Constructing Excellence Social Media Forum: Unlocking potential
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Category Archives: built environment
Sustainable Built Environment Business
The Guardian Sustainable Business web pages are proving a great resource for information, articles, debates and inspiration for sustainability as a strategic rather than just an operational level issue.
To reinforce the importance of the built environment sector, the way we plan, design, construct and use buildings that is present in most aspects of business sustainability, the site now has a built environment specific ‘hub’ (and a Green ICT and Communications hub)
In addition following on my my article at CSRWire, (a low carb diet for construction boards) there is much the construction sector can learn here in moving sustainability to the board and to a strategic level.
This weeks round up from GSBi includes:
Why carbon reporting makes sense
It helps the environment, adds value to the business and brings long term benefits, says Paul Pritchard We reduced our UK carbon footprint to 31,600 tonnes in 2009 from 43,200 in 2006 – over 25%, and approximately saved over £1m. The savings have been helpful in getting the business to regard sustainability as something that could add value. Procurement is another important area of consideration and our recent contract with Kyocera for print management units is a prime example. Sustainability requirements were incorporated into the tender process from the start (beyond the “do you have an environmental policy” type questions) including quantifying energy and paper savings that formed a fundamental part in awarding the contract More …
Energy efficient buildings are vital to sustainability In the coming decades, our planet will be a very different place. By 2050, there will be an additional 3 billion people on Earth and 70% of the world’s population will be living in cities. While many things about the future remain unclear, one thing is certain: more people in urban areas means an increased demand for new buildings. And unless we change the incredibly inefficient nature of today’s buildings, it means an unprecedented increase in energy use. It’s a ticking time bomb. More …
The business case for valuing natural resources James Griffiths explores how a new ecosystems guide enables companies to make better business decisions Every company values its core business resources: its products, customers, and employees. But until now business has not been able to fully consider the value of a vital aspect for success – natural resources.That is why the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) created the Guide to Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV), an innovative framework designed to enhance understanding of ecosystem services like freshwater, food, fibre and natural hazard protection. More …
Carbon Trust launches green guide for SMEs The Carbon Trust has launched a green guide to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) take advantage of the green goods and services industry The free ‘Green Your Business for Growth’ guide includes information on how businesses can find opportunities for green growth within their organisation and sector and how to develop a strategy to implement the changes. It also provides advice on how to reduce an SME’s environmental impact, including templates for energy and environment policies and a checklist to assess current sustainability. “We want to help Britain’s small firms to seize the opportunities presented by green growth through cutting costs or developing greener products and services,” said Ian Gibson, Carbon Trust director of delivery programmes. More …
Be2camp: be2awards BE2’s and construcTALKS
It is well over 2 years ago that a small like minded group of us* (in the UK, USA and Australia) started be2camp as a means of exploring the use of social media, web 2 applications and virtual worlds within the built environment sector. Since then we have grown to a community of over 500 members and received recognition as the Best Social Media Community in the Sustainability Now social media awards 2010
Hence it is with a real sense of pride and achievement that we can now organise, promote and host the worlds first social media awards, the BE2’s aimed specifically at the built environment.
Those of us who read and write blogs, use twitter, facebook and other ‘tools’ regularly come across the wow site, the wow application and occasionally the wow individual. Our be2camp awards will enable these ‘wows’ to be recognised, by nomination and ultimately by award winning.
Be2camp started out with a view to improving collaboration and sustainability through social media, so it is only fitting that the award categories reflect these themes.
Our site be2awards is now open for nomination, so please pay it a visit, register and nominate your favourite. Or indeed if your favourite has been nominated then endorse that nomination. From 18th Jan the nominations will close and voting commences.
Our awards event is on the 9th February at the Building Centre in London (and as with all be2camp events streamed live). Not only will we be announcing the award winners we will also hold ConstrucTALKS, a TEDx style set of presentations from high profile thought leaders. not to be missed.
- Built environment blogger of the Year
- Best sustainability blog
- Best AEC social media blog
- Best use of Twitter
- Best AEC collaboration platform
- Best AEC community, network or community application
- Best use of Web 2.0 for construction products
- Best location-based AEC application
- Best ‘internet of things’ application
- Best mobile application
- Best virtual or hybrid event
- ‘Old media/new media’ award
- Best AEC PR campaign
- Best AEC marketing campaign
- Best education and learning award
*Be2camp Founders:
Jodie Miners Australia @jodiem
Pam Broviak USA @pbroviak
Paul Wilkinson UK @EEPaul
Martin Brown UK @fairsnape
Will BIM move to FIM? (Webinar 16/4/10)
The concept of a Facilties Information Model as a more encompassing, arching umbrella model to a Building Information Model has been discussed over the last few years, but with little (public) evidence of use in practice.
I guess in some ways it reflects the larger discussion between construction and facilties management, between the provision of buildings and use of buildings. And, as in practice we see FM and endusers taking a more prominent role in design and construction, we will see BIM become Facilities Information Models.
Good then to see the public debate and webinar How Owners are using BIMStorms scheduled for 16th April: (Info from BIMStorms:)
Owners are looking at BIM in a much broader way, beyond just design and construction. Learn how everyone can learn how to work with information in BIM that brings greater value to owners for the full life-cycle of projects.
Linking Business Requirements to BIM
Early Planning
Design and Construction
Facility Management
Real time sensor data connected to BIM
Managing a portfolio of projects using Real Time BIM data
Creating a feedback loop to work with existing buildings in BIM
| Please join us in this webinar that will show how owners such as The Los Angeles Community College, GSA, US Coast Guard, School Districts, are using BIMStorm and the Onuma System to define projects, interact with architects and manage lifecycle information.
April 16 |
This blog post will be updated after the webinar.
a transition view of the uk transition housing plan
A welcomed and important perspective on the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan was posted by Rob Hopkins on the Transition blog:
After many months of Ed Milliband putting himself out there are a Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change that actually gets climate change, finally his big Plan, the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan was unveiled on Wednesday, in a speech in the House of Commons that name checked Transition Towns and which is the boldest national vision for a low carbon society yet seen. Many others have since pitched in with their thoughts, I thought it might be useful here to offer an analysis from a Transition perspective. In his speech, Milliband said “we know from the Transition Towns movement the power of community action to motivate people..”, clearly an outcome of his attendance as a ‘Keynote Listener’ at the Transition Network conference in May. So how does the Plan measure up, and does it actually advance what Transition initiatives and the wider relocalisation movement are doing?
On Housing (of particular interest here) Rob Comments:
The Plan restates 2016 of the date by which all new housing will be zero carbon, which is entirely laudable, although Wales has actually managed to introduce this 5 years earlier, by 2011. It might have provided a good push to this had it been brought forward to, say, 2014. Much of this part of the report is as you would imagine, but it does contain the intriguing statement that “the Government is investing up to £6 million to construct 60 more low carbon affordable homes built with innovative, highly insulating, renewable materials”.
Does this mean that there is now £6 million for hands-on research into straw bale, hemp construction, earth plasters and so on?
Or does ‘highly insulating, renewable materials’ refer to Kingspan and other industrial oil-derived building materials?
At the moment ‘zero carbon homes’ refers only to a building’s performance once built, not the embodied energy of the materials it contains.
The role of local and natural materials in strengthening local economies is key.
My Comment: it is these points that need a wider, open and urgent debate as raised in a previous blog item here. If zero carbon is the solution what was the question? and are we defining zero carbon with enough insight?
Rob scores the Plan as follows:
Addressing Peak Oil: 1 out of 10.
Energy: 7 out of 10.
Transport 4 out of 10
Housing: 6 out of 10
Community involvement: 2 out of 10
Food and Farming: 1 out of 10
and Overall : 6 out of 10
using twitter in the built environment?
Next week, the 12 – 15th May, sees a series of built environment ‘events’ in the UK:
- Be2camp north in Liverpool 15th May (following on from the worlds first unconference for built environment)
- Sustainability Now (13-14th ) Buildings Virtual Conference and Exhibition
- The Facilities Show NEC Birmingham (12-14th)
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
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
CBI low-carbon economy roadmap to 2020
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:
twittering on the edge of chaos?
It seems everyone is trying to understand and analyse twitter at the moment, so after nearly a year of twittering , here are my thoughts:
Perhaps it is a little more than coincidence that Twitter has been named after our feathered friends, as it is very close, in my mind, to the classic edge of chaos example of how birds flock.
Birds flock through following a set of unwritten, uncommunicated simple rules. Flocking birds have no manual, no procedures to follow, no dos and do nots, no bird etiquette, they just do it , and do it by instinct and in spectacular fashion.
And they all do it. (Have you ever seen one bird turn the wrong way at the wrong time to create a mangle of free-fall bird feathers – no, never).
And so it is, could, should? be with Twitter
It works at so many different levels for so many different purposes, and here is its power, it is all things to all people and brilliant for it, and we twitters like them boids, don’t need lists of dos and donts, guidance, rules or twitterquette, we just do it, we just twitter. (Maybe this is why many say they just ‘dont get it’ – there is a sense of jumping in and using twitter and see what emerges, rather than a calculated action plan)
Indeed it is the relationships between the agents (us as twitters, or the birds) and the scope for emergence are is so important in keeping twitter at the edge of chaos.
Chaos theory is often illustrated through the butterfly affect ( a butterflies wings flapping in Chile can cause storms in Europe, a concept I have called small in large out – SILO) Again Twitter demonstrates this concept incredibly well – one tweet can spread through the global twitter community probably faster than any other form of communication known. (eg news stories broken through twitter)
So is twitter really an application of complexity theory in practice, a demonstration of the ‘edge of chaos’ paradigm? I think so, and having long used the concepts of complexity theory (simple rules, agents, relationships, SILO and emergence) to allow management system processes and procedures to become so much more effective and efficient, (eg where many ‘control’ procedures can be replaced with a few simple rules) I see twitter applications having a future within management systems, just not sure exactly how yet!
But … others more learned in the complexity / chaos theory may like to comment, agree or correct me ?
Oh, and since tweeting I have, through twitter, purchased a chicken coop, won and let work contracts, helped others win work, learnt so much, made new friends and contacts, been inspired and shocked, eaten humble pie once or twice and hopefully shared something of use in return. Fellow twitters have shared births, deaths, job losses and job finds, sadness, anger and great happiness ….. Brilliant.
sustainability concerns on Preston Tithebarn
Picked up from Prestonblog, CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment), a letter of concern to the developers of the Tithebarn scheme for Preston city centre on the PrestonLancs forum, . In the letter they raise concerns that the new development does not seem to have had enough thought put into sustainabilty and other key aspects.
(comments of interest underlined)
Sustainability strategies
A scheme of this size and the mix of uses proposed suggest that it should set high standards in terms of energy efficiency and environmental design. We are therefore disappointed by the minimal targets set in this planning application. On page three of the statement under the ‘Energy’ heading, reference is made to the use of renewable energy sources to provide a proportion of the energy requirements of the private dwellings. However, the only targets relating to carbon reduction are the statutory minimum allowed by the building regulations. We are concerned that this might lead to the relaxing of energy standards of the dwellings and use of an unspecified level of on-site renewable energy to improve this up to the minimum allowed by the regulations. Therefore, we would question whether the proposals satisfy the council’s Interim Planning Statement No.3 (IPS3) which requires a 10% saving in carbon over and above total energy use.
We are also concerned that the central energy centre serving a community energy system has been excluded from the current planning application and that this might result in control over the energy systems adopted in most of the buildings being handed over to future developers. In our view, the commitment to a central energy centre should be established in this planning application and conditioned appropriately. Comprehensive redevelopment of the site creates an opportunity to put in place such infrastructure, which is far more difficult to retrofit. The document also suggests that not all buildings would connect a common energy system to achieve the benefits and synergies between different uses of CHP to reduce carbon, which would be a missed opportunity.
The sustainability statement does not seem to acknowledge the existence of the PPS1 Supplement on Climate Change and the need to consider systems at the community scale. Furthermore, given the likely extended build-out phasing (likely to extend beyond 2016) there appears to be no strategy for dealing with zero carbon homes or the scale of carbon reductions likely to be needed of the non-domestic stock given that Government intend to achieve zero carbon by 2019.
The reference to being on target to meeting the UK’s pledge to cut carbon emissions by 60% by 2050 does not acknowledge the recent revised target of 80% and is, in our view, misleading because it does not consider all the energy use of the buildings or acknowledge that the proposals are adding to the UK buildings stock and hence energy demand.
(this is an important issue – the difference between 60 and 80% would have a very significant impact on design and energy considerations)
We would ask the design team to address the concerns raised above at this point to give the local authority the assurance that Preston Tithebarn will be meeting the standards on sustainability expected of a development of this significance.
On a related sustainability theme, that of transport, CABE also has concerns
While we acknowledge the masterplan brief required that Preston’s existing bus station be replaced, we are disappointed that an alternative way to bring buses into Preston could not have been found. Examples in other cities have shown that a simple on-street drop-off point can be more successful and effective than an expensive bus station building. Furthermore, the large footprint of a conventional bus station with many parked buses and attendant noise and exhaust fumes can have a negative impact on adjacent areas; we would expect that the necessary measures have been undertaken to minimise these nuisances. The overall strategy for the bus routes also needs careful consideration in terms of bus movements and congestion to prevent detrimental effects on the streets used by buses.
Ouch. Back to the sustainable drawing board …
It will be interesting to see how Preston now deal with the planning application and whether CABE’s comments are taken on board, or a development tagged as unsustainable is allowed to proceed.
I have searched for but cannot find the application online – if I do I will review and comment – and links would be useful.
Fairsnape 