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.
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What this dot point is asking
CCEA wants you to describe the environmental impact of construction, the use of resources, the waste and pollution it creates, and the energy and carbon it uses across the life cycle of a building, and to explain the methods used to reduce that impact.
The answer
How construction affects the environment
Construction is one of the biggest users of materials and energy and one of the biggest producers of waste. Its impact happens across the whole life of a building, not just while it is being built.
The life cycle of a building
The environmental impact spreads across the life cycle: extracting and making the materials, transporting them, constructing the building, using and maintaining it for decades, and finally demolishing it. A large share of a building's lifetime impact comes from the energy used to run it once it is occupied, which is why energy efficiency matters so much.
Reducing the impact
The industry reduces its impact in several ways:
- Reduce, reuse, recycle. Design out waste, reuse materials such as soil, hardcore and bricks on site, and recycle off-cuts rather than sending them to landfill.
- Choose sustainable materials. Use renewable materials (such as sustainably sourced timber) or recycled materials, with low embodied energy, and source them locally to cut transport.
- Cut energy and carbon. Use efficient plant and transport, and design the building to use less energy when occupied (good insulation, efficient services, renewable energy).
- Control pollution. Keep dust down, prevent silt and chemicals running off into watercourses, and limit noise.
- Protect habitats. Keep existing trees and habitats where possible and restore land afterwards.
Worked example: cutting the waste from off-cuts
Examples in context
- Example 1. Demolition waste
- Knocking down an old building creates tonnes of rubble. Crushing the concrete and brick on site to reuse as hardcore, instead of sending it to landfill and buying new aggregate, cuts both waste and resource use.
- Example 2. Transporting materials
- Bringing materials long distances burns fuel and releases carbon. Choosing local suppliers and full loads reduces transport emissions, which is why sourcing locally is part of sustainable construction.
- Example 3. Protecting a watercourse
- Rain washing silt and cement off a muddy site can pollute a nearby river and kill fish. Silt fences and settlement tanks keep the run-off clean, controlling pollution from the site.
Reducing the environmental impact of construction is the practical side of sustainability. The next dot points focus on two of the largest opportunities: making buildings far more energy efficient so they use less energy to run, and generating clean energy on site with renewable technologies.
Try this
Q1. Name two raw materials used by construction that come from natural resources. [2 marks]
- Cue. For example timber, stone, sand, clay or metals.
Q2. State what is meant by reduce in the waste hierarchy. [1 mark]
- Cue. Using less material in the first place so less waste is created.
Q3. Give one way a site can prevent pollution of a nearby river. [1 mark]
- Cue. Use silt fences or settlement tanks to stop silt and chemicals running off the site.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA style4 marksDescribe two ways in which construction can harm the environment.Show worked answer →
Any two clear environmental impacts, each described:
- Using up natural resources and raw materials (such as timber, stone, sand and metals), some of which cannot be replaced.
- Producing large amounts of waste that goes to landfill, and pollution of air, water and land (for example dust, fumes and run-off from the site).
Other acceptable points include high energy use and carbon emissions from making materials, transport and running buildings; noise and disruption; and loss of habitats when land is built on.
Markers reward one mark for naming each impact and one mark for describing it, up to four marks.
CCEA style6 marksExplain three ways a construction company can reduce the environmental impact of a project.Show worked answer →
Any three methods, each explained:
- Reduce, reuse and recycle materials: design out waste, reuse materials such as soil and bricks on site, and recycle off-cuts instead of sending them to landfill.
- Use sustainable or recycled materials: choose materials from renewable or recycled sources with a lower environmental cost, and source them locally to cut transport.
- Cut energy and carbon: use efficient plant, reduce transport, and design the building to use less energy when it is occupied.
Other acceptable points include controlling dust, pollution and run-off, and protecting habitats and trees on site.
Markers reward one mark for naming each method and one mark for a clear explanation, up to six marks.
Related dot points
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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).