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A tipping point for sustainability

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Could this be one of the key important concept diagrams for sustainability and environmental impact?

Snapseed‘Restorative sustainability’ in one simple graphic.

This brilliant  slide came to my attention via a @melanieloftus tweeted picture  taken during Jason McLennan’s presentation, Mind the Gap at the Living Futures conference, positioning Living Building Challenge beyond LEED. 

Reflecting on this simple model, we can visualise the impact of our current built environment sustainability approaches – are they just doing less bad, or really doing more good and making a restorative, positive contribution?

And importantly we can visualise that tipping point for sustainability, from less bad to more good.

The urgency for reconsidering ‘sustainability’ was emphasised in the recent report State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible? The term sustainable has become essentially sustainababble, at best indicating a practice or product slightly less damaging than the conventional alternative.

Is it time to abandon the sustainability concept altogether, or can we find an accurate way to measure sustainability?

The Living Building Challenge, as a philosophy, an advocacy and assessment scheme has real significance. It enables us to cross the sustainability rubicon, setting a vision for a future built environment and encouraging owners, designers, constructors, operators and users to track towards it. As commented on the opening of the Bullitt Centre in Seattle a LBC accreditation hopeful, such approaches are driving a wedge into the future so others can see whats possible.

I feel honoured to be a Living Building UK Ambassador, spreading the message of the Challenge as fresh sustainability thinking into the UK built environment agenda.

For more information and planned events for the Challenge in the UK , check out our presentation to Green Build Expo, visit the Living Building website,  follow us on @UK_LBC on twitter or say hi via email. (We even have a facebook page to like!)

Related Post: Have we picked the low hanging fruit of Sustainable Construction?

Sustainable futures require collective power of unconventional partnerships

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mandelbrot

Early today I came across this excellent quote* from Hannah Jones, Nike’s global head of sustainability and innovation:

“We believe that the innovations required to create the future won’t come from a single source. Not from science. Not from technology. Not from governments. Not from business. But from all of us. We must harness the collective power of unconventional partnerships to dramatically redefine the way we thrive in the future.”

Just the thinking and attitude we need for a ‘sustainable’ built environment, based on unconventional collaborative working, driving our conversations towards a future that is sustainable on economic, social and environmental value levels. In the way we operate, address our impacts and importantly in the products and services we deliver.

*Quote contained in the Guardian Sust Biz article Can systems experts create scale and speed in sustainability?

Feel no guilt in laughter …

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Feel no guilt in laughter, I know how much you care.
Feel no sorrow in a smile that I am  not there to share.
You cannot grieve forever; I would not want you to.
I hope that you could carry on the way you always do.
So, talk about the good times and the way you showed you cared,
The days we spent together, all the happiness we shared.
Let memories surround you, a word someone may say
Will suddenly recapture a time, an hour, a day,
That brings me back as clearly as though I were still there,
And fills you with the feeling that I am always near.
For if you keep those moments, we will never be apart
And I will live forever locked safely within your heart.
 

The very moving poem read at Dad’s funeral.

John Norris Brown 1931-2013

RIP Dad, my inspiration, my hero

Views sought on Public Private Partnerships

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martin brown's avatarCentre for Sustainable Development

Following on from the PPP Conference we are seeking views on PPP to contribute to the PPP Research Road Map and Reports.

Click here to take the very short PPP survey

Results will be posted here to the CSD Blog pages

A live blog record of the PPP Conference can be viewed here Also check out related CSD Blog PPP Conference posts

The Good the Bad and the Awkward

Lessons from the National Health Service – Allyson Pollock’s PPP Conference 2013 Presentation

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Finally PAS91 update issued.

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At last, the updated version of PAS 91 Construction prequalification questionnaires has been issued and is available as a free download on the BSi website.

The updated version is aligned to the Government Construction Strategy and set to be madatory for Government projects from 2016, hence is aligned to BIM level 2 requirements for the same year.

In preparation for the Government BIM mandate, optional questions have been included within PAS 91 examining competence in BIM and collaborative information exchange.

Working with organisations on PQQ’s, and indeed supporting the ‘modern construction management’ activities across the organisation necessary to win work in todays industry, we see many contractors unsure as to where to start with Building Information Modelling.

Yet now is the time to address BIM and get ready, at the least in awareness and understanding of how you will respond to and manage BIM requirements.  Increasingly we see BIM related PQQ questions, not only through PAS91 but down through many PQQ documents.

Update 15/4/13:

The National Federation of Builders is optimistic the latest incarnation of PAS 91 will enjoy a wider take-up than much criticised previous versions. Paul Bogle, policy manager at the trade association, said: “The new version will be mandatory for central government and while that is not the case for local authorities we’re optimistic the new version will gain wider acceptance among local authorities too.” Source

But, already others are planning an alternative to PAS91

“Last month, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said its proposal to create a simpler pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) to boost SME access to contracts could replace PAS 91.. The plan for a new industry standard PQQ, to be drafted with the support of the Construction Industry Council, was one of the key recommendations in RICS’ recently published Construction Policy” Source

A low carbon diet for construction boards

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benchmark

Question for you:who on your board is really championing sustainability and the low carbon agenda?

Board members, as Lucy Marcus reminded us at construcTALKs, need to balance continuity with change, to embrace the changes in technology.

From my experience in (small-medium) construction organizations, boards are too focused on looking back at performance, rather than forward; and when looking forward, tend to do so with the risk-eye of past problems. And sustainability is often only discussed when necessary, as part of an ISO 14001 project or incident issue. Too often, as 14001 sits with Health and Safety, sustainability takes a back seat. Rarely do construction boards view sustainability as a critical strategic, opportunity issue, rather than simply one to be dealt with at project level.

Yet the world is moving forward, and increasingly so towards a low carbon environment and economy. Only those with proven performance and attitude of low carbon approaches may well survive—all the more reason to have board members champion change. Non-execs tend to provide the independent financial and governance role, but increasingly they should drive the organization towards change.

Perhaps it’s because construction boards are slow to embrace the communication power social media can bring that they remain out of touch. I do wonder whether we had the same issue when other, now well-established, means of communication emerged; did we resist telephones, faxes, conference calls and emails as we seem to be doing with social media?

If construction boards were more diverse and embraced a wider range of views and outlooks, through board composition and social media awareness, the transition to a low carbon construction economy would be more successful.

Construction boards really do need to embrace social media potential, not just as a tool for others in the organization, but for the board itself, tuning into discussions and commentaries on emerging standards and legislation and sharing what is working or not. The likes of Twitter, Linkedin groups, blogs, forums and news aggregators are abundantly rich with low carbon and sustainable construction information.

This is all vital client, competitor and industry intelligence that enables boards to move their organization forward – and, through embracing social media in this manner, become role models for its mature use.

To quote from Lucy, boards need to be both Grounded and Stargazers.Are construction boards so grounded they go underground? Or do they at least from time to time stand on a hill and gaze the stars to wonder, then to understand what is out there?

This post originally appeared on CSRWire in April 2011 and savedhere from now defunct Posterous blog 

PAS91: Update for LCBPC

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Although we still await the revision to PAS91 that will align it with the Government Construction Strategy, PAS91 was included in the Lancashire Construction Best Practice Club event looking at winning work, reducing costs and adding value through adapting the elements within the Strategy;

To be updated when the revised PAS91 is issued!

The other presentations from the Winning Work event can be viewed on the LCBP Slideshare page or via links here:
Nw b im_hub_-_march2013 Mark Stodgell

Social media in construction – whats happening?

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Towards the end of last year the Construction Marketing Association conducted a US national survey of construction professionals regarding their use of social media. Of note is that 90% of those surveyed used social media, and of those 91% managed social media internally. Also of interest is the % use of Social Media platforms used, along with the most effective (linkedin) and least effective (facebook) social media platforms.

Also take a look at my article feature in the Guardian last year Why the construction sector should engage with social media, our Be2Camp Social Media Framework for GreenDeal, and Pauley Creative’s 2011  How are the top 15 UK Construction Companies using Social Media

What do you think? What do you use in your business?

Social Media in Construction

 
Find Martin on Google+

#PPPConf2013 – Industry Day to Explore Public Private Partnerships

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ppp

Cover it Live blog for Days 1 and 2 now live here

Are PPP’s the way forward for construction, energy, health, education, infrastructure and wellbeing projects?

UCLAN are hosting an industry day with industry and academic thought leaders on the 20th March to address this question. This will form the third day of the three day PPP International Conference in Preston

In addition to hearing from keynote speakers John Lorimer (ex MCC now JLO Innovations) and Dr. Sheila Farrell (Port Consultant and Visiting Professor,
Imperial College London) there will be the opportunity to explore and discuss local, national and international PPP topics on a series of round tables.

Industry Day Programme Join in live with the online PPP discussions using the #PPPConf2013 hashtag

The four discusion Round Table groups have been identified as:

Group 1: PPPs in general – Identifying projects suitable for structuring, financing and sustaining PPPs – to deliver superior value

Chair: Prof. Pekka Leviakangas, Finland; Note taking by: Martijn Van Den Hurk, University of Antwerp, Belgium; Live Blogging by: Renuka Takore, UCLAN, UK.

Group 2: Education, Health and other ‘Social Infrastructure’ PPP Projects

Chair: Mike Yarwood, Director, Navigant Consulting, Leeds, UK; Note taking by: Adrienne Yarwood, Lecturer, UCLAN, UK; Live Blogging by: Dr. Sachie Gunatilake, UCLAN, UK.

Group 3: Transport and other ‘Economic/ Physical Infrastructure’ PPP development

Chair: Prof. Rosario Macario, Lisbon Technical University, Portgal, Note taking by: Robert Argen, Lund University, Sweden; Live Blogging by: Jennifer Barrett, UCLAN, UK. @meme_cloud

Group 4: Nuclear and other specialised PPPs

Chair: David Atherton, Project Manager, WDA Project Limited, UK; Note taking by: Angela Vodden, Senior Solicitor at Barnsley MBC, UK; Live Blogging by: Ann Vanner, UCLAN, UK @annvanner

Virtual Roundtable Discussion: Current Position and Future of PPP

For those participating online – engage in an online discussion from 9.15. Comments will be feed back into the room along with the other round table group discussions. Use the #pppconf2013 hashtag. Facilitator: Dr, Jennifer Doyle, UCLAN, UK @JDoyleCSD

The PPP International Conference Website is here

Conference Programme Days 1 and 2