Rob Russell, Partner at John Rowan and Partners, explains how educating staff can make a world of difference…
As consultants we spend a lot of time engaging with clients in the construction industry on the opportunities and benefits of taking a sustainable approach to a project. But why should these conversations be limited to only engaging clients or specific projects? We feel it is important for us to initiate both external and internal conversations around all aspects of the green agenda to help to keep our clients and staff thinking about how they can take a more sustainable approach to their work.
Green Bootcamp – back to basics
One way we aim to upskill staff and promote conversation around sustainability for the built environment is through our annual week-long Green Bootcamp. Taking place from 8 - 12 July, the week contains a mixture of seminars, discussions and events, including external speakers such as Kirsten Henson, from KHL, who worked on the planning, design and construction of infrastructure and venues for the London 2012 Olympic Park. Other seminars include a session on Building Information Modelling with Mark Bew, Chair of the Government BIM Task Group, and a session on Energy Centres with Vital Energi, the leading innovators in efficient energy provision.
In addition to the seminars we run site visits for staff who are not always able to get out on site and see how sustainable practices are applied in reality. This year we are taking staff to our project at Green Man Lane, which is a £136M regeneration of a rundown estate in Ealing.
Beyond the training it offers, the week aims to encourage staff to get involved with the green agenda through initiatives such as ‘Leave your car at home day’ and the JP Morgan Chase running challenge. Our environmental challenge also aims to unite staff in the effort to be greener, by adding up all the miles that we are able to run, swim, walk and cycle throughout the week and converting the total in to money to be donated to charity.
By encouraging our staff to engage with the green agenda through the contribution of ideas and even by changing their daily activities to raise money for charity, we aim to promote a forward thinking culture. This will not only continue to drive our business, but help ensure that staff across all our projects are up to date, skilled and motivated to promote environmental awareness and sustainability.
Green Man Lane
Our site visit this year aims to enable staff to see a sustainable approach in action, and the benefits this can reap. A2Dominion is working in partnership with Rydon and Ealing Council to deliver the £136m regeneration of Green Man Lane, demolishing the eight-story towers and multi-storey car-park. When complete, the development will instead provide 706 new homes and a newly designed layout.
One of the major features of the regeneration is the project’s Energy Centre, which supplies the development with sustainable energy through gas-fired boilers, 80,000 litres of thermal water storage vessels and a 350 kWe Combined Heating and Power (CHP) engine.
On top of this, the Energy Centre significantly contributes to a reduction in carbon emissions for the development, in excess of 500 tonnes per year. The removal of individual boilers reduces maintenance and repair bills, and enables cheaper energy for residents, while additional electricity generated by the CHP engine will be sold back to the national grid.
The sustainability of the project continues throughout, with renewable energy for the café and community centre provided by 150sqm of roof mounted photovoltaic panels. The energy efficiency of the whole development is also improved through a combination of green and brown roofs. Each home is built to Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes with increased insulation, glazing, lighting efficiency and improved air tightness.
With residents engaged throughout, including a great deal of positive feedback on the Energy Centre, Green Man Lane will grow to be a supportive and safe neighbourhood that can truly promote the economic and environmental benefits of a sustainable approach, to the local businesses, the wider community and even the entire sector.
