Environmental issues in construction - sustainability indicators for the civil engineering industry (PR75)

This is the final element in CIRIA’s four-part research project on environmental issues in construction and it looks at proposals for a series of indicators measuring the civil engineering sector’s moves towards sustainability. The project has drawn on state-of-the-art thinking and analytical models used by governments and international organisations. Its aims are to establish a series of top-level indicators to feed into the DETR’s ongoing sustainability indicator work and to develop a tiered system of indicators that could be used by the CE industry in its strategic planning and operations. To maximise its relevance for an industry sector, the project has used the Driving Force Pressure State Impact Response (DPSIR) model within an inputs/outputs/impacts framework. Industry input into the process was obtained through two project workshops, which provided important ideas on decision-making processes and maximising the industry’s moves towards sustainability. The book discusses the need for developing sustainability indicators for the civil engineering sector, details the methodology used to develop these indicators, and reports the findings of the workshops. It provides a suggested indicator set and an indicator development toolkit for the industry, and sets out recommendations that emerged from the research.

Key words: environmental good practice, sustainable construction.

ISBN: 978-0-86017-875-0

Author: CIRIA

Number of pages: 88 (paperback)

Publisher: CIRIA

Date of Publication: April 1999