← Construction & the Built Environment syllabus

Northern IrelandConstruction & the Built Environment

Sustainable Construction

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How is heat lost from a building, and how do we make a building energy efficient?

Energy efficiency in buildings: how heat is lost, the use of insulation and U-values to reduce heat loss, and energy ratings.
A CCEA GCSE Construction answer on energy efficiency in buildings: how heat is lost through the fabric, how insulation and low U-values reduce heat loss, and how energy ratings measure a building's efficiency.
13 min answer →

How does construction harm the environment, and how can that impact be reduced?

The environmental impact of construction (resource use, waste, pollution and carbon over the building life cycle) and ways to reduce it.
A CCEA GCSE Construction answer on the environmental impact of construction: the use of resources, waste, pollution and carbon emissions across the life cycle of a building, and the methods used to reduce that impact.
13 min answer →

How can a building generate its own clean energy using renewable technologies?

Renewable energy technologies for buildings: solar photovoltaic and solar thermal, wind, heat pumps and biomass, and their advantages and limitations.
A CCEA GCSE Construction answer on the renewable energy technologies used in buildings: solar photovoltaic and solar thermal panels, wind turbines, heat pumps and biomass, with the advantages and limitations of each.
13 min answer →

What does sustainable construction mean, and how does it balance the needs of people, the planet and the economy?

Sustainability and sustainable development in construction: meeting present needs without harming the future, and the social, economic and environmental pillars.
A CCEA GCSE Construction answer on what sustainability and sustainable development mean in construction, the three pillars (social, economic and environmental), and how building sustainably balances the needs of people, the planet and cost.
12 min answer →

How can buildings save water and manage rainwater sustainably?

Water conservation and management in buildings: saving water, rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse, and managing surface water with SUDS.
A CCEA GCSE Construction answer on water conservation and management in sustainable buildings: ways to save water, rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse, and managing surface water with sustainable drainage systems (SUDS).
12 min answer →