Almost 850 construction professionals took part in the CIOB survey that examined the industry’s attitude towards climate change and the role of sustainable construction.
Michael Brown, CIOB deputy chief executive said: “From the survey we can see that there is clear concern about climate change and a desire to enforce sustainable construction but there is a lack of understanding about what is being done and what can be done to tackle these issues.
“The problem may lay in the fact there is still much debate among experts and political leaders concerning possible solutions and the affect that they will have in reducing climate change. What is certain is that reducing waste and carbon emissions from buildings will not only help the environment, but is also profitable to businesses. From these results we can see that there is no debate to be had within the construction industry in regards to the direction that needs to be taken, but reaching these people with everyday solutions and practical changes seems to be where the ‘green revolution’ is falling short.”
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The survey also revealed that awareness within the industry has been heightened in regards to environmental issues and their implications for the future of the industry: 98% of respondents accept that construction has a role to play in climate change, 91.4% believe that this role is either important or vital to climate change, 94.6% believe that ‘green’ building is the future for construction, and 86.2% believe that there are financial benefits to producing energy efficient buildings.
However, 67% of respondents felt that the current UK building regulations do not go far enough to create energy efficient buildings. In addition, building regulations were seen as the most valuable way for the built environment to reduce carbon dioxide, with the majority believing that building regulations were enforceable. This would suggest that the industry would like to see a more forceful and demanding set of regulations in place to drive sustainable development and market demand.
Mr. Brown added: “Although this survey has identified an increase in demand for sustainable development over the last five years, this increase appears not yet to have reached significant enough levels. The reason for this lack of widespread market appetite is seen as a shortage of client awareness and education towards the financial benefits for building green projects. And yet 86% of respondents believe there are financial benefits to be had from producing energy efficient buildings.”
(LC/SP)
