Sustainability

What is Sustainability?
Sustainability can mean different things to different people around the world. However, it is commonly considered to include a balance of environmental, social and financial issues. In 1987, the World Commission on the Environment and Development (Bruntlandt) made the statement - 'Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable -to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' Construction professionals, and in particular structural engineers, have a vital role to play in sustainable development through the design, construction and management of buildings and infrastructure.

The role of the engineer in sustainable development
Jonathan Porritt, the environmental campaigner, discussed this issue in detail in his presentation Engineering a Sustainable Future for the Institution's 20th Maitland Lecture held on 12 November 1998.

Guidance
The Institution first produced guidance on sustainability in 1999 with its report Building for a sustainable future: construction without depletion. The second edition of this report is in preparation by an Institution Task Group with an anticipated publication date of late 2009.

Sustainable Construction Panel
The Institution's panel is the centre point in the institution for promoting sustainability. Currently the panel is preparing a series of briefing notes on various aspects of sustainability. These are available from here.

What can you do?
A selection of useful websites offering information and advice on sustainability issues has been arranged into a series of categories for you to browse.

Reading List
A selection of publications read by members of the IStructE Sustainable Construction Panel that may assist those interested in sustainability is available here.