Challenges ahead

These challenges coming to our industry can be illustrated in four areas: globalisation, building health, productivity and climate change.

Globalisation
Intense competition and, increasingly, better products and methods from overseas are making large inroads into our work. Inevitably this will lead to the disappearance of much of our industry from design through to manufacturing, contracting and on to the operation of building services.

To arrest this requires a commitment to produce better designs, products and methods of production. The prerequisite to that is the application of, and investment in, research and development.

The strongest possible support must be given to those companies that are committed to ‘taking on the world’, such as those engaged in fuel cell and micro-turbine CHP, static cooling, innovative ventilation, solar heat capture and photovoltaics, daylighting and lighting facilities and expert controls and monitoring equipment. If you are unwilling or unable to invest in r&d, or to join those that are, then my advice is to plan your exit strategy without delay.

Building health
New opportunities exist in reinvigorating our commitment to ‘making buildings work’ for the consequent health and productivity of their users and for greater value to investors.

Proper warning must be given over the tendency towards discounting the need for some facilities in buildings. Current examples that should be challenged are related to the provision of effective ventilation, bearing in mind heightened public awareness of air quality and our knowledge of the linkage between ventilation methods and the spread of airborne infections.

Well controlled ventilation with enthalpy recovery will also ensure less energy is used, with the costs offset by omission of perimeter heating, made possible by high performance, Part L-conforming, facades.

Improving productivity
A lifetime’s experience has brought me to conclude that the building site, as well as being perilous and uncomfortable, is also the riskiest place to expect anything to be done with efficiency and reliability. Significant productivity and quality improvements depend on removing the work to the controlled environment of the factory. However, progress has been patchy and lacking in enthusiastic adoption.

If you are unwilling to invest in r&d, then my advice is to plan your exit strategy

Conventional design thinking deserves much of the blame. While this is often defended as being due to a lack of time to change present conventions, there will be plenty of time to rue that defence when firms, probably from outside the industry, with the foresight and will to act, come to take the lion’s share of the business.

Far greater standardisation is essential and this will not, as some say, lead to a loss of bespoke buildings and innovation. On the contrary, it will free up time and money to enable those activities to flourish, just as it has in the aircraft and motor industries.

My challenge is that no design should begin without a thorough investigation of the potential for incorporation of modules produced, tested and proven off-site and delivered ready for ‘plug and play’ at site.

Meanwhile short shrift must be given to the site skulduggery that continues all too evidently to keep the construction industry in a medieval state with itinerate trades scratching a subsistence living, while too often delivering unacceptable products and waste.

Climate change
The peril of climate change is such that the continued existence of mankind depends upon drastic cuts being made to climate-changing carbon emissions. Furthermore, the maintenance of the civilisation we currently enjoy depends upon those cuts being made in the next two to three decades.

The Government has, finally, listened to us and our scientists, accepted our advice and, in the Energy White Paper, made it an immediate government policy aim for carbon emissions to be cut by 60% – up to half of that coming from buildings. The gauntlet has been thrown down for us to deliver. That is an enormous challenge but it’s also an unparalleled opportunity for our industry.

We have the backing and no longer is there any justification for excuses. We must take the lead in committing ourselves and our firms to strategies that will lead us rapidly to a ‘Carbon 60’ performance. We must also take it as a code of conduct to lead our clients along that crucial course of action on all new and existing buildings.