Sustainability of new and existing building stock in the UK

Essay from the year 2014 in the subject Art - Architecture / History of Construction, language: English, abstract: Sustainability is a universal phenomenon that addresses the need to protect the environment for current, as well as future generations. It deals with issues ranging from the vast social needs, infinite environmental requirements to massive financial obligations. As such, governments worldwide are taking precautionary measures to ensure that the current development policies are conforming to certain suitability standards. The standards, according to the United Nations, must be economic, socially acceptable and, most importantly, protect the environment; not only for current but also for future generations. Therefore, one of the strategies international bodies and local governments are using to promote sustainability is the introduction of standard measures in the construction sector. Currently, there is a global upsurge in construction companies that mainly address the concept of sustainability, and United Kingdom (UK) is no exception. For a fact, older buildings are being refitted to meet current sustainability drivers or codes while newly built blocks are required to meet these standards as well. For instance, offices, education centers, hospitals, rental apartments and many other social amenities, both older and newly built, are required to meet these sustainability commitments. As such, proprietors and building owners have been forced to refurbish and refit their structures, for example with lagging material to save energy.