Construction sites are a very common view everywhere. There is always a demand for building new or renovating old ones. The waste materials that are created in these processes should always be recycled, yet this is not always done. On every construction site there should be separate collection points at least for wood, metal, plastics, glass, and hazardous waste. Finnish construction sites are required to follow the Finnish legislation on waste management called “jätelaki”, which states that the number one priority is to try to prevent creating waste in the first place. However, this is not always possible. Jätelaki also states that the waste materials should preferably be reused as raw materials and not converted into energy. Converting into energy in this case means burning and thus creating massive carbon emissions in order to get electricity. This legislation is very open to interpretation, and in the absence of clear statements in the law, it is tempting for companies to deal with the construction waste as they desire, which, especially in the case of smaller companies, is often the cheapest way possible. The cheapest way usually not being the most environmentally friendly option. I have worked on several different construction sites and for several different companies in the past. My own experiences of this topic vary a lot between different construction companies. I personally feel that bigger companies are more likely to have their construction waste recycling well planned, while smaller ones either lack resources or interest. Bigger construction companies also have contracts with companies that rent waste collectors. They also have contracts with raw material buyers, which make it profitable for them to recycle their construction waste. The way I see it is that bigger companies are also more vulnerable to possible reputation loss that could be caused by handling their waste inappropriately. In general, construction waste is dealt with better on construction sites that build new than it is in most renovation cases. Also, bigger companies are usually the ones building new, while smaller ones are the ones that have plenty of small renovation sites. The biggest issue that I have faced while working on this field of business was when I worked in a company that used a lot of different dangerous chemicals. Even though the chemical containers were labeled with “dangerous to environment” sign, they were thrown away with the regular waste, meaning that they would end up on landfills causing a serious threat to the environment. All in all, there is a lot of room for improvement in the construction waste recycling business in Finland. The most important thing would be to create laws that would force even the smallest companies to start paying attention to this situation, followed with appropriate monitoring that could be funded by the government. Also, government could lend support money to smaller companies in order to get them started with recycling their construction waste. This loan could then be paid back when the companies start to make profit from selling waste materials to buyers. Oskari Mäkelä Sources: http://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/9590/Tuohiaro.Rami.pdf?sequence=2 Nowadays becoming “green” has gained popularity among designers and builders, since the needs of the housing market are continuously changing. Sustainable design covers a building’s impacts holistically, from the planning process to the deconstruction at the end of the building’s useful life. It is necessary to consider all the impacts a construction may bring, since wrong planning might affect the tenant’s health as well as the surroundings: ecosystems, air quality, animals and plants among others. The aim of a sustainable construction project is to enhance the quality of life for the building occupants. People were not designed to live in an asphalt jungle, surrounded by traffic jams and having to breathe polluted air. It is necessary to implement projects, which allow public encounters with convenient access to public transportation, and natural spaces that promote walking instead of driving. Simply by incorporating natural features such as windows that permits natural light into the building or by adding some plants, the occupants’ experience can be transformed from just living in the building to enjoying their lives. And what else makes this kind of building so attractive? It’s energy use. High-efficiency buildings use natural means for power generation, for instance solar and wind power, and they include as well the use of some principles which tends towards minimum performance standards such as:
However, what is usually thought about green building is that by implementing this kind of practices, the cost of the project will increase and result in more work. This misconception is far from reality. In terms of the construction process, sustainable practices are not very different from traditional procedures, but they result in a different and a more efficient construction. Green projects are demonstrating that many of the fundamental principles of sustainable building can be applied without increasing the project price and they also allow savings in terms of operating costs. One model of a green building project is actually very near Tampere. The Vuores area is a typical ‘greenfield’ development in a woodland area to the south of the city of Tampere, which by 2020 will become an ECOCITY. This project is trying to incorporate all the fundamentals of green building construction with an optimum urban structure that takes into account the conservation of the natural environment, social issues, an efficient public transport system and of course, for the energy supply the use of renewable energies. Paola Israde Burrola References Image: Kubina, J. 2007. Technische Universität Darmstadt - Solar Decathlon 2007. Solar energy, Wikipedia.last modified on 10 november 2014. Accessed 10/11/2014. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Technische_Universit%C3%A4t_Darmstadt_-_Solar_Decathlon_2007.jpg Letcher, T. 2008. Future energy: Improvised, sustainable and clean options for our planet. China: Elsevier. Yudelson, J. 2009. Green building through integrated design. USA: Mc Graw hill. Bose, R. 2009. Energy efficient cities. USA: The World Bank. Building for Future Generations Humanity is running up against the limits of a finite planet. We are experiencing rapid global climate destabilization and the endangerment of entire ecosystems. A great percentage of the world’s population lives in cities and the amount keeps on growing. The use of cars and natural resources has skyrocketed and we are now at a point of great crisis with the way we live. These major life-threatening global environmental problems demand a reconstruction of our way of life. Seeing as the way we live is linked to the way we build and use resources, instead of trying to improve our outdated infrastructure, it needs to be redesigned to suit the finite capacity of our planet. Arcology is a combination of ecology and architecture. It is an architectural design for densely populated areas and is also known as an eco-city. Arcologies or eco-cities are cities that are ecologically healthy. The aim of the design of these cities is to have the smallest ecological footprint and pollute as little possible. The idea is to meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It provides its citizens with food, water and power. Other important concepts to consider are: using land efficiently, composting used materials, recycling waste to produce energy and efficient water use. Ecological cities are achieved through various ways. They use various green technologies to ensure a clean footprint. The energy is acquired by using renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal energy and by using bio-gas created from sewage. The need for energy is reduced, for example, by reducing the need for air-conditioning, which is a massive energy demand. This is achieved by using proper insulation, natural ventilation systems, and green spaces which should cover at least 20% of the city’s surface. Green roofs are green spaces on the roofs of buildings, which create a natural insulation for the building and a habitat for wildlife. Eco-cities have an emphasis on the close proximity of things, thus reducing the need for vehicles. Also, improving public transport is an important issue to consider. The optimal solution would, of course, be car-free zones and zero-emission transport by using electric cars.
Changing already existing strong beliefs of how humanity should live and build is difficult. There is not one solution for all our problems; the solution requires experts from many fields to come together and create a practical vision for a sustainable and restorative human presence on this planet. Katja Räsänen |
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May 2019
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