Sustainability

RIBA Plan of Work 2013 Guide

Sandy Halliday, Richard Atkins

• Publisher: RIBA Publishing
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9781000701524
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture General

Sustainability is part of a brand new series providing must-read practical guidance to running efficient and successful projects using the new RIBA Plan of Work 2013. Each guide takes a core project task – in this case those associated with achieving sustainable design and construction - and explains the essential activities required at each stage.

Concise and easy to use with a consistent format these guides provide the ultimate quick reference support at your desk or on-site. An authoritative 'how to' full of pragmatic advice, examples and in-text features such as 'hints and tips' that illuminate best practice and clever solutions.

Designed to be used on all projects – large and small – and across all types of procurement, they are task rather than role-oriented acknowledging that a variety of people take on these responsibilities. They are also invaluable for architectural students at Part 3 who are getting to grips with the realities of practice.

Stage 1
Preparation and Brief

Chapter overview

Sustainability goals will have been identified in Stage 0. The Sustainability Aspirations will be developed during Stage 1 and incorporated into the Initial Project Brief. This stage provides the opportunity to establish any implications of the Sustainability Aspirations in regard to the process and timescale for the Project Programme and the Project Budget. Any appraisal tools to be used, or certification to be achieved, should be discussed and agreed. Feasibility Studies may be required to test Sustainability Aspirations in the Initial Project Brief against a particular site. Given the increased dependency on site issues of many sustainability goals, this is best addressed as far as possible at Stage 0 to avoid missing opportunities related to enhanced sustainability and to minimise iteration.

At this stage it is necessary to assemble a multidisciplinary project team with the right skills and attitude to address the sustainability goals. A willingness to share previous experience – good and bad – will contribute to delivering the best possible outcome. Transforming the needs established at Stage 0 into an understanding of the scale and relationship of types of spaces, their uses and the environmental conditions to be achieved will be necessary to inform the sustainable design progression and massing at Stage 2.

Key coverage in this chapter is as follows:

Considering Sustainability Aspirations in the Project Outcomes

Assembling Site Information – including specialist surveys

How does sustainability contribute to achieving Quality Objectives?

What are the implications for the Project Budget?

What are the implications for the Project Programme?

What are the implications for procurement?

How does sustainability impact on Key Support Tasks at Stage 1?

What considerations are important in assembling a committed project team?

What are the Sustainability Checkpoints at Stage 1?

What are the Information Exchanges at Stage 1?

What are the UK Government Information Exchanges at Stage 1?

Introduction

Sustainable design requires a better understanding of the relationship between a building’s functions, the internal layout, the client’s needs, community aspirations and wider stakeholder issues, such as climate change and pollution. This promotes fitnessfor-purpose while delivering beneficial impacts on the natural and social environment and a well-founded Business Case based on life-cycle costing.

Vigilance is required at all stages if the Project Outcomes are to be sustainable. Project team members need to commit themselves and the appropriate resources to a sustainable approach that extends to a planned handover period and beyond.

Having to consider each project team member’s ability to understand and integrate sustainable design as part of the design process may influence the types of appointment, roles, responsibilities and any specialist consultants and/or requirements. While specialist advice may be required and the appointment of a Sustainability Champion is advocated at Stage 0, sustainability must be recognised as the responsibility of everyone and not an isolated issue.

Any agreed tools and or certification may introduce the need for additional requirements to be scheduled at this stage, such as community consultation or specialist surveys (noise, biodiversity, airtightness, thermal imaging, transport etc), which may require the appointment of sub-consultants. The timing of these requirements may be critical. Site Information should be collated to inform the Initial Project Brief, and planning policies relating to biodiversity, travel and community need to be addressed.

What are the Core Objectives of this stage?

The Core Objectives of the RIBA Plan of Work 2013 at Stage 1 are:

Consider the Sustainability Aspirations and include them in the Initial Project Brief. The Project Budget, procurement route and design process capable of realising the Sustainability Aspirations also need to be established and a project team assembled with the requisite resources, skills and commitment.

Considering Sustainability Aspirations in the Project Outcomes

The Sustainability Aspirations should be developed to form a clear record of the client’s needs and requirements with reference to the goals agreed at Stage 0. A client’s experience of their existing facilities in terms of comfort, operability, functionality, health and well-being, productivity, access etc will influence their Quality Objectives.

It is important to undertake a thorough discussion of the client’s desired Project Outcomes and functional requirements, extending to consideration of individual spaces and their required environmental conditions, and to document this as part of the Initial Project Brief. Discussions on how the building is to be used and managed and the anticipated occupancy patterns will contribute to ascertaining the Project Objectives and, in combination with the client’s Business Case, inform the Initial Project Brief.

Many clients are actively considering their environmental, economic and social impacts and the responsibilities inherent in the decisions they make in relation to their buildings. They increasingly recognise genuine benefits from setting stringent targets for a more sustainable built environment. Many will therefore include Sustainability Aspirations as high-profile elements of their Project Outcomes and include operational aspects, such as performance in use. The Sustainability Aspirations are likely to be a mixture of subjective and objective criteria by which the Project Outcomes are validated.

The holistic nature of the sustainable approach means that subjective and objective criteria may interrelate, for example:

• desire for good daylighting can reduce running costs in use if lighting controls are properly thought through
• desire for natural ventilation can reduce mechanical services and save plant room space and capital and running costs.

These impacts on the Project Budget need to be captured as early as possible and understood as meaningful aspects of the Business Case.

The level of client commitment to, and understanding of, sustainability varies, and it might be useful to establish the extent of their understanding of Sustainability Aspirations through a structured discussion of the issues

Issues that can inform the Sustainability Aspirations

A sustainable approach will tend to increase emphasis on:

• the central importance of the site, the site history and biodiversity
• analysis and response to climate, landscape, ecology and infrastructure
• user and community participation to:
  • enable opportunities and objections to be identified and dealt with early on
  • enhance user and community commitment and sense of ownership
  • determine revenue implications
  • save time at later stages
• using the building’s form and fabric as the primary means of environmental control
• setting appropriate targets for energy efficiency and water economy
• avoidance of waste in all its forms
• designing for enhanced pedestrian and cycle access, reduced car use and enhanced links to public transport infrastructure and amenities
• specifying benign materials to minimise embodied energy and embodied toxicity
• maximising passive design so that the mechanical systems serve as supplements to natural systems rather than replacements for them
• optimising daylight to enhance functionality without introducing a heating or cooling load
• enhancing user satisfaction and productivity
• affordability, in terms of both initial capital cost and life-cycle costs, taking account of policy trends
• arrangements for building management, including user-friendly controls.

While these issues will not be addressed in design terms until Stage 2, it is vital that the Initial Project Brief sets out the requirements and constraints, and gathers adequate information to ensure that opportunities are not missed.

and best practice solutions. The six strategic sustainability considerations referred to in Stage 0 (see page 32) are expanded on...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Series editor’s foreword
• Acknowledgements and dedication
• About the authors
• About the series editor
• Introduction
• The RIBA Plan of Work 2013
• Stage 0 Strategic Definition
• Stage 1 Preparation and Brief
• Stage 2 Concept Design
• Stage 3 Developed Design
• Stage 4 Technical Design
• Stage 5 Construction
• Stage 6 Handover and Close Out
• Stage 7 In Use
• Further reading
• Sustainability glossary
• RIBA Plan of Work 2013 glossary
• Index