Sustainable construction
Sustainable Construction
Sustainability permeates every angle of our business. We seek sustainable differentials throughout the construction process, from project conception, and encourage employees to also “think sustainable”, so that they adopt and apply these practices in all processes.
In the design phase of the project, specialists in the area of Products, Projects and Works already determine the best standard of construction according to sustainable principles. This includes identifying processes and products that generate less impact, greater energy efficiency and less water consumption.
This commitment justifies the Morar Even sustainable construction motto: "we practice sustainability and you practice economy". This care throughout the construction process provides greater safety, comfort, and quality of life for the future resident, greater future financial return for the client or investor and appreciation for the properties surrounding the developments.
As a rule, our developments exceed legal environmental requirements and follow the standards established by entities that grant sustainability seals in many segments. In 2022, we obtained the Preliminary EDGE Certification (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) for the Arbo Alto de Pinheiros development, representative of 6% of the projects in progress in the year, for meeting the expectations of the design phase. The certificates prove a 20% decrease in water, energy and energy embodied in materials. The certification, which reveals our expertise and our commitment to ESG practices, brought a financial return of around R$300,000 in the financing fee for the work, due to the “green seal” of the Empresário Verde Program promoted by Banco Itaú.
The financial advantage obtained after the Edge certification – the result of a partnership between the Brazilian Chamber of Construction Industry (CBIC) and the World Bank/International Finance Corporation (IFC) – is an IFC concession to projects that prove, via seal, the adoption of sustainable practices with effective results.
Throughout the construction period, we use many resources and controls to ensure the quality of construction, the efficiency of predefined processes and the correct use of equipment and products. To this end, quarterly sustainability inspections are carried out at construction sites by the Quality area, which point to the following gains in recent years:
2019
average performance, in relation to the total number of monitored projects
of the works with the maximum score in the sustainability audit
2020
average performance, in relation to the total number of monitored projects
of the works with the maximum score in the sustainability audit
2021
average performance, in relation to the total number of monitored projects
of the works with the maximum score in the sustainability audit
2022
average performance, in relation to the total number of monitored projects
of the works with the maximum score in the sustainability audit
Energy Management
Energy efficiency in civil construction is key, since there is an intensive use of energy throughout the construction process to operate machines, equipment, cranes, and racks, etc. We have water and energy consumption targets, controlled by the Quality area. In 2022, 75% of the projects reached their energy consumption targets, in the other projects, action plans were adopted at the worksites to reduce consumption. There was no utility reading in 8% of the measurements. For 2023, we intend to install automated reading meters to monitor possible overconsumption at worksites.
We also have strict standards regarding cost and comfort for the lighting system in the common areas that will be delivered at the end of the development. We use LED lamps and timers and we have studies to analyze transmittance and luminance, which allows for greater comfort for residents and greater energy power.
The energy intensity rate, in 2022, was 10.28 Kwh/m2 – it considers the consumption of all works in the year by the built area of the projects delivered. The variation between this year's data on previous years is due to the number of works in progress throughout the year. We intended to reduce the accumulated consumption of water and electricity by 5% in the year, but it was not possible due to the large volume of works in the finishing phase. Due to this factor, we ended the year with a 15% increase in energy consumption.
Energy consumption index
(Kw/m²)
Targets
64%
2019
of the works met the energy consumption target;
77%
2020
We achieved 77% of the forecast;
94%
2021
A total of 94% of the projects reached the target, due to the change in the methodology for calculating consumption;
75%
2022
of the works managed to reach the consumption forecast. *
*On average, consumption was 15% higher than expected, due to the completion phase of several works.
Energy intensity - construction phase
(Kw/h)
| Electric Energy Consumption (KWh) in 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Works | 1,116,704.60 |
| Even Office | 328,306.00 |
Water Management
Like electricity, water consumption is significant during construction cycles. As a result, analyzes are carried out regarding the availability and supply infrastructure still in the project design phase of the projects and consumption simulations.
The collection of indicators (SIS) is the initial resource for assessing consumption. From then on, the expenditure on the input is monitored periodically, through curves in Power BI, via reports of use and quality. We calculate the need for water for each stage of the construction and set goals to avoid excesses and guarantee the estimated consumption in the budget.
During the work, we purchase drinking water using tanker trucks – certified by the health surveillance and CETESB –, which have a lower cost, and we supply the reservoirs for temporary consumption (engineering, living area, etc.), until the subsequent definitive connection to supply the delivered units. It is Even's challenge to obtain reused water for less noble purposes, such as washing streets and living areas, although the process is still more expensive than drinking water.
Both consumption with the concessionaire and spending on water trucks are supervised. We have contractual clauses with service providers (contractors), which determine consumption without waste. We often reward teams that maintain water and energy consumption as planned, as a way to encourage the practice.
With actions to encourage the conscious and rational use of water, 63% of the projects under construction throughout 2022 reached their goals. We also reuse water with initiatives such as Lava Rodas and Lava Pincéis, which are standardized and replicated across all works.
Water Consumption
(em m³)
Targets
71%
2019
of the works met the water consumption target;
76%
2020
We achieved 76% of the forecast;
89%
2021
A total of 89% of the projects reached the target, due to the change in the methodology for calculating consumption;
63%
2022
of the works managed to reach the consumption forecast.*
*On average, consumption was 16% higher than expected, due to the completion phase of several works.
Water consumption intensity by stage of construction
index (m³/m²/year)
Water consumption per Source
(m³)
Biodiversity and Land Use
The concern with biodiversity and proper use of the soil arises before the beginning of each undertaking. During the feasibility analysis period for the purchase of the land, we researched several aspects, such as the region's environmental requirements and soil conditions. We check in advance whether there is any type of contamination in the area where the development will be built and we carry out calculations for the absorption of contamination costs.
In 2022, we maintained a partnership for soil reuse. It was a goal for the year to increase the volume of reused soil by 10% and we managed to exceed the forecasted total by 50%: we reused 3,214.7 m³ of soil, compared to 1,851 m³ in 2021. Through this project, which started in 2019, we have already avoided the emission of more than 800 tons of CO2e.
reuse of soil between construction sites compared to 2019
Volume moved to other works (m³)
% of year-to-year change
Monitoring local biodiversity is also part of the project. Throughout the development of the works, we closely monitor the development of biodiversity (fauna and flora) and execute mitigation plans whenever necessary.
The table below, which shows the total areas decontaminated and remedied on our land in the last three years, demonstrates not only our environmental concern but also the effort for transparency in accountability. It is important to point out that the technical denomination “remediated” means that the areas previously contaminated in the soil or groundwater were reestablished after the environmental remediation processes and returned to satisfactory conditions for human health and the intended occupation.
| Remedied land (m²) in 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Total area of land decontaminated and remedied for use | 15,964 |
| Total area of land assessed for remediation but not yet remediated | 24,260 |
| Total (m²) | 40,224 |
The results mainly depend on 1) the company's launch and works schedules (there are tasks such as removal of impacted soil that, on certain occasions, for logistical reasons, can only be carried out in the initial stage of the works); 2) the level of contamination in a given terrain; 3) the degree of complexity in the application of decontamination solutions; and 4) the demands agenda of the environmental inspection body (in São Paulo, Cetesb).
Visit to Aterro Urbam
Waste management has always been a strong point in Even's environmental practices. In this regard, we decided to buy carbon credits to neutralize the GHG emissions of the works delivered in 2021 via the landfill biogas generation project. We buy credits from Aterro URBAM, located in São José dos Campos, a reference in management and organization throughout the state. To engage the internal public, a technical visit was made with 24 employees to explain what daily life is like at a sanitary landfill, and the system for capturing methane and transforming it into biogas, responsible for carbon mitigation by up to 25x, was presented. The visit had a satisfaction score of 9.91.