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Design and Detailing for home | introduction | context | issues | benign construction | costs | details |
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Many practices are eager to know more about materials and their effects. However, the tools available in the UK to satisfy the interest are either in an early stage of development or of limited value. Very few specifically address the issues of chemical toxicity because of the dearth of information. The BRE Green Guide to Specification for instance awards an “A” rating to a very high percentage of appraised elements with significantly varying chemical make-up and cradle to grave toxic impacts. [59] This statistically skewed distribution inevitably raises concerns. Clearly chemical toxicity is not a significant aspect in its scoring system. Notably, products tend to be appraised, rather than creative design solutions. Hence a well-detailed, locally procured, solid timber, untreated roof – which has potentially very little adverse impact over its life - does not appear amongst the elemental options of roofing material because no-one has yet paid for it to be appraised. This is probably inevitable for a commercial scheme but highlights the problems faced by designers looking for a truly wide-ranging and independent view. It is incumbent upon designers to seek creative design solutions to environmental problems regardless of the certification schemes that exist. 4.1.1 Plan of Work The RIBA Plan of work provides a framework for the design and construction process, the table (below) outlines issues relating to toxicity at each Work Stage to indicate a sequence of decision-making. |
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Designer / Design Team Briefing of key personnel on the site is crucial as they will not be aware under normal circumstances of the importance of the specification and will be used to a constant trade-off of one material/product against another. Clerk of Works In the case of the employment of a Clerk of Works it is essential to undertake an extensive induction exercise, as it will often be at his/her behest that a change of specification is initially approved. The best policy is one of zero substitution, however supply chains are not totally reliable and there will almost certainly be cases for specification change. The Clerk of Works should always refer back to the Design Team for approval. Contractor The Main Contractor’s principal responsibility is to deliver the non-toxic specification overall and the coordination between the sub-contractors will be his/her biggest challenge. It is advised that this is wrapped into the site induction process so that nobody can avoid being informed of the issues. It is also worth identifying the health and safety benefits of a non-toxic specification to the site operatives themselves. 4.2 Life Cycles Toxicity can be an issue at every stage from extraction to disposal of a material or product. Whilst this publication prioritises the building user and the indoor climate, material toxicity is relevant from cradle (manufacturing) to grave (disposal). The recycling and re-use of building products and materials is generally regarded as an environmentally positive activity. However, in a study carried out for Scottish Homes in 1994 the subject of embodied toxicity was raised. [60] The research highlighted a concern that recycled products and materials might increasingly include a toxic component (e.g., a timber floorboard beneath a polluting industrial activity). There are still no mechanisms in place to vet the toxicity of recycled materials, despite the ratcheting up of requirements for their use. This tendency for quantity issues to precede, and then dominate, over issues of quality places thoughtful designers in a difficult position in relation to some perceived good practice. Guidance on assessing a material’s pedigree would be helpful if the changing requirements are to have a genuinely positive result on health and the environment. Designers need to look to their own future liabilities. Selecting and designing details that minimise chemical load at the outset minimises risks during the project life and also more readily facilitates the materials being a valuable resource at the end of one lifespan. Given that control of environmental pollution is likely to become more stringent, this makes healthy building an increasingly attractive strategy. 4.3 Labelling and Assessment There are many ways of providing information on materials. [61] Manufacturers make their own claims about products, and they can also participate in voluntary labelling schemes designed to highlight a special feature of a product. In some cases, companies are legally obliged to state certain information on products in prescribed formats. There are green labelling schemes for almost every type of product. There are also schemes for different types of environmental impacts, and for combinations of products and impacts. Good schemes provide an excellent way for companies to advertise to their customers and potential customers that a product has achieved demanding environmental standards. However, given the potential marketing advantages it is not surprising that some schemes may be less than thorough in their appraisals. Assessment tools can emphasise criteria such as embodied energy, longevity or recyclability, which tends to skew the picture and undervalue the issue of toxicity. As there are few comparative measures of toxicity it is rarely addressed. A number of organisations, local authorities, councils and European municipalities are using guidelines on materials to control the design and specification process. The Tübingen model shown below is the type of model increasingly discussed because its precautionary approach has been shown to be readily achievable in a sizeable development. When the City of Tübingen in South Germany decided to undertake the development of a derelict French Barracks into a new City Quarter they developed a number of innovative strategies for procurement and for environmental protection. Rather than selling the land to a developer they determined to set the guidelines and to oversee the development themselves. In this way they have been able to maintain control and to recycle the profits into the infrastructure, including transport and landscape. They decided to go beyond the regulatory framework in setting environmental guidelines for the development. The following is the contractual agreement that forms the basis for environmental protection. |
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There are hundreds of systems of Life Cycle Analysis. However, because the identification and quantification of the pedigree, history and likely destination of a material or product is very complicated, it has been difficult for analysis to be simplified to a point that is user friendly for the design and specification part of the construction process. The more inclusive the analysis becomes in terms of the number of criteria they assess, the more complicated they turn out to be. There is also a risk of them rewarding things which can be very accurately calculated (e.g. embodied energy) and avoiding those things that are more subjective (e.g. exploitative child labour). Most systems are by necessity simplified to a simple 3 point scale or “traffic light” system. The majority of information on materials and health is based on US and middle European data. These vary in terms of quality and scope of issues but are worthwhile investigating to get an understanding of the range of issues. [62] As well as assessment schemes listed below there are also valuable discussion forums, such as the AECB, where designers and builders can exchange information on materials and products. [63] 4.5 Assessment Schemes Government and NGO’s are active in promoting assessment and appraisal and in setting guidelines on environmental claims. Defra produces detailed advice for business and consumers about using green claims. [64], [65] The Green Claims Code and subsequent Green Claims - Practical Guidance has no statutory force. However, it is supported by trading standards and industry bodies, so it is reasonable for regulatory or formal, self-regulatory authorities (the courts on trades descriptions and the ASA on media advertising) to take it into account. Defra cannot take enforcement action against incorrectly used claims and labels, except in respect of labelling schemes for which Defra itself is responsible, like the European Ecolabel. 4.6 Ecolabels There are many different labelling systems currently operating in the EU with labels appearing on a wide range of products, however, in the UK there is no system which specifically represents the construction industry. Standards set by each label differ and are subject to change, and therefore must be checked before specification.
Although there are many other European ecolabels, not many have resources in English. There are organisations aimed at promoting the use of ecolabels such as the Global Ecolabelling Network and ecolabelling.org that provide useful information on ecolabels and keep a catalogue searchable by country and industry. [72], [73] The Healthy Building Network is useful resource providing information on toxicity and environmental justice. [74] A number of organisations also supply ‘green’ building products [75], however, not all products necessarly have low toxicity and further details should always be sought - unless the product has an appropriate ecolabel. |
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4.7 Culture Shift There are four key areas where a culture shift is required: - 1. Amongst clients who need to be asking for healthy buildings. 2. Amongst designers who should be specifying healthy buildings. The Duty of Care and health and safety justify a culture shift, beyond any moral obligation. Designers need to inform themselves not just in terms of the materials and products but also the way in which these come together to create an indoor climate, where most people in the UK spend 90% of their life. 3. Amongst manufacturers who need to be supplying healthy products and substituting toxic materials for benign ones. Product manufacturers in the UK seem to have responded to the increased demand for green products in general and toxin free products in a less fulsome manner than most of their north and middle European counterparts. In countries such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden the building product industries have tended to subject their products to appropriate third party review and then made changes in order that they can market them with confidence. There are few examples of UK products that have changed their specification in order to ensure that they are free of suspected toxins. 4. Amongst CDM Coordinators With the new CDM Regulations (2007) there is shift of a larger amount of the onus of responsibility for the design and construction Health and Safety agenda onto the design team. This represents an opportunity for them to state any products or materials which they regard as suspect and therefore a risk unless positive proof is available to the contrary. It would be a very positive use of their new role if the CDM Coordinators made this clear to design teams, and invited them to register any concerns. It would also place pressure on manufacturers actively to seek third party accreditation, in order to give specifiers the confidence that their products were benign.
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Footnotes: 59. Anderson et al., (2002) Green Guide to Specification, BRE. 60. Liddell H.L, Kay T., and Stevenson F. (1994) From New to Old: The Potential for Re-use and Recycling in Housing, Innovation Study No.1, Scottish Homes, Edinburgh 61. Halliday S.P (2004) Appraisal Tools and Techniques Gaia Research 62. www.buildingforhealth.com/ 63. www.aecb.net 64. A Shopper’s Guide to Green Labels - a leaflet explaining the meaning of some of the green labels and logos commonly found on products. 65. Green Claims Code - best practice advice to business and consumers on making environmental claims 66. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel 67. www.svanen.nu/Default.aspx?tabName=aboutus&menuItemID=7069 69. www.blauer-engel.de/englisch/navigation/body_blauer_engel.htm 70. http://www.ibo.at/de/produktpruefung/index.htm 72. www.gen.gr.jp/ 75. www.sust.org/tgd/ back to top | contents | next chapter
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The EU Flower is currently the most common ecolabel in the UK. It was established in 1992 and is administered in the UK by Defra. 
Established in 1989 by the Nordic Council the Swan ecolabel is also a useful resource. 
Nature Plus is an international eco-label for sustainable building products. 
The German Blue Angel label also contains a vast range of products and an information resource on its website. 
The Austrian Institute for Building Biology and Building Ecology (Österreichisches Institut für Baubiologie und Bauökologie – IBÖ) administers what is considered by most European ecological designers and specifiers, to
Green Seal is a US based label that also has an expanse of information and a high level of transparency. 
