Sustainable Building
In essence, sustainability is about meeting the needs of today, without adversely impacting on the needs of tomorrow. As a term it can be applied across a range of areas, such as the environment, society and the economy.
Building sustainability can mean:
- Reduced energy consumption.
- Water conservation.
- Recycling waste.
Well designed buildings will save money, increase comfort and create healthier environments for people to live and work, using improved indoor air quality, natural daylight, and thermal comfort.
Energy use by depleting natural resources as well as CO2 emissions is one of our most important environmental impacts. Volatile energy markets, rising energy costs and increasing environmental awareness about issues such as global warming make energy efficiency and conservation a high priority.
When building a sustainable building, there are a number of issues that you need to consider. Whether you are building or renovating, buying or renting, there are many things you can do to make your home healthier, more comfortable and save you money, while benefiting the environment.
Incorporating good design when building or renovating, that takes into account the surrounding environment is easy and can help ‘future proof’ your home.
Design advice
Design your home to take advantage of its location while saving power, water and money.
Choosing building materials
When building or renovating, try to use materials that have been produced with the environment in mind.
Natural daylight
Daylighting is the use of windows and skylights to bring sunlight into your home.
Insulation
Good quality, well-installed insulation in the ceiling, under the floor and in external walls will make your house easier and cheaper to heat.
Water efficiency
The planning stage is the best time to build water efficiency into your home.
Ventilation
A healthy home is well-ventilated. High moisture levels in household air are linked to health problems like asthma, eczema and headaches.
Consider installing double glazing
A good glazing system will insulate your house, while letting in heat to encourage passive heating.
Dealing with building and renovation waste
A lot of the waste produced during building or renovating can be reused or recycled instead of going to landfill.
Myth: “Sustainable building is a lot more expensive”
In most cases it is possible to design attractive, uncomplicated sustainable buildings that operate in a straightforward manner, achieve high standards of energy efficiency, and incur little or no additional cost.
Hastings District Council is working towards a more sustainable future and we recommend you consider being more sustainable with any project you undertake.
