Designers, with the project team, help develop, then interpret, clients' and users' requirements. It is they who determine and influence the solutions adopted. Constructors can plan the construction process more efficiently to eliminate wastage, a theme being actively considered by the Construction Taskforce, and constructors can themselves select sustainable products to use. Materials producers and product manufacturers influence the quality of products, whether they are produced cleanly and efficiently, and whether they are easily maintained and have minimum impact on the environment over their whole life cycle including re-use and final disposal. Occupiers and managers of buildings make important contributions to sustainability through their purchasing decisions, and by ensuring that buildings are used and operated efficiently for the benefit of their occupants and in terms of the quality of the environment, the use of energy and water and waste minimisation.
Sustainable construction is about much more than the fabric of the built environment.
Housing and the social, commercial and transport infrastructures around them must all be built in ways that are sustainable in environmental and economic terms. They must also be sustainable in social terms. They must add value to the quality of life for the individual and the community. The following sections of this paper raise many of the issues, challenges and opportunities posed for all those involved in construction. The options for change are many and include fiscal and regulatory measures, education, training, shared learning and research, improving information, local action, stimulating market demand for more efficient products, and other ways of bringing about market transformation.