Delivering effective Waste Minimisation - Wrap

18 Delivering effective Waste Minimisation
2.1.3 Communication throughout
the design process
Those opportunities to reduce waste identified
in the communication section are of particular
importance during the development of the
design. In particular, designers should be
encouraged to:
engage with contractors and their
subcontractors;
commit to the development of a waste
minimisation strategy (where the SWMP
is not being developed);
put waste on the agenda at design team
meetings so that it can be discussed
openly; and
hold waste minimisation workshops
to specifically target areas of waste.
2.1.4 Change management
Changes to design and construction can occur
at any stage of a project and regularly result in
increased waste due to completed work having
to be modified. Avoiding change, or at least
managing the change process effectively, is
an important aspect of waste minimisation.
Figure 2.2: Comparison of a simple building (i.e. cube) with
a complex building
For example, a square
box structure should
have less waste than
a complex structure.
Almost all interfaces
require materials to
be cut, and every cut
results in waste.
Below are some recommendations which will
help reduce the impact or likelihood of design
changes.
Design Freezes – Freezing designs at
critical milestones can help to ensure that
previous decisions are not revisited and
good work is not undone unnecessarily.
Designers do face difficulties in limiting
design changes due to client or site
pressures. However, the issue of waste
and sustainability should add strength
to the design freeze logic.
Design for change – Successful waste
minimisation can be achieved by using
designs that accommodate flexibility of
materials’ usage. Consider materials that
can be used for more than one purpose
and minimising the range of materials
used to accommodate change in material
usage. For example – to provide flexibility
on site, consider limiting the range of
materials used so that there is flexibility
to use materials in different areas.
2.1.5 Preventing the need for change
Clearly defined objectives from the client on
what the design is required to achieve can
help prevent changes being required due to
misunderstandings. A lack of awareness may
result in changes to the design having to be
made later on in the contract. If changes are
absolutely necessary then the consequences
of these changes upon other aspects of the
work should be carefully considered. Early
contractor involvement can help identify where
conflict may arise, and if change is necessary,
the best way of performing such alterations.
Regular monitoring during construction to
ensure that work undertaken is to the required
standard can prevent changes being needed
once the construction is finished.
2.1.6 Design with existing resources
Where the site has a stock of materials that
can be used (aggregates, reclaimed materials,
existing buildings, services or roads) the
designer should employ forward thinking and
consider how these may be accommodated
into the new design. Often creative reuse of
existing elements can positively contribute
to the finished building, whether as an
architectural statement or simply as
engineering fill. For more information please
see WRAP, The efficient use of materials in
regeneration projects.
2.1.7 Designing for site conditions
Site conditions should be adequately
considered during the design phase. Where
it is known that the site will face particular
constraints which may impact on waste, then
the design should accommodate strategies
to manage this.
For example, if the site is extremely
tight and the chance of materials damage
subsequently increased then the potential
for offsite manufacture could be considered.
Also, if the site is known to suffer poor
weather, designing the works so that
materials will be protected makes sense.
For more information, please see WRAP,
Achieving good practice Waste Minimisation
and Management.