Author Archives: martin brown

second life orientation day for built environment ppl

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Friend and colleague Pam Broviak from the Public Works Group in SL, GridWorks and LaSalle Illinois, has just posted an item on her blog regarding our planned orientation day on June 28th.  Join us for an introduction and guided tour. UK times and a programme are still to be confirmed, but it should be possible to log on from 10am BST.

Pam explains:

With the upcoming Sustainability Now virtual conference, the Public Works Group is offering an Orientation Day on Public Works Island in Second Life on Saturday, June 28, 2008. Seasoned Second Life residents will be on hand to greet you as you enter Second Life.

If you have never been in Second Life, this is a great opportunity to try it out knowing that there will be people there to meet you and help show you the ropes. Because most people have not been exposed to this type of interface, entering Second Life alone with little guidance at the beginning can be challenging. We are hoping to make that transition a little easier by being there to answer questions, give away free stuff you might need for your virtual world, and point you to some interesting places in Second Life that are tasteful and engaging.

By registering through the Public Works Group Web site, you will enter Second Life on Public Works Island instead of through the normal orientation that others go through if registering on Second Life’s site. This way you avoid all the chaos and instead enter Second Life in an area that is more professionally themed.

my blog fights climate change

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A number of people have asked why 350 on the my blog fights climate change badge, well, its the parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere that we must aim for if we want to keep the planet relatively safe. I feel this is an important message to spread, as most of our targets for reductions are based on 450 ppm. If the 350 ppm is right, and it has the backing of many eminent scientists, our targets (in the UK) should be 80% and not 60% by 2050, which is a huge huge difference.

Readers of isite will know I am not totally in agreement with offsetting – but take a look at Brighter Planet and make your own minds up and get a badge.

collaboration makes construction lean

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Whilst sharpening up my knowledge on the latest lean in construction thinking I came across this excellent article by Karen Wilhelm which mashes up collaborative working, lean, BIM, 3D and 4D design, collaborative contracts, value chains and more. The brief for Karens paper reads:

Lean in the construction industry offers some lessons for lean manufacturers. Collaboration among companies in the value chain is facilitated by 3D and 4D modeling of the product and process. This focuses the players on constructability, avoiding costly mistakes and assuring just-in-time availability of materials and workers. In some instances, collaboration and lean are being built into standard multi-party contract templates.

UK’s first carbon neutral city

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It was only a matter of time before the extension of eco homes, eco villages and eco towns was applied to eco cities in the UK, after all the rest of the world has eco-cities.

I should mention the great work being done at a community level over in Ashton Hayes – aiming to be England’s first carbon neutral village (which I believe is a great case study on Community based FM in practice)

But who would have thought Sterling would be the first city in the UK to be brave enough to go carbon neutral?

One to watch … Carbon Neutral Stirling

This raises a number of questions, mainly though, in my mind, what requirements will there be on sustainability and carbon management of construction and of facilities management of buildings in the citiy?

google’s bicycle giveaways

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From Ecowordly:

The Internet search engine company Google, now a reputable green icon with its solar powered Mountainview headquarters, last year gave away bicycles to its staff in Europe, Asia and Africa as part of its efforts to reduce the impact of transportation on the environment.

Nearly 2,000 members of Google permanent staff benefited from this scheme that also provided free helmets emblazoned with the famous brand name.

Ah, but does the Google office on Buck Palace Rd in London have cycle storage facilities?

bike week this week

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This week is bike week here in the UK, hence a series of bike related posts throughout the week on cycling its relevance to the built environment and to the climate change agenda.

Questions:

buildings with real cycling facilities?

facilities managers prevent cycles from the building or being locked outside?

construction sites that make it easy to cycle into work?

cities with free cycle facilities?

Other links:

bike week website

17 Reasons Why Bicycles Are the Most Popular Vehicle in the World Today

Live blog on Lourdes cycle ride

eco towns or eco slums?

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Lengthy and informative article by Charlotte Hunt-Grubbe on the Sunday Times website provides a good overview of the background, current status and future of the eco town initaive.

Starting with a dream:

Across the fair face of Albion, to the ringing of bells and the soft murmur of doves, appears a leafy flush of eco-towns. They are sun-dappled utopias, urban dreamworlds in which no human need is unfulfilled. Wildlife romps through bird-loud glades. People work at home or in business parks to which they can stroll or cycle. Public transport is swift, efficient and free, so cars are not needed. Community sports hubs, leisure and cultural facilities are so abundant that nobody wants to leave the town anyway. Children walk safely to schools in which the most popular subject is environmentalism. There are superstores for convenience, and farmers’ markets for friends of the planet. Allotments, too, for those who want to grow their own. Energy is renewable, insulation total and the carbon footprint zero.

Or a perception of what eco towns will be:

Sir Simon Milton, chair of the Local Government Association, spelt it out: “It’s no use building carbon-neutral, environmentally friendly houses if they are in the middle of nowhere with no facilities, so that people have to drive miles to buy a loaf of bread or take their kids to school.” If there were no local jobs or training, he said, the emphasis on social housing would serve only to create “eco-slums”.

and a comparison to overseas eco towns:

If only the UK’s new rash of eco-towns was as exciting as the high-profile eco-cities being planned abroad by British designers. “In Masdar,” says Lord Foster, “the pedestrian is king.” Masdar, the distinguished British architect’s scheme for a site near Abu Dhabi, will be a pioneering zero-carbon, zero-waste city. At first sight, its narrow streets, palm-tree-lined walkways, mosaic floors, low-rise buildings and sunlit open spaces are redolent of a modern Middle Eastern city. But there’s something profoundly otherworldly about Masdar. Sky rails meander overhead, solar-panelled awnings shade the streets, and there are no cars above ground. “We’re designing a new kind of transportation system,” explains Foster, “with driverless electric vehicles below street level that you can operate using your mobile phone.” When you dial them up, they take you straight to your destination.

Previous eco-town discussions on isite:

eco towns and zero carbon – chalk and cheese?

on zero carbon and routes to get there …

passive resistance

worlds greenest city and eco home?

whats wrong with this picture

eco … build, homes, villages and towns – pah… greenwash?

facilities management of green buildings

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I like this, and wonder if there are any other facilities management courses that focus on managing buildings that are green, LEED or BREEAM accredited? After all its all in the management of the building and facilities not just the design and the tick in the box.

(INDIANAPOLIS) The Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) will offer a unique course beginning in the fall of 2008 entitled “Greening Organizations.”

The masters-level course will introduce students to the requirements needed for existing buildings to become LEED Certified by the United States Green Building Council. The course will also cover other rating systems and the management of green buildings.

“Because LEED Certified buildings conserve energy and water, reduce waste, and have lower operating costs, creating and sustaining LEED Certified buildings is a trend that is here to stay. It is important for our students to receive a solid foundation in this area of study,” said Ken Rennels, associate professor of mechanical engineering technology and facilities management program director at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI.

The “Greening Organizations” course is offered as part of the School’s recently launched online Master of Science degree emphasizing Facilities Management. The program is delivered via the Internet to meet the needs of working professionals, preparing students to meet a growing demand for skilled employees in the Facilities Management field.

on getting out, learning and sharing, unconference style

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As I plan another ‘benchmarkwalk’ for tomorrow in the English Lake District, I realise I haven’t described my benchmarkwalks approach here on the blog.

In some ways I now realise this approach is very much like an outdoor unconference – delegates choose the themes for discussion and, rather than standing in a lecture hall, or hotel room to present, people can talk on their topic in a way that engages very differently to the more traditional front of room or around the table discussion.

The following is the original concept from my website, (which has now been long overtaken by using this blog as my main presence).

Benchmark Walks – talk the walk in landscapes to fire inspire

Aimed at improvement individuals and teams, Benchmarkwalks has been compared to doing business on the golf course but more stimulating and rewarding by far. Many leading organisations are beginning to realise the benefits of outdoor or walking-based meetings as a way of encouraging open discussion and getting away from office environments.

From the Benchmarkwalks home base within the Forest Of Bowland, itself an area of outstanding natural beauty, we organize and facilitate your business or improvement team away day. We make use of a local inspiring venue within the Forest of Bowland for events and as a base for a local benchmarkwalks

Benchmarkwalks can be tailored to suite individuals looking to improve business improvement knowledge on a unique one to one arrangementâ

You set the topics – Benchmarkwalks assembles the experts, so you can learn from improvement experts in inspirational landscapes. Find out what works and what hasnt worked from leading UK benchmarking experts.

Choose from easy, low-level valley and woodland walks through to challenging mountain days, whatever; the chance to talk the walk and learn cannot be bettered. Walks can range from an hour stroll as part of a days facilitated event through to whole days on the hill.

Benchmarkwalks have formed partnerships with leading walking and guiding organisations to arrange and lead our mountain walks

Business Improvement has often been compared to a journey where the journey itself is the reward as well as the destination. With Benchmarkwalks you will reap benefits from both the physical journey and discussions on business improvement topics

Benchmarkwalks can cover any business improvement topic, for example: benchmarking, sustainability, quality management, value management, customer relations, excellence and EFQM, collaborative working, supply chain management… Any, all or none just ramble and learn.


more information @ benchmarkwalks

changing construction trend alert

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Todays Trend alert from Shaping Tomorrow focuses on Changing Construction
Pre-fabricated Buildings
Author: Sheila Moorcroft
 Could the announcement that a large part of the 2012 London Olympic Stadium may be deconstructed and sent off to Chicago for the 2016 Olympics trigger renewed interest in offsite, pre-fabricated construction techniques? Possibly yes; but a lot of regulation will need to change.