy generation and how these may be made cleaner through carbon capture technologies, consider the advantages and disadvantages of investing in technologies such as nuclear and look at the place of renewable technologies. Building on knowledge gained in the first year we will consider the use of materials’ resources, embodied energy and the use of materials from an eco-design, circular economy and life-cycle perspective.

In the second term, we will continue to explore design solutions that provide more energy efficient buildings and also study how we can future proof buildings and developments accepting the climate is changing and therefore the need for mitigation and adaptation. Case study examples from the UK and abroad will be considered examining what is possible and what lessons may be learned. On a micro scale, individual buildings will be examined from the perspective of achieving near zero and zero carbon, what this means and how it may be measured or rated through such schemes as BREEAM or LEED. The challenge of adapting the existing building stock will be looked at in the context of UK housing. The world is becoming more urban and many countries like the UK need to provide affordable and sustainable housing and associated infrastructure. We will consider sustainable urban living and the part high-density development can play through case studies including Hammarby Sjöstad, Sweden and Central Park, Australia. We will also look at how smart technologies are being integrated into new and existing cities both from a top down perspective, for example Oyster cards, and bottom up through app development. We will also look at transit-oriented design and the need to encourage people away from cars onto methods of mass transport such as buses, trams and trains with the associated benefits of reduced air pollution, as less vehicles on the roads as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions

From a company perspective sustainability is increasingly a required core value and therefore it will be looked at in the context of corporate social responsibility and from a more philosophical and ethical standpoint. We will touch upon ecology and the benefits that the integration of green space and wildlife into developments can bring in terms social and environmental sustainability. For larger projects, we will also consider the use of environmental impact assessments including the stages of the process and the benefits it can bring. Finally, the historical means by which land has been contaminated will be examined and then the processes of land remediation; alongside the methods of clean-up it will also be considered in the context of the economic, social and environmental benefits.

Essential Reading

Chakrabarti, V. (2013) A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America, New York: Distributed Art Publishers

Desai, P. (2009) One Planet Communities: A Real-Life Guide to Sustainable Living, Chichester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Edwards, B. (2013) Rough guide to sustainability: A design primer, 4th Ed. London: RIBA Enterprises

Mutter (2020) Climate Change Science: A Primer for Sustainable Development, New York: Columbia University Press

Neufeldt, H. & Hulme, M. (2009) Making Climate Change Work for Us: European Perspectives on Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Usher, Brian (2019) Renewable energy: a primer for the twenty-first century, New York: Columbia University Press