Designing buildings with the Health & Wellbeing of occupants in mind, is moving up the agenda. New research launched during World Green Building Week, explores the issues of importance to Architects when specifying to meet Health & Wellbeing criteria. With findings highlighting the need for manufacturers to provide the Architect with more information about how their products can contribute to Health & Wellbeing design criteria. Productivity improvements of between 8% and 11% can be achieved by providing the right working environment. And with staff costs typically representing 90% of business operating costs Health & Wellbeing is moving up the agenda. Significant improvements in learning, in recovery from illness and even higher retail sales can also be seen when incorporating Health & Wellbeing into building design. The UK government first measured Health & Wellbeing amongst the population in 2012 and now publishes an annual report Measuring National Well-being. The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has interpreted Health & Wellbeing to include social, psychological and physical factors. BREEAM also includes measures for Health & Wellbeing for both commercial and residential (Home Quality Mark) buildings. Architects are now designing to achieve Health & Wellbeing but just how are they approaching this? New research launched during World Green Building Week, explores the issues of importance to Architects when specifying to meet Health & Wellbeing criteria. The research, conducted by Competitive Advantage Consultancy Ltd, aims to help the manufacturer understand specification influences. The report also includes a summary of Health & Wellbeing issues to help those new to the concept. 150 Architects were interviewed, providing insight into how they are designing to achieve Health & Wellbeing in buildings. What are the influences on product specification? Which sources of information are Architects using? In which sectors is Health & Wellbeing design being used for? The report found that Architects think they understand the issues around Health & Wellbeing but may not be as informed as they think. It highlighted the need for manufacturers to provide the Architect with more information about how their products can contribute to Health & Wellbeing design criteria. Providing building product manufacturers with the opportunity to promote the benefits of their products in achieving Health & Wellbeing design objectives. Editors Notes: More about the Health & Wellbeing in Specification research:The objectives of the report are to: provide an overview of the role of Health & Wellbeing in design provide insight into the influence of Health & Wellbeing on product selection show levels of usage of Health & Wellbeing across construction sectors provide guidance on the key elements of Health & Wellbeing that are used in design identify the key decision makers when including Health & Wellbeing in design The report costs £350 + VAT and is available to purchase online at www.cadvantage-knowledge.co.uk Architects were asked how likely they would be to select the following product types to contribute to their health and wellbeing designs: Windows and facades Heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning Lighting Solar shading and control Insulation and sound control Ceilings, rooflights and roof windows Drainage and water supply Wall, floor and ceiling colours Sanitary fittings Wall, floor and ceiling finishes Fittings and furniture  The report was compiled in September 2016 by Competitive Advantage Consultancy Ltd. 150 Architects shown in the Barbour ABI database as working on projects for social housing, retail, offices, education and healthcare were surveyed via telephone. The report comprises of 25 pages with 23 charts and tables of data. The report also contains desk research and where possible, web links have been included to allow the reader to go to original sources or gather further information.  Source link

Singapore property firm CDL’s green credentials include being ranked the most sustainable real estate firm in the world as well as a leader in sustainability reporting. Now, it is one of the first companies in Singapore to align its operations with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. For decades, the building and construction industry has occupied an uneasy position in sustainability discussions, where experts acknowledge its role in providing homes, offices, and infrastructure for a growing global population but, at the same time, worry about its destructive environmental impact. From reducing the energy consumed by buildings and minimising construction waste, to ensuring that timber, cement, steel and glass sourcing does not lead to natural resource depletion, the challenges surrounding environmentally-sound construction practices are many. It may therefore come as a surprise that one of the 10 most sustainable companies in the world – according to the 2016 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World, a prominent annual ranking by Canadian firm Corporate Knights – is Singaporean property developer giant City Developments Limited (CDL). For Esther An, CDL’s chief sustainability officer, this honour validates more than two decades of making environmental protection a top priority in the company’s operations and the effort put in to meet the highest global standards to report on its progress. The company started its sustainability journey in 1995, hiring An to set up its corporate communications department and subsequently establish the company’s sustainability portfolio. CDL was driven not so much by external pressure but an internal conviction that the business had to be responsible to the environment and community as well as to its stakeholders, An tells Eco-Business in a recent interview. “Sustainability became part of our DNA and corporate culture when our late Deputy Chairman Mr Kwek Leng Joo established our ethos to ‘Conserve as we Construct’ at a time when the building and construction industry was deemed to be destroying the environment,” notes An. “He steered the company ‘to do good, and do well”. She adds: “Today our leadership continues this commitment with our chief executive officer Grant Kelley directly supervising the sustainability function and putting greater emphasis on value creation through sustainability integration.” Back then, “some called us crazy”, An recalls. “Today, they call us visionary.” Over the years, CDL—which has ranked on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World for seven years running and is also listed on sustainability benchmarks such as the FTSE4Good Index Series and Dow Jones Sustainability Indices—has accumulated a track record of leadership in green building and innovation, stakeholder engagement along its value chain and sustainability reporting in compliance with the highest global standards. Most recently, CDL was also listed on the inaugural SGX Sustainability Indices, and remains the only Singapore firm listed on the Global Compact 100 Index. Last year, the company became the first property developer in Singapore to adopt an integrated approach to sustainability reporting by connecting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance with the company’s business and financial impact for a more holistic communication of value creation, rather than regarding them in isolation. In its recently launched 2016 Integrated Sustainability Report, titled “Integrating our Strengths, Creating Future Value”, CDL announced yet another major milestone: It is one of the first companies in Singapore to align its material ESG issues with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a set of 17 universal targets that balance the environmental, social, and economic aspects of development. The goals, which were adopted last September and officially took effect this January, aim to, among other things, achieve outcomes such as universal access to modern energy, making cities resilient and sustainable, and combating climate change by 2030. Adopting the SDGs agenda “As an international company with presence in 26 countries, CDL wants to do our part to advance the Global Goals,” says An. The company has identified nine SDGs that are relevant to its core business and operations and hopes more companies will follow their lead to find collective solutions to fight global climate change and sustain economic and social development. To meet the goal on ensuring access to affordable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, for example, many of CDL’s properties come with green features, energy efficient technologies and renewable power, all with the aim of championing green lifestyles and sustainable living. For instance, the vertical garden at its Tree House residential project at Chestnut Avenue in Singapore, which set a Guinness record for being the largest in the world in 2014, provides natural insulation and helps to lessen heat absorption, thereby lowering the energy required to cool indoor spaces. This is expected to achieve energy savings of between 15 and 30 per cent arising from reduced use of air-conditioning. Over the years, CDL has also increased the adoption of solar technologies – as seen in the installation of solar panels in some of its latest residential developments, including the 97-unit Haus@Serangoon Garden, which was completed earlier this year; and the 912-unit d’Nest condominium, which will be complete next year and entered the Singapore Book of Records for the “Largest Solar Panels In A Condominium”. Its 7 & 9 Tampines Grande also embraces one of the largest and most extensive use of solar technology in a commercial property in Singapore in 2009. For CDL, sustainability integration is proven to create real benefits for its business, stakeholders and the environment, shares An. Between 2008 and 2015, CDL’s 57 Green Mark certified buildings have recorded energy savings of more than S$31 million. A significant portion of the savings has also passed back to its home buyers and tenants. Combatting climate change is also a key concern for CDL and the company unveiled a target last year to reduce its carbon emissions intensity by 22 per cent in 2020 and 25 per cent by 2030, compared to a business-as-usual scenario from 2007 levels. CDL defines carbon emissions intensity as the amount of emissions per square metre of floor area it builds. By 2015, it had already reduced its emissions intensity by 19 per cent against the 2007 baseline