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The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) today launched a plan calling for a sustainability code for all non-domestic buildings both new and existing to mirror the Code for Sustainable Homes.

“At the moment the practical delivery and management of sustainable buildings is being held up by a confusing myriad of different sustainability policies, regulations, tools and standards,” says Paul King, chief executive of the UKGBC.

The proposed Code for Sustainable Buildings would establish a single clear policy and regulatory framework for the built environment. Uniquely, the code would set progressively more ambitious standards over time to drive up performance.

Buildings would be regularly assessed – rather like an MOT for a car – throughout their lifecycle for carbon emissions, energy usage, waste and water performance to ensure that their performance was improving.

“To help industry meet those targets in the most efficient and effective ways, there needs to be a common language and common metrics used by all sustainability tools and standards,” adds King.

The Code would, therefore, also be vital in driving the systematic collection of data about building performance, which is currently lacking.

The plan, which has been drawn up with some of the UK’s major players in construction and property, will be presented to the Government with the hope of being adopted as future building regulations and standards.

“It is vital that the industry has a consistent and progressive approach to sustainable development that will deliver tangible results,” says Alistair Guthrie, director of construction firm Arup.

For further information:
www.ukgbc.org/site/home
www.ukgbc.org/site/resources/show-resource-details?id=406