Author Archives: martin brown

using twitter in the built environment?

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Next week, the 12 – 15th May, sees a series of built environment ‘events’ in the UK:

All of these will use twitter as a ‘backchannel’ to enable off line chat, discussion or commentary on the events.  Each of the events has a twitter hashtag   ( #be2campnorth   #sustnow and  #FACshow09 )

The use of twitter will also allow those not able to attend  to keep in touch with real time happenings within the events, and also enable input into sessions from more than just those attending.  All increasing the scope, reach and impact of the events

I did consider putting together a top 10 reasons and benefits of tweeting, why construction and facilities management should twitter, why managers should let their staff twitter and indeed why managers themselves should!.  

However, far better to get a collaborative list from built environment people who use twitter and realise its value (you know who you are!) 

So in preparation for the potentially unprecedented flurry of twitter use next week what are your reasons to use twitter? (add to comments below and I will compile)

Ada Lovelace at be2campnorth

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I am delighted that Suw Charman-Anderson (Social Techology Consultant, Guardian writer and twitter-er) will be talking at be2campnorth on the 15th May in Liverpool on the inspiration of Ada Lovelace  

(Well actually Suw will be presenting from home via web and video link ups so that she can attend (as in walk to) another conference in London on the same day)

I had not heard of Ada until Suw started  her ‘campaign’ to ‘find the modern day Ada via twitter.  Suw wanted to highlight the contributions of women in technology and science so they can serve as role models for women. Reading responses and pledges to the Ada Lovelace day organised by Suw back in March, I soon recognised that Ada is still great inspiration to many women and men in computing, technology and social media.

Ada Lovelace (1815 -1852) was one of the world’s first computer programmers, and one of the first people to see computers as more than just a machine for doing sums

A number of the modern day Adas nominated (on finding Ada) are working in the construction or built environment related  sector.  It is fitting then that be2camp north will kick off with Suw talking about Ada, why she is such an inspiration, her relevance today and future plans for the finding Ada campaign.

So if you are working in or interested in finding out more about web and social technology in the built environment and looking for inspiration, both from Ada and Suw, be2camp north is for you.  And if you cant get there in person, register to attend online. 

Note: Suw spoke on ‘death to email’ at be2camp 2008 in London – the ustream video of which can still be found online at the be2camp network

HIP blog and tweets

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Prompted by a tweet from Paul this morning I have been reading back through the excellent informative posts on his HipConsultant Blog

In addition, since the end of 2008 HIP-Consultant.co.uk has been on twitter to

  • Update followers with articles published both on our blog and at Ezines.
  • Update about news from HIP-Consultant.co.uk
  • Detail related UK Property News of interest and followers hopefully will appreciate.
  • Find and network with others within our niche.
  • It is also being discussed that we could possibly use Twitter to advertise vacancies for DEAs to supply EPC(s) within the UK.

Could twitter be the end of emails asks Paul. Follow on twitter @hipconsultant 

 Some of the recent posts worth a scan include:

be2camp north shapes up

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www-constInterested in the Built Environment?  Not sure about Web 2.0, social media, blogs, Twitter and the like?

Then Be2camp North is the event for you.

Following on from the world’s first Web 2.0 construction event, in London in October 2008, Be2camp North in Liverpool on 15 May brings together people interested in how Web 2.0 can help industry professionals create a more sustainable built environment. From using social media for marketing to GIS, BIM and virtual worlds, Be2camp will stimulate and challenge how you use the web. Find out more at http://www.be2camp.comJust looking at the potential scope and range of topics for the up coming be2camp north event in Liverpool on the 15th May.

be2camp

The topics and themes for the day are shaping up as follows?  Where else will you be able to get the following for ‘free’ ?

Register Here

Topics:

Ada Lovelace Day – Women and technology (Suw Charman-Anderson – via Skype)

Geographical information

  • Geographical information and urban design (Rollo Home)
  • Earth Exchange, map mashups for construction (Alex Albon)
  • Geo-caching – talk and game (Martin Brown and others)

Second Life + other Virtual Worlds

  • Wikitecture – a Second life view from USA (Keystone Bouchard)
  • Pivote – Second Life emergency training (Dave @ Daden)
  • Maybe a Second Life contribution from Leeds? (Angrybeth)
  • SL Pennine Lancs (elevate) visualisation (Jeff Smithson)
  • Sustainability Now 2009: lessons from the latest virtual exhibition (Phil Clark / UBM?).

Ubiquitous computing

  • Arduino session (Amon Katz)
  • The internet of things – Adrian McEwen

BIM

Other topics

  • Web 2.0 and construction PR and marketing (Paul Wilkinson)
  • Social media guide for AEC people: out of beta (Pam Broviak)
  • Online communities: the Constructing Excellence collaborative working champions (Martin Brown / Paul Wilkinson)
  • Bazaart: Street art and urban design (Daniel Gilbert)
  • Possible Passiv Haus link with San Fransisco
  • CWC recession survival guide launch?
  • Kalexo: new levels of interaction in construction collaboration (TBC – possibly input from California)

What would you like to see?  Please use the be2camp discussion forums feature to:

  • volunteer to speak on an existing topic/idea
  • suggest additional or alternative speakers
  • suggest additional or alternative topics
  • nominate speakers where nobody is currently listed
  • volunteer a presentation, a story or anecdote of your own

Background:

The Be2camp concept started as a Twitter conversation between Martin Brown and Paul Wilkinson, following Martin’s attendance at Barcamp-type events, suggesting we do ‘something’ for the (UK) built environment. This discussion was picked by Jodie Miners in Australia, through Twitter, and through conversations within Second Life with Pam Broviakfrom Illinois, USA. The timing of Be2camp 2008 was fixed to coincide with Jodie’s visit to the UK, while Pam helped coordinate Be2camp’s Second Life activities. So now you know who to contact, praise or blame!

sustainability now champion

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susnow10-160px4

Phil Clarke at Building Mag @zerochamp has asked me to be a  champion for the forthcoming Building magazine’s Sustainability Now virtual event taking place 13 and 14 May.

Still awaiting details, but I will be online in the discussion lounge on the 14th May and look forward to chatting with you there (and hopefuly drinking virtual champagne with Mel and others?) 

 

I will be in great company with fellow green bloggers:

  • Lucy Pedler, an architect founder of the influential body The Green Register, which has a membership of 600 influential sustainable professionals
  • Principal at green consultancy Inbuilt and green blogger Mel Starrs, who writes at Elemental
  • One of the sector’s most popular figures on Twitter, blogger Su Butcher – a practice manager at architect Barefoot & Gilles who blogs at Just Practising.

A detailed agenda for the event should be available next week. In the meantime here’s a bit of a snapshot of the type of content at the show:

  •  Live seminar on refurbishing existing houses with the Energy Saving Trust
  • Discussions on issues such as PassivHaus design, the zero carbon definition and the CRC
  • Videos from Ecobuild 
  • Some content from Bioregional on their views on sustainable legislation and updates from their projects
  • A survey on BREEAM 2008 

More here 

To take part in the online event sign up here  Its Free ! with the benefits you’d get from major conferences without the travel and from your home / office computer.

construction the future report wordle

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ctf-report-wordleWordle image created for Constructing the Future Report 08/09

twittering on as @fairsnape

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An explantion as to why I have taken the decision to switch to a new twitter account;

I have long suffered with @martinbrown account which has had problems in not being able to contribute to #hashtags, random hit and miss with tweets appearing in searches or RSS (or not). This has proved difficult when wanting to tweet from events etc. At some points I did wonder whether my tweets where being transmitted at all. Unfortunately requests to twitter to help didn’t bear fruit

I should mention that I am not the only one this has happened to, and grateful for Cindy FW over in Kansas (now @urbanverse ) for help and inspiration to make the change.

So after a year or so as @martinbrown as my main twitter account I have moved to @fairsnape (the name of my ‘business). This will carry the same mix of comments, information, sharing, questions, social and personal messages, within the very broad theme of built environment sustainability, improvement, futures, web2.0, virtual worlds and and and ….

@martinbrown will continue to be active, as I encourage and hope existing followers and friends will also follow me @fairsnape

It is amazing how refreshing it is to start rebuilding followers to @fairsnape and to see tweets appear in searches. I should however apologise to any followers I miss initially but bear with me as I juggle the two accounts.

(By the way I also have a fledgling twitter account for geocaching and other geo stuff @brandwoodgeo)

Facilities Information Modeling

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The recent white paper BIM and Facilities Management from Autodesk, makes the case to extend Building IM to Facilities IM(or at least to include) 

Building information modeling (BIM) is changing the way buildings are designed and constructed-but is it changing how they’re operated and maintained? Do the benefits of BIM extend to facilities management? This whitepaper focuses on ways that facility managers and FM applications can take advantage of the consistent,coordinated building information that comes from a BIM design process.

And yet this paper misses the point and reinforces the need for the  FM sector to wake up and take hold of the information modelling movement (band wagon or steam roller)  The need for  facilities come first (ie those facilities needed by an organisation to function) around which can be ( but not always necessarily) will be wrapped within a building, hence Information Models should be driven by FM , with BIM a subset.

What should be a wake up call for facilities management sector is the NISP findings, reported in the white paper.

In a 2004 NIST studyi undertaken to estimate the efficiency losses in the U.S. capital facilities industry, it was reported that the annual cost (in 2002) associated with inadequate interoperability among computer-aided design, engineering, and software systems was $15.8B. 

The study went on to report that owners and operators shouldered almost two thirds of that cost as a result of their ongoing facility operation and maintenance.

Or as commented recently at a BIM seminar – buildings are becoming too complex and should be taken out of the remit of facilities management.

(Discuss!)

Related

BIM Boom

Facilities Information Modeling at Be2campnorth 15th May 

IT and FM Disconnect a barrier to green buildings?

 

 

 

CBI low-carbon economy roadmap to 2020

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For the first time the UK’s leading business group has set out its vision for a low-carbon economy in a series of climate change roadmaps.  The roadmaps, called ‘Going the Distance’, set out a timetable of action to ensure carbon emissions targets are met, and the measures that will be needed to put the UK in pole position in the development of low-carbon technologies.

Comment: the roadmap could appear to be protecting industry (only a 6% reduction) and focuses heavily on nuclear and carbon capture (but not until 2013), sees the Severn Barrage as the way forward and wants a government led, rather than industry led  initiative.  (what happened to market led economies?)

CBI are proposing the following contributions per sector from 2006 

Industry 6%

Buildings 43%

Transport 29%

Energy 39%

(not sure how much the roadmap avoids double counting, particularly with energy reductions) 

 

In the buildings roadmap the CBI wants to see:
• Smart meters fitted in homes and businesses so users can see how much power they are using.
• Incentives to encourage consumers to buy more efficient washing machines, fridges and freezers.
• Loft insulation installed in three million homes.
• Agreement on a realistic definition of ‘zero-carbon’ for new homes and business premises.

  Download: Going the distance: the low-carbon buildings roadmap 

Forty percent of the UK’s carbon emissions come from energy consumed in buildings.1 To meet the UK’s 2020 CO₂ target, the CBI believes carbon savings of 43MtCO₂ should come from buildings, equivalent to a 20%reduction from 2006 levels.

Nearly two thirds of these savings can come from energy efficiency measures that will save money as well as carbon, while remaining savings will need to come from renewable and low carbon heat and micro-generation and zero-carbon new buildings. Progress made in decarbonising the UK’s electricity supply will also drive emissions reduction

Related:

Route to Zero