New Ecobuild whitepaper looks at next decade’s growth

The Future of the Built Environment whitepaper unites industry leaders on the economy, the role of clients, the plight of contracting, the upcoming election, as well as the trajectory of cities and what it means for architecture and design.

Commissioned by organisers of Ecobuild, UBM Live Built Environment, this thought-provoking collection of think pieces assessing the future of the built environment includes contributions from the UK Green Building Council, Marks & Spencer, Construction Products Association (CPA), Willmott Dixon and the World Green Building Council.

Compiled within the context of a global sustainability debate that is shifting up a gear to focus on investment in wellbeing, contributors offer their expert insights into ways this investment can demonstrate a direct return for end-users and the way in which people live and work in our buildings.

So what is the next chapter for green building globally? Investment in better indoor environments or to use the current buzz term ‘healthy buildings’ is where Jane Henley, Chief Executive of the World Green Building Council sees the greatest potential: “Few businesses care about the mechanical intricacies of how solar panels can cut energy consumption. They’re interested in how investing in better indoor environments can lead to better returns on their greatest asset: their people”, she exclaims.

Munish Datta, Head of Plan A & Facilities Management at Marks & Spencer echoes this is his thought and believes a more holistic approach to beautiful buildings is the way forward. To achieve this, Datta implores the industry to better unify its thinking. “We need an industry in which every role, from developers to facilities management, is incentivised to design, build, operate and re-use buildings for their life”, he states.

The whitepaper comes too as the economy recovers and companies focus on growth again. But as housing demand outstrips supply, population growth accelerates and the infrastructure of our cities dominates the political agenda, there is a fierce debate about the consequences of economic growth: the rising cost of living and higher energy consumption.  

The challenge for regulators, public clients and private investors highlighted by contributors is to create stability, consistency of procurement and certainty for private companies in a time of massive change. Unanimous belief is that the sector needs to pull together to create an environment where companies can invest confidently in technology and their people in order to deliver the next decade of growth.

Alison Jackson, Group Director of Sustainability & Construction, Ecobuild said “It is appropriate that this paper comes to you as we launch Ecobuild 2015, an event that is synonymous with innovation, thought leadership, design and architects, cutting-edge products and the considerations which impact on the future of our built fabric. Once again, Ecobuild will focus on macro issues and hot political and industry debates. It will feature industry leaders, regulators, government ministers, politicians, global academics and the very best hosts.”

At the official Ecobuild launch held this evening, Jackson added: “We hope that this collection of articles helps to set the scene and provide you with an insight into our thinking as we strive to ensure that Ecobuild is once again timely, relevant and informed.”