Sustainability encompasses environmental, social, and economic issues and a balanced approach must be taken when making building design decisions.

The most widely accepted definition of a sustainable development is “a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

Sustainability Statements present a challenge to describe as they can cover a wide range of subjects and professional design disciplines. Perhaps the most concise way is the approach often adopted by The Planning Officers wherein a target rating is required from a nationally recognised environmental assessment scheme. The two most common in the UK are BREEAM which includes commercial buildings, and The Code for Sustainable Homes.

Similar to energy reports the project requirements must be considered against the applicable planning policy. National policy is largely generic and is applied to all projects across the UK. Regional policy varies widely and must be understood and addressed. Local policy, including any supplementary policy documents, must be reviewed in detail for each project as these often set the performance targets which are required to be met or from which planning conditions are negotiated.

The BREEAM environmental schemes consider the credentials of a new building project under a number of categories. These include:

BREEAM schemes provide a building rating dependent on a percentage points score. This ranges from a Pass at 30% to Outstanding at 85%. The Code for Sustainable Homes provides a similar rating process with a level one dwelling the lowest requiring a score of 36. The highest rating at level six requires a score of 90 points.

A scheme rating is a relatively crude measure of the environmental performance of a building and the design should be assessed to achieve the correct balance between the environmental design issues under each relevant topic and to ensure the best value solutions are adopted which meet the planning policy requirements.