RICS WLCA
Moving towards a Site Assessment
Module D already accounts for the Circular Economy, but the trouble is most decision making and reporting is focused on the ‘upfront’ figures (Module A).
The challenge facing the industry (I see this as a client a lot) is that we want demolition/deconstruction and material salvage to be considered within ‘upfront’ reported figures. This would help drive better decision making in projects.
The good news, is that it looks like finally guidance is catching up with the sentiment that I’ve heard for the last few years. The answer (or I should say proposal at this point) is a sub-module A5-1. The revision of EN 15978 (prEN 15978-1) is looking at this and the revision of the RICS Professional Statement (in consultation until 18th April) also calls for the same.
A5-1 would be considered part of the project assessment. Salvaging materials (captured in A5-1) would mean your A1-A5 impacts will be lower. Winner!
Whilst simple, this is a great step forward as it effectively means more of a focus on a ‘site assessment’ rather than just a ‘building assessment’. I’ve talked about this before - think about being a custodian of a site for the long-term or a graphic showing module A-D performance on three adjacent diagrams. Couple of links below as a reminder.
