Environmental & Sustainability Guidance

Crane Environmental offers advice and guidance on environmental and sustainability issues in civil engineering – including public realm works – and building. This includes:

• consultancy on all environmental and sustainability aspects of construction projects

• guidance on how to enhance environmental performance at all stages of construction

• strategic sustainability advice to public and private sector clients

• research and development on environmental issues, sustainable development and sustainable construction.

Examples of consultancy assignments and published guides include:

• Assisting material suppliers to understand and gain certification under BES 6001 on responsible sourcing.

• Advice to contractors and designers on incorporating formal environmental management within their existing management systems, including implementation training.

• Assisting the American Society of Civil Engineers in their quest to develop a sustainability rating sytem for infrastructure projects.

• The Working with Wildlife Resource and Training Pack, published by CIRIA in 2004: a comprehensive guide designed to assist the construction industry to implement good practice in relation to wildlife. Crane Environmental produced this jointly with Ecology Consultancy Ltd. The complete pack includes species briefing sheets, toolbox talk sheets and a handy pocket book.

• Working in development teams to improve the environmental and sustainability performance of civil engineering and building projects through measures such as waste minimisation, use of on-site materials and improving the ecological value of landscaping schemes.

• Undertaking environmental impact assessments, either as lead consultant or as part of a larger project team, with particular specialisms of ecological and construction impacts, and strategic flood risk assessment.

Early studies in Crane's development included:

• A report for Sustainable Homes on Embodied Energy in Residential Property Development, as a guide for Registered Social Landlords to assist them in their choice of materials and advise on potential energy-saving features for new developments.

• The CIRIA Environmental Handbooks for Building and Civil Engineering Projects: The first edition of these was prepared by a team led by Venables Consultancy, Crane's parent company. Crane was instrumental in the updated and revised 1999 edition of the Handbooks.

• A Client's Guide to Greener Construction, a CIRIA publication, aimed at construction industry clients to enable them to adopt a positive environmental approach to their projects at any stage of the construction process.