Effect of the Recession on Sustainable Development

Effect of the Recession on Sustainable DevelopmentSustainability has been on the lips of everyone involved in the construction industry for the last 10 years. However, the issue of Sustainability aro employ first in a Report named Our Common Future. This wherefore prompted the imply for the conference in Brazil (1992). Discussed in this conference were the covernality principles of sustainability creation Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs Greene, D. (1997)Both Sustainability and the Recession argon both(prenominal) terms in which ease up a range of meanings and attitudes. As the issue of Sustainability is being used more and more in the construction industry is new-made years it is imperative to try and pin point exactly what sustainable commercialised construction is. It is also paramount to rejectmine hardly exactly what the ecological niche is and show just how they give affect ed each more or less other.In recent years, we have had two previous respites, one being in the 1980s and the consequence one being in the early 1990s. This is the third break that the country has been in, in as many an(prenominal) decades. In June 2008, the country ex officioly entered the third recess, of which we ar still in today,Sustainability has become more of a problem in recent years due to the major issue of the recession. Sustainability needs to be turn to and identified and it is master(prenominal) that it is done within one of the largest industries, if not the biggest, being the construction industry. In my seek I allow hopefully try to enlighten the terms, sustainable commercial construction and the recession and show how each one has affected the other.KeywordsSustainable Commercial Construction RecessionIntroductionOne of the main priorities for the construction industry and any construction company be to produce Sustainable Commercial edifices. As everyone sleep withs, the country has been hit by a recession with the construction industry being hit the hardest. It is crucial to throttle exactly what Sustainable Construction in commercial provides is and exactly what the recession is and see just how the recession has affected Sustainable Commercial Construction1.2 AimIn this dissertation I aim to investigate exactly what the recession is, exactly what sustainable phylogeny is and I aim to show the audience just how each one has affected each other1.3 Project ObjectivesTo destine the recessionTo define sustainable constructionTo bug out just how the recession and sustainable construction have been affected by each other.What barriers or influences encourage or deter companies to build Sustainable Commercial Buildings.1.4 Proposed Structure1.4.1 BackgroundFirst of all the explore will define both the recession and will also define sustainable construction and go on to touching at how they have been affected by one another. The look should and so go on and look at what barriers or influences encourage or deter companies to build Sustainable Buildings.1.4.2 Collection of ResultsThe collection of results will be accomplished utilize professionals who argon shortly working in and around the construction industry. Results will be collected with info regarding their views on whether Sustainable Construction has been affected by the Recession and other in var.ation regarding Sustainable Construction.1.4.3 depth psychologyThe results collected from my wonders will then be analysed so that an outcome piece of tail be gained to swear out the investigation objectives pointed out earlier. They will also be analysed to show a comparison with past enquiry relating Sustainable Construction and the Recession.1.4.4 Final AnalysisThe final analysis is the last shargon of the research, like a conclusion it will assess the entropy to check and make sure that all aspects of the investigation have been c overed. The investigation will then be checked to make sure it burnnot be improved and revisited.Sustainable Commercial Construction and the RecessionScope of the ChapterThis section of the dissertation will determine the comment of Sustainable Commercial Construction and will also try and determine just exactly what a recession is.2.2 The RecessionIn June 2008 the join Kingdom officially entered the recession that we are still in today. The main area that has been affected in this country and many other countries is construction, which has been hit massively. Companies and businesses justifiedly across the board are being affected from big names much(prenominal) as Balfour Beatty, the Kier Group down to small independent companies. Any soma of work is few and far between nowadays with every company accepting any sort of work no matter how small or big it is. I feel that this topic as it will show you past the commercial side of the recession. Everybody knows that the country is in the recession, but not that many people know exactly what a recession is and what damage it back cause to the frugality and the country. It has a massive knock on affect aright the look down the board and I accept that if we are going to get out of the recession quickly and efficiently people need to know how to adapt and work with it.The recession is not very well understood for one simple factor There is not a universally concord upon definition. There is a standard newspaper definition of a recession is a decline in the gross domestic product (GDP) for two or more consecutive quarters. There are 4 quarters to the year and each one lasts for approximately 12 weeks. This definition is not popular with roughly economists for two main resolves. Firstly, this definition does not take into account converts in other variables such as unemployment rate or consumer confidence. Secondly, by using every quarter info this definition makes it difficult to pinpoint when a reces sion starts to when it ends. The second definition is from the Business Cycle Dating Committee (BCDC). The committee provides a meliorate way to find out whether or not thither has been a definition as they determine the amount of business activity in the economy by looking at, employment, industrial production, real income and whole-sail retail sites.The past 20 years has been a growing realisation that the current model of development is unsustainable and basically, we are living beyond our means. Before anyone knew anything close to this current recession, one part of construction that was on the rise was sustainable development. It is rumoured that one of the key factors in which the recession was brought on is that companies were being too selfish in that they were thinking some the short term rather than the long term. Some unsustainable business practices were concerned about profiteering and not focused enough on balancing profit with social and environmental targets.With the current economic crises being the way it is, companies are rarely unbidden to spend money on anything but essentials to their business. The credit crunch has virtually halted all new development and with falling land prices, openability has become more important than ever, thereby highlighting development costs and the increased expense of complying with sustainable standards. Ultimately crucial issues related to sustainable development such as healthcare, education, low-priced access to food, water, energy and responsible harvesting of natural re springs are being affected as the crisis deepens. The increasing stress we put on resources and environmental systems such as water, land and air cannot go on forever.The need for Sustainable Commercial Development is too great to be ignored. Even in this recession and the state that the economy is in it is absolutely paramount that we as a country, continent and as a human race continue to develop sustainably. instead of business es thinking of their short term future, they now need to be thinking about their long term future. Instead of reeling in the cash straight away, we need to hold out and wait for the return from sustainable buildings and development all round. The sooner people and companies realize this, then the sooner the construction industry will have left the recession and will be planning for the future and sustainable development wont be a thing upon which businesses sigh about doing, it will become the first thing they think of.3.0 Sustainable BuildingsSustainability in building was completely unknown up until around the late 1970s. The idea altogether came about in reply to the energy crisis and people concerned about the environment. There are not many people in this country or the world in fact who will not have heard the word sustainability but the vast majority of them will not understand what it means. match to Holmberg and Sandbrook (1992) there now appears to be 70 definitions in c irculation. However, out of these 70 or so definitions that are circulating there is no definite, set definition of sustainable building but according to Kirby et al (1995) the definition which is commonly deemed as the most accurate or the official one is the Brundtland definition (WCED 1987) development that meets the needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.Although, Brundtland did make this definition, it is an adaption of a previous definition made by Lester Brown. Lester Brown however delimit a sustainable society, rather than sustainable development. He defined a sustainable society as one that is able to satisfy its needs without diminish the chance of future generations. (Charles J Kilbert 2008) It is easy to see the comparisons between the two definitions made firstly by Lester Brown and secondly, the Brundtland definition.Although the Brundtland definition is the most common and astray used, it doesnt define sust ainable construction, only sustainable development. According to dicky and Howard (2000) they describe sustainable construction as the contribution of construction to sustainable development. This definition from Dickie an Howard (2000) is very simple, but explains a lot, anyone would be able to understand it.ORiorden (1985) commented on the difficulty of describing sustainability, describing its definition as Exploration into a tangled conceptual jungle where watchful eyes lurk at every bend. This description of how hard and elusive it is to describe correctly what sustainability just shows you how vague and confusing defining sustainability can become.sustainability is like plumbing or air conditioning its a general attitude you apply to a building. It doesnt create its own architecture but it informs the way architecture is producedSlavid, Ruth (1998) uses this definition and its obvious that there are not only variant definitions but also assorted meanings to the definition s.According to Addis, B and Talbot, R (2001) Sustainable development is about achieving economic and social objectives while minimising adverse environmental impactsThis definition comes from the e-journal Sustainable construction procurement a guide to delivering environmentally responsible projects by Addis, B and Talbot, R (2001). As you can see all the definitions on this page and the previous page all define sustainable construction, development or sustainability on the whole, and they are all pretty much nothing like each other.Although there have been many definitions of sustainability for example that from the universe of discourse Congress of Architects (1993)Sustainability means meeting our needs today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needsEven though all the definitions above are different you can see a definite trend between them. I believe they are all loosely based on that from the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development Our Common Future. This report is commonly known as The Brundtland Report.Some people may believe that having no definition for sustainable development could be an issue because how are people meant to implement and deliver sustainable development and in this case sustainable construction if an official definition has not been agreed.3.1 Case StudyTo help what is understand what is involved in Sustainable Commercial Construction, a case make will be used.Whitecross High School, Hereford, EnglandOwner Herefordshire County CouncilAddress Three Elms Road, Herford, HerefordshireArchitect Haverstock AssociatesBuilding Services Consultant Couch Perry WilkesContractor Stepnell LTD cypher 1 film of Whitecross High School, Hereford, EnglandWhitecross High School in Hereford was primarily designed where energy / sustainability was high priority for the client. The gross internal floor area of the nurture is 9160m2 and was built for approximately 900 students. The brief fo r the project contained stringent sustainability requirements, and this became the key driver for the design process.Sustainable features of Whitecross High SchoolHigh mass and thermal insulation levels with low air permeability ratesExcellent air quality and summertime temperature controlHeat recovery ventilation 90% efficientin truth Low annual energy consumptionSustainable solutions provided within PFI cost frameworkNatural materials used through and throughout constructionHazardous materials excluded from the building judicial admissionFollowing the case study, we can see at the Whitecross High School that not only is there sustainable energy solutions in this sustainable building but there have been solutions designed in the buildings. For example the excellent air quality and summertime temperature control system means that other high-priced and unreliable systems would not be call for, saving time and money on the sustainable building.You can tell by the number of definit ions and the lack of agreement of an official definition about the subject of sustainability and sustainable construction is confusing and complex. The main disagreement is apparent around how to implement sustainable construction what systems actually make a sustainable building, sustainable.4.0 Research Approach4.1 Scope of the ChapterThis chapter of my dissertation will outline the research methods used to complete my dissertation. It will compare the two different types of research and will also show why I have chosen my specific method.4.2 Qualitative and Quantitative ResearchWhen researching for any type of information there are different methods that can be used. There are two principal strands of data collection methodologies and strategies which are distinctly different. (Bryman 2004)Quantitative research involves the use of structured questions where the answer are predetermined, this research is done over a large number of respondents and is statistically valid while qual itative research is about appeal and analysing data interpreting what people say or do for instance a questionnaire.The very nature of the dissertation, the different types of information needed in order to achieve the objectives and the resources that are actually available like time implications for instance affects what types of research methods will be used.To gain a wider situation about sustainable development and about the current recession period, it is always a good idea to do some research within the public, using both primary and secondary research. There are many different types of research that you could do, some of which are numeric and qualitative approaches. Usually research methods and styles are not mutually exclusive although only one, or a small number of approaches, will normally be adopted due to resource constraints on the work. The different approaches focus on collection and analysis of data rather than examination of theory and literature. Quantitative a pproaches normally seek to foregather factual data, perusal relationships between facts and how such facts and relationships accord with theories and the findings and of research carried out previously.Qualitative approaches seek to gain and understand peoples perceptions, both as individuals and as groups. This research looks at peoples beliefs, understandings, opinions and views etc.are investigated. The data is detailed and rich in content because the data gathered may be unstructed, but will be in their raw form. If you do use this method of research you would have to be willing to be highly laborious, involving transcripting interviews etc. The researchers are likely to be closely involved in all stages of the work in a more active way than usually is acceptable in quantitative studies.Features of Qualitative researchFeatures of Quantitative researchDifference in respect toQuantitative ResearchQualitativeResearchThe aim is a complete, detailed description.The aim is to class ify features, count them, and construct statistical models in an attempt to explain what is observed.Underpinning philosophyRationalism That human beings achieve knowledge because of their capacity to reason (Bernard, 1994)Empiricism the only knowledge that human beings puzzle is from sensory experiences(Bernard, 1994)Researcher may only know roughly in advance what he/she is looking forResearcher knows clearly in advance what he/she is looking for.Approach to inquiryStructured/ rigid/ predetermined methodologyUnstructured/ flexible/ open methodologyRecommended during earlier phases of research projectsRecommended during latter phases of research projectsMain Purpose of investigationTo quantify extent or variation in phenomenon, situation, issues etc.To describe variation in a phenomenon, situation, issue etc.The design emerges as the study unfoldsAll aspects of the study are closely designed before data is collectedMeasurement of variablesEmphasis on some form of either metre o r classification of variable.Emphasis on description of variablesResearcher is the data gathering instrumentResearcher uses tools, such as questionnaires or equipment to collect numerical dataSample SizeEmphasis on greater sample sizeFewer casesData is in the form of words, pictures or objectsData is in the form of numbers and statistics.Focus of inquiryNarrows focus in terms of extent of inquiry, but assembles required information from a greater number of respondentsCovers multiple issues but assembles required information from fewer respondentsSubjective individuals interpretation of events is important ,e.g., uses participant observation, in-depth interviews etc.Objective seeks precise measurement analysis of target concepts, e.g., uses surveys, questionnaires etc supreme research valueReliability and objectivity(value-free)Authenticity but does not claim to be value- freeQualitative data is more rich, time consuming, and less able to be generalized.Quantitative data is more ef ficient, able to test hypotheses, but may miss contextual detail.Dominant research topicExplains prevalence, incidence, extent, nature of issues, opinions and attitude discovers regularities and formulates theoriesExplores experiences, meanings, perceptions and feelingsResearcher tends to become subjectively immersed in the subject matter.Researcher tends to remain objectively separated from the subject matter.Analysis of dataSubjects variables to frequency distributions, cross-tabulations or other statistical proceduresSubjects responses, narratives or observation data to identification of themes and describes theseCommunication of findingsOrganisation more analytical in nature, order of payment references and conclusions, and testing magnitude and strength of relationshipOrganisational more descriptive and narrative in natureFigure 2 Table adapted from www.wilderdom.com and Kumar (2005)The features of qualitative and quantitative research methods along with the differences in the two methods can be seen in Figure which has been adapted from www.wilderdom.com and Kumar (2005)The table shows the two different research methods that can be used and their usefulnesss and disadvantages. It shoes the features of both Qualitative Research and Quantitative Research.4.3 Research patternThere are several different ways that the research for this project could be under taken and when looking at the most suitable method. There are three major factors that are the most significant amongst the others that need to be taken into account. They areReliabilityReplicationValidityThese three factors that have been identified are all issues that could affect the consistency, therefore the reliability of the data for my dissertation4.4 Approaches to troth collection4.4.1 InterviewsInterviews have been described by Kumar (2005) as being person to person interaction with specific purposes. There are two main types of interviews and these can be seen in figure below taken from Kum ar (2005, page. 123)Interview StylesUnstructuredStructured pliable interview structureRigid interview structureFlexible interview contentsRigidy interview, rigid interview contentsFlexible interview questionsQuestions and their wordingFigure 3 Diagram showing the two possible interview techniquesThe advantages and disadvantages of interviews have been identified in the table below.Advantages of InterviewDisadvantages of InterviewMore appropriate for complex situationsCan be expensive and time consumingInterviewing has a wider applicationInterviewee could be biasQuestions can be explainedQuality of information may deteriorateGood for in depth informationQuality of interviewee may be poorFace to face interactionQuality of data could differ on interactionFigure 4 Advantages and disadvantages of the interview4.5 Research projectBecause of my dissertation, and what it is involving, it was not feasible for me to produce any quantitative data as the majority of the general public will hav e very limited or no information whatsoever about my chosen subject. therefrom my research method was a set of self designed research questions used to gather honest and first hand information, about the effects the recession is having on commercial sustainable construction. The purpose of this interview based approach was to abstract through questions the information needed to answer the research question. Tesch, (1990) defines qualitative research as Intensive study of one individual or a group as an entitiy, through observation, self-reports and any other means. In this case the individual was interviewed alone, yet was also grouped together in order to distinguish any inter related experiences.4.6 SamplingIt is clear that to get the best information possible, a wide range of professionals needs to be used. I therefore opted to use professionals from different backgrounds to interview. The professions in which I used areBuilding SurveyorLife Cycle DirectorCommercial Sector Direc torSenior Design ManagerThe reason for selection of the professionals is that hopefully I can gain an insight into the different views on the set of self designed questions that have been prepared for them.I was careful in choosing the professionals in which I did. I wanted to gain the best information possible to obtain the best results for my dissertation. I decided on choosing professionals who are well established in their different fields and have a wide vocabulary of knowledge, and in some cases, have plenty of experience.4.7 Interview DesignI decided in order to gain the best and most accurate information it would be best to have a structure interview. Therefore I would take a set of pre determined questions into the interview and asked to the professionals. The advantages of such a structured interview would be that each and every one of the professionals would be asked the same questions then a advance analysis could be gained as their responses are all to the same questio ns4.8 SummaryThe above chapter covers the whole process of collecting data and the means for it to be compiled.5.0 Data Collection Activities5.1 Scope of the ChapterThis chapter in hand looks at the activities that took place in order for me to successfully collect the data. The data collection activity covers what was completed to collect the resulting information and the processes that have taken place. The following chapter should show the results collected, which be analysed according to the objectives.5.2 Data CollectionThe only source of data collection was conducted using structures interviews. The interviews were recording on different days, but in the same week as I deemed it important as it would sustain me the most accurate information. The professionals all gave a good sample of answers to the questions given to them. The interviewees were of a high professional level and of high standard.5.3 Interview ResultsI considered it was important to correctly select the amount of the actual questions I would be asking. This was for the simple reason that it would give me the best and most accurate answers about sustainable commercial buildings, the recession and whether or not they have had an effect on each other.Independant VariablesI deemed it necessary to find out the age of the interviewees, the years of experience they have in the necessary feild and more importantly what their profession was.Age of the intervieweeFigure 5 shows the age of the participantsAmount of experience in current professionFigure 6 shows the amount of experience each interviewee hasWhat profession the participants are inFigure 7 shows the profession of the interviewees6.0 Data analysis6.1 Scope of the chapterIn this chapter I will critically analyse the results that were compiled from the interviews that were undertaken. The results will assess the impact that the interviews have had upon the research completed, and will compare or contrast findings. The way in which I will b e analysing the interviews is by looking at each question, explaining each of the results and from there, I will be analysing them.Question 01 AnalysisDo you utilise in- family unit module rather than specialist consultants?ResultsYou can see from the transcripts that the interviewees have answered the question, with different opinions. Interviewee 1 and Interviewee 3 both say that they use both in-house and specialist consultants. Interviewee 3 then goes on to say that the main reason they are using in-house staff rather than specialist consultants is that they are much much cheaper.Interviewee 2 and Interviewee number 5 both have the same sort of answer. They both said that they try to use specialist consultants rather than in-house staff in their companies. Interviewee number 2 explained it was because contractors are seeing the need for specialist advice that can help them differentiate in a competitive market to have an edge and make sure they win the tender.Interviewee number 4 however, said that in his company they try to utilise the in-house staff as much as possible but because the company in which he is employed by is fairly small company compared to the Balfour Beattys, Carillions and other such companies..AnalysisFrom this question, I have a mixed bag of answers to whether companies use in-house staff or specialist consultants. Because of the varied answers, I believe that some companies are doing better in the recession than other companies and still can afford the specialist consultants.I also believe from the answers that some people believe it is more important to gain the specialist knowledge than it is to use in house staff as they believe using in-house staff hinders your chances of winning a contract when tendering for it so having the best knowledge possible is key.Questions 02 AnalysisHas the amount of contractors being tendered to changed since the recessional period started?ResultsI can see from the transcripts there is a popular answe r to this question. Interviewee numbers 3, 4 and 5 all agree that there has been some change in the amount of contractors being tendered too.Interviewee 1 the Senior Design Manager is alone when saying that there has been no change. He explains because Balfour Beatty is a big big company they have a local supply chain in every major area. He explains that at Balfour Beatty they use contractors that they have had previous relationships with because you get better quality out of them.Interviewee number 2 is also alone with his answer. He states Tender lists are long, but I am not too sure at the moment if this is better or worse than before.. At the moment, he is unsure as to whether having long tender lists is better or worse than before. He then goes on to state a main problem with long tender lists is that contractors dont want to spend money on sustainability advice if they only have a low win probability.AnalysisThere is a common answer among the professionals about the amount of contractors being tendered too. The two Building Surveyors and the Life Cycle Director all believed that there has been some change since the recession started.This tells me that the building surveyors definitely believe that there has been a significant change in the amount of contractors being tendered too.The Senior Design Manager (Interviewee 1), whom I believe is the professional with the most experience, is completely alone with his answer. This in my opinion is because he works at one of the largest construction companies in Europe. Although the recession would still have had an effect on Balfour Beatty, I believe they would not nearly be as affected by is as some of the smaller companies in the industry.The Commercial Sector Director (Interviewee 2) doesnt really give a definitive answer to the question he just states that the tender lists are long.Question 03What financial arrangements have been put in place depending on sustainability?ResultsWhen asking this question you can see from the transcripts that there was a very popular occurrence of and around the term BREEAM ExcellentInterviewee numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 all mentioned the word BREEAM. Interviewee 1 said I think if affected by the recession but its actually probably a very positive time for us he also went on to say if you look at commercial projects whoever is building a commercial project has got to think about their tenant and tenants often look for is it a sustainable building? So it is actually a marketing tool that we are using now you know to give us an advantage against our opponents so sustainability rath