PHASE 1 - CONTEXTUALIZATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ASSESSMENT

MARIA ALEJANDRA COLLAZOS TRIANA

CODE: 1.110.577.569

GROUP:
358032_37

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA – UNAD

EVALUACION DE IMPACTO AMBIENTAL
ORTEGA –TOLIMA
2020
 SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION: THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT TOOLS

Construction, in addition to being indispensable for the development of society, is

also one of the main responsible for waste, pollution, transformation of the
environment and inappropriate use of natural resources (energy, water, etc.). Each
of the buildings and houses that we inhabit produces an ecological footprint on the
planet. Its construction, operation and, eventually, its demolition, consume a large
amount of resources and produce many polluting waste. “It is estimated that the
residential and office sector, worldwide, consumes 40% of energy, 30% of carbon
(CO2) emissions that go into the atmosphere, 50% of raw materials, 40% of waste
and 20% of drinking water ”(Colombian Council for Sustainable Construction, 2012).
According to the World Council for Sustainable Construction 2020, the construction
sector, worldwide, is the one that has the most potential to reduce its negative
impacts on the environment, since with small changes, which do not incur large
production costs, they would be enough to reduce on average 30% energy
consumption, 35% carbon emissions (CO2), up to 50% water consumption, in
addition to generating savings of 50% to 90% in the cost of the disposal of solid
waste.

The construction of buildings involves environmental impacts that include the use of
materials that come from natural resources, the use of large amounts of energy both
in terms of construction and throughout their life and the impact caused on the site.
. The heavily manipulated material that has undergone a manufacturing process
used in the construction field has very important environmental effects, with a very
energy-intensive content.

The ecological costs involved both in the extraction of mineral resources (quarries,
mines, etc.) and in the disposal of the resulting waste, which range from toxic
emissions to poisoning of groundwater by landfills, cannot be forgotten. The
construction and demolition of buildings create a large amount of waste.
The recycling and reuse of demolition waste and construction waste is a solution
that will partially eliminate the significant environmental impact that originates from
landfilling and incineration.

Many modern buildings create unhealthy and / or dangerous indoor atmospheres for
their occupants, and the so-called "sick building syndrome" appears in a significant
part of new or renovated buildings. New airtight buildings with controlled climate
control retain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can reach concentrations
hundreds of times higher than outside.

The application of sustainability criteria and a rational use of the natural resources
available in construction will require making important changes in the values that it
has as its own culture. These criteria or, more correctly, sustainability principles will
lead to a conservation of natural resources, a maximization in the reuse of resources,
a management of the life cycle, as well as reductions in the energy used.

The experience of the last twenty years has shown that it is not easy to change the
construction system of buildings and their operation. To achieve a Sustainable
Construction, the routine and bad habits acquired by decades of waste of natural
resources must be broken.

The mentality of the industry and economic strategies should be changed in order to
give priority to recycling over the traditional trend of the extraction of natural
materials. The use of construction and energy systems based on renewable energy
and products should be encouraged.

It is in this environment when humanity becomes aware of the importance, more and
more evident every day, that environmental aspects will have very important
consequences in the main options of the construction process.
 BIBLIOGRAFÍA

 Ding, G. (2008). Sustainable construction—The role of environmental

assessment tools. Revista ELSEVIER, pág. 451. Recuperado
de https://www-sciencedirect-
com.bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/science/article/pii/S0301479706004270#a
ep-section-id126

 Baldwin, Roger (1996) Environmental Assessment and Management of

Buildings
(The UKiewpoint, Report 7150/1 for consultation, BSRIA)

 Berlin Conference on Sustainable Urban Development (March 19-21,

1996). The Berlin Declaration by the Berlin Conference on Sustainable Urban
Development

 Bourdeau, Luc (1996) Environment and Buildings in France, CIB W82

Comission Meeting
(Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment (CSTB))

 Cáceres Teran, Johanna (1996) Desenvolupament Sostenible

(Revista Tracte, Número 66, Octubre del 1996. ISSN 1132-7081)