The British Governments Strategy in the Implementation of the Plan in the Construction Industry - Case Study Example

The British government’s strategy in the implementation of the Plan and sustainability criteria in the construction industry Introduction The Strategy for Sustainable Construction (2008) outlines the way the construction industry in the UK should follow for it to be sustainable. The construction industry is strategically placed and important in its role of bring sustainable development to the UK (UK Government, 2012). The UK government has a construction strategy for its construction industry and in particular for construction works procured by government. In the recent past the UK has witnessed a rise in the sustainability of buildings in areas such as wastes production and disposal, energy efficiency and water use. The UK government strategy for sustainable construction has been successful but also unsuccessful in some areas. Some authors say that the efforts made do not take a holistic approach to the issues of sustainability and that they fail to recognize and address the scale of the problem. The focus of this essay is to discuss the issues surrounding sustainability and the British Government over the application of sustainability standards in the construction industry. Background and rationale The construction industry in the UK is very important. It has an output of more than £110bn a year. It contributes 9 percent of Gross Value Added and employs more than 3 million people. It contributes 8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the UK. One of the major clients of the construction industry is the public sector since it procures approximately one third of constructions (HM Government, 2008). With all its importance to the economy, the construction industry was found to be a major contributor to economical, social and environmental problems in the UK. The construction industry produces infrastructure such as roads, sea defenses and harbors, private homes, commercial and public buildings all of which impact on environmental sustainability levels in the UK. Based on research, buildings produce more than one half of the carbon emissions in the UK, account for 50 percent of water consumption, approximately a third of wastes taken to landfills and 13 percent of the raw materials used in the United Kingdoms (Thompson, & Sorvig, 2007, 57). Environmental targets are difficult to meet if the impact of construction of infrastructure and buildings on the environment is not reduced substantially. The way of designing and building should therefore be changed. Poor waste disposal practices, excessive energy and water use were some of the issues contributing to sustainability problems in the construction Industry. The strategy is very important because the construction industry in the UK must reduce its carbon production and use of non renewable resources drawn from the environment. Excessive use of energy contributes to a huge a mount of carbon emissions. Sustainable methods of construction minimize environmental damage that results from construction and occupied buildings. They reduce the use of energy, production of wastes and environmental pollution, and maximize recycling and re use. It is obvious that most of the sustainable methods help to create sustainability in economic and social activities (Thompson, & Sorvig, 2007, 88). The UK government having realized the role played by the construction industry, and its potential to contribute to sustainable development came up with the Strategy for Sustainable Construction. The aim of this strategy is to drive ahead the agenda of sustainable construction through provision of clarity over the available policy framework. It signals the direction of government policy and gives guidance on the steps to be taken to achieve the aims. The agenda of sustainability in construction has the aim of increasing profits through efficient use of resources, firms taking up opportunities given by sustainable methods of operation and sustainable products and improving corporate profile and image by dealing with matters of Corporate and Social Responsibility. The strategy therefore has a shared realization over the need for major changes in sustainability standards in the construction industry (HM Government, 2008). Role of key government strategies and legalization in delivering Sustainable Construction Government strategies and legalizations have major roles in bring about sustainable construction. They help the construction industry and the other players in the economy to realize the importance of sustainability in construction and the position the government is taking in matters of sustainability in construction. The government and construction industry in the UK came up with the Strategy for Sustainable Construction and the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy as its key strategies for sustainable construction. The aim of these strategies is to have new homes with zero carbon as from the year 2016. The necessity for sustainability in the construction industry is brought about by the fact that constructions and building impact the environment negatively. Another strategy is the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy. The low carbon industrial strategy has great significance in the UK as far as sustainable construction is concerned. The strategy aims to bring about improvement in whole life value by promoting best practice in procurement of constructions and integrating the supply side (Kibert, 2007, 45). It also improves whole life integration by promoting the adoption of commitments to construction in the entire chain of supply and within the private and public sectors. It also promotes good design of buildings which is also important in sustainable construction. Good design ensures that it is possible to make infrastructure, buildings and public spaces and that they are suitable for their purpose, are efficient with resources, and are sustainable, attractive, resilient and adaptable. The strategy defines how design quality assessment tools can be used fully on buildings, public spaces and infrastructure. The strategy also helps to enhance the ability of the industry to make innovations and improve on sustainability in the process of construction and its finished products (Great Britain: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2005, 41). The main objective of the strategy is to help workers and business people in the UK equip themselves in order to optimize economic opportunities and reduce the costs considerably. The strategy gives the scale of the opportunities and state programs for helping firms in UK to get them. The strategy also outlines how Britain could turn the strengths available into benefit. The strategy shows the areas in which there is market failure and where government needs to act. The role of this Strategy for sustainable construction is to increase the clarity of the current policies and those to be made in the future. It provides clarity on policy framework and at the same time gives direction on policies made by government. The strategy is aimed at attaining the targets of sustainable construction by creating target areas called means and ends. The strategy is important in the construction industry because it focuses on the realization of sustainable construction. This is possible through provision of clarity to various businesses on the stand of the government by collecting many different initiatives and rules related to matters of sustainability (HM Government, 2008). It also commits to high standards that can be used to reach sustainability in particular areas, engaging in particular commitments by both the construction industry and the government so that the goal of sustainable construction can be taken to the next level. The strategy promotes leadership and change in behavior while it brings gain to the economy and the construction industry (Great Britain Parliament - Environmental Audit Committee 2004, 23). Another strategy is the Sustainable Procurement National Action Plan which was developed and published by the UK government to create sustainable procurement with the aim of stimulating innovation by public procurement. In sustainable procurement, organizations get services, goods, utilities and works in a manner that gives them value for the money they spend, benefits the economy and the organizations involved and minimizes environmental destruction (HM Government, 2008). Critical evaluation of whether the outlined approach will address the scale of the problem and recommendations where improvements can be made The approach that the government has outlined will address most of the issues associated with sustainability in construction. It is however important to note here that the approach does not address the scale of the problem. Generally though, using strategies to improve sustainability is effective since it encourages the construction industry to change the way they operate for the benefit of the environment and the economy. However, the approach of the government may not be able to deliver full results since it is does not take care of some important aspects of sustainability in the construction industry (Hendriks, 2001, 213). There are cases of success of the approach already being witnessed. For example, the formation of strategies by the British government in the recent past has made the standards of building for commercial and domestic buildings to rise in terms of their sensitivity to sustainability. New developments in the building sector have high efficiency for energy, water use and methods of waste disposal. The government approach has also triggered the creation of schemes like the Code for sustainable Homes currently in Northern Island, England and Wales. This is geared at increasing the performance of housing in terms of sustainability (Great Britain: National Audit Office, 2007, 12). However the approach may not be as comprehensive as expected and a few changes may need to be made on some part of the strategy and its implementation process. The approach taken by the government is incomplete in certain things. It does not consider all the issues involved in sustainability when it comes to constructions. Its solution does not touch on all the important areas. For example, it trivializes plans to do with the renovation of construction sites that had been built previously. Development of Brownfield and retrofit lands has not received priority in the approach of government yet they are important in sustainability programs. It could be better if the British Government decides to revise its approach and invite expert advice on construction and sustainability matters. Through that holistic approach should be a adopted to address the issue of sustainability in construction. The government should give particular attention to sites that were previously built but have become derelict. These should be renovated into new and sustainable buildings (Halliday, 2012, 76). Conclusion In conclusion, the essay focuses on discussing the British government’s strategy for sustainable construction and other strategies. Because of the need to control the economic, social and environmental problems resulting from pollution of the environment and depletion of natural resources, the British government decided to work with the construction industry in a strategy for sustainable construction. The construction industry contributes to a huge percentage of environmental pollution. The strategies developed by the government are effective. They help the construction industry to take responsibility for their actions and to step up their efforts of improving on their sustainability levels. Strategies remind people of the position taken by the government in matters of sustainability and its plans and policies for the same in the future. The approach the UK government took of developing strategies is a good one. The only problem is that the strategies seem not to be covering all the areas as would be expected. These strategies should be revised and consultations made with various stake holders so that a comprehensive plan and policies can be created to guide matters of sustainability. However the British government should be applauded for taking the initiative to develop strategies for purposes of sustainability in the construction industry. Bibliography Great Britain Parliament - Environmental Audit Committee (2004). The Sustainable Development Strategy: Illusion or Reality. TSO Shop. Great Britain: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2005). The UK Government Sustainable Development Agency. TSO Shop. Great Britain: National Audit Office (2007). Building for The Future. Sustainable Construction and Refurbishment of the Government Estate. TSO Shop. Halliday, S. (2012). Sustainable Construction. Routledge.  Hendriks, F. (2001). Sustainable Construction. John Wiley & Sons. HM Government (2008).Strategy for Sustainable Construction. Available at http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file46535.pdf Kibert, C.J., (2007). Sustainable Design: Green Building Design and Delivery. Cengage. Thompson, W.J.,  Sorvig, K. (2007). Sustainable Landscape Construction: A Guide to Green Building Outdoors. JHU Press. UK Government (2012). Available at https://www.gov.uk/ Read More