Elements Of Sustainability And Sustainable Risk Management

The adaption of a sustainability paradigm in the current world is very crucial. Sustainability does not only help in improving people’s health but also assists in improving their quality of life since it aims at ensuring that the available resources are effectively used. As years pass by demand for sustainable developments has increased. Many institutions have also come up with ways of ensuring sustainability in their areas of operation. The University of Salford is one of the institutions, has not been left out in this. In the university’s Environmental Sustainability Policy Statement, the university has clearly outlined its commitment to achieving sustainability (‘University of Salford- United Nations Partnerships for SDGs platform’, 2020). In order to meet their commitments, the university is bringing up together different parties who will help them meet these commitments. Being one of the parties involved, as a lead construction management company, to help the university in delivering the university’s Estates campus master plan, which is to be a sustainable development we have come up with ways of meeting the university’s needs.

It is critical for every firm to set clear goals regarding the project before it commences. The setting of sustainable priorities and aims as early as during the feasibility study period will help us in meeting the client’s needs. This will involve additional considerations in this phase, like clearly defining the environmental goals and taking into consideration the amount of capital investment towards the green initiatives. Environmental considerations being a bottom-line concern in achieving sustainable buildings will see us implement the Environmental Management System (EMS). EMS in return will help in reducing the construction waste by recycling materials on the site, reduction of electricity consumption, water consumption, accident rate, and defects on site (Omran & Yahya, 2020). Consultation from other team members is always important for better results. As soon as we define our sustainability strategy we will engage the other parties involved, by asking for feedback on our sustainability goals and asking them on new ideas that they have used in their previous sustainable projects and they have worked out for them. This will help in ensuring our strategies work out for us in the most effective way. The more ownership the whole team feels involved in the sustainability effort, the harder they’ll work to make it a success. The integration of sustainability risk management will also be appreciated highly by our company during the project delivery period. This will involve embedding the risks into a risk register and dealing with them accordingly. Consequently, this will help in reducing the project’s cost and time overrun hence meeting the project’s scope at the end (Francis, 2015).

The area of procurement during project delivery plays a key role in ensuring sustainability is met. Through sustainable procurement, we are able to save money, reduce the harmful impact of hazardous substances on human health and the environment, ensure efficient and effective use of natural resources and eradicate waste during construction. (Department for Communities’, 2012). We will play an important role in controlling the supply chain by making negotiations with the different suppliers concerning the delivery times, checking the supplier’s quality of materials, and conformance with the specifications upon delivery of any order and site installation. Getting to know the suppliers’ reputation before working with them will also be our concern. Use of Projects Integrating Sustainable Methods ( PRiSM) methodology in the project, will help us in reducing the project side by side risks while intensifying the range of benefits to be accomplished. This is because the methodology gives one specific guidance on how to incorporate sustainability through the project’s lifetime (Green, 2020).

PRiSM methodology. The use of sustainable construction materials is very fundamental. The materials are associated with generating less waste, they use renewable raw materials and they are durable (David, 2017). As a reputable construction management company, we will ensure that throughout the process of building the estates these materials are used. Some of the features which will be associated with the project will include installed solar panels, dual-pane low emittance windows, energy-efficient air conditioning and lighting (use of LEED lighting), fresh air ventilation systems, and green roofs. Recycling of some materials such as steel during the construction phase will also be cherished. On landscaping, permeable paving materials will be used to reduce stormwater run-off, native plants and trees will be planted and HDPE pipes will be used as landscaping pipes. Regular visits on the ultimate goals of the projects are one of the mechanics that we apply in our projects to keep us motivated and it will not be different for this project. A health and safety system management system will also be implemented to ensure that all workers on site are safe.

Entrusting us to build a sustainable estate will be a guarantee that the university will incur some benefits such as higher returns, lower utility bills, and positive health impacts on the end-users thus increasing the house demands. The university will also enjoy the tax credits eligible for green buildings.

References.

1. Francis, T. (2015). Sustainable risk management in the construction industry: lessons learned from the IT industry. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 22 June 2020, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3846/20294913.2014.979455.
2. Goulden, D. (2017). Five Ways Project Managers Can Make Their Projects More Sustainable | Clarizen. Clarizen. Retrieved 22 June 2020, from https://www.clarizen.com/five-ways-project-managers-can-make-projects-sustainable/.
3. Green, S. (2020). Choose Your Project Management Methodology: Pros and Cons of Agile, Waterfall, PRiSM and more. Workflowmax.com. Retrieved 22 June 2020, from https://www.workflowmax.com/blog/choose-your-project-management-methodology-pros-and-cons-of-agile-waterfall-prism-and-more.
4. Mat Nor, S. (2013). Umpir.ump.edu.my. Retrieved 22 June 2020, from http://umpir.ump.edu.my/8737/1/cd8458.pdf.
5. Omran, A., & Yahya, S. (2020). Environmental Management System (EMS) within Construction Site: A case study in Kelantan State, Malaysia. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 847, 012039. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/847/1/012039
6. Sustainable procurement in construction | Department for Communities. Communities. (2012). Retrieved 22 June 2020, from https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/sustainable-procurement-construction.
7. University of Salford – United Nations Partnerships for SDGs platform. Sustainabledevelopment.un.org. (2020). Retrieved 22 June 2020, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=226.
8. University of Salford, M. (2020). Campus Masterplan | Campus Masterplan | University of Salford, Manchester. Salford.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2020, from https://www.salford.ac.uk/campus-masterplan.