Sustainable thinking

It is time for the construction industry to demonstrate its responsibility [to employers, their clients and the public at large] and show true leadership through its ability to create a more sustainable built environment,” demanded CIBSE president Graham Manly at the Institution’s national conference.

The theme of the conference held in London’s Docklands on 29-30 September was ‘Delivering sustainable construction’. The aim was to examine what this means and provide practical solutions.

Construction is responsible for creating 80 million tonnes of waste each year – 10% of which is unused materials. Buildings account for 50% of energy use in the UK and 46% of carbon emissions. The Government’s Energy White Paper committed to a 60% cut in CO2 emissions by 2050, making buildings a key target for action.

“Legislation has an important role...and can make a difference, but only if diligently applied, monitored and enforced,” Manly stressed. Changes are likely to be forced by demand as much as legislation. London’s climate is predicted to rise 3-5 degrees by 2080, an era in which many buildings currently under construction will still be in use. How they will cope with this change must be considered at the design stage.

Also an issue is the rising UK reliability on imported fuel – expected be to 40% by 2010 and 80% by 2020 – which will result in continued rising costs and an increasing demand from clients for energy efficient solutions. “Energy efficiency will have a more meaningful commercial dimension and it is our job to make the case,” said Manly. “Our industry and clients are often criticised for making decisions on the basis of lowest first cost whereas whole life costing would invariably produce a different answer. As professionals we have a responsibility not just to comply with legislation and regulation but to achieve best practice. However this needs information and education.”

Sustainable options

“We can create a low carbon economy by using known technology and not taking into account future technology,” advised Carbon Trust chief executive Tom Delay. “Only half of what we can do is through clean energy; the rest we must do through energy efficiency.”

Legislation has an important role...and can make a difference, but only if diligently applied, monitored and enforced

Graham Manly

Products and systems are available and being developed on the basis of improved operational efficiency. These may be at a higher cost, but one solution offered was to have stated maintenance and running costs on energy saving items. “It will at least enable genuine comparisons to be made, and hopefully more enlightened decisions,” said Manly.

“The real challenge for our industry will be to raise the knowledge and awareness level of the whole workforce...so that it has the belief, commitment and competence to not only influence, but actually deliver sustainable construction.”

With knowledge must come co-operation and real teamwork between the different members of the construction team. “It is not possible to deliver true sustainable construction in an adversarial environment,” Manly stated. Delay concurred: “To make sustainable building happen we need the know-how of architects, building services engineers, surveyors, etc, and the desire to work together in multi-disciplinary teams. Over the next 15-20 years we will see a need for a massive cultural change and accepted building patterns in the UK.”

These views were echoed by Haden Young md David Beck. “Efficiency requires integration and working together,” stressed Beck, adding: “The lead up to physical operations on site are equally important to ensuring efficiency on site.” Labour represents 30% of a contract’s value, explained Beck, but the total effort expended on site is around 15-20% – the remainder is at the design stage.

“We must use a partnering approach that involves the engineering constructors early in the process. By making them part of the integrated team from day one it will save time and money,” said Beck.

He pointed to the increasing use of off-site prefabrication and its inherent need for good early design and planning. “We need to integrate all the processes involved to make the building. Joint ventures and partnering will increase efficiency but we’ve a long way to go,” he stressed.

Joint ventures and partnering will increase efficiency but we’ve a long way to go

David Beck

Martin Wade, head of the commercial contracts and legal department at the ECA offered another solution to making construction firms improve the environmental performance and sustainability of buildings. He believes that fiscal incentive may be the answer.

He explained: “When investing in a building you can claim 25% capital allowance. The proposition is to broaden allowances.” Capital allowances applied by the Inland Revenue apply particularly to plant and machinery. In 2001 enhanced capital allowances were introduced, which put emphasis on using energy-saving plant. Wade proposes that these allowances are increased and become available on all elements of construction that improve a building’s environmental performance.

To balance the books, he suggests corporation tax should be phased out as capital allowances are increased. Currently repairs, maintenance and running costs are set against corporation tax. By making these changes it would in theory create a commercial incentive to build more sustainably and, importantly, “the solution is tax neutral,” assured Wade. This was proved, he explained, by an initiative in the early 1990s named ‘Green buildings, who pays?’ supported by consultant Ernst & Young.

“There is a commercial benefit to incentives: the client will get a better building. It should discourage lowest cost building as those buildings won’t be able to claim from the corporation tax,” he concluded.

Working for the future

Who will actually be making these changes and carrying out sustainable construction?

When investing in a building you can claim 25% capital allowance. The proposition is to broaden allowances

Martin Wade

SummitSkills chair Simon Bartley outlined how the site operatives of the future will differ. At present the industry gains workers from three main sectors: 16 and 18 year-old school leavers, graduates and senior management entrants.

In future there will be fewer 16 and 18 year-olds due to demographic changes – over 40 000/y less by 2007. Also, “one of the big planks of current government action is more people should go to university,” said Bartley.

More graduates will enter the industry, but he predicted: “most will not be graduates of building services or engineering.” The industry must be ready to accept and embrace this change.

There will be two new categories in the workforce: adult entrants and career changers. “We’ve all read the stories of high-salaried business people leaving their jobs to begin careers as plumbers – this trend is likely to increase,” he stated. The adult entrant sector will include immigrants and those who may never have worked before. “In a world of skills and people shortages, adult entrants is a group we have to consider in future,” stressed Bartley.

But as well as preparing to accept entrants from a more diverse workforce pool, the industry must make itself more attractive. “We need a new approach to a career in building services. One of clear point of entry that anyone can see how to get into the sector. We need an understood path of progression. We also need appropriate entry and occupational standards and we need an understanding by employers and employees – a real understanding of the importance and value to them of skills and career development.”

Tony Thomas, head of education and training at the HVCA advocated training as the essential way forward for the industry. “It is a very simple concept essential to the sector’s long-term prosperity: invest in training and it’ll pay you back.

In a world of skills and people shortages, adult entrants is a group we have to consider in future

Simon Bartley

“There are generally sufficient people at the technical level in the industry. We could have placed twice as many over the past four years, but far too few are willing to invest in training. This, combined with the embarrassing dropout level, has left a skills shortage.”

Thomas insisted that a training levy will be necessary for change to occur. Firms must begin “sharing the cost of training through a statutory approach”. For a training fund to work though, Thomas warned: “It must be fair, equitable and accountable to those in the industry. It should ensure that everyone plays their part in raising the supply of new entrants in all areas.”

Process in practice

One project cited as a success story was the new Met Office in Exeter. “There were strong aspirations for sustainability,” explained Matthew Janssen, environmental manager for Skanska Integrated Projects. “The design team got together and looked for an integrated approach.” The resulting building will produce on average 45 kg of CO2/m2/y; a conventional building would produce over double this at 100 kg CO2/m2/y. It is estimated that around 10 000 MW of energy will be saved annually.

“The process behind the theory is quite simple,” he explained, “educate the team. Partner with specialists, agree on what you are going to do, set objectives and communicate. You are not going to have a sustainable outcome if you don’t communicate.”