It is only in recent times – with the discussion of climate change – that serious attention widely has been paid to the question of the use of scarce natural resources and the effect it has on the environment. Even so, the construction industry lags behind, using old techniques, old technologies and old ways of thinking about the built environment while trying, with limited success, to be more sustainable.

We are no longer living in a world where most natural resources can be thought of as limitless (obvious exceptions are the sources of solar, wind and nuclear power). Most are finite, and with that acknowledgment comes the realization that many resources will simply run out as we continue to consume resources at an increasing pace; the only question is when.

Public opinion, reacting to this new reality, is now shifting us into “The Age of Environmental Thrift,” where consciousness about the use of finite resources has achieved a new primacy.

When considering a new construction project, should one not be asking the question, “Why are we using any finite resources at all; what are the alternatives?” The reasons for using finite resources are obvious. Society needs to house its increasing population, enable new businesses, replace facilities that have reached the end of their useful life, and build and renovate facilities to accommodate previously unknown technologies. And yet, the best way that we do this is considered to be encompassed by sustainability guides such as LEED. As an industry, construction does not devote enough time to considering how the same outcome might be achieved using fewer resources, and this is significantly because we in construction are set in our old ways.

Now is the time to apply the attitude best espoused by Eugene Kranz, former NASA flight director. “Space is basically a test of survival – our ability to invent things that will allow us to use very limited resources,” he said. “We have to use everything, and [we] have to use it as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

It is time the construction industry adopted two new techniques – and used more regularly one long-established technique – as standard procedures when considering any new building or the renovation of an existing building. Those are:

• Measuring and understanding the service life of each building with a view to preserving its intrinsic value;
• Carefully balancing capital costs with ongoing operation and maintenance costs and environmental impact by applying lifecycle costing techniques; and
• Benchmarking the quality of each building to optimize its specific use.