CIOB committed to sustainable construction.

CIOB welcomes publication of the 'Strategy for Sustainable Construction', and commends the Government for working with industry to create a long-term vision for a more sustainable built environment.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) initial response identified a number concerns with the draft version of the strategy, including: (1) A lack of detail on how to address the problems associated with non-domestic buildings and existing building stock; (2) A lack of clarity about organisational roles and responsibilities, and overall accountability for delivering the strategy; (3) Targets that were not challenging enough to deliver the desired outcomes.

Steven Wielebski a CIOB Ambassador said: "The strategy has addressed many of our concerns but still fails to acknowledge the potential of decarbonising the industry's energy supply at source".

"50% of the UK CO2 emissions come from energy produced from non-renewable sources and is consumed in building services".

"We would argue that addressing this problem at source should be a major priority for the UK Government and for the Strategy".

"The challenge now will be to clarify the UK construction industry role in delivering the sustainability objectives within a national and international context".

"The newly launched Construction Commitments initiative* will go someway to achieving this in encouraging the industry to exceed current best practice".

The CIOB has pledged its commitment to the Construction Commitments, and looks forward to continuing to play its part in helping the government achieve the objectives set out in the Strategy for Sustainable Construction".

""Moreover the UK house building industry has recognised that there are a number of technical issues associated with the code for sustainable homes, and is in discussion with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the Department of Communities and Local Government) (CLG) on how these can be overcome".

"It is likely that this particular work will provide further benefits and guidance to the construction industry in general, as the pursuit of sustainable construction becomes more prominent".

* The Strategic Forum for Construction is today also publishing its 'Construction Commitments' to promote best practice across the industry.

These commitments support the Strategy for Sustainable Construction.

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