Sustain
Building a better environment
For years, BREEAM and LEED has been a driving policy to ensure that buildings are fit for their users. The focus goes much wider. Now, it’s about the challenge of creating urban centers that are enjoyed by all and creating flexible and adaptable spaces that are safe for our communities.
From retrofitting of client portfolios to building resilience we explore the balance of our future environment.
The future proofed urban environment demands resiliency. It’s a requirement that links all stakeholders involved in the provision of places: from investors and developers to asset holders and anyone involved in infrastructure.
As assets strive to achieve sustainability this is dependent on their proof of efficiency once developed, and effectively becomes a criteria for resiliency.
The built environment is no stranger to complying with sustainable regulations with LEED and BREEAM providing a test run in energy efficiency. Though now, this resiliency of buildings will also be measured on their carbon intensity.
As an example the New York government is implementing building codes to ensure built assets can mitigate all forms of attacks, and assessing the asset life and implementing measures to retro fit and extend the life of a building on a ‘resilience’ basis.
We must also consider the operational outcomes of assets and what is in place to mitigate impact if a building stops working effectively or in fact, its smart infrastructure is destabilized. Smart buildings get attacked and external forces such as hurricanes or flooding need to be mitigated. How can we also lessen the impact on our workforce? While we lean on technology to create value, we must ensure it will withstand any attack.
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