The last couple of decades have seen a tremendous rise in globalization. People from around the globe have greater connectivity now, which was hitherto unknown. This has given rise to several shared global issues, including poverty, hunger, climate change and the ever-increasing demand of the natural resources. We are feeling the tremendous strain on these resources across the world, creating the need for sustainable development.
For the purpose of solving these dire problems faced by all the countries, the United Nations General Assembly set up a collection of 17 global goals in 2015, as a part of the 2030 sustainable development agenda. These goals focus on providing people everywhere with access to enough resources and improve their quality of life, and making provisions for future generations as well.
The United Nations has been making continuous efforts towards establishing this agenda and implementing these set of rules. It has built the goals on years and years of research by numerous countries all over the globe. Hence, we take a look at all the sustainable development goals, how they impact MEP companies like CEC and the global sustainability scenario.
Introduction to Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals are initiatives that serve as indicators and targets to all the countries that are members of the UN to adhere to and frame their agendas and policies accordingly, until 2030.
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General said “The 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, provide a coherent, holistic framework for addressing global challenges and their interconnections.
They require member states to address the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development in a balanced manner. Their implementation must embody the principles of inclusiveness, integration, and leaving no one behind.”
From 2015-2030, the SDGs will shape all the major policies and decisions that have an impact on any of the aspects included in these rules.
As the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, said, “Our goals are comprehensive and reflect our evolving understanding of the social, economic and environmental linkages that define our lives. The sustainable development of one-sixth of humanity will be of great consequence to the world and our beautiful planet.”
There is an increased focus towards conserving energy, taking strong steps to minimize the impact of climate change globally, and conservation of resources on land and underwater.
Out of all the sustainable development goals, the goals for affordable and clean energy, sustainable economic growth, industry innovation, modern infrastructure, and construction of sustainable cities and communities across the globe are highly relevant to the MEP industry. As a matter of fact, these very goals drive the modern MEP sector, right from project inception.
1. Goal 7 aims for providing access to affordable and reliable clean energy resources in the long run. It involves improving energy efficiency and adopting new methods by investing in clean energy infrastructure.
In the context of sustainable buildings, this means designing buildings to maximize the use of natural light, improved energy performance, distributed energy production, adaptable and flexible spaces, and early green performance analysis with the help of building information models(BIMs).
Chris Nelson, President, Commercial HVAC, Carrier, says “Building developers are expected to become increasingly sophisticated, taking a holistic approach to address the needs of reducing the carbon footprint, improving indoor air quality, and offering a healthy occupant experience.” All of this becomes possible only when energy-efficiency of the building is properly achieved.
2. Promoting sustainable economic growth has a direct impact on the development of sustainable buildings, as the construction of sustainable infrastructure is dependent on the economic capability of the investors. Goal 8 intends to empower the people of the world with quality jobs that safeguard the earth for future generations.
3. Goal 9 speaks about the importance of building resilient infrastructure and promoting sustainable and inclusive industrialization to encourage the construction industry across the world in adopting innovative research. Using more efficient technology will in turn increase building efficiency. This will lead to cleaner and healthier buildings with a substantially reduced carbon footprint.
4. Goal 11 aims to provide people with sustainable and equal housing, eliminating the need for slums and informal settlements. By adopting the principles of sustainable building, it is possible to build sustainable housing for people everywhere. Thus, we ensure that we save energy. Now, since the buildings minimize environmental degradation, we can construct them on a large scale. Of course, this ensures that all the people globally get the chance at a sustainable accommodation.
Sustainable Development Goals and Sustainable Buildings
As we know, a sustainable building is one that uses sustainable and environment-friendly resources in construction. The design and construction make efficient use of resources, conserve energy and water, reduce pollution, and minimizes environmental degradation.
Over the past decade, these goals have driven sustainable design and development, especially when it comes to construction. Working as an MEP consultant in Dubai for over 10 years, Consistent has experienced this change very closely, observing first hand the changing approach from conventional to clean methods of construction.
Green Buildings and SDGs
Green buildings and SDGs have an indivisible relation, as both are the catalysts for each other’s existence. SDGs lead to the design and creation of green buildings, while they contribute towards making SDGs a reality.
Hence, green buildings contribute toward SDGs in the following ways:
- Green buildings improve people’s health and well-being, in accordance with Goal 3
- They make use of renewable energy, reducing maintenance costs over time, as required by Goal 7
- The drive towards building green infrastructure creates new jobs and employment for people, satisfying Goal 8 with its wider scope
- Green building is instrumental in spurring innovation and contributing to the development of climate-resilient architecture, as needed for Goal 9
- It is estimated that 60% of the population will live in metropolitan cities by 2030. Hence, creating green neighborhoods and vicinities instead of individual green homes is on the cards. This ensures that the new fabric of civilization is green, which is Goal 11.
Green building satisfies Goal 12 of responsible consumption and protection as they use circular principles where resources aren’t wasted.
- Green buildings produce fewer emissions, which helps combat climate change and also improve biodiversity, save water resources, and protect forests.
- They are the foundation of strong global partnerships, which spurs the drive for a clean and sustainable world.
Understanding the importance of these goals and the key role green buildings play in achieving them, governments from across the world have made amendments to their policies or instituted new ones to further the endeavor.
For instance, the German government writes in its new Sustainable Development Strategy:
‘The value of the sustainability principle is thinking in various dimensions in order first to highlight their interdependencies and often conflicting targets. These can and must then be resolved by balancing the three sustainability dimensions of economy, environment, and society in fulfillment of Germany’s international responsibility.’
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries of the Decade [2011-2020] are based on the pillars of sustainability and work to promote the same in their respective countries.
Thus, this change in policies has permeated every aspect of social and economic development and this thought is reflected in construction.
CEC and Sustainable Buildings
Nowhere is this change more evident than in the mechanical and electrical systems of development. Where initially they tended to connect to the power grid and forget about the electricity being consumed, people are now thinking about how they can generate energy independently and in fact even send the excess back to the grid! Where there was a reluctance to accept greener HVAC systems due to the higher cost, there is now a willingness to accept and install the same from the residents’ end as well.
This change has been occurring gradually, until now, sustainability pervades every aspect of MEP design. As our Managing Director, Mr. Sagar Kulkarni, says about the role of the SDGs in construction, “The Sustainable Development Goals are challenging the traditional design thinking day by day. Some of the key issues we face as a civilization are greenhouse gas emission, utilization of resources and the need for clean energy. The SDGs aim to address them globally, once and for all.
IRENA predicts that by 2020, renewable energy sources will become cheaper than conventional sources, facilitating Goal 7 exponentially. Similarly, plans for building Sustainable Cities are being greenlighted all over the world, affirming Goal 11. Thus, it is always a pleasure to get associated with the new challenges that come along with such changes, and certainly feels better when it’s for a noble cause.”
CEC aims at implementing the Sustainable Development Goals to the maximum extent possible in all its projects. One of our biggest accomplishments was the implementation of green standards in the KIFAF residential project. The goal was to maximize energy efficiency in accordance with the SDGs for a total area of 125,090 sq. m.
Some of the measures we implemented for increasing energy efficiency were:
- 75% of roof area insulated by a material having solar reflective index ≥ 78
- Orientation of 50% of the building as 150 degrees northwest from the east for maximum natural lighting and ventilation
- Centralized Fresh Air Handling Units used to treat fresh air provided to all areas via ducts
- Isolation of pollutant sources by the installation of dedicated duct risers and exhaust fans for garbage rooms
- Apartments designed for optimal thermal and acoustic comfort as per regulations
- Use of thermal bridges to reduce the flow of external heat into the building
- Airlocked lobbies with air curtains at entrances and exits to prevent loss of air
- Use of centrifugal water-cooled chillers, cooling towers, and primary and secondary water pumps with VFD
Hence, these measures are predicted to achieve 14% energy savings with respect to green building standards. The total projected energy savings with respect to normal buildings were 30%, with an expected payback period of 2-4 years. Similar principles have also been applied in our Case Study on Sustainable Villas.
Endnote
Therefore, it is evident that sustainable development goals are the backbone of growth across the world. They have become the prime guidelines for countries adhere to, and we can gradually see the results. The proportion of people living in improper settlements has reduced by 20% since 2000. In addition, more than 75% of countries are engaging in coordinated urban planning.
Thus, the global scenario of sustainable development is changing for the better with each passing day. All the stakeholders involved in the process – from policymakers to contractors to engineers to homeowners – are supporting this transformation. What are your thoughts about sustainable development in the construction industry? Drop a comment to let us know!