New research conducted by engineering consultancy, Patrick Parsons, with 100 senior executives of UK construction firms that have collectively been involved in over £26.6bn worth of construction projects over the past year, highlights the growing importance of using sustainable design and engineering in developments to lower carbon footprint and water use, reduce waste and minimise the materials used.  

It shows that 77% think that sustainability planning in the early-stage design, engineering and construction is important in current and planned projects - of these, 19% described it as ‘extremely important’. Furthermore, 53% and 58% expect sustainable design to become more even more important over the next 12 months and three years respectively.

When asked about the importance of different areas of sustainable design, over half 51% said thatenergy-efficient systems and design utilising natural light, smart windows, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) was very important. This was followed by 47% who said that reducing water and sewerage waste was also a priority, and 35% said that sourcing materials with lower embodies carbon such as timber, clay and stone was very important.