'Sustainable' Construction
“The science is clear”. So say an increasing number of politicians when it comes to man-made global warming. Whether you agree scarcely matters. The legal juggernaut is well and truly rolling.
As a result, there are more and more initiatives out there, some already law, others on their way to becoming law, and all of us in the Construction Industry need to get to grips with them. The likelihood is that they will keep on coming.
They range, quite literally, from the concrete to the conceptual.
At one end of the scale, there are initiatives to cut down on the amounts of construction and demolition waste produced by the industry, thought to account for one-third of all waste generated. These include redefining certain materials as non-waste, and improving re-use and recycling rates where the material is waste. To maximise its waste reductions, the industry needs to understand the latest developments in construction waste, including site waste management plans.
As well as being encouraged to make less waste, we’re urged to waste less energy. One of the legal drivers is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and its implementing regulations in the UK. Buildings are said to account for 40% of all energy consumed, hence the drive to improve energy efficiency in their construction and in their design. Energy Certificates will also soon become the norm, rating the efficiency of new buildings, and with the best ones no doubt commanding a premium.
Low-waste and low-energy initiatives all help to reduce our so-called ‘carbon footprint’. Proclamations of “carbon neutrality” or “zero carbon” have come thick and fast in recent months, whether in the context of stamp duty tax breaks, or loftier ambitions aimed at demonstrating ‘green’ corporate credentials. What do these really mean? How is it assessed?
The Conference Programme below describes the key areas which our lawyers will focus on, blending our unsurpassed environmental law credentials with our construction industry expertise.
So come along and hear the jargon being peeled away and the essentials laid bare, and help to keep yourself at least one step in front of the juggernaut.
PROGRAMME
10.00 Registration
10.30 Chairman’s Introduction
Barry Love, Partner, Waste Group
10.40 Energy Performance of Buildings – latest developments
Stacey Smyth, Associate, Construction Group
11.00 Carbon Footprinting – what’s zero carbon and what’s just hype
Claire McPherson, Associate, Construction Group
11.20 Coffee
11.35 Construction Waste – how to minimise and manage it
Barry Love, Partner, Waste Group
12.00 Looking ahead
Stuart Macfarlane, Head of Construction Group
12.20 Questions & Discussion
12.40 Lunch & Networking
This Conference is one of a series that offers practical guidance and solutions to issues affecting those involved in the construction and engineering industry. The Conference will also present you with an opportunity to network with peers in your industry and share best practice.