Construction and Environment: improving energy efficiency

ACTIVITIES IN THE construction sector are complex, highly dispersed and resource demanding. The sector contributes to the loss of important natural assets and imposes severe stress on the environment. The environmental problems of the construction sector in low and middle income countries are at many different levels; material producers and builders often use traditional, less energy efficient techniques or old-fashioned, highly polluting equipment and there is often a lack of knowledge about how to make production clean and energy efficient. Improvements may be hindered by a lack of capital or foreign currency, and weak management at any level adds to existing problems.
Buildings which are not adapted to the outdoor climate have high energy use and may cause pollution but architects and engineers are often not aware of new building design techniques that require low operational energy.
This study outlines some key concerns regarding the environmental impacts of the construction industry. Most of the pollution from the construction sector comes from energy intensive activities such as material production, construction and operation of buildings. The study focuses on energy use and recommendations are given on how to improve energy efficiency in construction. The report is aimed mainly at designers, builders and small-scale material producers.