Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors
To meet sustainability challenges, let alone government targets, new and existing buildings will need to perform radically better in use: as sustainable assets, for their occupiers, and for the environment. However, regulatory and market mechanisms promoting sustainable buildings have had limited success in terms of recent outcomes. In use, many buildings that followed the rules and ticked the boxes have been shown to have major differences between expectation and reality.
To resolve this, the construction industry will need to provide a very different service, with better coherence of design intent and greater attention to detail. It will need to focus on actual outcomes, with far more follow-through and feedback.
In this age of austerity, how can these changes occur? Anything new is often seen as an unaffordable extra and government in particular finds it difficult to invest. Can markets, technologies or regulation deliver? What are the impacts for the roles and responsibilities of building professionals and their institutions? Can the concept of professionalism be linked to performance outcomes? What possible unintended consequences should we be alert to?
Debate held: 15 September 2011
Lecture Hall, RICS, Parliament Square, London SW1
Chair:
Rab Bennetts - Bennetts Associates
Speakers:
Prof Matthew Bacon - Conclude Consultancy and University of Sheffield
Alan Crane – 3Cs Construction Consultancy
Bill Bordass – Usable Buildings Trust
Stephen Hill – C20 Futureplanners
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