Environmental Impact on Construction Projects
The construction sector is probably one of the biggest and most dynamic segments of the industry today. This segment of the industry thrives even during the depression and provides direct as well as indirect employment to a major chunk of the population. (Ayarkwa, 2010) Nevertheless, the construction activity which has benefitted a vast majority has its share of negatives from an environmental perspective. One has to admit that it is one of the principal causes of pollution, second only to the automobile industry when it comes to polluting the planet. The environmental impact is so hazardous that it could deteriorate the health of workers and sometimes causes loss of life. Keeping these factors in mind, there is emphasis given to environmental factors which constitute a part of planning for constructing projects. The waste management and disposal methods are to be carefully chalked out as well, as this hugely impacts the Earth’s environment at large. The report intends to evaluate the environmental factors impacting the construction industry as well as the environmentally sustainable waste management and disposal methods.
Planning and Designing
In construction projects, while planning the amenities, it is essential to align design with construction and vice versa to ensure an integrated system. While design helps create the depiction of a new facility through detailed plans as well as specifications; construction planning involves ascertaining activities and resources needed to transform the design into a corporal reality. Thus, construction is simply the execution of the approved design by architects and engineers. (Hendrickson, 1989) Environmental effects on the Project are basically the risks of natural threats which could be triggered by the project design and its immediate environment which could severely affect the project schedule as well as costs.
Environmental Factors affecting Construction project
Climatic changes impact the ecosystem in the form of desertification and severe flooding. Hence, it is a factor that cannot be ignored during construction project planning. Regular rains as well as hostile weather conditions could delay the project and hence can be considered the most substantial impact of climate change on project planning. Second would be the significantly-high insurance premium for ventures that fall within the regions that are vulnerable to floods.
Energy Consumption – The stress upon energy consumption and the greenhouse gas emission from the same has resulted in the concept of green architecture and the designing of green buildings. (Ahn et al., 2010) Green architecture lays emphasis on the conservation of energy through green buildings that emit lesser greenhouse gases, consume lesser energy, and less water, thus providing a healthier environment to its occupants. It would be prudent to promote the construction of earth structures as they emit lesser polluting gases, consume lesser energy, and provide sufficient comfort within, irrespective of the scorching heat outside. Its utility could be harnessed and leveraged using modern technology to produce a new-age building that needs no mechanical air-conditioning. (Iwuagwu and Elijah, 2015)
Weather Temperature is undoubtedly the most crucial climatic factor influencing climate designing. The design of the building as well as the materials to be used is decided keeping in mind the maximum and the minimum temperatures of the region. Thus, the construction quality and size/shape of the buildings would differ depending on the climate of the region which could be tropical, cold, or moderate. Body insulation of the buildings would be required in tropical as well as cold regions but may not be required for moderate regions. (Zareaian and Zadeh, 2013)
Soil temperature and its changes due to its proximity with air, play a significant role in construction as it houses the foundation of the building. Information regarding the soil temperature, particularly for the glacial soil and its depth, is of paramount importance for the selection of building materials and determination of the building foundation. Furthermore, knowledge regarding the depth of the glacial soil would assist in the installation of gas and water pipes, so as to create an infrastructure that is immune to the frozen temperatures. (Zareaian and Zadeh, 2013)
Rain Fall - The quantity of precipitation received is one of the decisive factors taken into account while designing buildings, particularly roof design. In rainy regions, the buildings have gable roofs to minimise the damages caused by water erosion as little or no water is left on the roof. Else rainwater would penetrate into buildings causing damage to the construction in the long run. Having information on the quantity of rainfall is critical specifically while designing structures like dams. (Zareaian and Zadeh, 2013)
Geographic location is a crucial factor to consider while planning and designing a building. The physical location of the construction site determines the infrastructure and building of a building. The constructions happening in mountainous regions are too different from the ones occurring in plains. Since the hilly areas are in receipt of heavy rains and snowfalls, their roofs are sloping to ward off any water or snow from accumulating. Similarly, the houses built in the desert will be different from the ones in coastal areas, keeping in mind the arid and dry regions of the desert. Thus, the physical setting of a construction site plays a pivotal role in the designing and planning of the building.
Seismic activity is referred to by the study of the local geography of an area as the shifting of tectonic plates under the Earth’s surface. Surveying the region for any prediction of seismic activity as well the future trends, with the help of expert advice and the prevalent observation and modelling tools necessary to help construct a building that is able to sustain the pressure of any tectonic shift. Hence, traditional building codes and standards are used that essentially integrate numerous safety factors to address concerns of severe environmental forces such as seismic activities. Seismic design for the Project needs to be developed and incorporated to mitigate any probable seismic threats. (Zareaian and Zadeh, 2013)
Generally, environmental factors that could impact the construction of a project or its operational performance need to be communicated to the Design Team which shall address it through engineering design and in accordance with industry standards. A robust engineering design would take into consideration and endeavor to mitigate the environmental impact on a project.
Waste management and disposal
Waste disposal is the procedure associated with the management of waste right from its creation to its ultimate elimination. This method comprises its assembling, conveyance, processing, and removal of waste along with its supervision and management. It also takes care of the law and governance structure associated with the waste management regulation upon recycling and disposal. (Conserve Energy Future, 2017) Responsible management of waste is an essential aspect of sustainable building. (Wbdg.org, 2017) On the basis of the type of construction, the waste created could vary and harm the different parts of the environment. The soil is invariably contaminated to some extent. Soil contamination could lead to health issues for the local people. Water too is contaminated if the construction is done over water and could be hazardous for living creatures under the water. There are not sufficient safety mechanisms to protect the environment although they are of extreme importance. The best way to dispose of waste arising from construction activities is to recycle or reuse construction waste where possible, burn the remaining, and the rest should be buried if no options are available.
Waste Minimisation strategies
The problem of waste disposal will not arise if the strategy of waste minimisation is followed diligently. The best strategy to produce less waste is to follow the three basic steps of reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Reduce - Waste prevention would be the ultimate, and could be done by first locating the probable waste streams in the initial stage of the build process, and then making the necessary modification in the design to minimize them. Some of the wastes that are generated in the construction process can be removed. Preventing over-ordering results helps in reducing 13 million tonnes of fresh building materials, which are being currently thrown out every year. More effective communication between the construction engineers would help make the estimation of materials required more precise thereby reducing the waste. Just-in-time delivery processes could further reduce waste arising out of damage during storage and due to the weather. (Sustainablebuild.co.uk, 2017)
Reuse – One of the better methods of managing waste would be to reuse it in the present site, or in a nearby location. Reusing waste ensures optimal use of things. Among the waste produced, there could be several materials that could be put to further use or sold off which could to some extent offset the cost of the project.
Recycle - Recycling materials is a great way of managing waste. Recycling gives new imagination to one’s creativity and this fun activity also results in less waste being thrown out. During the initial stage of the build process, one needs to identify all such materials which can be reused or recycled and then segregated to facilitate accumulation, storage, and transfer. To ensure a smooth and effective procedure, linkages with local recycling and reuse facilities should be in place. (Sustainablebuild.co.uk, 2017)
Landfills involve the burial of waste within the land. This is a very simple, economical, and effective method of disposing of wastes. A deep hole of 3 to 5 meters is dug out, and the wastes are layered. As compacting equipment is used to compress, cover and level the surface. This method depends upon microorganisms to compose organic matter in wastes and degrade them. To be environmentally more sustainable, a process is employed in this method that removes any smell and risks arising from the waste prior to placing it into the ground. (Xidemia, 2017) Though this is the most prevalent form of waste disposal, this method is practiced less nowadays because of the scarcity of land and the pollution arising from the methane and other landfill gases present in the waste. The construction sector of the UK is accountable for generating more than 36 million tonnes of landfill waste each year. This constitutes 35% of the entire waste produced, with the waste generated from households constituting an extra 10%. It is predicted that the UK landfill locations will be exhausted within 6 years, rendering it a compulsion to lessen and manage our own waste. (Sustainablebuild.co.uk, 2017) The pollutants arising from landfills result in air and water contamination which adversely impacts the environment and is dangerous to people and creatures. Thus, many countries are reconsidering the landfill method of waste disposal.
Incineration/Combustion is a method where municipal solid wastes are disposed of by burning them at high temperatures so that they can be transformed into gaseous products and residue. This method is of immense utility as it reduces the volume of solid waste by 20 to 30 percent thereby decreasing the space they occupy and lessening the pressure on landfills. (Xidemia, 2017) This method, called thermal treatment, ensures that the solid waste materials are converted by Incinerators into gas, steam, and ash. Incineration is generally used in crowded cities as there is a dearth of landfill space. Often combustors are used along with this process to facilitate energy recovery.
To conclude, the development of a construction project is usually impacted by its climatic environment significantly through physical influences such as its geographical location, amount of rainfall received, seismic activity, soil temperature as well as weather patterns. These are erratic and hence it is extremely difficult to prevent them from occurring. Construction Managers will have to be watchful of these climatic influences while making their strategies. Efficient and effective waste management requires the elimination of waste to the extent possible, minimization of waste wherever viable, and the reuse or recycling of waste material if possible. Solid waste management practices involve the reduction, reuse as well as recycling of waste materials which are key to the sustainable management of resources. Additionally, the landfill method is also still used, however, it is no longer termed environmentally sustainable due to the scarcity of land and the pollutants leaking from the wastes deposited. Another environmentally conducive methods are Incineration which is the burning of wastes at high temperature to change them into residue or gaseous matter. This method can be used in combination with a combustor to produce energy fuels, which can be reused. This takes care of the energy fuel needs, without causing much damage to the environment.
References
Ahn, C., Lee, S., Peña-Mora, F. and Abourizk, S. (2010). Toward Environmentally Sustainable Construction Processes: The U.S. and Canada’s Perspective on Energy Consumption and GHG/CAP Emissions. Sustainability, 2(1), pp.354-370.
Ayarkwa, J. (2010). Perspectives on environmental management in the construction industry in Ghana. International Journal of Sustainable Development, 3(9).
Conserve Energy Future. (2017). Renewable & Non-Renewable Energy Sources - Conserve Energy Future. [online]
Hendrickson, C. (1989). Project Management for Construction: Fundamental Concepts for Owners, Engineers, Architects, and Builders. 1st ed. Pittsburgh: Prentice Hall.
Iwuagwu, B. and Elijah, A. (2015). Global Warming versus Green Architecture: African Experience. International Conference on IT, Architecture and Mechanical Engineering.
Sustainablebuild.co.uk. (2017). Reducing and Managing Waste. [online]
Wbdg.org. (2017). Construction Waste Management | WBDG Whole Building Design Guide. [online]
Xidemia, A. (2017). Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :. [online] Newsday.co.tt.
Zareaian, S. and Zadeh, K. (2013). The Role of Climate Factors on Designing and Constructing Buildings (From Urbanization Architecture Approach). Bulletin of Environment, Pharmacology and Life Sciences, 3(1).
