IStructE Core Objective 06: Sustainability

The IStructE is referring to the environment here in the broadest sense, therefore there is a wide variety of subjects which may be relevant to meeting this objective, so it's unlikely that you'll need to do any extra work to achieve this one – it is just a case of demonstrating what you already know.

There is a subtle difference between environment, the title of this core objective and sustainability, as their guidance states.

This can be somewhat confusing as the former is a a subset of the latter. Sustainable development balances three key areas: environmental, social and financial. You should demonstrate that you have knowledge level in environmental and social, and if possible financial too.

What to Include in your Report Form and Portfolio

• Embodied carbon calculations you have performed
• Comparison of embodied carbon for multiple different schemes
• Internal or external presentations you have done for sustainability
• Sustainability or embodied carbon tools you have developed
• Experience with an environmental rating scheme (BREEAM/LEED), or design standard (Passivhaus)
• Cases where you observed / worked around wildlife management plans, like tree preservation orders
• Projects where you have advocated for reuse or "build less" design approaches
• Projects which you might have worked on which met UN sustainable development goals

What kind of questions to expect in your Interview?

Here are a few example questions which you might be asked for your Professional Review Interview:

• Give an example of where you have made a positive embodied carbon impact.
• Does {your company} set an average embodied carbon target?
• Are you familiar with BREEAM or other environmental assessments?
• Have you done any embodied carbon calculations. Tell us about them.
• Apart from embodied carbon, what other aspects of sustainability do we consider for projects
• What is the impact of design life? And how can we future-proof our buildings?