For mining companies, a long-term licence to operate depends on a capacity to renew existing commitments while seeking new solutions to environmental concerns.Sustainability best practice recognises the need to reduce a site’s ecological footprint, so it is logical to include any mine camp in this equation. Many companies have been embedding sustainability principles into mine camp design for decades and their experience in this area can be shared with others new to these concepts. The application of sustainable development principles can include the selection of location, materials, energy and waste management for the mine village.

In this way, the mine village can be developed using socially and environmentally responsible design principles. Companies that are already taking these issues very seriously implement accommodation solutions that deliver value to the business and improved standards of living for their mine site employees, Jody Finsen – Senior Sustainable Buildings Consultant, Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) reports. They are using the approach of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD), which considers the short and long-term impact of the mine site accommodation and more importantly advocates establishing a sustainability framework before the site is developed.

Pre-fabricated buildings are the structure of choice in this solution as they can be transported to the next ‘short-term’ accommodation site – taking their sustainability benefits with them. Early consideration of the impact of these plans on the environment and the people being housed provides a better chance of delivering a sustainable solution and applying the latest technological advances.

Furthermore, while working on a sustainability philosophy for design and site master planning, considering all three sustainability pillars – social, environmental and economic – is vital. The ‘whole project’ perspective ensures sustainability is on the agenda at the start of the project and ecological design concepts are conceived and tested to increase the long-term value of the development.

Areas for early consideration:

Energy Management

Energy management, in particular, provides tangible results and delivers a quick pay-back.

The choice of building materials has a significant impact on internal thermal conditions and therefore influences air-conditioning demand and operational costs. The use of high thermal mass materials not only provides thermal benefits but also acoustic comforts. Computer modelling is also a useful tool to assess the impact of alternative building materials in relation to thermal conditions.

Energy supply and demand are equally important. Significant improvements are achieved by considering the impact of air-conditioning systems, hot water systems and artificial lighting systems. Alternative energy options of on-site renewable energy generation through solar, wind or geo-thermal sources are also valuable.

Measuring anticipated energy demand supports the decision-making process. Computer modelling using statistical local weather data provides information to optimise design decisions while predicting current and future demands. Computer modelling software can also be implemented to simulate building thermal performance and energy consumption. Sub-meters also provide an economic way to monitor high energy use areas.

Mine employees have a role to play in minimising energy consumption. Communicating energy efficiencies to them helps them understand the role they play in conserving energy and contributing to a better mine site living experience. Real-time energy data can be collected and presented in a graphical format to highlight energy consumptions.

Communications is a powerful tool to drive behaviour change.

Water Management

Like energy, water is an essential service that needs to be used intelligently and is often in short supply. Water efficient fittings and appliances are now commonplace in areas where water has been in short supply for some years. Techniques such as rainwater and stormwater harvesting, grey-water reuse and on-site water treatment are commonly used to boost the available water supply and reduce the reliance on dams and bore water systems. However, most importantly, behaviour change is critical for water conservation. Again, sub-metering is a technique that is used to monitor water consumption trends and compare against set water targets.

The increased productivity level of mineworkers who are accommodated in comfortable, energy efficient environments has been shown to impact on the bottom line.

Learning from successful mine camp developments, a sustainability strategy involving energy-efficient pre-fabricated buildings and water conservation solutions is an achievable goal and should be given early consideration in any mine site development.