Engineering: issues, challenges and opportunities for development ...

ENGINEERING FOR DEVELOPMENT: APPLICATIONS AND INFRASTRUCTURE6.1.6Sustainable development andstandards: the constructionindustryRon WatermeyerThe built environmentThe built environment is the physical world that has beenintentionally created by humans through the application ofscience and technology in the control and use of forces andmaterials of nature for the benefit of humanity. It is essentialto almost every aspect of society, national infrastructure andeconomic activity.The building and construction industry plays an importantrole in sustainable development because it is such a key sectorin national economies. The built environment represents alarge share of the economic assets of individuals, organizationsand nations, and it is one of the single largest industrial sectorswith all the consequential aspects of employment, economicimportance and environmental impact. Proper housingand infrastructures are key elements in determining qualityof life and it has a significant interface with poverty reductionthrough the provision of basic services and through thepotential to engage the poor in construction, operation andmaintenance activities.Landuse and materials extraction by the building and constructionindustry accounts for a very large usage of natural resources.Energy use, liquid and solid waste generation, transport of constructionmaterials, and consumption of hazardous materialsare other sources of negative environmental impact from thissector. In OECD countries, buildings are responsible for 25–40per cent of total energy use. In Europe, buildings account for40–45 per cent of energy consumption in society, contributingto significant amounts of carbon dioxide emissions.The evolution of standards for buildingsBuildings providing shelter for humans, animals or propertyof any kind are central to the built environment and the economyof any country in addition to the well-being of its people.Buildings shape and define the environment in which humanslive, work and relax.It is not surprising that building standards have been in placeever since people have been able to capture their thoughts inwriting. The earlest known building code is that of Hammurabi(about 1780 BC), the sixth king of Babylon. In terms of thiscode, builders were required, at their own cost, to make stableany walls that appeared to be unstable prior to the completionof the house and to compensate the owner in the eventof collapse.With urbanization and the erection of many dwelling placesin close proximity to each other came the scourge of fire andhealth risks associated with poor sanitation. Over the centuries,many cities were razed by fire and millions of peopledied as a result of poor sanitary conditions in highly populatedareas. Lawmakers in the nineteenth century developed buildinglaws to improve sanitation and to diminish the outbreaksand disastrous consequences of fires in cities.In the twentieth century, minimum standards for the constructionand maintenance of buildings were developed toprotect public health, safety and general welfare. Issues suchas structural safety and serviceability, fire safety, health andhygiene, moisture penetration, safety, accessibility and usabilitywere addressed.United Nations summitsAgenda 21, which establishes a conceptual framework for sustainableconstruction, flowed out of the 1992 Earth Summitin Rio de Janeiro. The main challenges of sustainable constructionthat emerged from this agenda were:■energy Promoting efficiency: energy saving measures, extensiveretrofit programmes, transport aspects and the use ofrenewable energies.■■■■■Reducing use of high-quality drinking water: relying on rainwaterand grey water, reducing domestic consumption withwater management systems, waterless sanitation systemsand the use of drought resistant plants.Selecting materials on environmental performance: useof renewable materials, reduction of the use of naturalresources and recycling.Contributing to a sustainable urban development: efficientuse of land, design for a long service life, the longevity ofbuildings through adaptability and flexibility, convert existingbuildings, refurbishment, sustainable management ofbuildings, prevention of urban decline and reduction ofsprawl, contribution to employment creation and culturalheritage preservation.Contribution to poverty alleviation.A healthy and safe working environment.The United Nations Millennium Development Declaration,which was launched in 2000, supports the Agenda 21 principlesof sustainable development. However, it acknowledgesthat progress is based on sustainable economic growth, whichmust focus on the poor, with human rights at the centre. TheDeclaration calls for halving the number of people who live onless than one US$1 a day by the year 2015.263