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First Steps

Site selection

Select a site that enables staff and visitors to use public transport.

Protect and retain existing landscaping and natural features - chose plants with low water, pesticide and maintenance needs. Use compost and mulches to reduce watering requirements.

Ensure your suppliers plan for managing materials through both the demolition and construction phases. Reuse and recycle construction and demolition materials.

Purchasing

Include environmental considerations as part of the normal purchasing process.

Emphasise pollution prevention early in the purchasing process.

Collect accurate and meaningful information about environmental performance, and use it to make purchasing decisions. Select sustainable construction materials and products by looking for:

  • reused and recycled
  • zero or low harmful air emissions
  • zero or low toxicity
  • sustainably harvested materials
  • high recyclability
  • durability, longevity and local production.

(See general purchasing checklist below as well as specific topic checklists.)

Ask suppliers and contractors for samples of materials as well as names of previous users of the product or service (references). Consider trialling new products until performance and technical requirements have been proven.

Get appropriate documentation to support supplier or manufacturer claims on first-time buys or if any of the original information changes. Supporting documentation could include:

  • toxicological information
  • test results from a recognised or accredited laboratory
  • source of recycled content information (domestic or foreign, post-consumer or reprocessed manufacturing scraps)
  • accreditation from a recognised programme such as Environmental Choice.

Deal with suppliers/manufacturers that implement environmental policies. Ask for responses to checklist questions below and ensure the environmental claims can be verified.

Technical

Most products suitable for use in a sustainable fit-out have one or more of the following health and/or environmental attributes. They:

  • are made using natural and/or renewable resources
  • have low 'embodied energy' (the energy required to produce and transport materials)
  • are obtained from local resources and manufacturers
  • may incorporate recycled content (post-consumer and/or post-industrial)
  • promote good indoor air quality (typically through reduced emissions of volatile organic compounds VOCs and/or formaldehyde)
  • are durable, and have low maintenance requirements
  • have been salvaged from existing or demolished buildings for reuse
  • do not contain CFCs, HCFCs or other ozone-depleting substances
  • do not contain highly toxic compounds, and their production does not result in highly toxic by-products
  • employ 'sustainable harvesting' practices for wood or bio-based products
  • can be easily reused (either whole or through disassembly)
  • can be readily recycled (preferably in a closed-loop recycling system)
  • are biodegradable.

Useful resources and information

Checklist

Use this checklist to help make environmentally preferable purchasing decisions. It is based on eight basic environmental principles and can be used when there are no product specifications with environmental criteria or where products with an ecolabel (eg, Environmental Choice New Zealand) are unavailable.

Ask the supplier/manufacturer:

Principle Questions
Water and energy conservation Do you have an energy and water management programme for the manufacture of the product?
Is the product energy and/or water efficient (ie, energy efficiency / water conservation rating schemes)?
Does the product have a water and/or energy efficiency rating?
Minimal impact on indoor air quality Does the product release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde or other emissions that reduce indoor air quality during its manufacture or use?
Toxic and hazardous materials minimised Does the product contain toxic or hazardous materials or use toxic or hazardous materials in its manufacture, use or disposal?
Reduction of waste Can I buy the product in the exact size and quantity I need (ie, what sizes are available)?
Can the product be reused, refilled or recycled at the end of its useful life?
Does the product have recycled content?
Will you take back the packaging?
Do you have a waste minimisation programme?
Is the product made of a single material or materials that are easily separated for recycling and reuse?
Renewable and sustainably harvested materials, biodiversity protection Are the materials in the product obtained from renewable and sustainably harvested sources?
Do you have a positive management programme for habitats and native species?
Minimal pollution of air, land and water Do you have a pollution prevention programme?
Do the instructions supplied with the product provide guidance on minimising pollution when installing, operating, maintaining and disposing of the product?
Environmental stewardship Is your company ISO 14000 certified?Do you have an environmental policy statement?Do you provide information about the composition of products, take-back schemes, lease options, and other information over and above regulatory requirements?
Durable and upgradeable Does the product contain upgradeable, repairable or replaceable parts?
Is the product durable (life expectancy)?

Case study: Environment House

The Ministry for the Environment moved into Environment House in June 2005, bringing together all National Office personnel at one site.

The Ministry leases the building, but was heavily involved with its construction from an early stage, influencing the fit-out and the way in which the building operates. We are happy to share our experiences of trying to make the building as sustainable as possible.

The Ministry decided at the outset that it would take out a net lease, which includes taking responsibility for all power, water, insurance and other building operating costs. This means the overall rental cost of the building becomes flexible (making budgeting harder), but gives the Ministry control over all aspects of the building management, including choice of products used for maintenance and cleaning, and the frequency with which activities are undertaken. This decision provided a further driver for energy efficiency and other cost-saving measures.

Location and design

Selection of the building location was an important first step. For our purpose, it had to be close to Parliament. We also wanted to ensure the building worked well for staff and would enable both staff and visitors to make best use of public transport.

Environment House's location stood out as the best option - just one block from the Railway Station and central bus depot. Provision was also made for staff to be able to cycle to and from work, with 40 bike stands and lockers in a secure area in the basement, along with shower facilities.

Building consent had already been provided for the building's concept design, so some decisions had already been made. These included:

  • placement of the lifts and services on the northern face of the building
  • full air conditioning of the building with no opening windows
  • the overall orientation of the building.

Because of this, most of the sustainability features in the building come from the fit-out rather than the early design. For advice on incorporating sustainability into the design stage, see the Value Case for Sustainable Building on our website.

Getting started

A senior staff member managed the project with the assistance of a contracted Sustainability Advisory Group who provided specialist advice for the fit-out. This group comprised Landcare Research and environmental and engineering consultants Tonkin & Taylor.

Getting it right from the start depends on establishing good relationships with the architects and designers carrying out the fit-out. It's important to ensure that sustainability is seen as a priority from the start of the project.

We found that early agreement and shared commitment helped with decision-making during the project. The commitment came in the form of a shared understanding developed during negotiations and recorded in a general 'sustainability clause' in the lease. The clause committed the lessor to take account of sustainability issues wherever possible. A more detailed letter from the Ministry to the construction company (who also won the fit-out contract) on sustainability expectations was also attached to the contract as a schedule.

Pointer

Include in the contract a detailed clause committing parties to implement specific sustainable elements in the project such as construction waste management and certified sustainable timber use. Note for the developer that sustainability can decrease upfront costs, as well as ongoing costs.

The Ministry decided to prioritise products with an Environmental Choice eco-label where possible, as this guarantees that the products have been fully verified by life-cycle analysis. When no such products were available, we decided to use internationally accepted sustainability criteria, adapted for New Zealand conditions. For those keen to ensure sustainable materials are sourced throughout, we recommend that decisions on materials are made early, as sourcing some materials in New Zealand can take time. Using architects and fit-out consultants with experience of sustainable building will speed up this process considerably.

Pointers
  • Choose products with an Environmental Choice eco-label wherever available.
  • Decide on materials early.
  • Select architects and fit-out consultants with practical experience of sustainable building.

Principles for sustainable fit-out

The general rules we followed when planning for a sustainable fit-out were to:

  • deal with large-scale impacts before small ones
  • choose the lowest-impact product that would do the job for the best value for money
  • consider impacts in terms of scale - local/regional/global. Global impacts such as ozone depletion and climate change are usually the worst in terms of sustainability. Materials and designs which exacerbate global impacts should be the first to be avoided
  • choose a local source rather than imported materials/components, where possible
  • if imported, choose products that come by sea rather than by air, as air-freighted products generate considerably more CO2 (a climate change gas).

Cost sharing

The Ministry gained agreement from the developer to share some of the extra costs of installing sustainable features in the building. For example, the original air conditioning system proposed by the developer and architects was a VAV (Variable Air Volume) system.

The Ministry felt there would be considerable benefits from using a more energy-efficient VRV system (Variable Refrigerant Volume). Recognising the whole-of-life costs savings and other benefits to the building owner and the construction company, a cost-sharing agreement was struck to share the additional $80,000 for the VRV system. The Ministry calculated that the potential future energy savings, combined with other cost benefits (such as removing the need for extra plant for conference rooms), made contribution to the VRV a viable financial option.

Pointer

Negotiate for additional capital costs on sustainability features to be shared with the developer.


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