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BEAM P
LUS FOR
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UILDINGS
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RAMEWORK
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ERSION
1.2
Copyright © 2012 BEAM Society Limited. All rights reserved.
Page 3
1.1 S
USTAINABLE
B
UILDINGS
Much is said and written about sustainable development and its social,
economic and environmental aspects, but with many definitions available
it is very much a matter of viewpoint as to what is sustainable. As a
consequence there are few clear definitions of what constitutes a
sustainable building, although ASTM[2] defines a ‘green building’ as – “a
building that provides the specified building performance requirements
while minimising disturbance to and improving the functioning of local,
regional, and global ecosystems both during and after its construction
and specified service life”. Furthermore, “a green building optimises
efficiencies in resource management and operational performance; and,
minimises risks to human health and the environment”. To this can be
added social equity and economic viability.
A W
ORKING
D
EFINITION
In the context of Hong Kong’s sub-tropical climate and dense high-rise
development, BEAM considers a sustainable building as one that is, in
priority order, safe, healthy, comfortable, functional, and efficient.
Recently, climate change and global warming have become hot topics
around the world. Because of their importance to the future of all people,
Hong Kong must contribute to the international effort. Construction of
new buildings and/or management of existing buildings should adjust to
these global environmental issues.
Building safety is covered by a myriad of regulations, yet even in new
buildings safety may be compromised through poor implementation or
co-ordination of safety measures. For existing buildings, much depends
on the quality of building management and user awareness.
After the epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in
2003, hygiene became a major issue in both design and management of
buildings. Indoor air quality also relates to health, together with thermal
aspects, lighting, noise, etc., it is also a comfort issue. Maintaining good
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) depends on design, operation and
user understanding of the many factors involved. Poor IEQ impacts on
the quality of life and productivity in the workplace. The qualities of
services, such as vertical transportation, also influence user satisfaction
and workplace efficiency. Consequently, the needs of users and the
efficiency of buildings need to be balanced against the consumption of
non-renewable natural resources and environmental loadings to air, land
and water.
E
NVIRONMENTAL
A
SPECTS3
An environmental aspect is defined in ISO 14004 [3] as an element of an
organisation’s activity, products or services than can interact with the
environment. ISO defines ‘environment’ as the surroundings in which an
organisation operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora,
fauna, humans, and their interrelation. Surroundings in this context
extend from within an organisation to the global system. An
environmental impact is any change to the environment, whether
adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organisation’s
activities, products or services. A significant environmental aspect is an
environmental aspect that has or can have a significant environmental
impact.
The BEAM scheme addresses items for which there is good evidence
that they cause the environmental problems they cause, and for which
reasonably objective performance criteria can be defined. Certain
performance aspects attributable to buildings and their use have yet to
2 ASTM International E 2114–01. Standard Terminology for Sustainability Relative to the Performance of Buildings. 2001.
3 International Organisation for Standardization. ISO14004: Environmental management systems – General guidelines on
principles, systems and supporting techniques.