Delivering a Sustainable
Built Environment – A Skills
Perspective
EAUC Conference – April 2008
Annie Hall
Director – GainPerspective
My brief - to talk about …
Skills for sustainability from a
vocational perspective
1
Sustainability Skills Matrix for the
Built Environment
2
3
Skills identified as being important –
Do they differ for different professions?
4
Whose role is it to deliver these skills
and who needs to be involved?
The built environment –
an opportunity for SD …
Big impact (+/-), big
business, big opportunity
BRE
Shapes our lives - key
role in delivering
sustainability
Carbon emissions may
lead action … but other
potential environmental,
social and economic
gains too
Genesis Project
The built environment –
an opportunity for SD …
Not just houses/buildings but infrastructure too
Carran Hill WTW
N Ireland
Pictures courtesy of
CEEQUAL Ltd – all
these examples are
CEEQUAL Excellent
Rated projects
Stratford Station
Upgrade
M60 Widening (Jnts 5-8)
Sustainability Skills Matrix for
the Built Environment
Developed by former Sustainability Forum
(for Construction)
Spans 12 ‘functions’ from financiers, planners and
clients to designers, constructors and occupiers
Assumes essential generic skills are covered
elsewhere (eg communication, team-working,
negotiation, evaluation, etc)
Handed over to 3 Sector Skills Councils –
ConstructionSkills, SummitSkills, AssetSkills
Used to frame SD skills development – research,
training, tools, qualifications, occupational
standards etc
Sustainability Skills Matrix for
the Built Environment
COMPONENTS OF
SUSTAINABILITY
ABILITIES
To achieve sustainability
by:
The ‘Functions’
need to be able
to:
SOCIAL
14 ‘abilities’
[4 subsections]
ENVIRONMENTAL
[2 subsections]
F U NC T I O N S
Ratings on level of functional
involvement:
15 ‘abilities’
[3 subsections]
ECONOMIC
1 2
10 ‘abilities’
*** = Primary role
**
= Involved in
*
= Aware and take
action as necessary
No * = Aware
Sustainability Skills Matrix for
the Built Environment
COMPONENTS OF
SUSTAINABILITY
Achieve sustainability by:
SOCIAL
[eg second component]
‘Promoting sustainable
communities through
planning and design’
ENVIRONMENTAL
[eg first component]
‘Taking account of natural
capacity’
ECONOMIC
[eg second component]
‘Enhancing business
opportunities’
ABILITIES
‘Functions’ need to be
able to:
Planning
Procure Ops &
-ment
Mgnt
Ensure appropriateness of
development to needs of
the community including
multiple use and
adaptability
***
*
**
Respond to projected
impacts of climate
change
*** **
*
Capitalise on
funding/grant available
for more sustainable
development
*
***
*
COMPONENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY
ABILITIES
To achieve Sustainability by:
The 'Functions' need to be able to:
Optimising opportunities and social benefits
Dsn
Con
Ops
Mgt
create useable public and private space to deliver successful
communities
***
*
*
improve health, wellbeing, accessibility and security of
community
**
**
*
enhance employment and skills development opportunities for
the local community
**
**
***
meet requirements of local regional and national development
and regeneration strategies
***
**
ensure appropriateness of development to needs of the
community including multiple use and adaptability
**
**
consult with the public authorities, general public and other
stakeholders, including end users and respond accordingly
***
***
**
involve and manage expectations of stakeholders in
development process from concept to commissioning
***
**
***
consult and manage expectations of stakeholders on changes to
ongoing use and operation
**
plan for effective public and private transport use
**
***
**
control nuisance (noise, dust, light etc)
**
***
*
ensure a secure site, in construction
**
***
*
ensure health and safety of site workers and local community
***
***
*
protect, enhance and maintain appropriate social access to
environmentally sensitive areas
***
***
**
assess and mitigate flood risk
***
**
**
Compare and contrast :
SOCIAL
Design, Construction, Operation
Promoting sustainable communities through planning
and design
Engaging Stakeholders
Minimising negative impacts
***
COMPONENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY
ABILITIES
To achieve Sustainability by:
The 'Functions' need to be able to:
Compare and contrast
Dsn
Con
Ops
Mgt
ENVIRONMENT
Taking account of natural capacity
Optimising environmental benefits
assess and mitigate wider environmental impacts (eg water
supply, sewerage, transport, waste, etc.)
***
respond to projected impacts of climate change
***
*
*
minimise energy demand and meet it efficiently aiming to achieve
carbon neutrality
***
***
***
minimise water demand and aim to maintain water sufficiency
from public supply
***
***
***
optimise efficiency of materials use
***
***
***
maximise range of environmental benefits in the design
Minimising negative impacts
*
***
**
maintain and enhance biodiversity
***
***
**
reduce, reuse, recycle, recover waste
***
***
***
reduce emissions to air, land and water
***
***
***
reduce transport impacts
**
***
***
protect ecological resources
**
***
***
minimise take of environmentally valuable land
***
**
*
minimise pollution of air, land and water
***
***
**
manage and control in situ contamination of land
***
**
**
**
**
**
protect archaeological and historically valuable resources
Compare and contrast
COMPONENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY
ABILITIES
To achieve Sustainability by:
The 'Functions' need to be able to:
Dsn
Con
Ops
Mgt
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
**
*
***
***
***
***
***
**
***
**
ECONOMIC
Ensuring economic viability and improving
processes
use technologies and materials consistent with sustainability
principles
keep up-to-date with advances in construction/technology
establish cost and benefit on the basis of whole life value
manage the supply chain effectively
keep up-to-date with regulatory and planning requirements
operate effective project management and contingency planning
procedures
maximise range of economic benefits including flexibility of use
***
**
***
***
***
meet requirements of national, regional and local economic
strategy
**
*
*
capitalise on funding/grant available for more sustainable
development
*
**
*
achieve cost effective out-performance of statutory requirements
Enhancing business opportunities
Uses of the SD Skills Matrix
SD SKILLS
MATRIX
Influence/inform initial
training, NOS, CPD
Frame database of
skills/training for industry
- build capacity
Provide structure for
shared SSC activity
Measure SSCs progress/
inform integrated future
planning
Frame research (needs
gaps, provision)
Uses?
Determine provision
‘fit for purpose’
Measure industry
progress year on year –
generate baseline
Practical applications
SD Tools
Matrix
Frame Training
& Development
Plans
Organisational
SD Strategies
SD Skills Diagnostic Tool
Clients, Designers, Contractors
Who should be involved in
delivering SD skills?
Individuals –
YOU AND ME!
Central & Local
Government
Further &
Higher
Education
Sector
Skills
Councils
SKILLS
FOR SD
Skills Related
Funding Bodies
HFCE, LSC etc
Professional
Institutions
Other Sector
Bodies Involved
In SD Training
Independent
Trainers
Employers
In-house or
Externally
How to contact me …
Annie Hall – Director, GainPerspective
Tel:
0845 123 6999
Mobile:
07809 484379
Email:
annie.hall@gainperspective.co.uk
Web:
www.gainperspective.co.uk