The ongoing maintenance, repair and refurbishment of buildings can have a greater environmental impact over their lifespan than their original construction. (Rethinking Construction 2003)

Background

Buildings that are being planned and constructed today will most likely still be in use in 50-100 years time. The principal commitment of sustainability is to the long term and, in respecting the needs of future generations, it is important to consider maintenance and management objectives at the outset of a project. In general, the care taken at the design stage, not only with materials for a building’s fabric and skin but also with the accessibility and complexity of its services and the choice of monitoring systems (especially for water and energy), will be crucial in determining how efficiently it will operate.

For larger schemes it is desirable that maintenance responsibilities should be clearly defined, particularly between occupants, utility companies, local authorities and specialist (e.g. landscaping) contractors. There is an onus on repairing rather than replacement where changes are being planned for older buildings -since some types of modernisation may trigger a decline that could threaten their survival.

Finally, owners and occupiers need high quality information about how to use a new or refurbished building, which should improve their capability and motivation to realise its ‘green’ potential.