Ang Qin Siang

1001438104
Personal Assignment 2

Engineer In Society

1. At present, it is common to hear the term sustainability being mentioned when

discussing on engineering developments. Sustainable development encompasses
many areas, and includes a wide range of issue on the needs of the current and
future generations.
In your own words:
a) Describe the meaning of sustainable development
(5 marks)
The concept of sustainable development can be interpreted in many different ways,
but at its core is an approach to development that looks to balance different, and often
competing, needs against an awareness of the environmental, social and economic
limitations we face as a society. All too often, development is driven by one particular
need, without fully considering the wider or future impacts.
Sustainable development provides an approach to making better decisions on the
issues that affect all of our lives. By incorporating health plans into the planning of
new communities.
b) In your opinion, why do you think it has becoming such an important issue
nowadays?
(5 marks)
Sustainability is a broad discipline, giving students and graduates insights into
most aspects of the human world from business to technology to environment and the
social sciences. The core skills with which a graduates leaves college or university are
highly sought after, especially in a modern world looking to drastically reduce carbon
emissions and discover and develop the technologies of the future. Sustainability
draws on politics, economics and, philosophy and other social sciences as well as the
hard sciences. Sustainability skills and environmental awareness is a priority in many
corporate jobs at graduate level and over as businesses seek to adhere to new
legislation. Therefore, Sustainability graduates will go into many fields but most
commonly

civic

planning,

environmental

consultancy

(built

and

natural

environment), agriculture, not for profit, corporate strategies, health assessment and
planning, and even into law and decision making. Entry-level jobs are growing and
over the coming years, bachelors graduates can expect more and more options and
opportunities.

Ang Qin Siang

1001438104
Personal Assignment 2

Engineer In Society

Sustainability is one the newest degree subjects that attempts to bridge social
science with civil engineering and environmental science with the technology of the
future. When we hear the word sustainability we tend to think of renewable fuel
sources, reducing carbon emissions, protecting environments and a way of keeping
the delicate ecosystems of our planet in balance. In short, sustainability looks to
protect our natural environment, human and ecological health, while driving
innovation and not compromising our way of life. Because of this growing
requirement, a master's will not necessarily be required for most jobs as bachelor's
programs (and in some cases lower than this) prepares people for a career in
sustainability.
c) Describe ONE example on sustainable development. In your example:

Define the nature of the problem

Highlight the potential strategies for solution.

(40 marks)

Sustainable Construction
Sustainable construction is building homes, offices, and other structures that are
energy efficient and that incorporate renewable and recycled resources is a way to
incorporate sustainable development into residential and commercial construction.
In order to achieve sustainable construction, we need to obey three main rules in
our construction project: 1.

Responsible manufacturing practices that reduce our environmental

impacts and waste generation during the building materials production
process.

2.

Developing high-performance products and technologies that address key

construction challenges for buildings, and infrastructure projects, such as
GHG emissions, energy consumption and water use.

Ang Qin Siang

1001438104
Personal Assignment 2

3.

Engineer In Society

Early and ongoing collaboration with customers and urban planners to

help them better manage the life-cycle impacts of construction projects.

In sustainable construction, we will build the green buildings instead of normal

buildings.
Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers
to both a structure and the using of processes that are environmentally responsible and
resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction,
operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. In other words, green building
design involves finding the balance between homebuilding and the sustainable
environment. This requires close cooperation of the design team, the architects, the
engineers, and the client at all project stages. The Green Building practice expands and
complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and
comfort.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a set of rating
systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings
which was Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Other certificates system that
confirms the sustainability of buildings is the British BREEAM (Building Research
Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) for buildings and large scale
developments. Currently, World Green Building Council is conducting research on the
effects of green buildings on the health and productivity of their users and is working
with World Bank to promote Green Buildings in Emerging Markets through EDGE
Market Transformation Program and certification.
Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current
practices in creating greener structures, the common objective of green buildings is to
reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural
environment by:

Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources

Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation

Ang Qin Siang

1001438104
Personal Assignment 2

Engineer In Society

A similar concept is natural building, which is usually on a smaller scale and tends to
focus on the use of natural materials that are available locally. Other related topics
include sustainable design and green architecture. Sustainability may be defined as
meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their needs. Although some green building programs don't address
the issue of the retrofitting existing homes, others do, especially through public schemes
for energy efficient refurbishment. Green construction principles can easily be applied to
retrofit work as well as new construction.