Integrating sustainability into a building project is no easy matter! From project analysis to choosing the suppliers, from the buildings’ structure and envelope to air renewal, down to construction waste management...
Here are the best practices for a sustainable building project in 11 steps.
The project begins with drawing up technical specifications to establish the project’s feasibility.
The building’s decarbonization and circularity are considered from start to finish of the project, taking the materials’ whole life cycle analysis into account.
To reduce the carbon footprint and conserve exhaustible resources, the choice is made to reuse construction products and adopt light building solutions and recyclable materials.
Taking the sustainable building path also means choosing responsible suppliers with ambitious environmental and social goals.
Using the BIM model facilitates information sharing throughout the project.
Choosing a cement made from “wasterials” (co-products from other industries, such as ash or blast furnace slag = mix of non-ferrous oxides from cast iron manufacture) to produce a concrete whose carbon footprint is reduced by up to 70%.
The facades, exterior walls, and roofs are well-insulated and airtight.
The double or triple glazing has low emissivity. The whole building offers high acoustic comfort.
Preference is given to light framed plasterboard partitions, combining glass wool insulation with a bio-based binder to preserve the air quality and enhance the acoustics.
As the building is well sealed, the air must be continually renewed by opening windows or providing mechanical ventilation.
Equipment is chosen that is powered by low-carbon or renewable energy, such as a solar water heater or wood-fired boiler.
The construction of a sustainable building also involves addressing waste management/valorization on the site and at the building’s end-of-life.
