The case for Centres of Excellence in sustainable building design
The case for Centres of Excellence in sustainable building design
The case for Centres of Excellence in sustainable building design
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
accounted <strong>for</strong> 5.2% <strong>of</strong> UK GDP [Eurostat 2011]but <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> research and<br />
development <strong>in</strong> the construction sector was just 0.04% <strong>of</strong> the UK total [ONS 2011b].<br />
<strong>The</strong> situation is exacerbated by widespread ignorance <strong>of</strong> the impacts <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>in</strong>dustry or the contribution it could make to climate change mitigation. In<br />
confidential development work conducted by the Construction Industry Tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />
Board with 300 managers <strong>of</strong> large construction companies [MRM Solutions, 2004],<br />
it was discovered that “only 18% recognised the environment as part <strong>of</strong> their<br />
responsibility and <strong>of</strong> that 18% only 47% claimed appropriate competence”.<br />
Further, a large proportion <strong>of</strong> UK build<strong>in</strong>g construction is commissioned by small or<br />
occasional clients, who are not necessarily familiar with the way that construction<br />
is <strong>design</strong>ed, procured or delivered or what per<strong>for</strong>mance targets can be achieved.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se clients are there<strong>for</strong>e dependent on the advice that they receive from<br />
consultants such as architects and project managers. However, <strong>in</strong> the absence <strong>of</strong><br />
sufficient rigorous and high-quality education <strong>in</strong> susta<strong>in</strong>able construction, these<br />
advisers are unlikely to be <strong>in</strong> a position to provide the best advice.<br />
Clients there<strong>for</strong>e <strong>of</strong>ten be<strong>in</strong>g unaware <strong>of</strong> the services that they actually need, may<br />
procure eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g consultancy services on the basis <strong>of</strong> price rather than scope<br />
<strong>of</strong> service and quality. Without experience <strong>of</strong> the <strong>in</strong>dustry, clients may not always<br />
be able to tell if the service <strong>of</strong>fered <strong>in</strong> a purely f<strong>in</strong>ancially competitive situation will prove<br />
sufficient to fulfil their requirements, particularly <strong>in</strong> relation to low carbon per<strong>for</strong>mance.<br />
Without clear quality standards and scope <strong>for</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>essional services <strong>in</strong> relation to<br />
low carbon, it is not just clients that are unable to dist<strong>in</strong>guish between the level<br />
<strong>of</strong> service on <strong>of</strong>fer. Architects, project managers and other pr<strong>of</strong>essionals are also<br />
confused as to both the requirements and the capabilities <strong>of</strong> other pr<strong>of</strong>essionals.<br />
Thus services relat<strong>in</strong>g to low carbon <strong>design</strong> are <strong>of</strong>ten procured on the basis <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>in</strong>adequate brief<strong>in</strong>g and exam<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>of</strong> the needs.<br />
22 <strong>The</strong> Royal Academy <strong>of</strong> Eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g