“New Zealand Government has committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
WHY IS SUSTAINABILITY IMPORTANT?
We have a social responsibility to reduce the amount of carbon emissions the industry is responsible for contaminating the environment with. The global population is expected to increase by 33% by 2050 yet we already have a housing shortage globally, meaning more construction is required. With construction contributing 40% of these carbon emissions per year and 32% of landfill waste, sustainability needs to be the main priority in construction if we are to look after the planet and thus provide a suitably healthy environment for future generations.
What does sustainability in construction mean?
“the balance of environmental, social and economic issues to ensure a viable and valuable industry for future generations”
How can a more sustainable approach be achieved?
There are many parts to this, and as the production of materials is the largest contributor to global emissions the real focus needs to start with the following:
OUR SUSTAINABILITY & ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT
We promise to seek to work primarily with consultants who have a sustainable approach to their design, and clients who have more of a focus on the environment than bottom line costs.
As sustainable products become more predominant, costs will slowly decrease to become more in line with other traditional materials, but until then policies need to be implemented by global governments that provide an incentive to opt for sustainable construction and make more CO2 heavy products less financially viable by increasing of taxes on these material so the revenue received can be put into research and development of more sustainable materials and production techniques, better recycling techniques, more efficient power generation.
That way those in the industry who construct buildings can focus on better design with an emphasis on smarter material choices, more energy efficient products fitted to the newly constructed buildings, and a paperless construction society that understands its social obligations.
WHY IS MASS TIMBER CONSTRUCTION IMPORTANT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE?
CLEARWATER QUAYS APARTMENTS
Kobe Construction are proud to be a part of the Clearwater Quays Apartment project, a 5-story apartment block in Christchurch that was completed recently which used concrete on the ground floor only and had no structural steel whatsoever. The remainder of the build was from a renewable material called CLT – cross laminate timber. This is made with a focus on sustainability and has been proven to hold up better in an earthquake than more traditional concrete and steel designs and has better fire ratings also. A comprehensive case study was completed on this building and a link is available for those who wish to read the content of the case study.
“Mr Lynch says carbon calculations for the Clearwater building show its timber construction saved 87,400kg of carbon dioxide (CO2), compared with a CO2 release of 952,600kg if it had been built of concrete, and 794,600kg if built of steel and concrete”
