Government

• The Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) deals with environment, sustainable development and rural development issues.
• The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) covers construction legislation, local government, the regions, neighbourhood renewal, planning, regeneration and sustainable construction.
• The Department of Trade and Industry (DTi)covers the construction industry and has a sustainable construction section.
• The Department for Transport (DfT): activities include measures for integrated transport, mobility and inclusion
• The Environment Agency is interested in waste and pollution on construction sites, SUDS and operational water use and has produced NetRegs (see below).
  
• The Highways Agency has reviewed its procurement using sustainability guidelines
  
• The Housing Corporation has funded Sustainability Works, an online software package which helps deliver sustainable housing development efficiently.
• The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) delivers in-depth improvement news and examples of good practice from councils across England and Wales.
• The NHS Estates website includes information on the NHS environmental assessment tool (NEAT), which is designed to assess the negative impact of healthcare facilities on the environment.
• The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has set out its commitment to sustainable development in its sustainability policy adopted in July 2005.
• The Sustainable Development Commission is the government's independent advisory body on sustainable development.

 

Regional links
Regional Development Agencies and Regional Assemblies have taken on various responsibilities on sustainable design and construction. Many of them have sustainability round tables, or other related sustainability organisations. SEEDA (South East of England Development Agency) is the lead RDA on construction.
 
Regional centres of excellence in design, architecture and construction have been set up, sometimes in partnership with Constructing Excellence (see below). Some examples are:

• The Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for architecture, design and the city
• The Architecture Centre, Bristol
• The Architecture Centre, Kent
• CUBE (Centre for the Understanding of the Built Environment), Manchester and Liverpool
• Hackney Building Exploratory
• London Open House
• London Renewables produce a toolkit for planners, developers and consultants on integrating renewable energy into new developments
• South East Centre for the Built Environment

 

Government funded

• The Carbon Trust aims to help the UK move to a low carbon economy by helping business and the public sector reduce carbon emissions now.
• Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE)
• Constructing Excellence in the Built Environment brings together Constructing Excellence and Be, the two lead organisations driving change in the UK built environment industry.
• The Energy Saving Trust encourages energy efficiency and the integration of renewable energy sources, and promotes the use of cleaner fuels for transport and better insulation and heating efficiency for buildings and homes.
• English Partnerships
• INREB (Integration of New and Renewable Energy in Buildings) is a Faraday Partnership between BRE and four universities
• NetRegs is a web resource to help small companies understand environmental legislation
• nCrisp (Construction Research and Innovation Strategy Panel) develops the research agenda for construction
• The Water Technology List is produced by Defra and HM Revenue and Customs to provide information about the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme for water technologies
• The Sustainable Buildings Task Group, supported by DTI, ODPM and DEFRA, produced its report in May 2004
• WRAP is the Waste and Resources Action Programme and has a range of activities on construction waste

 

Other organisations

• ACCA works on Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability reporting
• Association for Environment Conscious Building
• The British Institute of Facilities Management has a Sustainability Special Interest Group
• BRE (Building Research Establishment) includes BREEAM, EcoHomes, envest, Environmental Profiles, Green Guide, MaSC, post-occupancy evaluation, SMARTStart, SMARTWaste and whole life costing.
• British Council for Offices (BCO) has produced advice on green roofs and fuel cells, and general guidance called 'Sustainability Starts in the Boardroom' and 'Sustainable Buildings are Better Business'.
• British Property Federation (BPF) has produced an Energy Guide for members.
• BSI (British Standards)
• BSRIA (Building Services Research and Information Association)
• Business in the Community helps members improve their impact on communities and the environment.
• CIBSE (Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers) has a Carbon Task Group.
• CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building)
• CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association). Also has details of Construction Industry Environmental Forum (CIEF) and Construction Productivity Network (CPN).
• The Construction Clients Group produces the Clients' Charter.
• The Considerate Constructors Scheme is a code of practice for improved construction sites.
• The CIC (Construction Industry Council) is the representative forum for the industry's professional bodies, research organisations and specialist trade associations.
• Construction Products Association
• Construction Resources
• Design Quality Indicators
• FIT Buildings Network
• Forest Stewardship Council
• The Forum for the Future was founded in 1996 by environmentalists Jonathon Porritt, Sara Parkin and Paul Ekins to promote sustainable development in order to accelerate the building of a sustainable way of life.
• FTSE4GOOD develops and maintains a series of global sustainable investment indices.
• The Global Reporting Initiative compiles sustainable reporting guidelines.
• Green Register of Construction Professionals
• House Builders Federation (HBF)
• Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
• Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)
• London Sustainable Construction Project
• National House Building Council (NHBC)
• The Natural Step
• PlaceCheck is a method for assessing the qualities of a place.
• Planning for Real is a community consultation method which is managed by the Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation.
• The Prince's Foundation is involved in a number of projects and espouses 'Enquiry by Design'.
• Property Environment Group
  
• RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)
• RICS Foundation
• RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute)
• School Works is a body working towards better school refurbishment and management.
• Sponge is a network for young professionals in sustainable construction.
• Sustainability Alliance
• Transport 2000
• The Usable Buildings Network aims to improve buildings through better understanding of their performance in use and more care with their design, construction and management. It promotes independent post-occupancy studies and the management of feedback.
• Well Built! is a network for local authority professionals interested in more sustainable construction.
• WWF has launched an initiative for One Million Sustainable Homes.