Property Lifecyle | sustainsurveying

PROPERTY LIFE CYCLE

Sustainability Throughout the Life of Property

Sustainability is relevant throughout the life of a property. Decisions made when land is first considered for development can influence the environmental, social and economic performance of an asset for decades. Equally, decisions made during occupation, maintenance, refurbishment and eventual reuse or redevelopment can significantly alter that performance.

A lifecycle approach therefore considers property not simply as a finished building, but as an asset that changes, performs and requires investment over time.

Property, Sustainability and Surveying

Chartered surveyors work across virtually every stage of the property lifecycle.

Their involvement may begin with land, planning, development and valuation and continue through construction, acquisition, occupation, management, maintenance, investment, refurbishment and eventual redevelopment or disposal.

This gives surveying an important role in integrating sustainability into property decision-making.

Rather than considering sustainability as a separate intervention, a lifecycle perspective asks how environmental, social and economic considerations can inform decisions throughout the life of an asset.

RICS's current sustainability guidance similarly promotes a whole-life approach to the built and natural environment, recognising the connections between carbon, resources, resilience, value and long-term performance.

RICS – Sustainability practice for surveyors

The Property Lifecycle

Although every property is different, the lifecycle can broadly be understood through a series of interconnected stages:

Land and development - considering location, land use, environmental constraints and opportunities, natural capital, infrastructure and development potential.

Planning and design - establishing how sustainability objectives can be incorporated into design, specification, procurement and future operation.

Construction - considering materials, carbon, resources, waste, procurement, cost and the environmental and social impacts of construction.

Occupation and management - managing energy, maintenance, environmental performance, costs, user needs and the continuing performance of the asset.

Maintenance and refurbishment - repairing, adapting and upgrading buildings to maintain their usefulness, improve performance and respond to changing requirements.

Reuse, redevelopment or end-of-life - considering whether buildings and components can be retained, adapted, reused or recycled before demolition and disposal are considered.

The important point is that these stages should not be viewed independently. Decisions at one stage can create consequences - or opportunities - elsewhere in the lifecycle.

Existing Buildings and Retrofit

One of the most important changes in contemporary property sustainability is the increasing emphasis on working with the buildings we already have.

Existing buildings contain resources, materials and embodied carbon. Maintaining, repairing, adapting and improving them can therefore provide significant sustainability benefits compared with unnecessary demolition and replacement.

Retrofit can also improve energy efficiency, comfort, resilience and the long-term usefulness of property.

However, retrofit requires careful assessment. Measures appropriate for one building may be unsuitable for another, and poorly considered interventions can create unintended consequences.

RICS introduced its first Residential retrofit standard to establish a professional framework for RICS members providing residential retrofit services. The standard emphasises appropriate investigation, professional competence and a holistic approach to the building and the client's requirements.

RICS – Residential retrofit standard

Retrofit or Redevelopment?

The decision to retain and adapt an existing building or replace it with new development is not always straightforward.

Retention can preserve embodied carbon and materials while avoiding the impacts associated with demolition and new construction. Retrofit may also reduce cost and extend the useful life of an asset. But the condition, suitability, performance and economic viability of the existing building also need to be considered. RICS has consequently emphasised that retrofit-versus-redevelopment decisions should be assessed on their individual circumstances rather than assuming that either option is inherently preferable.

This is a good example of why sustainable property decisions require consideration of carbon, cost, performance, value and long-term use together.

Whole-Life Carbon

A lifecycle perspective is particularly important when considering carbon.

The carbon impact of property extends beyond the energy consumed during occupation. Materials, construction, maintenance, repair, replacement, refurbishment and eventual demolition or reuse can all contribute to lifetime emissions.

RICS's Whole life carbon assessment for the built environment provides a consistent framework for considering embodied, operational and user carbon throughout the lifecycle of built assets.

RICS – Whole life carbon assessment for the built environment

Lifecycle Cost and Value

Sustainable property decisions also require an understanding of cost over time.

The cheapest initial option may not provide the best long-term outcome if it creates higher energy, maintenance, replacement or operating costs.

Lifecycle costing considers costs associated with an asset over an agreed period and can help compare alternative approaches to construction, maintenance and refurbishment.

RICS maintains specific professional practice information on lifecycle costing and whole-life costing for both new construction and the refurbishment of existing assets.

RICS – Lifecycle Costing

Performance, Adaptability and Resilience

The performance expected from property changes over time.

Buildings may need to respond to changing patterns of occupation, energy costs, climate risks, technology, regulation and user expectations.

Sustainable property management therefore involves thinking about adaptability and resilience as well as immediate performance.

A building that can be maintained, repaired and adapted effectively may remain useful for considerably longer than one that cannot respond easily to changing requirements.

This connects property lifecycle thinking with wider issues including energy efficiency, climate resilience, carbon reduction, investment performance and long-term value.

Sustain Surveying and the Property Lifecycle

Sustain Surveying provides independent professional analysis and advice on sustainability considerations throughout the property lifecycle.

Our approach brings together surveying expertise, sustainability research, RICS standards and guidance, policy and wider professional evidence to help clients understand the sustainability implications of decisions concerning property and built assets.

Advice may include consideration of sustainability at different lifecycle stages; review of environmental and performance information; consideration of retrofit, adaptation and refurbishment options; carbon, resource and resilience considerations; lifecycle and long-term value perspectives; and interpretation of relevant RICS standards and emerging professional practice.

Where an instruction requires detailed building pathology, engineering design, energy modelling, formal retrofit assessment, whole-life carbon assessment or another specialist technical service, the need for appropriately competent professional input will be identified.