Building sustainability into Europe’s construction industry: the CRISP project

Citation

(2009), "Building sustainability into Europe’s construction industry: the CRISP project", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 10 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2009.24910aab.006

Building sustainability into Europe’s construction industry: the CRISP project

Article Type: News from the net From: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Volume 10, Issue 1

Introducing sustainable development into Europe’s construction industry is a considerable challenge, but success could bring quality-of-life dividends to those who live in towns and cities.

This is the key message of the web site of the CRISP project, which contains descriptions of issues to be taken into account, from the use of ecologically sound building materials and in assessing the environmental impact of urban development strategies. To encourage the take-up of sustainable practices in the construction industry, the CRISP project has devised a database of sustainability indicators that can be used by planners, building firms and developers.

An example of the building scale: Léonard de Vinci High School, a “green building”, Calais, France (Architects: Isabelle Colas and Jean-Claude LouisLandscape Engineer: Empreinte).

An example of the building scale: Léonard de Vinci High School, a “green building”, Calais, France (Architects: Isabelle Colas and Jean-Claude Louis – Landscape Engineer: Empreinte).

The majority of Europeans live in an urban environment and billions of euros are spent every year on building projects in the EU’s towns and cities. Harnessing the principles of sustainability in the construction industry will help Europe create and manage a more healthy built-environment. It should mean resources are used more efficiently, and that decisions can be made based on ecological principles. Introducing sustainability into the workings of the construction industry must take account of a variety of factors, not just how “bricks-and-mortar” products are made and used. Wider environmental, quality of life, economic, institutional and social issues also have to be addressed.

Details on the CRISP project, which by now has over 500 indicators on its database, are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/newsanddoc/article_1703_en.htm