rics.org/modus

POSITIVE FIGURES Reasons for optimism from 10 experts p14A HAPPY PLACE The effect of environment on our wellbeing p22 CAREER HIGHS Meet five surveyors who love what they do p30

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MODUS_Jul-Aug_P1_Cover.v7.indd 1 24/06/2011 17:30

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HAPPY MEDIUM

CATE DEVINECate is a senior features writer at the Glasgow-based The Herald newspaper. She wrote about the design ethos behind the Scottish charity Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres for this issue of Modus.

STEPHEN HILL MRICSA chartered planning and development surveyor, Stephen works in housing development and neighbourhood-scale regeneration, and was a commissioner on the Land and Society Commission.

JAMES JOYCEJames is a London-based artist and designer who has produced powerful graphic designs for clients such as Nike, Apple, Levi’s and the BBC. He created the cover artwork for this issue of Modus.

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 03

Regulars

04FEEDBACKYour letters, and the latest Modus poll

06INTELLIGENCEGlobal property and construction news, plus opinions, reviews and reactions

43LAW ADVICEThe Supreme Court ruling against expert witness immunity

49BUSINESS ADVICEHow to create a healthier, happier environment at work

Features

1410 REASONSCauses for optimism in the profession

22A HAPPY BALANCE?How our environment affects our wellbeing

28GLOBAL WELLBEINGHappiness research around the world

30FOR THE LOVE OF…Five members who love what they do

38LIFTING THE SPIRITSThe design ethos of Maggie’s Centres

44LOCALISMOur changing roles in the Big Society

51RICS NEWSNews and updates from RICS worldwide, plus a message from the new President

59EVENTSExhibition, training and conference dates for your diary

63RECRUITMENTThe latest job opportunities from across the industry

66THE MEASUREGlobal research into public-private partnerships

As much of the industry continues to struggle with recession and uncertainty, we can

all be guilty of being pessimistic about the future. So this month, we accentuate the

positive by asking 10 leading industry figures to share their reasons for optimism

(page 14), and in an extended profile section, meet five members whose passion for

their job keeps them positively glowing (page 30). Meanwhile, in anticipation of the

UK’s first official wellbeing index next year, we consider whether more should be done

to take account of how the built environment can affect us (page 22), compare some

of the existing ways of measuring global wellbeing (page 28), and look at how Maggie’s

Cancer Caring Centres are transforming patients’ lives (page 38). Finally, we discuss

why localism will be important to how professionals in the UK work and think (page 44).

VICTORIA BROOKES EDITOR

Information

Contributors//

Contents//:07.11 // 08.11

MODUS_Jul-Aug_p03-5_Content&Letters.v2.indd 3 27/06/2011 10:56

Feedback//

of a healthy tenanted sector to complement the owner-occupied sector. The point about land granted planning permission being registered ‘off shore’ is a red herring – land in Britain can be purchased by anyone, whether British or not. The list of acres held is meaningless as it disregards the quality, use and location of the land. The Scottish Land Reform Act, giving communities an opportunity to buy land, is not always the answer. David Riddle’s point about people not being in tune with land and what it does for them is a totally diff erent point from the issue of land ownership.

There is good reason to be thankful that in Britain there is a wide mix and diversity of landowners and land managers; and that the regulatory legislation works so much better than in many other countries.Tim Key FRICS, Exeter, Devon

HAPPY READINGI liked the May issue of Modus – brilliant article on land in England. The history of surveying timeline is good too – even if there are a few stars missing (Roy, Everest, Hotine, Close…).Stephen Booth MRICS, Stevenage

FLAWED SCHEMEYour article Whose Land is it Anyway? in the May issue made reference to the benefi cial nature of community land ownership in the Scottish Highlands. This flawed scheme relies on a distortion of the property market

04 r ics.org

JOIN THE DEBATE

:YOUR VIEWS ON RICS AND PREVIOUS ISSUES

LAND GRASPIn Peter Hetherington’s article in the May issue he quotes from the RICS Royal Charter, which he says tasks the institution with ‘securing the optimal use of land and its resources to meet social and economic needs’. He fails to quote the introductory paragraph: ‘The objects of the institution shall be to secure the advancement and facilitate the acquisition of that knowledge which constitutes the profession of a surveyor, namely, the arts, sciences and practice of…’ and then lists all those areas of professional expertise required of members. We should never forget that it is the professionals’ job to advise and the clients’ to choose.

I question his grasp of the excruciatingly complex nature of land ownership in France, and the signifi cant areas under-used and sometimes sterilised as a consequence. I also question his understanding of the strength

to undermine land ownership, a fundamental right of a free democracy.

As land in the Highlands almost always runs at a loss, the result is to deprive these areas of private funding, helping undermine a fragile economy. While it is vital for communities to have interaction and access to land, that does not mean that they should be given it by the government. Ownership puts an onerous financial and time-consuming burden on local people and divides decision-making so it is less likely that land will be well managed.

There is no reason to believe that the state can better look after land than private individuals or that communities cannot benefit from their surroundings unless they own them.Jocelyn Seligman MRICS, London

SHORT BUT SWEET I have just read the May edition of Modus. I’d like to pass on my congratulations to the Modus team on a really excellent and informative journal.Robert Hutton MRICS, Stratford-Upon-Avon

We would like to thank all the members who have provided feedback on May’s issue. Thought-provoking copy that appeals to a broad and informed audience is what we strive for in Modus and, in doing so, generate engagement between members and RICS.

We commission experienced journalists to write our feature articles. Features, such as Peter Hetherington’s Whose Land is it Anyway?, are not official RICS opinion – they are a collection of views from industry experts, including journalists, members and RICS. Please keep your letters, emails and tweets coming – as you can see, we’re happy to print a range of feedback.The Modus team

Land ownership//

WHOSELANDIS IT

ANYWAY?THE UK HAS INHERITED AN ARCANE SYSTEM OF LAND OWNERSHIP THAT

HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR ITS USE – AND THE VERY FUTURE OF THE RURAL COMMUNITY. PETER HETHERINGTON

TRIES TO MAKE SENSE OF IT ALL

Illustrations by Jörn Kaspuhl

In some countries, where a republican constitutional settlement is built on the back of a revolution, the answer to the question seems hardly worth asking. It is, in varying degrees, the people’s land. But for a collection of countries

and provinces known as the UK – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – the question raises as many issues as it answers.

Whose land? Let’s start with the monarchy, national and local government – through extensive forests, defence estates and council-owned farms, for instance – the National Trust and other charities, the aristocracy, the established Church, agribusinesses, pension funds, smaller-scale farms, the new rich seeking a safe speculative haven in which to dump millions, supermarket giants sitting on vast land banks and, more recently and remarkably, a swath of large community-owned holdings in the Scottish Highlands and Islands… That’s just a sample from a seemingly endless list of diverse institutions occupying some 60m acres of the countryside.

The rapid rise of property ownership over the past 50 years, fuelled by council house sales, may have given approaching three-quarters of the population a small stake on the three million acres classed as ‘urban’. But those who comprise Thatcher’s fabled ‘property-owning democracy’, in their modest terraces and semis, detached homes and more lavish piles, account for just 5% of the UK land mass – and it’s a safe bet that, beyond their small plots, most care little about either the ownership of land or, more importantly, the use to which those 60m rural acres are put.

In short, do we value the countryside as much as, say, our mainland European neighbours such

as France, where land still seems etched deep in a collective psyche on the back of revolution more than 200 years ago? ‘No, we don’t get worked up about it nearly as much as we should,’ believes David Riddle FRICS, director of land use at the National Trust and guardian of its 627,000 varied acres embracing mountain, moor and farmland, 709 miles of coastline, 215 houses and gardens, 40 castles and 76 nature reserves.‘Land is one of the basic resources – soil, water, air – but people simply aren’t in tune with land and what it does for them in terms of food production and food security, our valued heritage, and the potential for energy and sustainability.’

Rural realitiesOn his 336-acre tenanted farm at Dunster in Somerset – his landlord is an arcane institution, the Crown Estate and, ultimately, the Queen – Andrew Fewings thinks he might know why many of us give at best only a passing thought to land use, compared with our neighbours across the Channel. ‘We get French students over here on the farm and they tell us that so many people in their country – that includes many in the cities – have a stake in land because of inheritance,’ he says. ‘That means millions have a connection with the land because it’s passed down through generations – a totally different system to ours.’

But in a non-revolutionary, monarchic UK, with land ownership in some aristocratic families stretching back to post-Norman times, there’s >>

05.11 // MODUS 1716 rics.org

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@annamholder: I’m being distracted from writing by a good article on past and future of UK land ownership @RICSsurveyors #Modus@sailormads: Reading @RICSsurveyors MODUS 05.11. Enjoying ‘Whose land is it anyway?’ as an aspiring land surveyor : )@DIEMLtd: Enjoying reading the sustainability issue of @RICSsurveyors Modus journal www.rics.org/modus

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MODUS_Jul-Aug_p03-5_Content&Letters.v3.f1.indd 4 28/06/2011 12:18

FOR SUNDAYEditor Victoria Brookes // Art Director Christie Ferdinando

// Deputy Editor Brendon Hooper // Creative Director

Matt Beaven // Account Director Stephanie Hill //

Account Director David Matthews // Commercial Director

Karen Jenner // Commercial Manager Lucie Inns //

Senior Sales Executive Faith Harrison // Recruitment

Sales Manager Grace Healy // Managing Director

Toby Smeeton // Repro F1 Colour // Printers Woodford

Litho and Ancient House Press // Cover James Joyce

Published by Sunday, Studio 2, Enterprise House,

1-2 Hatfi elds, London SE1 9PG sundaypublishing.com

FOR RICSEditorial board Ian Fussey and Jaclyn Dunstan

RICS, Parliament Square, London SW1P 3AD

The MODUS team//

Views expressed in Modus are those of the named author and are not necessarily those of RICS or the publisher. The contents of this magazine are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the publisher. All information correct at time of going to press. All rights reserved. The publisher cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. RICS does not accept responsibility for loss, injury or damage or costs that result from, or are connected in any way to, the use of products or services advertised. All editions of Modus are printed on paper sourced from sustainable, properly managed forests. This magazine can be recycled for use in newspapers and packaging. Please dispose of it at your local collection point. The polywrap is made from biodegradable material and can be recycled.

95,256 average net circulation 1st July 2009 – 30th June 2010

THE MODUS POLL :DO YOU THINK GOVERNMENTS SHOULD BE SPENDING TIME AND MONEY ON RESEARCH INTO WELLBEING?

Visit rics.org/modus now to vote in our next poll: ‘What would be the best measure for the health of the UK housing market?’

DON’T MIND9.4%

NO35%

YES55.6%

for their construction on hugely oil-dependent steel, concrete and glass. Had you looked, however, at non-smart but traditional local technologies you might have found some more interesting and contrasting examples that do meet these criteria. I would like to see the Pixel Building set against a traditional mud-built sub-Saharan fl at-roofed courtyard dwelling, or even an old Devon cob and thatch building.

Our challenge is to change the way we approach every area of our work, not just the odd high-profi le project now and then.Charlie Taylor MRICS, Totnes, Devon

I fully appreciate your frustration about things not moving faster in view of the ever-growing depletion of natural resources, especially in the built environment. However, since the launch of Modus last year, almost every issue has had a sustainability angle to it (ie water, effi ciency, heritage), underpinning RICS’ wider eff orts to inform and educate its members and stakeholders about the topic.Ursula Hartenberger, RICS Global Head of Sustainability

GREENWASH?In the June issue of Modus, greenwashing is described as: ‘The process by which a company publicly and misleadingly declares itself to be environmentally friendly but internally participates in environmentally or socially unfriendly practices.’

I would suggest that the term applies equally well to a professional body that claims to be environmentally friendly by occasionally publishing something about green buildings or renewable energy, while 95% of the business of the profession is still motivated by profi t above any other consideration; and that rather than being at the forefront of change, is still desperately lagging behind architects, engineers and economists who are at least trying to do things in substantially different ways. It was notable how few examples you could fi nd, even looking across the whole developed world, of anything that truly attempts to meet the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This includes all these amazing technologically smart buildings dependent

Why

I LOVE MY JOB...@Lee_Pulse (Lee Cantrill) I love my job because it allows me to contribute to the built environment – which just about everyone makes some use of!

@emarandall (Emma Randall) The Monopoly board of real life, managing estates, collecting rents, shaping policy and being competitive – what’s not to love?

@SBConnections (Sophie Bullock)I love my job when I can change my client’s life – from sourcing their dream home to saving them £20,000 on a dilaps claim. @property_talk (Tom Rankin) I like the excitement of the deal and not being tied to a desk. When you are out and about you see opportunities to act on.

@paulreaneycbs (Paul Reaney) As a building surveyor, no two hours, never mind two days, are the same – it’s fun to have a challenge!

@JaneGeorge1 (Jane George) 265 acres of listed landscape, mixture of historic and modern buildings to manage. Each day I learn something new.

@thespatialiser (Anthony Battle) Living and working in Italy gives me a great opportunity to apply my professional expertise and measure the immediate eff ects.

@Achriscarlton (Christopher Carlton) My job challenges and intrigues me every day, and allows me to help others get their lives back on track.

Why

I LOVE MY JOB...

Due to the volume of correspondence we receive, we regret that we are unable to print all letters or respond to every one individually.

I LOVE MY JOB...I LOVE MY JOB...

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 05

MODUS_Jul-Aug_p03-5_Content&Letters.v3.f1.indd 5 28/06/2011 12:18

Intelligence// :NEWS :REVIEWS :OPINIONS :REACTIONS

MODUS_Jul-Aug_p06-7_Intel_opener.v1.indd 6 24/06/2011 13:42

The benefits of designing daylight into buildings are well documented: more light helps reduce energy use and creates a healthier environment for occupants. SkyDome, the Welsh School of Architecture’s artificial sky and heliodon, has been helping designers simulate lighting conditions in and around buildings since 1999. The 4m-high hemispherical dome contains 640 low-energy fluorescent lamps that recreate external natural light conditions from the sun, sky or clouds, or reflections from the ground and nearby buildings. SkyDome’s lights can even be programmed to perform like the sun as it moves through the sky at different times of the day – useful for testing the potential of photovoltaic panels or energy-producing ‘smart’ glazing. ‘This is a physical testing ground where clients who have to be sensitive to environmental issues are able to investigate their buildings,’ says Huw Jenkins, commercial manager at the university’s Centre for Research in the Built Environment. ‘Interestingly, we’re also able to test more unusual sources of light, such as the impact of glare reflecting from the surface of a public swimming pool.’cardiff.ac.uk/archi

:SKYDOME, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, WALES

MODUS_Jul-Aug_p06-7_Intel_opener.v1.indd 7 24/06/2011 13:42

08 r ics.org

Intelligence//

08 r ics.org

HAPPY ACTIONSocial design to enhance wellbeing should be as important as environmental considerations

Opinion

WE NEED A FRESH APPROACH FOR FUTURE HAPPINESS

The government has published its Construction Strategy, with the aim of reducing public sector procurement costs by 20% and boosting growth by 2016. ‘The strategy sets out challenging new ways of working that will not only deliver considerable benefi ts to the taxpayer, but will also enable

growth in the industry and better understanding of the future direction for public sector construction,’ said Paul Morrell FRICS, the UK government’s chief construction adviser and chair of the newly formed public construction board. Download the strategy at cabinetoffi ce.gov.uk.

Mumbai’s fi re department has agreed a new set of stringent fi re safety standards for tall buildings following an increase in incidents in high-rise developments. Once approved, developers of all new buildings 70m or taller will have to obtain a no-objection certifi cate, ensuring there are refuge and

evacuation areas every seven fl oors, with doors capable of resisting fi re for two hours. Developers will also have to install fi re detection systems and sprinklers, ensure common areas use fi re-retardant paint, and prohibit residents from using LPG cylinders or kerosene stoves.

UK // GROWTH STIMULANT India // HIGH STANDARDS

Some places make us feel good, some make us feel bad. We all aspire to live in towns and cities that enhance our lives, and for thousands of years there

has been debate about which patterns of architectural design and town planning do most to enhance human wellbeing. Yet a remarkable number of buildings and places do the opposite: they literally bring us down.

Action for Happiness was launched in the UK in April with the aim of bringing together burgeoning scientifi c knowledge about happiness to help people reshape their own lives, the institutions in which they work and the communities in which they live. There are now innumerable practical pointers available online for improving quality of life, covering everything from exercise to parenting, and drawing upon an increasingly robust evidence base. Nearly 15,000 people have already joined as members and hundreds of local groups are being formed, not just in the UK but all around the world.

The fi elds of property and planning should be centrally involved in this work. Yet it is one of the oddities of contemporary practice that much of what used to be known has been forgotten, and the professions that are doing most to shape our physical environment are often unaware of what is known about how to enhance happiness. This became apparent to me two years ago when the Young Foundation ran a series of events across the UK with planners, architects and developers involved in building new towns and communities. We found that there had been an impressive improvement in the understanding of the importance of ecology, with much more energy-effi cient buildings and detailed plans to cut

overall carbon emission levels. But when it came to the question of social design, few felt confi dent. They didn’t know how, for example, to design lines of sight to enhance feelings of safety and belonging; how to achieve the right mix of public, private and semi-private spaces; how to design for an ageing population; or how to use social media to strengthen community. Since then we have been working with developers here in the UK, in Europe, Australia and China to encourage the shapers of the built environment to take these human issues more seriously.

In China in particular, many recognise that serious mistakes are being made: vast cities are being built that are likely to diminish rather than enhance wellbeing, fuelling problems as varied as mental illness and social confl ict. Here we are hoping that champions will emerge who will make the case for a new approach to the built environment; one that integrates physical design, ecological design and social design. Getting this right doesn’t just make commercial sense – it is also vital for our future happiness. And with the UK government now measuring happiness, we will be increasingly aware of who is getting this right.

GEOFF MULGAN is chief executive of NESTA and founder of Action for Happiness. actionforhappiness.org

Geoff Mulgan Action for Happiness

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MODUS_Jul-Aug_P08-13_Intel_v2.indd 8 27/06/2011 11:17

01.11 // MODUS 09

:ONE BIG QUESTION IS THE OUTLOOK FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTY POSITIVE IN YOUR REGION?

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 09

Source: RICS Global Property Survey Q1 2011

Qatar There has been a tangible increase in confi dence in the market over the past three months. The level of interest in space has risen, and the signs are that it may be a positive year.

New Zealand Activity from domestic and international investors is on the increase. The retail and industrial sectors are showing improvement through falling vacancy levels and stronger returns data.

Mexico We are seeing recovery signs, with strong demand for housing and offi ce buildings within the central business centres, where we are seeing major construction activity and constant vacancy rates.

Russia Moscow continues to go from strength to strength, with demand in the occupational markets combined with increasing interest from both local and cross-border investors.

Poland 2010 saw distinct signs of revival in major sectors of the market. Growing developer activity and occupier confi dence suggest the offi ce sector is heading towards the upswing stage of a cycle.

Gerald Rundle MRICS, Bayleys Research, Auckland

Juan Flores Rincon MRICS, AKKO Commercial Real Estate, Mexico City

Robert Mayhew MRICS, Jones Lang LaSalle, Moscow

Magdalena Czempiñska, head of market research, Knight Frank, Warsaw

Jonathan Wright MRICS, DTZ, Doha

EuropeCORE ACTIVITYEuropean commercial property investment activity in Q1 2011 was 45% higher than in the same period last year, according to research by Cushman & Wakefi eld. The closing three months of 2010 was also the strongest quarter since Q1 2008. ‘Investors have remained focused on core markets – with the UK, France and Germany seeing their share of activity increase from 61% in Q4 to 65% in the opening three months of this year,’ said David Hutchings, head of European research at Cushman & Wakefi eld.

ChinaCOMIC EFFECT

Inspired by the speech bubbles found in graphic novels, architecture fi rm MVRDV has won a competition to design the China Comic and Animation Museum in Hangzhou. Eight balloon shapes will form around 10,000m sq of museum space, with each façade featuring a diff erent aspect of comics and animation. The project is set to complete in 2013.

UKHAPPY HOSPITAL

Aspiring to be the UK’s greenest medical building upon completion in 2016, the second phase of Great Ormond Street Hospital’s Mittal Children’s Medical Centre is underway. Designed by Llewelyn Davies Yeang and developed by BAM Construct UK, the £300m building will aim to off set in excess of 20,000 tonnes of CO2 a year to achieve an ‘excellent’ BREEAM rating, while the glazed façade will maximise daylight to the interior and minimise solar gain to help create a more comfortable environment for patients.

$800bnthe amount (US$) Gulf Cooperation

Council governments are expected to inject into public projects by 2020 in an eff ort to build the infrastructure they require to raise the region’s

standard of living

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P08-13_Intel_v2.indd 9 27/06/2011 11:18

08 r ics.org

WORKING WELLBy adopting a human capital management approach, companies can keep staff and customers happy

Opinion

WE MUST DO MORE TO HELP STAFF WORK FLEXIBLY Alan Erskine Adventis Consulting

In an increasingly 24/7, service-orientated economy, fewer of us have the luxury of a traditional nine-to-fi ve working week. Hardly the recipe for increased

happiness, or is it? Forced by the recession to rethink how they manage their ‘human capital’, companies are adopting more fl exible employment models that are both effi cient and employee friendly.

Recent research identifi ed that only 17% of parents with dependant children work a standard week between 8am and 6pm. With the UK’s woefully inadequate childcare arrangements, it is a constant struggle for many to balance work and family commitments. At the same time, managers in service companies say their biggest headache is getting the right people working at the right time to meet customer needs. Even when people are contracted to work shifts, it can be diffi cult to cover certain times, such as weekends and school holidays. This was evident in a recent government report, which highlighted that, despite the demands of the job, there are more police on duty on a Monday morning than on a Friday night.

Until now, one of the main problems has been in scheduling hundreds, sometimes thousands, of staff. The sheer complexity has tended to result in a ‘keep it simple’ approach, with all staff scheduled to cover all times of the day on a rotation or roster basis. This produces a situation where employees have different start and fi nish times every week. While suiting some, it causes diffi culties for a great number of people, including parents who end up requiring highly fl exible childcare provision.

Fortunately, new technology that enables service organisations to up their game is now available. Paper-based systems can be replaced with software that allows a greater variety and complexity of work patterns to be

managed. This software integrates seamlessly with fi nance and payroll systems, providing a comprehensive and data-rich picture of human resources. This enables service organisations to take a holistic approach to the way they contract with and optimise the time of their employees. This approach is increasingly referred to as human capital management.

One solution emerging from this new approach is ‘parent-shifting’, where couples share child-rearing by working complementary hours. Technology enables individualised employment arrangements to be matched to business needs and managed across a large workforce.

By adopting human capital management concepts, organisations can provide a better service for customers, a better working life for employees, and encourage client and staff retention while increasing profi tability.

ALAN ERSKINE is a managing partner at Adventis Consulting. adventisconsulting.com

10 r ics.org

ChinaHAUTE CUISINE

The world’s highest hotel, the Ritz-Carlton, has opened on top of Hong Kong’s tallest building, the 488m-high International Commerce Centre. Owned by Sun Hung Kai Properties and developed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox, the hotel features 312 rooms, a ballroom, meeting rooms, six restaurants and the world’s highest al-fresco dining terrace.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel occupies the 102ndto 118th fl oors of the International Commerce Centre

10 r ics.org

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P08-13_Intel_v3.F1.indd 10 28/06/2011 12:15

01.11 // MODUS 09

Books :REVIEWS

Guides you through each stage of the APC process, from enrolment to fi nal assessment, results and appeals.18779 // £28.50

Order from ricsbooks.com

The Associate route is an opportunity for those with relevant experience and vocational qualifi cations to become chartered.18276 // £27.95

An essential resource for anyone providing advice on costs of complying with Schedules of Dilapidations.18521 // £199

Up-to-date information on emerging renewables, plus step-by-step projects for the home and garden.16804 // £19.99

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 11

UKBANK BOOM

Financial companies in London are expected to recruit an additional 11,000 employees in the next three years, requiring the equivalent offi ce space of four Shard skyscrapers, according to a survey by BNP Paribas SA’s real estate unit. The report found that banks will need around 1.6m ft sq of offi ce space, particularly in the City of London and Mayfair, while good transport links will be key in infl uencing decisions about the location for new offi ce space, followed by lease fl exibility, rent level and workforce availability.

JordanEXPORTING EFFICIENCY

The Jordanian government has appointed McBains Cooper and EC Harris to help drive effi ciencies in the operation of 10,000 public buildings. Funded by the World Bank, the project will involve installing a property and facilities management information system to help the Directorate of Government Buildings rationalise its property and realise the value of its assets. ‘It is a fantastic endorsement of British professional consultancy and expertise in the sector,’ said Michael Thirkettle MRICS, CEO of McBains Cooper.

UKDISPUTE RESOLUTIONConstruction disputes in the UK are being resolved faster than anywhere else, according to the fi rst Global Construction Disputes report from EC Harris. The fi rm found disputes were lasting an average 6.75 months – compared to the global average of 9.1 months – although the number of UK disputes had increased over the previous year, refl ecting the global trend. ‘In an age of ever slimmer margins, the industry needs to focus far more attention on anticipating and preventing complex disputes in the fi rst place – and, where disputes have already arisen, to resolving them swiftly and eff ectively before they disrupt, or even jeopardise, construction projects,’ said Gary Kitt FRICS, head of contract solutions UK at EC Harris.

£82mthe overall industry cost Davis Langdon estimates it will take for 40,000 RICS-accredited

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FranceDUNKIRK SPIRIT

The Grand Large District in Dunkirk marks the second phase of a 20-year plan to help regenerate the city’s disused docks into a thriving urban area. Designed by Agence Nicolas Michelin & Associés, 216 sustainable homes have been completed as part of the Neptune Project, with an overall aim of creating an economically, socially and environmentally responsible community. The homes use renewable energy and rainwater-collection systems, and have been strategically positioned to help increase community interaction.

EXPORTING EFFICIENCYThe Jordanian government has appointed McBains Cooper and EC Harris to help drive effi ciencies in the operation of 10,000 public buildings. Funded by the World Bank, the project will involve installing a property and facilities management information system to help the Directorate of Government Buildings rationalise its property and realise the value of its assets. ‘It is a fantastic endorsement of British professional consultancy and expertise in the sector,’ said Michael Thirkettle MRICS, CEO of McBains Cooper. said Michael Thirkettle MRICS, CEO of McBains Cooper.

Jordan

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P08-13_Intel_v2.indd 11 27/06/2011 11:18

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NEWS BITES

American surgeForeign property investment in the US is at its highest level in recent years. A report from the National Association of Realtors shows total residential international sales in the US for the 12 months up to March was $82bn, up from $66bn in 2010 – a surge of $16bn (£9.9bn).

Double doseMore than 200,000 new homes are needed each year in England – almost double the 103,000 built in 2010 – according to research from the Town and Country Planning Association. Around 20% of household growth will be caused by a growth in single parent families, who are more likely to need new social homes.

Troubled watersAn English Heritage report has criticised Peel Holdings’ £5.5bn Liverpool Waters scheme, claiming its tall buildings could cause ‘significant damage’ to the city’s World Heritage Site. However, Peel believes the report is flawed. ‘If you take the tall buildings out, it is an opportunity that will be lost for 150 years,’ said Lindsey Ashworth MRICS, director of investment for Peel Holdings. A planning decision will be made later this year.

Human rightsThe Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched new guidance for social housing providers that aims to show how respecting the Human Rights Act can help keep tenants happy and avoid complaints or criticism that could damage their reputation. Download it at equalityhumanrights.com

12 r ics.org

Opinion

GDP AS A MEASURE OF NATIONS’ WELLBEING IS BADLY FLAWEDSimon Rubinsohn RICS Chief Economist

It is perhaps not surprising that economists shy away from talking about happiness, let alone try to account for it in their complex

equations or datasets. We are, after all, the masters of the so-called ‘dismal science’.

Economists like variables that are observable, measurable and comparable; happiness as a concept fits into some of these categories at times, but rarely hits all three simultaneously. That makes its difficult for us pointy heads. Yet it is hard to dispute the fact that our preferred measures of wellbeing are badly flawed.

We pay most attention to measurements of the total value of goods and services produced by a country over a specific timeframe, an aggregate that is commonly described as gross domestic product (GDP). In a crude sort of way, this meets our three-pronged criteria (although the more observant among the readership will know that repeated revisions to the data demonstrate the limitations of the exercise). Then, if we are feeling particularly adventurous, we may go on to divide the headline GDP number by the population size to get some sort of indication of average output per head. This is

great for cross-country league tables showing leaders and laggards, but actually tells us little about some of the issues that really matter.

Most obviously it ignores the distribution of wealth across a country, but it also says nothing about how hard populations have to work to generate this output. Whether it is better to work 18 hours a day and top the per capita growth table, or work a six-hour day and lag some way behind on wealth generation but have more leisure time, is a very real choice that needs careful consideration. Unfortunately, it is rarely, if ever, possible to blend rapid wealth accumulation with a short working week.

Which brings us back to happiness and economists. Nobel Prize-winning luminaries such as Joseph Stiglitz are now doing much work in this area, trying to build something measurable that extends beyond money. However, it is going to need a wholesale change in thinking from investors, central bankers as well as mainstream economists for something akin to Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness index to displace our obsession with GDP. Don’t hold your breath…

£52bnthe amount of commercial

investment Asian investors are set to focus on London this year,

according to Jones Lang LaSalle

1 UKRD Group (media) 2 Luminus Group (housing association)3 Kenneth Green Associates (logistics)4 Pertemps People Development Group (professional)5 One Vision Housing (housing association)6 Calico Homes (housing association) 7 Sewell Group (retail and estates management)8 Bravissimo (retail) 9 Admiral Group (financial) 10 Metaswitch (IT)

UK TOP 10 HAPPY COMPANIES

INDUSTRY LEADERStaff at Huntington-based Luminus think the company makes a positive difference to the world and are proud to work for it (85% and 84% respectively), that the job is good for their personal growth (82%), and that colleagues are fun (88%) and care for each other (87%). Pictured: Luminus’s Grand Cinema redevelopment in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire

Source: Sunday Times Best 100 Companies To Work For 2011

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14 rics.org

REASONS TO BE

POSITIVEIT’S BEEN A CHALLENGING FEW YEARS IN THE

PROFESSION, WITH PROPERTY AND CONSTRUCTION BEARING THE BRUNT OF GLOBAL RECESSION,

PARTICULARLY IN THE UK. SO ARE WE FINALLY SEEING SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT? TEN INDUSTRY FIGURES

SHARE THEIR CAUSES FOR OPTIMISM

Here are 10

Illustrations by Jörn Kaspuhl

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‘THE DEMAND FOR STANDARDS AND WELL-TRAINED PROFESSIONALS IS STRONGER THAN EVER,’ SAYS

SEE LIAN ONG FRICS, RICS PRESIDENT

There’s no denying that property and construction have had it bad over the past few years, especially in the Western economies. But is there anything in the short or longer term that gives the profession reason to be optimistic? I suppose that really depends on where you stand. Certainly those who have lost their jobs or fi nd themselves struggling to keep businesses afl oat may understandably feel that there is little immediate cause for optimism. But if you draw back from the ebb and fl ow of the marketplace and take a broader view, there are some changes that I believe will help our profession to take an ever-more important position in the economy in the coming years.

If nothing else, market uncertainty may have helped to change attitudes towards real estate. With decisions being made in a more cautious manner, there is a greater awareness among public and private sector owners and occupiers of the impact real estate has on their fi nancial and operational effectiveness. For those of us in advisory roles, this means greater scope to add value by advising on long- and short-term strategies – and places ever-greater demands on suppliers of professional services to add value in ways they traditionally never had to. However,there is a good opportunity for those fi rms, large or small, that are willing to adapt to more professional consultancy and due diligence-driven services.

With information available at the touch of a button, and often free of charge, the days when advisers could justify their fee through being custodians of a list of done deals, cost data and the like have long gone in most places. For those who are able to harness IT effectively and continue improving their skills, there is a lot of potential out there.

An obvious emerging area of business is sustainability advice, where retrofitting existing building stock and measurement

‘There is a good opportunity for those fi rms, large or small, that are willing to adapt to more professional consultancy and due diligence-driven services’

of embodied carbon in buildings are specifi c examples of new areas for qualifi ed professionals. Building information modelling technology will have an enormous impact on effi ciency in construction, and we must integrate this into our services.

At a macro level there is a global trend of liberalisation in cross-border professional services, and this is likely to further support international recognition of qualifi cations. While this may have the effect of increasing competition, it will also aid those with internationally respected qualifications to expand overseas, should they wish.

So I urge our members to be bold and embrace change. The world is crying out for well-trained professionals with high standards; this can only aid those who hold the world’s most recognised qualifi cation in land, construction and property.

RICS GROWTHµ RICS global membership grew by 5% in 2009-2010, up to a total of 163,904 // 95% of the net growth in RICS membership is now outside the UK // More than 10,000 UK firms are regulated by RICS // 280 firms signed up to Charity Property Help in 2009-2010

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16 rics.org

‘MORE FIRST-TIME BUYERS ARE GETTING ON TO THE PROPERTY

LADDER, AND THE MARKET SHOULD FINALLY START TO MOVE AGAIN,’

SAYS RICHARD SEXTON, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR OF E.SURV

It’s not all doom and gloom in the residential property market. There has been a raft of stats to warm the cockles of that seemingly endangered species, the first-time buyer. Since the recession, wealthier buyers and eager buy-to-let landlords have been snapping up the cheap bricks and mortar that was once archetypal fi rst-time buyer property. But the evidence suggests this is beginning to change.

Our research indicates that more fi rst-time buyers are getting on to the property ladder as lenders begin to loosen their lending criteria for high loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages. Mortgage approvals are up for the fifth consecutive month as the market shows signs of shaking off its winter lethargy, and there are encouraging signs of growth at the lowest end.

This encouraging news will resonate up the property chain. First-time buyers are the engine that drives activity in the rest of the market. For every one who gets on to the property ladder, another three buyers further up the chain can move home. LTVs are rising

fastest at the bottom end of the market – the part that matters most – and this bodes well for the rest.

Heart-warming stuff, but still no cause for uncorking the champagne just yet. It will remain on ice until the economic recovery gathers more momentum and encourages lenders fi nally to decide they can risk higher loan volumes. The portents of recovery are there, but the rehabilitation is happening slowly and from a suppressed transaction base. For the housing market to really shift up another gear, lenders need to loosen the purse strings at a more accelerated rate. The banks hold all the aces. They dictate the nature of the market, and only they have the power to address the vast backlog of fi rst-time buyers.esurv.co.uk

‘IN ALL SECTORS, THE STANDARD OF ARCHITECTURE REMAINS HIGH,’ SAYS

RUTH REED, RIBA PRESIDENT

I’ve experienced three recessions in my working life, with the prospects for architecture and construction seeming to diminish beyond the point of no return. Each time, however, we have come back with a stronger and more resilient offer for clients. This time the sustained boom in construction in the late 1990s and 2000s has given design teams a fantastic collection of world-class design to put into our portfolios.

British architects, engineers and surveyors have created the international image of success for corporations, and recreated that image for businesses in all the developing economies. Our towers adorn skylines across the world. We have also established an international reputation for professionalism and education that reinforces the market for our design skills.

The buildings that form the longlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize are a good measure of the health of British architecture. Some are the culmination of schemes conceived and funded in the good times, but others demonstrate that, in spite of economic troubles, many exceptional buildings are being built in the UK.

The slowdown has given us a chance to look back at what we have achieved and reposition ourselves for the opportunities that lie ahead. There are many signifi cant global challenges the built environment now has to help solve: climate change, social cohesion and economic constraints. We have the unique experience, skills and approach to rise to them all.riba.org

‘First-time buyers are the engine that drives the rest of the market. For every one who gets on to the ladder, another three further up the chain can move’

RESIDENTIALµ 85-90% LTV deals increased at three times the pace of the overall mortgage approvals market in April // The average LTV rose to 61% – the highest for three years // Approvals for properties under £125,000 accounted for 27% of all approvals in April, compared to 20% in April 2010

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‘Sustained economic and consumer spending recovery is expected to drive growth of more than 30% in the next fi ve years’

‘THERE’S SOME GREAT YOUNG TALENT COMING INTO THE INDUSTRY,’ SAYS

STEPHEN HATELEY MRICS, LONDON AND SOUTH EAST OPERATIONS

DIRECTOR AT FAITHFUL + GOULD

One of the best days of the year is when the graduates join us in September. Their enthusiasm is contagious. But what has amazed me in the past couple of years is how much more prepared and mature – in just about every way – they are. We’ve kept our graduate recruitment programme going throughout the downturn, and this September we’ll take on 30 people, which is almost back to our pre-recession level. We’ve had 600 applicants this year, so we can pick the best – and the quality is frighteningly high.

I think young people are quite pressurised these days due to the recession and the cost of going to university. I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but it certainly makes for some focused young people. I have some that are constantly coming to me with good ideas.

The graduate programme is essential to ensure we don’t have too many senior people and a skills shortage in four or fi ve years’ time, as the industry has suffered in the past following recessions. But it is about the general diversity of the business too – not just in terms of gender and ethnicity, but also to ensure we have people who approach challenges in different ways. For this reason we like to recruit non-cognates: we take on people with degrees in anything from English to geography and then train them in surveying.

A great example of what this brings to the business is a project we did for a client who wanted to know about skills shortage patterns in London. One of our geography graduates unearthed a huge amount of data from government and local authorities that corroborated our gut feelings. We wouldn’t have known about the data, but she was able to draw on her experience of academic research.

I try to ensure we recruit a mix of personalities. There will always be a few compliant ones and a spiky one – it all adds to the buzz. The only downside is they remind me how old I am…fgould.com

CONSTRUCTIONµ 6% more survey respondents reported growth than decline // 5% more survey respondents said they would be more likely to recruit this year (RICS Construction Survey Q1 2011) // 43,000 new entrants are needed each year up to 2015 to avoid a skills gap (Construction Skills Network)

‘THE CONSTRUCTION ECONOMY – YES, REALLY,’ SAYS

NOBEL FRANCIS, ECONOMICS DIRECTOR OF THE CONSTRUCTION

PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION

With the full impact of the UK government cuts yet to be felt, the public sector is not going to be the driver of growth in construction going forward – and, with an uncertain economic situation, concern in the industry is focused on where growth will actually be. Yet there are grounds for optimism. Some sectors will be growing considerably over the next fi ve years, and this will involve a shift in focus from public sector work towards commercial, industrial and infrastructure.

Commercial offi ces fell 46% between 2008 and 2010, but there has been an increase in demand for high-profile office space in London. Although the sector is still subdued in other parts of the country, work in central London on wonderfully named projects such as the Cheesegrater will supplement work on the Shard and UBS’s head offi ces, providing growth of 36% in just three years.

Commercial retail fell 23% during 2008 and 2009 due to falls in consumer spending. However, supermarkets have thrived despite the recession, and all major supermarkets have substantial expansion plans. In the medium term, sustained economic and consumer spending recovery is expected to drive growth of more than 30% in the next five years, surpassing pre-recession workloads by 2015.

Rail and energy infrastructure output are both set to double over the next fi ve years, while energy is set to be boosted by work on the £40bn nuclear programme across eight sites in addition to 200 renewables projects currently in the planning system.

Overall, construction is set to fall in 2011 and 2012 due to the government cuts, yet there are still opportunities for the £100bn industry. It is just a case of ensuring you are working in some of the growth areas.constructionproducts.org.uk

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18 rics.org

‘WE’RE ON THE VERGE OF A STEP CHANGE IN RURAL PROPERTY,’ SAYS

ANDREW SHIRLEY, HEAD OF RURAL PROPERTY RESEARCH

AT KNIGHT FRANK

Forward-thinking estate owners and farmers have always been alive to new opportunities for generating additional income streams from their properties, but the growing political focus on the environment, and in particular climate change and renewable energy, suggests we are on the verge of a real step change in terms of how rural property is seen to deliver economic and social value.

The UK government’s recently released National Ecosystem Assessment document went so far as to put a price on the value of the ecosystems delivered by rural landowners. Without a mechanism for paying for these benefi ts, this is unlikely to translate into actual land values, but it shows that the non-productive value of farmland is starting to be recognised.

Although the price of a view or ecosystem could hardly be described as tangible, the proportion of their income that farmers and landowners can attribute to the environment is clearly defined. Subsidy payments such as the Entry Level Scheme are increasingly being linked to the delivery of environmental benefi ts and are an income stream in their own right.

Having committed themselves to cut carbon emissions substantially, this government

and the last have been forced to create new fi nancial incentives to help ensure the UK comes close to hitting these targets, such as the Feed-in-Tariff and Renewable Heat Incentive. These benefi ts combine to create an asset class that offers numerous opportunities for corporate and green investors willing to compete with farmers, who are fi ghting over a decreasing pool of land for sale.

This will surely help to sustain agricultural land’s upward price trajectory, which has seen a leap in value almost threefold over the past 10 years.knightfrank.co.uk/rural

‘OUR PROFESSIONALISM IS VALUED AROUND THE WORLD,’ SAYS

STUART SENIOR FRICS, MAIN BOARD PARTNER, GLEEDS

In the pantheon of businessmen and women, it is true that surveyors are often not regarded with the same reverence or esteem as our colleagues in design. However, a trip away from the UK always reminds me that, around the globe, we construction and property surveyors have a valued and important role.

In India, for instance, Gleeds has teams working on schemes that include retail premises for Marks & Spencer and offi ces for Experian, and we are even being asked to look at managing and costing the construction of cricket grounds. In a country where the bat and ball are regarded with near-religious devotion, it is a true mark of respect for our profession.

We have a reputation, training and a professionalism that we often take for granted, but which is just not available in many countries. In recent months, the turmoil in the Middle East caused some colleagues to leave projects quickly with little more than the clothes on their backs, their mobile phones and passports. But they are now back in those countries, with a sense that they are playing a small part in the rebirth of these nations.

As surveyors, each of us has a vital role to play in the built environment, and perhaps we need a little more self-confi dence. We are eclipsed in the construction process by the other professions that have the signature titles and rock star reputations. But as surveyors working at home and abroad, we are making a real difference in a multiplicity of projects across numerous continents. This is something in which we should take pride.gleeds.com

RURALµ +45: the net balance of surveyors upbeat about commercial farmland in H2 2010 (RICS Rural Land Market Survey) // Both transaction and opinion based measures of farmland prices increased by 7% in H2 2010 // +55: demand continues to grow strongly in commercial farmland

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‘The government’s National Ecosystem

Assessment document shows that the non-productive value of

farmland is starting to be recognised’

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‘WE ARE SEEING A NEW EMPHASIS ON CORE SURVEYING SKILLS,’ SAYS MIKE CUTHBERT MRICS, PARTNER

IN CONSTRUCTION ADVISORY AT DRIVERS JONAS DELOITTE

Despite, and perhaps because of, the economic difficulties we are facing, property and construction are at a point of unprecedented change in their evolution. A number of ‘mega-trends’ are starting to exert real infl uence over our day-to-day lives, having been incubating for the past 20 years: technology is creating new ways of working that, in turn, will change the buildings people work in; environmental imperatives have created common cause with economic imperatives to change the way we design, build, occupy and value buildings; and continuing urbanisation is requiring more innovative planning and the creation of new local communities. All of which leads me to believe that the industry will have a critical role to play in defining and delivering the environment in which society will develop over the next decade or two.

But what about the short term? We are starting to see the impact of shorter leases, leading to greater tenant churn. Landlords are having to be more proactive in order to retain tenants, and we are seeing a new emphasis on the core surveying skills of property management and building maintenance.

The downturn and the need to attract inward investment have led to the creation of enterprise zones, which should lead to a demand for innovative urban planning and building design. If linked to progressive grant and tax regimes, this will create investment in some of the country’s most deprived areas – especially outside London.

COMMERCIALµ 10% more surveyors saw a rise in commercial tenant demand in Q1 2011 (RICS UK Commercial Market Survey) // European commercial property investment rose 26% in Q1 2011 (RICS European Commercial Property Survey) // Tenant demand is rising in 14 of 19 countries

Finally, the huge pent-up demand for residential property is fuelling commercial mixed-use development, particularly in central London. Whereas in the past, retail and offi ce values had to subsidise residential units, these now hold their own, making the viability of developments more attractive.djdeloitte.co.uk

‘TIMES MAY BE TOUGH, BUT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN TO

THRIVE IN THE INDUSTRY,’ SAYS KATRINA DOWDING MRICS, CHAIR OF

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION (NAWIC)

Although the current economic climate is having a major effect on the construction industry with capital budgets being cut, we are seeing an increase in the need for maintenance services with customers needing to manage their assets more intelligently.

Energy effi ciency is also becoming vitally important – with the UK government’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, customers will need to improve energy effi ciencies in their buildings.

The main aim of NAWIC is to promote construction as a career of choice to women of all ages and backgrounds, and to provide support and networking opportunities for those already within the industry. But there’s no doubt more needs to be done. We feel businesses need to work closer with young people and schools, especially young girls who are considering their career options, to ensure they are aware of the great opportunities there are within the property and construction industry. Women working within the industry can do more to promote the roles they do and their experiences of working within construction, while organisations should also do more to increase the awareness of female role models.

Government and industry are increasingly realising the importance of our demographic – this provides us with a real platform to be heard. I believe that with NAWIC’s professional and diverse membership we are best positioned to be delivering the message. With more women joining the industry, I want to see us grow and fl ourish, but this can only be done if we support events, encourage new speakers and professional associations, and encourage others to take up membership. nawic.co.uk

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‘The industry will have a critical role to play in defi ning and delivering

the environment in which society will

develop over the next decade or two’

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‘THE UK’S CONGESTED INFRASTRUCTURE OFFERS A

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR CONSTRUCTION,’ SAYS

DAVID BEGG, CHAIR OF THE BUSINESS

INFRASTRUCTURE COMMISSION

The UK suffers from some of the most congested infrastructure in the developed world. So far we have done precious little about this – and this is good news for the construction industry. Here’s why.

We have the most congested roads, rail and airports in Europe. This not only impacts negatively on our economy, but also brings with it a significant environmental cost. Almost 40% of local pollution from cars and lorries is caused by vehicles travelling slower than their optimum fuel-efficient speed. Aircraft circling the skies waiting for a landing slot at airports such as Heathrow, operating at 99% capacity, add to emissions. Meanwhile, demand for transport infrastructure has spiralled – and, surprisingly, this has so far been only marginally affected by the recession.

So far we have failed to respond to all these challenges by supplying sufficient infrastructure. As a proportion of GDP, net public investment declined from 8% in the 1970s to less than 1.5% in the late 1990s. While this has increased to around 2%, it

is still more than 50% less than France and the US. It is not surprising that the UK was ranked 33rd in the world for its overall quality of infrastructure, behind many of its existing and emerging competitors.

So is there hope? Well, history suggests not. The UK has always turned off the investment tap when we enter recession and public fi nances are tight. When we turn investment spend back on, we run into skills shortages – even in the current climate, with unemployment high, a third of companies are struggling to fi ll vacancies in the workforce, primarily due to a shortage of applicants with the required skills.

But things may be different this time. There are positive signs. For instance, the government deserves credit for taking the tough decision to push up rail fares above the rate of infl ation in order to protect much of the rail investment programme. This is a good example of a policy that is unpopular in the short term, but which is right for the UK economy in the long term.

Of course, such moves to facilitate investment are positive for the construction industry. We need to build on this, though. We must maintain investment levels in economically critical infrastructure during the recession, but also establish both a national infrastructure skills strategy and a review to try to simplify the bureaucracy surrounding apprenticeship schemes.

It has been estimated that we could save £2-£3bn annually through more efficient infrastructure procurement. The UK planning system is consistently branded by business as a key barrier to investment and growth – this was also a strongly held view of commissioners who felt our planning system was unpredictable, slow and ineffi cient. It was at its worst in the examples of Heathrow Terminal 5 and the M6 toll road – both taking seven years in planning!

The good news is that government – while focused on reducing the defi cit – appreciates the importance of economic growth, not just for the long-term interests of the UK, but also in the shorter term as a very effective way of cutting the defi cit. Indeed, infrastructure investment is crucial for economic growth, so this is the perfect time to turn on the investment tap.

Download the full British Infrastructure Commission report, Tackling the Infrastructure Puzzle, at http://bit.ly/eYhFuQ

INFRASTRUCTUREµ The shortfall in UK public and private infrastructure investment is estimated to be £434bn by 2020 // A transport spending boost of £4bn per year would achieve a total economic benefi t of £10bn per year // The UK population is expected to reach 71.6m people by 2033

‘It is not surprising that the UK was ranked 33rd in the world for its overall quality of infrastructure, behind many of its existing and emerging competitors’

10

Find out more online at

WWW.KFCDEVELOPMENT.CO.UKor call us today on 01483 717 188 if you know a site that fits our requirements.

That’s why when you partner with KFC we make things easier. We are yourone stop shop.

You supply the plot, we’ll do the rest. Even when we lease the shell, we’ll do it all.That’s what partnership is all about.

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B2B_ONE_STOP_SHOP_MODUS.indd 1 03/05/2011 14:39MODUS_Jul-Aug_P14-21_ Be_Positive.v5.indd 20 27/06/2011 11:26

Find out more online at

WWW.KFCDEVELOPMENT.CO.UKor call us today on 01483 717 188 if you know a site that fits our requirements.

That’s why when you partner with KFC we make things easier. We are yourone stop shop.

You supply the plot, we’ll do the rest. Even when we lease the shell, we’ll do it all.That’s what partnership is all about.

WWW.KFCDEVELOPMENT.CO.UK

* For full terms and conditions of fees (paid only to property professionals on unconditional exchange) please refer to our web-site.

B2B_ONE_STOP_SHOP_MODUS.indd 1 03/05/2011 14:39MODUS_Jul-Aug_P14-21_ Be_Positive.v5.indd 21 27/06/2011 11:26

22 rics.org

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Happiness//

A HAPPY BALANCE?

SHOULD BUILT ENVIRONMENT PROFESSIONALS BE WEIGHING WELLBEING ALONGSIDE ENVIRONMENTAL

AND FINANCIAL CONCERNS, ASKS ROBERT BOOTH

When the philosopher Alain de Botton put down his pen and put on a hard hat, he aimed to provide a corrective to a certain kind of British development. Having written a book called The Architecture of Happiness, he decided to see if he could put words into action and build better, happier homes than firms such as Barratt and Persimmon, whose output he described as ‘the turkey twizzlers of architecture’. He hired some of the world’s best architects to design holiday homes around Britain that the public could rent.

The most memorable is the Balancing Barn, an extraordinary structure that hangs precipitously off a hillside in Suffolk. Does it make its visitors happy? Maybe. Anxious at the prospect of it tipping over? Very possibly. Either way, it stirs the emotions – and the study of how to harness that potential is now obsessing academics, architects and developers in growing numbers.

Soon surveyors may have their own powerful evidence base, too. In April, the UK’s Office for National Statistics began measuring the nation’s happiness, paving the way for owners and occupiers to analyse the relative feel-good factor in an area they are considering moving into, and adding a further layer of complexity to sales, lettings and valuations.

But can a patio really increase your sense of mental wellbeing? Does densely packed housing actually have the power to transform neighbours into stressed-out foes? Researchers believe they have started to get to the bottom of the questions linking happiness and the built environment, and the answers are often surprising.

Take, for example, the ‘statistically significant’ association between living in housing built since the end of the 1960s

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and depression, discovered in 2002 by former architect Elizabeth Burton, professor of sustainable building design and wellbeing at Warwick University. Burton studied 2,000 people living in the Gospel Oak area of north London, and unearthed similarly bad news for those living in deck-access flats, where depression was also up. A similar study in UK towns and cities suggested high density meant low happiness, while another showed that suburbs are happier than inner cities.

The science is a work in progress, but web-based surveys and computerised mapping technology is making the study of this emerging subject easier. A project at the London School of Economics (LSE) is being funded by the Economic and Social Research Council to try to track the almost hour-by-hour fluctuations in happiness felt by anyone with a smart phone. Around 4,000 people in the UK are sending back data on a daily basis using the ‘Mappiness’ application, which harvests how happy, relaxed or awake they feel on a 100-point sliding scale. The academics are using the phone’s GPS technology to cross-reference the data with where they are and the features around them. ‘Continuous urban environments’ – in other words, city centres – are the places people are least happy, according to George MacKerron at the LSE’s Department of Geography & Environment, while the presence of greenery and water often confers greater happiness. ‘Suburban areas measure on average one point higher, three to four points higher in forests, and five to six points higher in the mountains,’ he said. For comparison, five to six points is the average happiness difference between being at work and watching television at home.

The quality of the built environment is key to happiness, says de Botton. ‘Architecture does have a huge impact. Its effectiveness could be compared to the weather: a fine day can substantially change our state of mind –

and people may be willing to make great sacrifices to be nearer a sunny climate. Then again, under the weight of sufficient problems (romantic or professional confusions, for example), no amount of blue sky, and not even the greatest building, will be able to make us smile. Hence the difficulty of trying to raise architecture into a political priority: it has none of the unambiguous advantages of clean drinking water or a safe food supply. And yet it remains vital.’

But are built environment professionals properly switched on to the links between their work and the happiness of people who live and work in the environments they create? Not enough, argues Burton, who believes architects have historically not been trained to take the impact of their work on people’s moods and feelings seriously enough. ‘When I was trained as an architect [in the mid 1980s], I was told on several occasions to forget about people and think of the building as a sculpture – and I don’t think architects’ skills have changed all that much since. Students are taught that it is all about doing something creative and original, something that has not been done before.’

Deck-access blocks of flats, erected in huge numbers across post-war Britain, are one such original idea that Burton’s research suggests has had a strongly negative impact. ‘Form is important,’ she says. ‘High-rise housing tends to be worse for your mental health than low-rise, and flats are worse than houses. You are more likely to be depressed living in a deck-access flat, even when we control for other factors. I think that is because you feel you need a buffer zone between private and public areas. You need privacy and an opportunity to interact with neighbours, and a deck-access flat doesn’t provide that.’ Having a front garden, however small, helps. Burton also adds that layouts featuring connected streets rather than cul-de-sacs, well-maintained pavements,

Happiness//

ARCHITECTURE’S EFFECTIVENESS COULD BE COMPARED TO THE WEATHER: A FINE DAY CAN SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGE OUR STATE OF MIND

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HAPPY PLACES1. Töölö, Helsinki, FinlandA study has found that this central neighbourhood, close to the ocean, is the capital’s happiest area. Its six-storey apartment blocks were built in a functional architectural style during the 1920s, but there are plenty of parks and restaurants nearby, and the Finnish parliament house and the national museum are in the area.

2. HSBC HQ, Hong KongFoster + Partners’ 1986 banking tower was designed with the advice of a feng shui geomancer. It remains one of the few buildings in central Hong Kong with a clear view of Victoria Harbour, which, according to feng shui principles, brings prosperity. Pedestrians can also walk underneath the building, allowing chi energy to run through it, according to geomancers.

3. Peter Zumthor’s Vals spa, SwitzerlandNamed by Swiss-born Alain de Botton as one of his happiest buildings, this spa in the Graubünden canton was built in 1996 from locally quarried Valser quartzite slabs. Steam rises from outdoor pools and slides over the granite structure, and the building offers views of mountains and pine forests.

4. Grey Street, Newcastle upon TyneThis curving street was built in the 1830s by architects including John Dobson. The poet Sir John Betjeman was enamoured: ‘As for the curve of Grey Street, I shall never forget seeing it to perfection, traffic-less on a misty Sunday morning. Not even Regent Street, even old Regent Street London, can compare with that descending subtle curve.’ It was voted Britain’s best street in 2002.

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‘We used a special method to study urban happiness,’ says Marketta Kyttä, a senior research fellow in environmental psychology at Aalto University’s Centre for Urban and Regional Studies. ‘We set up an internet-based survey allowing us to study inhabitants’ environmental experience based on their localities. People marked on a map their most experientially valuable places. There were four main categories: functional quality, social quality, quality of the physical environment and a more general feeling of atmosphere.’

Significantly, the study was of cities rather than small and mid-sized towns, where earlier studies in Finland had found a similar negative link as in Bramley’s study in the UK. But the findings nevertheless surprised the researchers, who discovered that perceived environmental quality peaked at around 100 units per hectare – more than double the density of new housing built in the UK in 2008. Most importantly for the UK government’s current fascination with trying to measure the nation’s happiness, environmental quality was found to have a positive correlation with this emotion.

‘We were very surprised when we found that around 100 housing units per hectare was where perceived environmental quality

peaked,’ says Kyttä. ‘In Finland and across Europe, the biggest question in urban planning at the moment may be how to combine environmental and social sustainability, and these findings showed the possibility of a win-win situation.’

That is based on the assumption that more dense urban environments are more sustainable, partly because they reduce the burden on motorised transport. The study showed that overall perceived quality fell as housing density rose from 20 to 70 units per hectare, then rose sharply as density rose to 100 before falling away again to the same level as 20 units between 130 and 190 units.

The other key finding was the high premium that residents placed on aesthetic beauty. People surveyed marked places where they had positive and negative experiences and, in all, the researchers gathered more than 10,000 pieces of data. The five most frequently cited positive factors were ‘the surroundings are attractive’, ‘walking or cycling is smooth’, ‘nature is present’, ‘calmness’ and ‘opportunities for hobbies are many’. The top negative factors were ‘the surroundings are unattractive’, ‘hectic’, ‘I feel socially insecure’, ‘the surroundings are untidy’ and ‘the reputation of this place is bad’.

Töölö, a middle-class enclave within walking distance of Helsinki’s city centre, emerged as having the highest perceived environmental quality. Kalleo, a rather more gritty area popular among arty types who are gentrifying the place, also scored well. ‘It is a place of strong character and it seems important to the perception of environmental quality that an area has its own character and is seen to be different,’ says Kyttä.

Only with more studies, and further surprises, will we really understand how the built environment affects our happiness

Happiness//

ACROSS EUROPE, THE BIGGEST QUESTION IN URBAN PLANNING MAY BE HOW TO COMBINE

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

and trees and green spaces along walking routes all improve physical fitness – and with it, perhaps, happiness.

But the effect of high-density housing on happiness remains disputed. In 2005, Glen Bramley, professor of urban studies at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, surveyed residents in 15 neighbourhoods including inner cities, inner suburbs and outer suburbs in Oxford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester and Sheffield. He asked about pride in and attachment to an area, levels of interaction with neighbours, sense of safety, standard of the environment, satisfaction with the home, and sense of stability.

On most measures, Bramley reported that outer, less densely packed areas showed the best scores and inner areas the worst, even controlling for social and demographic differences. Scores for neighbourhood pride, interaction and satisfaction with the home all fell in line with increasing density, most sharply in the case of satisfaction with one’s own home. By this measure, residents in very low-density areas with around 10 homes per hectare gave scores around 50% higher than those who lived in high-density areas with more than 100 homes per hectare. One exception was the use of neighbourhood facilities, which rose as density increased. ‘Our evidence shows that people are happier in more suburban environments,’ Bramley says. ‘That rather contradicts the strong view among urbanists and architects, among whom there has been a strong pro-density, anti-suburban feeling.’

But another, more recent study probing the relationship between density and quality of life seems to suggest almost the opposite. Finnish academics have discovered an opposite correlation between urban density and the quality of residents’ environmental experience from an internet-based study of 3,100 people aged 15-65 living in the linked cities of Helsinki and Espoo. It mapped ‘soft’ feelings of people on to ‘hard’ geographical data – a technique known as Soft GIS (geographical information system), which is attracting growing interest among those who want to know how and why people value some areas above others.

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The Balancing Barn, designed by MVRDV for the Living Architecture social enterprise project

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GALLUP GLOBAL WELLBEING

70-79%60-69%50-59%40-49%30-39%20-29%10-19%

0-9%Unknown

‘Thriving’ key

3

5

6

7

8

9

10

1

24

4

32

8

1

5 7

9

6 10

The Human Development Index[4] is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring wellbeing, especially child welfare. Devised and launched by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq in 1990, its purpose was ‘to shift the focus of development economics from national income accounting to people-centred policies.’

THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX

The 10 happiest cities in the US (2010) [1]

1 Boulder, CO2 Lincoln, NE3 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO4 Provo-Orem, UT5 Honolulu, HI6 Madison, WI7 Cedar Rapids, IA8 Gainesville, FL9 Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT10 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

GLOBAL WELLBEING

‘Very high development’ countries (2010) 1 Norway 2 Australia3 New Zealand 4 United States 5 Ireland6 Liechtenstein 7 Netherlands8 Canada9 Sweden10 Germany

The map above shows the results of Gallup’s 2010 Global Wellbeing survey [1], which classifies respondents’ wellbeing as ‘thriving’, ‘struggling’ or ‘suffering’ according to how they rate their current and future lives on a ladder scale, with steps numbered from 0 to 10, based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. People are considered thriving if they rate their current lives a 7 or higher and their lives in five years’ time an 8 or higher.

THE UK’S OFFICIAL HAPPINESS INDEX LAUNCHES NEXT YEAR – JOINING A HOST OF STUDIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT ATTEMPT TO GAUGE NATIONS’ WELLBEING ON PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS RATHER THAN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

ONS HAPPINESS SURVEYAs part of its annual Integrated Household Survey, the UK’s Office for National Statistics will be asking how satisfied UK citizens are with their lives. On a scale from 0-10, respondents will be asked questions including ‘Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?’ and ‘Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?’, along with broader questions designed to try to explain people’s feelings. Around 200,000 interviews will take place each year, with the first results due to be published in mid-2012.

Illustration by Ian Dutnall

WORLD AVERAGE

21%

DENMARK72%

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10

8

6

4

2

A study in Finland mapped ‘soft’ feelings of people onto ‘hard’ geographical data to fi nd out why people value some city

areas above others. It was found that perceived environmental quality peaked around 100

units per hectare (see p26).

GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS

GALLUP VS GDP

BETTER LIFE INDEXIn May, the Organisation for Economic

Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched its measure of wellbeing of 34 member countries, focusing

on 20 diff erent indicators ranging from life satisfaction to environment, housing and education. The interactive Better Life

Index[3] allows the user to select diff erent weights for each of the topics, so it’s possible to see what is contributing the most to wellbeing.

Coined in 1972 by Bhutan’s former king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to measure quality of life or social progress in psychological terms, rather than attributing wellbeing to levels of

GDP. The Centre for Bhutanese Studies is currently surveying the population using indicators such as living standards, health, education, ecosystem diversity, community vitality and psychological wellbeing to assess Bhutan’s GNH.

MEXICO JAPAN GERMANY FRANCE UK US AUSTRALIA CANADA

Sources: [1] gallup.com; [2] communities.gov.uk; [3] oecdbetterlifeindex.org; [4] hdr.undp.org

PERCEIVED ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AS AN INPUT TO URBAN INFILL POLICY-MAKING

190

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130

100

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40

US

UK

CHINA

JAPAN

RUSSIA

GERMANYGERMANY

FRANCE

CANADA

% THRIVING

GDP[US$]

1 Denmark 72%2 Sweden 69%3 Canada 69%4 Australia 65%5 Finland 64%6 Venezuela 64%7 Israel 63%8 New Zealand 63%9 Netherlands 62%10 Ireland 62%11 Panama 61%12 US 59%13 Austria 58%14 Costa Rica 58%15 Brazil 57%16 UAE 55%17 UK 54%18 Qatar 53%19 Mexico 52%20 Colombia 48%

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ENGLISH HOUSING SURVEY 2009-10 [2]

6.7mNumber of homes (30%) classifi ed as ‘non-decent’ in 2009, down from 7.4m (33%) in 2008. Overall, social sector homes were found to be in a better condition than private sector homes.

Wellbeing//

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TANIA BUCKRELL POS MRICSART DEALER AND ADVISER, AND FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF ARTS AND MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL.PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOMAS BALL

‘I’ve been passionate about art ever since I can remember. I come from a Canadian family of bankers, not artists, but as a child I loved my art classes more than anything. When people visited my parents I would put on little exhibitions and charge them a quarter – perhaps that was the banking side coming out.

‘Now I travel the world advising clients on how to build up their collections, buying pieces for them, and visiting art fairs and sales. I advise corporations and private banks, but most of my clients are individuals whom I usually visit at their homes.

‘I buy all kinds of pieces; it depends what a client is looking for – it could be a Monet or a Picasso – but I also specialise in contemporary art. That can be a very tricky area to navigate because you don’t know what an artist will do next and how that will affect the value of their work. A lot of people speculating in art develop a real passion for it, and these are the people I love working with the most. It’s a great joy when you feel the same about a piece as a client and very exciting buying for them.

‘There is unfortunately a lot of dishonesty in the art market, a lot of “wild cards” – it’s completely unregulated. That’s why my RICS qualification is so important – it lets people know I’m a professional governed by a code of practice. RICS’ Arts & Antiques group is small compared to others, but the valuation criteria and due diligence are similar: good condition, proper titles, history and so on.

‘I’ve had my own business for 10 years now and a lot of my clients come to me through word of mouth, so reputation is everything. I regularly travel to New York, Paris and Switzerland for art fairs and to see clients, but there’s also now huge interest in the art market coming from China: there’s a great deal happening in Hong Kong right now.

‘The London summer season is a wonderful time to be involved in the art world, with so many fairs and world-famous events such as Wimbledon to enjoy. People come to London from all over the world at this time and the art market follows, because people who are wealthy and happy tend to be ready to buy. If they want to build a collection, I help make it as enjoyable and easy for them as I can.

‘I have my own small, eclectic collection of pieces I love. I like contemporary artists such as John Hoyland, or works from emerging artists, including those from Canada. Our parents gave both my brother and I some money for our 21st birthdays. He invested his, while I bought my first painting.’artsandmanagement.com

FOR THE

LOVEOF THE JOB

Five members in different disciplines tell us about their passion for

the profession and why, for them, work equals happiness

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Profiles//

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MARK SHEARER MRICSFOUNDER OF KUDOS INVESTMENTS AND CO-FOUNDER OF PROJECT DIRT, A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

NETWORK SITE PROMOTING GREEN PROJECTS. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VICTORIA BIRKINSHAW

‘I think it’s important to do what you really believe in. I’ve been fascinated by the natural world and the environment since I was very young – I remember lying under the coffee table at home watching David Attenborough on TV. He was really an early pioneer of the green movement, showing us the importance of protecting the balance of nature.

‘Nick Gardner and I set up Project Dirt three years ago in our spare time, because we could see there was a need to bring together all the information about green initiatives in one place. People were confused about all the different schemes and projects. We wanted to make being green simple, easy and fun. Project Dirt rationalises all the activity taking place in society, so if you want to find out about, say, solar panels – people’s experience of them, grants or whatever else – you can. It’s like a green Mumsnet, a ‘fishbowl’ of what’s going on.

‘We started with just one project and five people in Wandsworth, south-west London, where I lived at the time. It’s now grown to around 4,000 people and 520 projects, by

word of mouth alone, into London’s biggest green network. More than 2,500 events have been promoted on the site in the past two years.

‘We’re now working on a significantly upgraded new version of the site that we hope to have ready in the autumn, with more intelligent search methods, better project management tools and funding mechanisms, and instant news feeds. We’ve realised that companies, local authorities and government departments are using Project Dirt to find out about green activity taking place among their employees, customers and residents – this is where it’s getting really interesting. We’ve got the potential to take Project Dirt forward on a national or even international scale.

‘Timberland, Wandsworth and Lambeth Councils, and The Shackleton Foundation have already made £55,000 available to our projects. Once we get the upgraded site up and running, we’ll be looking at charging organisations and companies a reasonable licence fee to use it. We want to become viable and profit-making, and take ethical

advertising as well as licence fees – though retaining the site’s integrity will always be our priority. As a social enterprise, we’ll reinvest a percentage of profits back into the site.

‘Throughout setting up and running Project Dirt on a voluntary basis, I’ve carried on working for my retail property investment agency, Kudos Investments. I’ve got two phones on my desk – one for Kudos, the other for Project Dirt. I started Kudos in 2005 after three years as a chartered surveyor with Cushman & Wakefield. As a surveyor, I like creating practical solutions to situations. What we are doing with Project Dirt is quite pragmatic: there are huge opportunities in the environmental world – it is underperforming!

‘We put our savings into Project Dirt and it’s taken us into the unknown, which is exciting. In the autumn, we plan to introduce the upgraded site to 30 UK cities in 18 months and undertake an investment offering. Interest from community groups, the public and private sectors has been very encouraging.’projectdirt.com

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Profiles//

‘I was brought up in a farming family and my job involves land, farms and livestock, so it’s ideal for me. It’s incredibly varied and very busy – I have to plan my diary two weeks in advance to fit everything in – but I love it. I could be out walking fields if I’m working on a compensation scheme case, visiting a farm to help with a valuation, or auctioning livestock – every week is different.

‘I get called out to do farm valuations within about a 200-mile radius of where we’re based in Knighton, mid Wales. An owner may want to sell, or if there’s been a death there has to be a probate valuation for tax purposes. You get a feel for agricultural valuations after a while. You need comparable evidence, so I keep a file on what farms have sold for in the district, an eye on what comes on to the market and I ring round local auctioneers.

‘I also get called in to help settle land disputes as an expert witness via RICS. I’ve had some tricky cases to deal with. Often there’s nothing in writing, no will when a

farmer dies, and disputes arise between family members. But I always feel the most awkward jobs are the most satisfying when they come to a positive conclusion.

‘Part of my work is helping with planning applications, such as when a farmer wants to build a house for his son. That could mean making the son a partner, so there can be a lot of tricky issues to consider. It’s important that people can trust me, and I often get personal recommendations.

‘Then there’s utility compensation to arrange for farmers when pipework goes across their land or damages crops, environmental stewardship schemes involving wildlife habitats, plus the Single Payment Scheme agricultural subsidy applications – I did 150 of those recently to meet the deadline. There’s been a lot of changes in the farming world in the past few years, so you have to keep on top of everything.

‘My favourite job is selling cattle. We get potentially prize-winning show cattle at

auctions and, following tradition, the farmers’ sons sometimes still show them in the ring, while their fathers stand next to me. We do have some fun at times, there’s often banter going on with the ewe buyers. Once I was laughing so much that I couldn’t sell, I just couldn’t get the words out.

‘I’ve been selling at markets for 10 years but I’m still one of the few female livestock auctioneers, though there are more women finding a role in farming now. I’ve always loved the buzz of the markets since my father took me as a child, and I’ve never felt I had any difficulty because I’m a woman. It’s a great job and I just get on with it, though you do have to be strong-minded and fair – you can’t let anyone walk all over you.

‘What’s nice about my work is that I get to know a lot of people well because I see them regularly. There’s not much I’d change about my job. I just want to keep on helping farmers throughout my career, in whatever way I can.’mccartneys.co.uk

JENNY LAYTON MRICSRURAL PROPERTY AND LAND EXPERT AND LIVESTOCK AUCTIONEER, AND CHAIR OF THE

RURAL PROFESSIONAL DEPARTMENT AT MCCARTNEYS. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VICTORIA BIRKINSHAW

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Profiles//

‘I’m very lucky to be able at times to combine my work with my hobby – golf – which I’ve played since I was at school. I’ve been involved with golf for most of my life in various ways, including as captain of my local club and now as chairman of the Championship Committee of The R&A at St Andrews.

‘I’m also fortunate that my fellow partners at Hardies are supportive and have been very understanding, since I sometimes need a certain amount of flexibility to fit everything in. It often means I have to work in the evenings and at weekends to catch up, but that’s a small price to pay for being able to get involved at such a high level with the sport I love.

‘I travel all over the world in my role with The R&A because we’re involved with so many different tournaments. The summer is the busiest time for championships, from May through to September, including the Amateur and the British Open, which this July is at Sandwich in Kent. From September, things get a little quieter, but then we have a lot more meetings as we plan for the following year.

‘My work with Hardies takes me all over Scotland to identify opportunities for the firm – and when I get the chance to work on a golf-related project it’s the best of all worlds for me. As a firm, we started working on golf projects about 20 years ago; it was a natural thing for me because of my contacts in the game. Over the years we’ve been involved in constructing new courses and extending existing ones. And it’s not just the courses, but clubhouses, driving ranges, practice areas, greenkeepers’ facilities – anything to do with golf courses and clubs.

‘There are many surveyors and architects involved in the golf business, but we feel we can bring a wee bit more to it because of our long experience and the fact that I’ve seen facilities all over the world.

‘One of the highlights has been our work with St Andrews’ Links Trust and other nearby courses and clubs, such as Crail, Elie and Elmwood, which has been very enjoyable. I’m also proud of our achievements at Kingsbarns Golf Links on the North Sea coast. The course is only 10 years old but has already become internationally famous. We were involved in the procurement and construction of the clubhouse, which is in a prominent position near the coast but blends into the landscape. Heritage and nature conservation are important considerations when working with golf facilities, as is the sustainability agenda.

‘We’re very aware that a lot of clients now want to be as sustainable as possible, which includes re-using rainwater and installing ground-source heat pumps where possible. Addressing all the sustainability issues makes it an exciting time to be a surveyor involved in golf-related developments.’hardies.co.ukranda.org

JIM MCARTHUR FRICSBUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PARTNER FOR

HARDIES PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS AND CHAIR OF THE

CHAMPIONSHIP COMMITTEE OF THE R&A, GOLF’S RULING AUTHORITY.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY SIMON MURPHY

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CHRIS GOTTHARDT-MILLSFILM SET AND CRIME SCENE SURVEYOR FOR GEOMATICS FIRM

PLOWMAN CRAVEN. PHOTOGRAPHED BY VICTORIA BIRKINSHAW

‘We’ve done body scans for leading actors including Michelle Pfeiffer, Jude Law and Liam Neeson, and set surveys for the Harry Potter films – we do a lot of work for films that rely on visual effects. Our role is to survey the set, taking accurate measurements using specialist equipment, and create a 3-D computer model that can be used as a background by the visual effects companies.

‘We also use laser equipment to take body and head scans of the lead actors. These are used when there’s a stunt or special effect, such as a character falling from a ship, as we did recently for the new Titanic TV series, or someone getting injured.

‘It gives the filmmakers a lot more flexibility and cuts out a layer of dangerous work for the actor or their stunt double. The actors usually love it when we scan them and can’t wait to see what their images look like on screen.

‘I often have to go on location to film sets and have just come back from the Canary

Islands, where we were working in spectacular volcanic landscapes on a new action movie due for release next year. We work very hard on set; the hours are often long and you might be told you’ve only got a day to do something, so you just keep going until you’ve finished. But everyone working flat-out is normal in the film industry, and I’m not complaining – in fact, I love it.

‘I wake up in the morning and remember what I’m going to do that day and think “This is brilliant!” I do feel lucky to have a job I love. One thing you do have to be though is flexible, things can easily change from day to day.

‘About 50% of what I do is for the film industry, but I also do police work, mapping crime scenes. We get called to where there’s been an incident – it could be a room in a building. We can create an accurate 3-D interactive computer model that can be used

in court, which is so much easier for the jury than looking at photographs.

‘We’ve also been involved in surveys for the Parliamentary Estate, ranging from laser scanning surveys and textured 3-D modelling to more traditional floor plan updates and photogrammetry. I’ve been lucky enough to be lead surveyor on projects in and around the historic Palace of Westminster.

‘I’m currently working towards my RICS membership, which will be very valuable for my future career. I originally did a degree in materials engineering, then my brother suggested that I come and work for him. He was a laser scanning consultant, surveying buildings for security purposes, and I got really interested in the work so my career just developed from there.

‘I’m looking forward to next year, when I hope to become chartered – as long as I can find the time, that is…’plowmancraven.co.uk

Profiles//

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Seeking answers?The RICS Library and Information Service can help you with all your property and surveying information needs

rics.org/libraryLibrary

2,500+electronic documents are available, including books, magazine articles, legal reports and transcripts – updated daily

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At the RICS Library and Information Service, members will find:• information on case law, the property market and RICS history • e-journals from Ebsco and Emerald • an FAQ section providing answers and further resources for the library’s most popular enquiries • a document delivery service – get documents scanned and emailed to you • internet search tutorials • an RICS Library blog regularly updated by all library staff with tips and advice for getting the most out of library resources • reading rooms in London and Edinburgh.

MODUS_Jul-Aug_p30-36_Profile.v5.indd 37 27/06/2011 12:47

LIFTING THE

SPIRITSLEADING ARCHITECTS HAVE

TAKEN UP THE CHALLENGE OF DESIGNING COMPACT BUT

IMPACTFUL SPACES FOR MAGGIE’S CANCER CARING

CENTRES, SAYS CATE DEVINE

38 rics.org

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Wellbeing design//

Good architecture has always had the power to uplift. The greatest buildings invite the eye upwards and the spirit heavenwards. But compact can also have huge impact. The effect on visitors

to any one of the small, intimate Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres that have been quietly growing in number across the UK and the world is incredibly powerful. Visitors talk of feeling their anxieties ‘fl ush away’ the moment they step inside. ‘When I came here the fi rst time, I couldn’t walk through the door because I was frightened of what I would fi nd on the other side,’ says one regular visitor from Glasgow. ‘But once I did take that fi rst step, the feeling of warmth and welcome just blew me away.’

It is the kind of reaction founder Maggie Jencks intended. With an emphasis on light and colour and use of natural wood and glass, Maggie’s Centres, at around 300m sq each, don’t feel grand; they feel homely – an ambience deliberately enhanced by making the kitchen the focus of the space. There is no clinical reception area. Beyond the domestic heart are private spaces and counselling rooms with aspects over specially designed gardens, never to the impersonal, often monolithic hospitals in whose grounds the centres lie.

Maggie’s Centres take their name from Maggie Keswick Jencks, the Scots-born, Dumfriesshire-based garden designer and author who died of cancer in 1995 following years of treatment at Edinburgh’s Great Western Hospital. In the months before her

death, Jencks – along with her husband Charles, an architecture critic – put in motion the pioneering concept of building spaces to provide spiritual, emotional and practical support for cancer patients. The idea was triggered by Jencks’ own experience: after being told she had only months to live, a nurse moved her into a hospital corridor outside a ward. The indignity spurred Jencks to determine that people like her should have somewhere intimate and caring in which to spend time alone and with others, away from the medical side of treatment.

Working with the local NHS trust, Jencks commissioned young Edinburgh architect Richard Murphy to come up with a design for an old stables building that was being used as a store in the grounds of the Edinburgh hospital. ‘Maggie was our guiding light,’ explains Murphy. ‘Architecturally it is chalk and cheese from the chaos of the hospital. It’s a tiny, beautiful, manicured piece of architecture next to the most hideous, grim structure.’

The stables were extended at both ends to create a feeling of a building within a building, and the natural light enhanced through a series of skylights and sliding plate-glass windows. ‘The trick was not to turn it into a corridor, because Maggie hated corridors and the feeling of being lost. A Maggie’s Centre has to be seductive and never aggressive. It’s about how the building works, not how it looks – a concept that often runs contrary to the high-art agenda in architecture.’

When it opened in 1996, Murphy’s building was an instant success, attracting 60 patients on its >>

Far left and left: the bright sunny interior of the Maggie’s Centre in Kirkcaldy, FifeBelow: its dramatic black overhanging roof is ‘a singular surface that wraps around those inside the centre’

powerful. Visitors talk of feeling their anxieties ‘fl ush away’ the moment they step inside. ‘When I came here the fi rst time, I couldn’t walk through the door because I was frightened of what I would fi nd on the other side,’ says one regular visitor from Glasgow. ‘But once I did take that fi rst step, the feeling of warmth and welcome just blew me away.’

It is the kind of reaction founder Maggie Jencks intended. With an emphasis on light and colour and use of natural wood and glass, Maggie’s Centres, at around 300m sq each, don’t feel grand; they feel homely – an ambience deliberately enhanced by making the kitchen the focus of the space. There is no clinical reception area. Beyond the domestic heart are private spaces and counselling rooms with aspects over specially designed gardens, never to the impersonal, often monolithic hospitals in whose grounds the centres lie.

Maggie’s Centres take their name from Maggie Keswick Jencks, the Scots-born, Dumfriesshire-based garden designer and author who died of cancer in 1995 following years of treatment at Edinburgh’s Great Western Hospital. In the months before her an instant success, attracting 60 patients on its

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 39

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fi rst day – and it became the blueprint for those that followed. Fifteen years later, there are 15 completed centres, with more in the pipeline. All have been built on land donated by the NHS trust. Page/Park’s 2002 conversion of the Victorian Glasgow University gatehouse at the city’s Western Infi rmary was the second Maggie’s Centre, followed in 2003 by Frank Gehry’s purpose-built centre at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee (the American architect’s fi rst UK building), Page/Park’s second at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, in 2005, and the centre by Baghdad-born Zaha Hadid at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in 2006.

The Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust, an independent charity based in Edinburgh, now welcomes around 80,000 visitors a year. Through its inspirational patronage, the centres have become synonymous with groundbreaking architecture. Though small in scale, they have attracted the cream of the profession, drawn by the rare challenge of creating domestic, anti-institutional spaces.

‘My beautiful little building in Dundee is my smallest and my best,’ says Gehry, who is perhaps best known for his iconic titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. ‘It’s the one dearest to my heart because it was about Maggie, whom I’d known since the 1970s. She was a simple, understated person and I wanted to make a building that was comfortable and comforting, but also interesting.’ Overlooking the Firth of Tay, it faces away from the oncology centre at Ninewells, and Gehry – who is currently working on a Maggie’s for Hong Kong, with a garden designed by

40 rics.org

Above: Three spiralling structures representing healthy cells make up the Maggie’s at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, designed by Page/Park and Charles Jencks, Maggie’s husband

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Jencks’s daughter, Lily – describes it as ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’ for cancer patients.

Although following the same principles of wellbeing, Hadid’s Kirkcaldy building, her fi rst built project in the UK, is a rather more sombre affair. Built on a former open-cast mine, it typifi es her habit of eschewing traditional walls, fl oor and roof to create a structure that sweeps upwards in a single, unbroken movement. Hadid has said she does not design ‘nice’ buildings, and the Fife centre is seen by some as dark and foreboding from the outside – largely due to its black painted polyurethane roof, designed to form a continuum from the car park. But inside it is fl ooded with light. ‘It’s like a fold – one singular surface that just wraps around those inside the centre,’ she says.

The magical effect of Maggie’s Centres is spreading fast. There are three more currently under construction in the UK, at Nottingham (Piers Gough), Swansea (Kisho Kurokawa) and Glasgow (Rem Koolhaas), and three more planned, in Oxford (Wilkinson Eyre), Newcastle (Edward Cullinan) and Aberdeen (Snohetta). Funds are currently being raised for a centre in Barcelona. ‘We’ve been fortunate to have worked with talented architects who have imaginatively and exquisitely designed our centres,’ says Laura Lee, the charity’s CEO. ‘Most visitors have received a cancer diagnosis that has left them in shock. Architecture plays an important role of evoking curiosity, drawing visitors inside and then helping them feel relaxed and at home. By being interesting yet calm, the buildings allow visitors to feel less

anxious and shocked, more open and able to take in new information and make good contact with others.’

Due for completion in October, Koolhaas’ centre will be the next Maggie’s to open, with a garden designed by Lily Jencks. Located in a natural elevated setting, like a pavilion in the woods, the building is both introverted and extroverted; each space has a relationship either to the internal, landscaped courtyard or to the surrounding woodland and greenery. ‘It lies somewhere between rectangular and rounded – we wanted it to surround the visitor, capturing nature to create a series of interconnecting rooms without being claustrophobic,’ says Koolhaas. ‘The central courtyard garden will create womb-like conditions intended to induce a feeling of comfort and optimism. Colour will vary the mood; a series of different atmospheres.’

Koolhaas, whose gravity-defying China Central Television HQ in Beijing is one of the largest buildings in the world, has said that modern buildings are ‘ever more dramatic because the market economy thrives on spectacle and novelty, but in architecture this quickly leads to the danger of grotesqueness’.

‘We’re getting asked to do small things less and less, so this is one commission I accepted with eagerness. I like the domestic scale of it. I’m trying to imagine how we differ when we’re sick from when we’re well to create a space that will welcome and protect. I don’t think this should be a building that challenges people to live better; rather it should have a direct effect on the people who use it’ maggiescentres.org

Wellbeing design//

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Left: Maggie’s Dundee is built around a fi nely crafted plywood and pine skeleton and includes a light and bright reception, relaxation room and kitchen/dining area

Below: Frank Gehry’s Dundee design is inspired by a traditional round Highland dwelling (a broch) and off ers stunning views over the beautiful Tay estuary

Above: The fi rst Maggie’s in England, designed by Richard Rogers, opened at London’s Charing Cross Hospital in 2008

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The Red B ook ’s been throw n at usOur friends laugh at us because we do everything together. We never thought losing our jobs would become part of this routine though.Having ust found our new home, we thought we were finally on the way to finding a place where we could live the life we wanted.We’re committed to each other with everything we have, it’s just that in three months time that could be nothing at all.

Which is why LionHeart, the registered charity for RICS members and their families, offers a wide range of support and services to help those affected by and dealing with ill- health, disabilities, unemployment and bereavement.

rom legal advice and financial support to counselling and befriending, we endeavour, with the help of many volunteers, to help make everyday lives a little easier.There are several ways you can easily donate to LionHeart. Personal donations can be made directly via our website. Or if you prefer you can simply include a donation with your annual RICS subscription – a generous, yet affordable way to help us continue to help as many RICS members and their families as possible.

Registered Charity N o. 261245Company Registered in England N o. 980025

for more information on ways to donate and how we can help, visit lionheart.org.uk or call us today on 0845 6039057 Thank you.

for RICS members and their families

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P43_Law–v2.indd 42 27/06/2011 13:06

Law advice//

The removal of

IMMUNITY FOR AN EXPERT WITNESSIllustration by Paul Blow

In the case of Jones v Kaney, by a majority verdict, the Supreme Court has stripped expert witnesses of their immunity from being sued for negligence by their clients. The Supreme Court did not accept arguments that the removal of immunity would make expert witnesses reluctant to accept instructions or to comply with their overriding duty to the court, ruling that: The duty of experts to comply with Part 35 of the Civil

Procedure Rules (CPR) and assist the court did not conflict with their duty of care owed to the client. An expert witness is retained on the basis that he will

comply with the CPR and any relevant professional standards (such as the RICS Practice Statement & Guidance Note – Surveyors acting as expert witnesses). Therefore his duty to the client takes into account his obligation to assist the court. This perceived conflict was not likely to result in a flood

of claims for breach of duty, and indeed the removal of barristers’ immunity in 2002 had not caused a similar result.

One of the issues considered by the Supreme Court was whether the immunity of expert witnesses had already been eroded by previous decisions confirming that they were not exempt from professional disciplinary

proceedings or wasted costs orders. It found that those risks made experts abide by their duty to the court, even if such action exposed them to criticism from their clients. In light of those risks, the vast majority of expert witnesses are already exercising extreme care when acting. It should be

remembered that the test for negligence has not changed, and that if an expert gives an opinion within a reasonable range of values then he is not negligent, even if he has substantially changed his opinion.

Those accepting instructions to act as expert witnesses should check that their professional indemnity insurance provides adequate cover, and an overhaul of engagement letters is also recommended. Exclusion clauses limiting the rights of clients to sue the expert in certain circumstances might be seen as a tempting way of getting back to the pre-Jones v Kaney position, but any such provisions will need to be reasonable in order to be upheld by the courts.

Expert witness work will remain a challenging and rewarding role. The removal of immunity has emphasised that experts need to be confident that their opinion is correct and be able to justify it. If a change has to be made

to that opinion, then accurate file notes should be kept of the reasons and associated discussions with the client, particularly when agreeing a joint statement.

It is not clear whether the Supreme Court’s decision abolishes immunity for single joint experts or those appointed directly by the court. Lord Collins said that the appeal was concerned only with the liability of the so- called ‘friendly expert’ retained by the client, and the only real discussion came from the two dissenting judges who made the point that it is difficult to draw the line as to which experts will be immune and which will not. It is unfortunate that the judgment did not clarify this point, as single joint experts are, by definition, most likely to attract criticism as they will invariably disappoint at least one instructing party, if not both, with their opinion.

The Supreme Court has also not indicated the effective date of the removal of immunity for experts. However, in the context of barristers’ immunity, it was ruled that the decision is retrospective in nature; the immunity disappears with effect from the date of the original negligent conduct. In the case of Jones v Kaney, the joint statement was signed in November 2005, so the acts that led to the Supreme Court’s decision are coming up to their six-year anniversary. As this timeframe is the usual limitation period for bringing claims for professional negligence, those advising clients may wish to note that it is arguable that immunity for experts disappeared nearly six years ago and conduct during that time is therefore open to scrutiny.

It may be that the effect of Jones v Kaney will be to discourage the minority of experts who pitch their client’s case too highly, which should result in disputes being resolved more quickly. It may also weed out those without the necessary skills and/or insurance, neither of which can be said to be a bad thing.

BEN SHARPLES MRICS is a dual-qualified chartered surveyor and solicitor with Wilsons Solicitors LLP. wilsonslaw.com

For case studies and advice on expert witnesses and PII, visit rics.org/regulation and rics.org/pii.

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 43

REMOVING IMMUNITY HAS EMPHASISED THAT EXPERTS NEED TO BE CONFIDENT THEIR OPINION IS CORRECT AND BE ABLE TO JUSTIFY IT

The Red B ook ’s been throw n at usOur friends laugh at us because we do everything together. We never thought losing our jobs would become part of this routine though.Having ust found our new home, we thought we were finally on the way to finding a place where we could live the life we wanted.We’re committed to each other with everything we have, it’s just that in three months time that could be nothing at all.

Which is why LionHeart, the registered charity for RICS members and their families, offers a wide range of support and services to help those affected by and dealing with ill- health, disabilities, unemployment and bereavement.

rom legal advice and financial support to counselling and befriending, we endeavour, with the help of many volunteers, to help make everyday lives a little easier.There are several ways you can easily donate to LionHeart. Personal donations can be made directly via our website. Or if you prefer you can simply include a donation with your annual RICS subscription – a generous, yet affordable way to help us continue to help as many RICS members and their families as possible.

Registered Charity N o. 261245Company Registered in England N o. 980025

for more information on ways to donate and how we can help, visit lionheart.org.uk or call us today on 0845 6039057 Thank you.

for RICS members and their families

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P43_Law–v2.indd 43 27/06/2011 13:06

the usefulness of the profession for the public advantage, securing the optimal use of land and its associated resources to meet social and economic needs.’ The coupling of social and economic purposes may be a surprise to many, but RICS is serious in wanting to adapt this Victorian principle to today’s challenges of climate change, population growth, and energy and natural resource depletion.

The Land and Society Commission recognised that the drive for people to shape the places in which they live is ever-present and enduring. This is not a political fad. Nor are communities ‘other people’. We professionals live in communities too, and may have very clear ideas about how we expect our neighbourhoods to work and how we should be involved in any significant changes that might affect us. ‘They’ are ‘us’ – politicians, professionals and ‘the people’.

The Commission was equally firm in stating that devolution still requires government to lead. Guiding, enabling, directing,

THE BIG SOCIETY OFFERS A CHANCE TO REASSESS

OUR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN

CREATING BETTER COMMUNITIES, SAYS

STEPHEN HILL MRICS

44 rics.org

At a recent meeting of community organisations affected

by a major redevelopment project, I was introduced as belonging to the ‘Royal Institution of Community Surveyors’. A Freudian slip, or a genuine perception of how RICS is perceived in the age of the Big Society? But are you still wondering what the Big Society is all about? The independent Land and Society Commission was set up earlier this year to find out, and in May published its recommendations on how the profession can support communities in improving quality of life. Without actually mentioning the Big Society, it set out a progressive vision for the rather grander concept of ‘land and society’ – land being something that surveyors are expected to know about.

The catalyst for establishing the Commission may have been the UK government’s Localism Bill, but it is grounded much further back in the 1881 RICS Royal Charter, which states that the Institution should ‘promote

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P44-46_Localism.V3.indd 38 27/06/2011 13:11

Opinion//

challenging and guaranteeing the principles of social, economic and environmental equity and justice are the inalienable responsibilities of ‘big government’, and the necessary pre-conditions for devolving power. Harnessing the diversity and vitality of communities requires a real commitment and determination from central and local government leaders to ‘let go’.

A good example of what communities have already done for themselves is the growth of Community Land Trusts (CLTs) over the past decade. Both rural and urban communities have come together to build affordable homes for people who need to live and work locally – to keep their communities alive. They have done so because no one else could or would, and they

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 45

have been able to do so because local landowners will often give or sell land sufficiently cheaply to make housing affordable in their community, as long as no one else then profits at their expense. An inspiring example is the Cornish holiday village of St Minver, where 20 affordable self-build homes have been built for £120,000 – a price that is genuinely affordable for people on typical local incomes. The average house price is more than £650,000, and the value of their new homes £350,000, but they will only ever be able to sell them at a third of the market value. ‘Residents are happy to opt out of the land speculation game,’ says Alan Fox MRICS, director of the Cornish CLT programme. ‘It’s more important to them to live in the place where they were born and need to work.’

This is definitely not ‘normal’ behaviour – but maybe these communities are telling us something that as professionals we should have been thinking and saying before now.

Collective challenge‘Affordable’ housing is another of those lazy terms that implies something odd that only ‘other people’ need. It has been clouded by the traditional Left/Right political ideologies of the past 30 years, to the disadvantage of nearly everyone except the super-rich. While we may think we are making a sound investment in buying our homes, in reality we have collectively paid too much and have taken on too much debt to do so. Now deep in personal housing debt, we have no resources nationally to invest in a poorly performing

economy that needs to create new jobs and a different kind of wealth.

At the height of the boom in 2007, Martin Weale, now a member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee, claimed that ‘annual house price increases are equivalent to a government current account deficit of 4.4% of GDP, or £50bn a year’. John Hawksworth, PwC’s chief economist, last year drew attention to ‘the time bomb effect from the huge amount of debt built up across all sectors of the economy. Sooner or later, this will have to be addressed either through debt being run down sharply, which would risk triggering another recession, or… through a persistently heavy debt service burden that could dampen economic growth for decades to come. Either way, deleveraging… goes well beyond the immediate challenge of getting the public finances under control.’

Have surveyors developed an analytical critique of the wider economic trends and effects of asset price inflation, the principal cause of our current predicament? Have we invented new services that add real value, based on such a wider understanding of the role of property assets in the national and political economy? Or are we content to rely on transaction-based percentage fee services? This is truly a challenge for which the Big Society might be an answer; a mess that we are genuinely all in together.

Localism is not just another policy; it is a different way of thinking. The Commission heard evidence about how >>

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P44-46_Localism.V3.indd 39 27/06/2011 13:11

communities create value for themselves, and for and with commercial partners, so there are new business opportunities for those meeting these ‘social and economic needs’. It was also clear that in the field of developing and managing assets of community benefit, the voluntary and community sector bodies and their support agencies, such as the Asset Transfer Unit, Locality and the Mutual Housing Group, were well ahead of the profession in terms of innovation and creativity in the new political and market conditions.

We have much to learn from communities about good practice in asset development and management and valuation – but we have also much to offer in traditional surveying skills and good clienting experience, which communities are keen to draw on. What they want are professionals who know and understand the needs of the place and the community, either because they are also part of it, or because they are willing to embed themselves so they really understand what’s going on.

We might think this is what we already do – but here is one example of a major professional firm’s post-crash response to professional practice that appeared in the building press in 2009: ‘We read the market right. Our reorganised consultancy is a state of mind. What this boils down to is a shift from project-focused consultancy to client-focused consultancy.’ Yes, one of ours. Did it really take a global financial crisis to work that out?

LOCALISM AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIETY AT LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVELS ARE IMPORTANT TO THE WAY WE WORK AND THINK

Opinion//

46 rics.org

:LOCALISM IN ACTIONRICS AND THE COMMUNITY

RICS’ Royal Charter requires it ‘to maintain and promote the usefulness of the profession for the public advantage.’

With this in mind, RICS has published a full response to the recommendations of the Land and Society Commission, with the following action points: 1. RICS commits to publish an annual Corporate Responsibility Report, which will set out a review of the previous year’s community engagement and support, and outline a set of commitments for future work. 2. RICS will, both centrally and from its network of regional offices, examine ways to promote to communities the existing charity/community-facing services in which members offer their pro bono expertise – for example, Charity Property Help, Chartered Surveyors Voluntary Service and BuildAction. 3. RICS is continually monitoring diversity among its membership and is developing routes to membership which promote fair access to the profession. This includes apprenticeships (eg through the Chartered Surveyor Training Trust) and Associate membership grades. 4. RICS has recently completed guidance that aims to equip local authorities and communities to articulate the potential benefit of public sector asset sales to the communities, in a way which satisfies legislative requirements. This will support local authority estates departments to justify appropriate strategic asset transfers to communities. Read RICS’ full response to the Land and Society Commission’s report at rics.org/landandsocietycommission

The professional institutions certainly have to find some way of making explicit the primary duty of the professional. There is a general duty of care to the world at large stated in most charters, and that of the Institute of Civil Engineers is probably the most explicit in stating ‘public first, client second’. The message is really the same in all of them – but a generation of deregulation has taken its toll on such a simple principle.

Is it now time to reconcile our ideas about the way we want to live personally and the way we behave and think professionally? Should we deploy our own private values in our professional life, and vice versa; do as we would be done by? If we cannot or will not, can we call ourselves professional? We clearly have to do more than simply show we are reasonably knowledgeable and competent, diligent in our clients’ interests and unlikely to make off with other people’s money. Important though these are, anyone can claim that.

It is surely not plausible for values of this kind to be policed by an institution, in modern times or as global truths. Values are only ever established, sustained and observed in a social setting. They need to be refined and tempered through open debate, in the place and context to which they apply. We need the social context of our relationship with clients and the public as the place where we can openly discuss, test and reconcile our values, ethical dilemmas and potential conflicts of interest, agree compromises transparently, and have our own professional behaviour held up to account by our peers and the public.

Michael Sandel, professor of government at Harvard University, is sure that now is the ‘time to rethink the role of markets in achieving the public good. There’s now a widespread sense that markets have become detached from fundamental values… that we need to reconnect markets and values.’ The profession needs to rethink the very nature of investment in land and property, and the balance to be struck between debt and equity, between long- and short-term returns, between stewardship and speculation, between genuine risk and reward, between public and private interests, and between the local, national and global interest. The recommendations of the Commission allow our responsibilities to be examined more rigorously than they have been for some time.

Localism and an understanding of society at local, national and international levels are important to the way we work and think as professionals and as private citizens. So the revival of a centuries-old idea that our vision of a ‘good society’ could be based around 21st-century ideas about the land – who owns it, how it’s used, who benefits from it – is just what we should expect of a public interest profession. rics.org/landandsocietycommission

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P44-46_Localism.V4.F1.indd 40 28/06/2011 12:24

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MODUS_Jul-Aug_P48-49_Bus_adv.indd 38 27/06/2011 13:14

How to stay

HEALTHY AND HAPPY AT WORK

Business advice//

Illustration by Paul Blow

We all spend so much time at work, it’s important to look after our health while we’re there. But meetings, emails and deadlines can often mean our wellbeing gets overlooked. Here are 10 top tips for maintaining health and happiness at work.1. Create a comfortable working environment. If you’re at your desk all day, it’s important your chair and computer are positioned correctly to prevent aches and pains from sitting awkwardly. Ask your employer for a workstation assessment, or visit bupa.co.uk/workplace-health for tips on improving your work area.2. Eliminate other health risks from your desk area. Do you eat at your desk, or even store food in your drawer? You could be creating the perfect breeding place for bacteria. Use antibacterial wipes to keep your desk, phones and keyboard clean. What’s more, a Bupa survey has shown that more than two in three people go into work unwell, which can potentially spread germs to colleagues. Hand sanitiser gels at various points in your workplace are a cost-effective way to help kill germs.3. Reclaim your lunch break. New research from Bupa shows that working through lunch costs businesses money. Almost half of UK employees feel their

productivity plummets in the afternoon at around 3pm and that they lose almost 40 minutes a day because of this dip – which is costing companies up to £50m a day. Of course, taking an hour for lunch can be difficult and is not necessarily the best way to keep productivity high. It

may be more useful for employees to take breaks regularly to stay alert. For example, just half an hour away from your desk can help to clear your head. 4. Get some fresh air. If possible, try to get some fresh air during your breaks. Even a small amount of sunshine each day can help your body make vitamin D to help keep bones healthy and improve immunity and resistance to cancer.5. Work smarter, not longer. Manage your time well and you’ll keep on top of the day’s tasks. But make sure you’re realistic and only do what is possible. The key is to prioritise at the start and be proactive.6. Avoid unhealthy habits. Smoking, drinking too much alcohol and guzzling coffees won’t reduce your stress levels. Instead, have healthy snacks and drinks so you’re not tempted, and eat regular, balanced meals so quick fixes seem less attractive. New research from Bupa has

found that unhealthy Brits are costing the NHS, employers and themselves £17.7bn every year through their lifestyle choices. This figure could rise to almost £33bn a year by 2025 if current health trends continue.7. Find a healthy work-life balance. Don’t lose the things that make you happy to long working hours. Set aside time for relaxing or recreational activities. Turn your mobile off and don’t check emails during your private time – and ask whether your company offers an element of flexible working. You may find extra personal time without affecting your work and you will have more in reserve for any crises.8. Get enough sleep. Being tired can affect your ability to concentrate and leave you drained of energy. This can affect your mental wellbeing, so it’s important that you try to get enough sleep to feel refreshed and able to carry out your daily activities.9. Build relationships. Spending time with colleagues outside the workplace can strengthen working relationships. So why not start a sports team or a walking group? It will be fun but will also help you get fit and alleviate stress through exercise. And although alcohol won’t help with stress, the odd evening out together just might.10. Speak up. If things get on top of you, speak up before they get out of hand and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your employer may have facilities such as counselling, occupational health or an employee assistance programme. Together you may be able to consider workplace adjustments to help you. If things don’t improve and you feel that stress (from whatever source) is making you unwell, see your GP.

DR JENNY LEESER is assistant medical director at Bupa and an expert in occupational health. bupa.co.uk

UNHEALTHY BRITS ARE COSTING THE NHS AND EMPLOYERS £17.7BN A YEAR THROUGH THEIR LIFESTYLE CHOICES

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The Target Zero study provides designers with free guidance on the cost-effective methods to reduce operational energy, embodied energy and achieve higher BREEAM ratings for five building types – schools, offices, supermarkets, warehouses and mixed use.

The fully costed guidance has been produced by AECOM, Cyril Sweett and the Steel Construction Institute and is available at www.targetzero.info

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P48-49_Bus_adv.indd 39 27/06/2011 13:14

We’re good at these. Not everyone has the luxury of taking time off to study so that’s why our specialist courses are designed to fit around real lives, using helpful distance learning techniques.

We offer diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Degree courses are awarded by the University of Reading, the Open University and accredited by RICS, CIOB and other professional bodies.

• PGDip/MSc in Surveying• MSc in Surveying• MBA in Real Estate and Construction

Management• MSc in Real Estate• RICS Postgraduate Diploma in Project

Management

To further your career, call 0800 019 9697 (quoting ref. MD11), email courses@cem.ac.uk or visit our website.

PASSIONATE ABOUT THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT?

www.cih.org

Study to suit your lifestyleBuild on what you know…Qualifications from The Chartered Institute of Housing

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50 r ics.org

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INFORMATIONUSEFUL NUMBERSCONTACT CENTRE+44 (0)870 333 1600

General enquiriesAPC guidanceSubscriptionsPasswordsLibraryBookshop

REGULATION HELPLINE+44 (0)20 7695 1670

CONFIDENTIAL HELPLINE+44 (0)20 7334 3867

DISPUTE RESOLUTION SERVICES+44 (0)20 7334 3806

SWITCHBOARD+44 (0)20 7222 7000

:RICS NEWS :DIARY :BENEFITS :RESOURCES

See Lian Ong FRICS was inaugurated as the 130th President of RICS on 4 July – the fi rst President from outside the UK. Malaysian-born See Lian has more than 35 years of experience in the public and private sectors of the construction industry as a quantity surveyor. To coincide with the inauguration, RICS hosted a seminar to launch a major piece of foresight research harnessing the collective views of global property and construction industry leaders on the challenges facing the profession over the next 20 years.

A HISTORIC FIRSTWE REMAIN CONCERNED BY THE SQUEEZE BEING PLACED ON THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Simon Rubinsohn, RICS Chief Economist

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Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) have proven to be an effective method for the procurement of infrastructure projects globally over the past 10 years, according to a new RICS research report – a finding in stark contrast with the generally negative popular opinion these ventures receive. At a time

when many national governments are introducing public spending cuts post-financial crisis, and with an estimated annual spend of US$500tn until 2030 needed to meet global infrastructure demands, PPPs will continue to play an essential role in redressing the infrastructure ‘investment

gap’. The research also contends that steps must be taken in order to establish a best-practice framework, to ensure the successful provision of this procurement model going forward.

See more statistics from the report on p66 or download the full report at rics.org/research.

Meeting global infrastructure needs

RICS has responded to the discussion paper of the EU Committee of the Regions (CoR) on a European agenda for social housing, stressing the need for an increased supply of housing stock. RICS, co-chair of the European Housing Forum and, as such, a firm subscriber to the right of decent housing for all citizens, provided the following comments:

1. State interventionThe debate on a European agenda for social housing is partially about the pros and cons between state intervention and market mechanisms. It is probable that capital grants for new affordable housing will all but disappear in many countries, and subsidy to the individual is the way forward. An EU-wide approach to such a subsidy could be attractive.

2. Policy should focus on supply, not on ownershipThe real pending crisis is one of supply of affordable housing and access to suitable housing that people can afford. Supply has to be of the right type, price and location. EU intervention in regeneration should include housing, as well as jobs and infrastructure, and be based on suitable tenures and support to ensure affordability and ability to access the housing.

3. The energy issueTo drive demand and create a large-scale market for energy efficiency refurbishments, energy performance should be better linked to property value. This will be important to overcome barriers such as split incentives, upfront capital costs and low demand for energy efficiency. To cater for the diverse needs of both households (various income groups) and capital markets (financing schemes and incentives) the EU should adopt a differentiated approach to policy.

4. The role of standardsStandards have an important role to play in ensuring quality, and RICS believes a combination of the right standards and regulation can enhance the availability of decent and affordable housing. The role of the EU is to create a level playing field, and standards can play an important role in the fields of construction, product and provision of services. Standards need to be flexible and provide room for local adjustments. There is a role for the EU to encourage the adoption of performance-based regulation and standards, and the use of prescriptive regulations should be discouraged.View the full report at rics.org/eupolicy.

A series of earthquakes hit Christchurch, New Zealand, in February, and then again in June. Alan McMahon FRICS, national director at Colliers International New Zealand, sent an update on the recovery developments.

‘As I write [13 June], initial reports suggest around 50 buildings have suffered new or further damage. Engineers are still calculating where it will be safe to build, in light of the enormous amount of liquefaction of the ground. Only then will there be any clarity on where the new CBD will be centred.

‘A second issue is the apparent unwillingness of CBD workers to re-occupy high-rise premises. At Colliers International, we have just completed a landlord and tenant survey, which showed that 76% of occupiers would consider returning to the CBD, but virtually all of them want to be on level three or below. 21% said they would not return to the CBD at all. This reflects about 100,000m sq of office space which previously existed in the CBD that may not now be required.’

Read more of Alan’s update at rics.org/nz.

RECOVERY SURVEYSOCIAL HOUSING IN EUROPE

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am deeply honoured and humbled to have been elected the 130th President of RICS. I am all the more proud when I consider

the esteemed list of 129 British names that precede mine. So I wish to take this opportunity to confirm my absolute commitment to upholding the charter obligations of RICS while helping the UK and overseas profession to navigate through the winds of change.

We live in a shrinking world where no one is sheltered from global influence. For this reason, consistent professional standards are increasingly in demand – and real estate and construction are no exception. We should take great pride in the fact that the chartered surveying profession has had the foresight to grow to meet this global demand.

Of course, RICS Asia today looks very different from the institution I joined 34 years ago. Qualified membership now stands at more than 8,000, with a total of 2,000 new members in the past two years. However, against this backdrop of change in Asia, and in every other world region, some things remain constant. Foremost among these is the pride that members the world over hold for their qualification.

Over the past year, Robert Peto has devoted much of his time to setting out clearly the fundamental difference between a professional body and a members’ club, and I would like to remind our members and wider stakeholders of this. It is only through the market’s recognition of the profession’s standards that it will continue to have a place in this world. I, for one, am proud of being a chartered surveyor first and foremost, because of what it says to the world about my achievements and the standards I embrace as a professional, not just because I’m part of a great network (which is also true). In addition to this, I will be encouraging RICS to:■ Speak with a clear voice to increase our impact on the most important themes of today in our principal world markets■ Collaborate effectively ■ Become ever-more relevant to the leaders and future global leaders of the profession ■ Provide members with a global profession they are proud to belong to.

I am only your global President for one year, and that time will pass all too quickly, so this is not about just me. It is about the Governing Council providing wise strategic oversight; it is about the Management Board working with regional boards and our centres of excellence to deliver the business plan; it is about the leaders of the global industry embracing standards and professionalism; and, above all, it is about the grass-roots membership taking pride in belonging to the world’s leading profession in land, property and construction.

In fact, it is about all of us working for the public good and the long-term strength of our profession – staff and members together. So I call on you all to be worldly and forward thinking, and invite you to join me in supporting RICS in its crucial mission now and in the future.

See Lian Ong FRICS is an executive director of Davis Langdon & Seah (Malaysia).

‘I am proud to be a chartered surveyor because of what it says to the world about the standards I embrace’See Lian Ong FRICS, RICS President

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

I

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+65The Republic of Ireland saw the largest reported increase in distressed property listings, with a net balance surge from +4*

-25The pace of distressed listings coming to market eased significantly in Brazil, where the net balance moderated from -63*

+17The Ukraine saw a substantial swing from -17 in the previous quarter, indicating an increase in distressed property listings*

+24The level of distressed property coming to the market in the UK rose, and more is predicted, although at a slower pace*

+33Spain reversed a dramatic downward swing in the number of distressed properties coming to market, with a surge in the net balance from -6 in the previous quarter*

+23Agents in India reported a substantial rise in the pace of investor demand for distressed property, up from a net balance score of +5*

*Highlights from the RICS Global Distressed Property Monitor Q1 2011. rics.org/economics

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RICS news//

‘RICS now stands at a

crossroads’

As part of the RICS Futures project, Professor John Ratcliffe FRICS was commissioned to undertake a body of future foresighting work, drawing on the views of external stakeholders, to paint a picture of emerging potential futures that could help Governing Council revise RICS’ long-term strategy and provide a clear steer to Management Board on what it expects in any three-year business plan cycle.

In his Just Imagine paper, presented to Governing Council in early July, Professor Ratcliffe sets out his belief that RICS now stands at a crossroads and is in need of a grand transformation to take it in the right direction:

What? RICS must reach out globally, with local knowledge, demonstrating the need for an interconnected set of disciplines or specialist spheres of influence that collectively contribute to developing a better built environment, through expert knowledge and holistic

understanding of the land and property development processes, and the maintenance of high professional standards worldwide.

Why? No one else in the world is better equipped. There are huge reservoirs of skill, method and experience to be drawn upon, and drawn together. Nonetheless, if RICS is hesitant, others, separately, will do it within their own areas of operation.

When? The transition has to start now. Decisions regarding the shape, structure, standards and performance of urban futures is being made by myriad agencies of governance and business at the present time.

Who? All those prepared to make the journey. Some don’t see the ‘big picture’; others won’t want to travel; and even more would prefer for someone else to do

LAST DECEMBER, RICS GOVERNING COUNCIL

AGREED TO MOVE ITS STRATEGIC PLANNING ON TO A LONGER TIME

HORIZON BY LOOKING AT POTENTIAL FUTURE SCENARIOS

TO HELP SHAPE TODAY’S DIRECTION OF TRAVEL

Exciting, engaging and enrolling the

next generation. Incentivising young talent, and making the

institution relevant to those starting a career in land, property and

construction.

Contributing more centrally, to the current

‘cities conversation’. It is the century of cities. There has never been such attention paid to their

position, performance and prospects. RICS needs to be a leading authoritative voice in

their future planning and governance.

Thematic policy programmes.

The old ways of segmenting the profession are increasingly irrelevant and organisationally problematical. As either an umbrella to, or a

replacement for, the Professional Groups, a select number of thematic policy programme areas could

be established – eg Evaluation and Measurement; Sustainable

Development, etc.

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RICS’ top-level strategy is set by Governing Council. Chaired by the President, it includes members from all world regions.

To ensure RICS has a robust, strategic planning process, Council set up the Strategy Advisory Group (SAG) in 2010. The SAG comprises of a cross section of officers, council members and members nominated by the Knowledge Board to progress RICS’ strategic direction. Over the past year the SAG has supported Council in the debate that led to the establishment of an RICS presence in Latin America, the application of languages for RICS material and commissioned the Futures project (see left). Items debated at the most recent meeting in July included global valuation strategy, RICS’ three-year business plan and the contents of Professor Ratcliffe’s report.

I am keen to ensure that everyone feels connected by knowing what is being discussed, and the direction and strategic decisions that Council are taking on our behalf. To aid transparency we have introduced clearer meeting reports and video interviews with Council members; our membership Twitter account carries decisions from Council as they happen; and, using online voting, members from, amongst others, South Africa, Malaysia and Canada, joined the AGM in July.

You can find more information on Governing Council, including its role, meeting reports and a list of members representing your region or specialism at rics.org/governingcouncil or follow our Twitter feed at twitter.com/RICSmembership.

SETTING GLOBAL STRATEGY

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it for them. The preferred destination, the probable map and the possible routes – the ‘strategy’– has to involve remarkable people not only from within, but especially from without, the organisational structure of RICS. RICS needs to work out how to engage the external thought-leaders who can support the Governing Body to develop a more ambitious preferred future.

How? In many different ways – but again, all based on a new mindset. All real change is grounded in fresh ways of thinking and perceiving; and it is almost tautological to state that fundamental change rarely comes from the mainstream. New ideas and new movements do not come from the centre of power – they come from the

periphery. Moreover, any ‘grand transformation’ must also have leadership, and, in the same vein, the right leaders are difficult to identify in advance, for dominant incumbents are rarely the pioneers of radical new policies or practices. Thought leaders and transformational organisers must be sought, enrolled and unleashed. Alliances must be forged with the world’s top business schools, and a critical global review undertaken of training, education and research imperatives for the profession.

Where? From all over. From employers, from clients, from governments, from academe, from staff, from other professions, and from individual ‘extraordinary’ members. The search and involvement, of course, must be intergenerational, multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural. Above all, however, it must be

ingenious and enterprising, as well as resourceful and properly managed. As part of this, it must take place in different realms, and throughout diverse networks. This is now a connected world with immense power and promise. It is the informal and less-formal settings that will yield the richer and more productive concepts and constructs. The governance and bureaucratic structures of RICS might form a framework for this exploration to proceed – taking on the role of catalysts, conductors and custodians. Star performers must be enlisted, industry leaders engaged and champions found.

Professor Ratcliffe said, ‘The objective is not to forecast the future, for no one can tell what the future will be. The objective is to take responsibility as an institution for the future of the profession.’

To get involved in the RICS Futures programme, visit rics.org/futures.

Displaying collaborative leadership

towards a low-carbon built environment economy. Help put in place

a stable, resilient, unambiguous and well-communicated policy framework and set of

regulatory standards. Put a proper price on carbon, and you solve the

problem – so it is said!

Open-sourcing information

and ideas. There is probably scope for a quantum change in the way the institution mobilises and

exploits the knowledge and skills of its membership to provide current and

cutting-edge intelligence and opinions.

Global positioning. How

to assert the RICS brand and promote its

profile as a global institution that just happens to have its

HQ in London.

Left: Six of the 120 frequent issues and challenges in the report that emerged from the study, distilled from the various surveys and interviews conducted during the exercise

Rob Mahoney FRICS RICS Honorary Secretary

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RICS news//

56 r ics.org

Comparable evidence is at the heart of all real estate valuations. The process of identifying comparable evidence, analysing it and applying it to the property to be valued is fundamental to producing an accurate valuation that can stand scrutiny from the client, the market and the courts.

Although many valuers in the UK and elsewhere are well used to handling and analysing comparable data, there remains a need to ensure a consistency of approach. In some parts of the world where markets are at an earlier stage of development,

comparable evidence is often more difficult to obtain, and valuers may be less familiar with its use. Growing regulation of the valuation process in response to local and international demand is a feature of many developed and developing economies. The need for consistency has been reinforced by the highly volatile market conditions of the first decade of the 21st century. For example, rapid movements in values, both up and down, plus periods of stagnation resulting in a lack of market evidence, have provided challenging conditions

for the valuation profession.

This new Code of Practice outlines the principles of the use of comparable evidence; encourages consistency in its use worldwide; and gives guidance in the use of comparable evidence in challenging market conditions. The Code is applicable to land and buildings used for commercial, industrial, residential, agricultural and associated purposes, and is applicable worldwide. Members can download the code of practice in September at rics.org/comparableevidence

RICS ESTABLISHES GLOBAL COMPARABLE EVIDENCE CODE OF PRACTICE

NEW STANDARDSAcceleration in constructionAcceleration, in the context of construction contracts, generally refers to increasing the originally planned or current rate of progress of the works so as to complete the project earlier than would otherwise be the case. New RICS guidance explains what acceleration is, how it can be achieved in practice and how it can be valued. Surveying safelyRICS has published a surveying safely guidance note to ensure consistency in the approach to health and safety procedures across the construction sector. Surveying Safely identifies the practical, moral and ethical issues that confront property companies and individual professionals. Green infrastructureAs climate change moves up the agenda, RICS has produced an information paper to raise awareness of the contribution that green infrastructure can make to reducing the impact of climate change. Green infrastructure includes trees, green walls, green roofs, open spaces and the networks that emerge from linking these together. Forecasting and cash flows in construction This new guidance note summarises what cash flow forecasting is, explains how to produce a useful forecast, and then how to use it to assess progress on site to assist both employers and contractors to analyse actual expenditure against forecast expenditure. Cash flow is the lifeblood of the construction industry and relates to the incoming or outgoing of money to or from a company over a given period. Benchmarking and cost analysisThis guidance note summarises the purpose and process of both cost analysis and construction project benchmarking, covering the general principles applying to each operation. The relationship between the process of cost analysis and benchmarking is discussed, as well as looking at how the results from both can help inform the design development and cost planning activities of a planned project. Defining completion on construction worksCompletion of projects as complex as construction works is rarely a scientific or purely logical process but requires a degree of evaluation. This guidance note summarises the principal features of completion of construction works under a variety of construction contracts. rics.org/standards

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Membership

STARTING POINTSStarting Points is a brand-new series of resources from the RICS Library. Aimed at students, trainees or anyone new to the profession, they offer introductions to various topics of interest and provide avenues of further information to help you develop your knowledge. Topics include rent reviews, property cycles, earthquakes and project management. Why not let us know what you would like to see covered? Email library@rics.org. rics.org/startingpoints

Live, interactive online learning classes

BRIBERY UPDATEOn 1 July the provisions in the Bribery Act 2010 came into force. The legislation has major implications for business generally and, of course, for RICS members and firms.

RICS has teamed up with Field Fisher Waterhouse to provide more customised guidance. This includes quick reference guides in the form of flow charts, to help you see how the Act now impacts you and your business, and more comprehensive guidance to support that.

Some of the key parts of the Bribery Act, previously outlined in Modus April, include:

The new corporate offence of failing to

prevent bribery – under the Act, it is an offence for a commercial organisation to fail to prevent bribery. To successfully defend such a charge, the organisation must show that it had in place ‘adequate procedures’ aimed at preventing bribery.

The wide jurisdictional impact of the Act – which covers UK companies and individuals normally resident in the UK, but also any company that ‘carries on a business’ in the UK.rics.org/bribery

SUPPORT FOR MEMBERS FACING CLAIMS RICS runs a Member Support Service (MSS), offering financial and other assistance to members facing claims for valuations carried out for employer firms who have since gone into liquidation. There is currently no charge for members to join, as reserves remain sufficient to deliver the service’s benefits. With the support of preferred legal partner Browne Jacobson, MSS has successfully defended all claims on which it has provided assistance.

The proposal was put to the membership following the Merrett v Babb case. Mr Babb was an employed surveyor who was sued personally following the bankruptcy of his employer. The firm’s PII was cancelled and the claimant sued Mr Babb rather than his bankrupt employer. RICS felt that this placed employees in a situation that they could not possibly foresee.

Following the successful vote on 1 July 2002, RICS created the Members’ Support Service to provide help to members on limiting their liabilities. The service provides wider protection than to just members in private practice. Members in other employment sectors, building companies, local authorities, or other commercial concerns for example, are exposed to liabilities – and the scheme will be there to assist.

How will it benefit you?If you are eligible, the service is there to help provide you with:

Access to external expert legal advisers

A dedicated helpline manned by qualified staff

Support in dealing with insurance providers.

And, depending on each case’s individual merits and the level of funds available, the service will:

Investigate the allegation Help with legal costs At its discretion, provide any

further support.rics.org/mss

RICS has launched Web Class, a series of interactive, online one-hour training classes as a way for APC candidates, members and independent property professionals to expand their knowledge, discuss current industry topics, and gain CPD hours. The sessions are collaborative and include Q&A sessions to allow full participation between the audience and the presenter. Web Classes

held in June included 10 dos and don’ts in your critical analysis, and the mutual effects and consequences of finance and valuation. Web Classes cost £15 each and are available for one week. Sessions planned for the coming months include business valuation versus real estate valuation, and APC graduate route 3 – avoiding the pitfalls. rics.org/onlineacademy

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46 r ics.org

To view all the latest offers, new partners and monthly and seasonal promotions, visit rics.org/benefitsplus

Benefitsrics.org/benefitsplus

Advertorial//

58 r ics.org

Recently commissioned research* by Lloyds TSB Commercial asked 1,500 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for their views on sustainability.

Property-focused SMEs were just one of several sectors questioned, but the findings reveal that more than half of them (52%) felt that there could be risks to their business if they didn’t take measures to be more sustainable.

They concluded that these could represent quite serious threats, with higher operational costs (74%) and falling behind competitors (73%) as the top two issues. ‘The research highlights that businesses are aware of the risks of increasing legislation but are not always tackling them,’ said Lloyds TSB Commercial head of property Graham McKean. ‘Of those who felt they weren’t doing enough to mitigate the potential

risks, 40% said they intend to address sustainability when economic conditions improve further, and 27% wanted more guidance from other organisations and business networks.

‘This is why Lloyds TSB Commercial has been staging events throughout the country, with speakers from RICS and the Association of Residential Letting Agents, to give businesses the opportunity to hear from sustainability professionals and assess the threats or opportunities they face.

‘Sustainability is an incredibly important issue for all SMEs, but it is particularly so for property investors and developers because of changing legislation. An example is the Energy Bill, which could mean private landlords will have to make reasonable energy efficiency improvements to their

buildings. This would have a huge cost implication for many of our customers.

‘We have a 300-strong team of local Business and Environment Managers based across England and Wales who can help companies identify and plan for sustainability challenges and opportunities.’

Lloyds TSB Commercial has also developed a dedicated sustainability website, containing a free tool for SMEs to use to help improve and develop their green credentials. To access the website, or find out how Lloyds TSB Commercial’s Preferred Banking Partner status benefits RICS members, visit www.lloydstsb.com/property

*February/March 2011. Lloyds TSB Commercial is a trading name of Lloyds TSB Bank plc and Lloyds TSB Scotland plc and serves customers with an annual turnover of up to £15m.

Banking on sustainability with Lloyds TSB

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EUROPE

RICS Deutschland annual meeting of the professional group chairs and regional groups leaders6 September, RICS Frankfurt officeThis annual half-day programme offers a platform for various committed volunteer members acting as multiplicators in their regions and faculties to exchange experiences and ideas. The meeting is facilitated by Andrea Jost FRICS, board member RICS Deutschland. cciampa@rics.org

INDIA

Planning and delivering urban infrastructure in Indian cities10-11 August, Taj Palace Hotel, New DelhiRICS India has organised this conference with the aim of sharing knowledge and learning gained from other global cities that are already planning for sustainable growth. To participate in the event, please fill in the online registration form. INR7,200 (members) INR9,000 (non-members). rics.org/india

ENGLAND

RICS LN&R Rural: Rural planning and development update27 July, Kilworth Springs Golf Club, LeicestershireThe UK government has announced a further raft of changes to the planning system. Understand the implications for you and your clients’ land interests.£19.57 + VATrics.org/events

RICS & SPAB building conservation summer school11–15 September, CirencesterExperience conservation as it happens, including a hands-on day on how to use lime mortars. Practitioners are also welcome to discover new skills and gain a better understanding of building conservation philosophy and techniques.rics.org/summer school2011

The role of trees in climate change14 September, RICS London headquartersFind out how trees can help in carbon reduction.rics.org/london

Retail, regeneration, superstores and CPOs

23 September, RICS London headquartersThe theme for this event focuses on urban economic concepts, and planning and delivery of regeneration projects.rics.org/london

RICS dilapidations forum conference 27 September, LondonThis popular conference returns to tackle the latest legal and technical issues facing the sector. The keynote address will be given by Rt Hon Lord Neuberger, Master of the Rolls.£195 + VATrics.org/dilapidations2011

Alienation – issues and tactics for landlords and tenants28 September, RICS London headquartersThis seminar will cover various aspects of alienation and the Good Harvest decision.rics.org/london

RICS west rural seminar seriesSeptember to November, Devon, Somerset, Gloucestershire and ShropshireHow can we use land sustainably, and what renewable options and financial support exist? Also get up to date with localism, planning, farm diversification, landlord and tenant and inheritance tax. rics.org/westruralseries2011

This seminar will look at how to format your final submission, what the panel is looking for, and some do’s and don’ts for the critical analysis.£25 + VAT per teamrics.org/northernireland

WALES

RICS Wales Swansea Bay chair’s handover 27 July, Swansea An informal social event where Robert Morrell will be handing over the Swansea Bay chairmanship to Andrew Davies of Hurley and Davies. Pre-booking is not essential.£6.25 + VAT

RICS matrics South Wales BBQ12 August, CardiffThis year’s barbecue will be taking place at the Mochyn Du, Pontcanna. £10 + VATrics.org/events

RICS Wales infrastructure conference12 September, CardiffThere will be a keynote address by Cheryl Gillan MP, Secretary of State for Wales. Other topics include the role of the planning system in Wales, s106 agreements, Welsh railways and more. £110 + VATrics.org/events

RICS Wales building surveying day15 September, CardiffKeynote speaker Terry Davis FRICS will be giving a presentation on dilapidations. Other topics covered include the work behind the Cardiff City Stadium, sustainability, waste, contract administration and party walls. £60 + VATrics.org/events

EventsRICS party walls guidance note launch 11 October, RICS London headquartersRICS is launching the new edition of the RICS party walls guidance note with a half-day event, providing you with an opportunity to analyse the changes and ask the authors any questions.£150 + VATrics.org/partywalls2011

RICS UK valuation conference10 November, LondonThis annual event involving up to 300 delegates will focus on the national valuation issues and challenges. £195-£220 + VATrics.org/events

NORTHERN IRELAND

RICS NI APC pre-submission seminar25 August, RICS Belfast

FOR RICS EVENTS BOOKINGS AND ENQUIRIES events@rics.org // +44 (0)20 7695 1600

RICS AWARDS 2011 GRAND FINAL 21 October, London

Now in its 21st year, the annual RICS Awards ceremony is a highlight in the industry calendar. Following regional heats,

the winners in the categories of Sustainability, Regeneration, Building Conservation and Community Benefit will be announced, along with the overall winner of the prestigious Project of the Year award, which last year was won by Derby College’s ambitious £48m regeneration project, the Roundhouse campus (pictured). Hosted by BBC television presenter Julia Bradbury, this year’s Grand Final will be held at The Savoy hotel in London. rics.org/awards

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P51-66_Info.v1.indd 59 27/06/2011 13:38

60 r ics.org

Advertisement

LionHeart Lottery is open to everyone, not just RICS members. Everyone in the property world will be encouraged to buy lottery numbers, from £1 each to a maximum of £20 a month, which will be entered into a monthly draw for a top prize of £1000 plus other cash prizes.

The lottery will start in October 2011. Ambassadors and supporters around the UK will encourage their colleagues, friends and associates to get behind this innovative fundraising campaign.Christine Janaway from Bruton Knowles in Gloucester, one of LionHeart’s band of ambassadors, thinks this is a brilliant idea: “I can ask all of my colleagues to join in supporting the lottery, knowing the proceeds will go to LionHeart beneficiaries and that everyone has a really good chance to win one of the cash prizes. The charity provides such good advice, support and encouragement for RICS members and their families, that I’m sure all of us in the property industry will want to back LionHeart with this fun approach to raising much needed funds.”Go to www.lionheartlottery.org.uk for more information.About LionHeart: RICS members and their families can turn to LionHeart for advice and information, support and sometimes financial help when they face difficulties in their lives. LionHeart is a registered charity in England and Wales (261245)

and is a Company registered in England (980025).

And help us to help RICS members less fortunate than yourself

‘The LionHeart Lottery launch’

You couldWIN £1000

LionHeart launched a new lottery for property people at a reception held on 1 June 2011 at The Grosvenor Office in London.

Representatives of the press together with LionHeart ambassadors and supporters were told about this exciting and novel way of generating income and awareness for the charity.

15

8

3

4

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P51-66_Info.v1.indd 60 27/06/2011 13:38

60 r ics.org

Advertisement

LionHeart Lottery is open to everyone, not just RICS members. Everyone in the property world will be encouraged to buy lottery numbers, from £1 each to a maximum of £20 a month, which will be entered into a monthly draw for a top prize of £1000 plus other cash prizes.

The lottery will start in October 2011. Ambassadors and supporters around the UK will encourage their colleagues, friends and associates to get behind this innovative fundraising campaign.Christine Janaway from Bruton Knowles in Gloucester, one of LionHeart’s band of ambassadors, thinks this is a brilliant idea: “I can ask all of my colleagues to join in supporting the lottery, knowing the proceeds will go to LionHeart beneficiaries and that everyone has a really good chance to win one of the cash prizes. The charity provides such good advice, support and encouragement for RICS members and their families, that I’m sure all of us in the property industry will want to back LionHeart with this fun approach to raising much needed funds.”Go to www.lionheartlottery.org.uk for more information.About LionHeart: RICS members and their families can turn to LionHeart for advice and information, support and sometimes financial help when they face difficulties in their lives. LionHeart is a registered charity in England and Wales (261245)

and is a Company registered in England (980025).

And help us to help RICS members less fortunate than yourself

‘The LionHeart Lottery launch’

You couldWIN £1000

LionHeart launched a new lottery for property people at a reception held on 1 June 2011 at The Grosvenor Office in London.

Representatives of the press together with LionHeart ambassadors and supporters were told about this exciting and novel way of generating income and awareness for the charity.

15

8

3

4

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P51-66_Info.v1.indd 60 27/06/2011 13:38MODUS_Jul-Aug_P67_Quest_Ad.indd 54 29/06/2011 17:22

01.11 // MODUS 09

EASTERN

Leslie Corner FRICS1927-2011, Wickford

George Douglas Hurst FRICS1917-2011, Norwich

Alan Albert Payne MRICS1938-2011, Luton

Clifford Raymond Pike FRICS1946-2011, Norwich

Alan Roger Sentance MRICS1922-2010, Southend-On-Sea

LONDON

Leon Alfred Koniotes FRICS1929-2011, London

Rachel Elizabeth Pamela Lewis MRICS1969-2011, London

Christopher Michael Martin MRICS1951-2010, London

David Michael Pickford FRICS1926-2009, London

Douglas Edwin Snowden FRICS1946-2011, London

Albert Sugarman FRICS1923-2011, London

NORTH EAST

George Henry Scott MRICS1962-2011, Alnwick

NORTH WEST

Nigel Timothy Herdman MRICS1955-2011, Wigan

Robert Ian Heyes FRICS1941-2011, Chester

Arthur Godfrey Marsh MRICS1925-2011, Southport

Michael J Pollitt MRICS1953-2009, Morecambe

Kenneth Standen FRICS1925-2011, Blackpool

SOUTH EAST

Nigel Howard Ball MRICS1951-2011, New Milton

Dennis Edmund Blanch FRICS1933-2011, Burgess Hill

John Herbert Boulton-Brewer FRICS1922-2008, Chichester

Terence John Cundall FRICS1934-2011, Wembley

Ernest Jack Dancey FRICS1922-2011, Southampton

Francis John Davis MRICS1925-2011, East Grinstead

Harold John Gudgion FRICS1916-2010, Reading

Brian Duff Henderson FRICS1917-2011, Haywards Heath

Nigel Walton Herdman MRICS1951-2010, Bognor Regis

Walter John Jales MRICS1921-2011, Uckfield

Peter William John Leigh FRICS1929-2011, Wokingham

Brian Douglas Martin AssocRICS1931-2011, Enfield

Patrick Martin O’Brien MRICS1954-2010, Wembley

Robert Frank Reid MRICS1932-2010, Basingstoke

Dudley William Ridgeon MRICS1923-2011, Pinner

SOUTH WEST

Peter Alexander Ballingall FRICS1946-2011, Bristol

Harry Noel Barwick FRICS1919-2010, Sidmouth

Anthony John Chipley Clarke FRICS1924-2011, Bristol

John Upham Dyer MRICS1926-2011, Gloucester

Brian Gale MRICS1930-2010, Chard

Philip Bryan Hunt FRICS1930-2010, Torpoint

Roy William John Iles AssocRICS1939-2009, Bristol

Harry Charles Morgan MRICS1913-2011, Bath

John O’Gara MRICS1949-2007, Torquay

John Ainsleigh Miler Preston FRICS1926-2009, Bristol

Robert William Ashton Roach MRICS1933-2011, Bristol

Anthony John Ward FRICS1937-2011, Cheltenham

Donald Gordon Hall MRICS1925-2010, Skipton

Stephen Hall MRICS1956-2011, Leeds

Basil John Lane MRICS1930-2011, Castleford

Robert Clive Stables MRICS1918-2011, Rotherham

SCOTLAND

John Archibald Main Buchanan FRICS1912-2011, Dundee

Duncan Alexander Mackenzie FRICS1950-2011, Edinburgh

Barclay John McNeela MRICS1925-2011, Perth

Howard Williams FRICS1920-2011, Stirling

WALES

Julian Dawkins FRICS1957-2008, Pontypool

Raymond Jones FRICS1933-2008, Wrexham

Cedric David Gwilym Roberts FRICS1925-2011, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll

WEST MIDLANDS

Peter Robert Gunn MRICS1958-2011, Birmingham

John Price Hitchenor FRICS1918-2009, Stafford

Douglas Arthur Jefferies FRICS1927-2011, Solihull

Charles Howard Mason MRICS1920-2011, Shrewsbury

Trevor John Mundon AssocRICS1950-2011, Dudley

George Robert Scotney FRICS1915-2011, Stafford

Derek Thurgood MRICS1952-2011, Birmingham

EAST MIDLANDS

Neville Chambers FRICS1931-2011, Loughborough

David William Mera FRICS1932-2011, Towcester

YORKSHIRE & HUMBER

Peter Stephen Atkinson FRICS1916-2011, Driffield

NORTHERN IRELAND

James Howard Dowling FRICS1923-2006, Ballynahinch

Thomas Shaw Hegarty MRICS1918-2011, Belfast

EUROPE

Frederick Reginald Edgar Cann FRICS1927-2011, Algarve

Ronald Stuart Ross FRICS1919-2010, Algarve

IRELAND

Patrick Michael Reynolds MRICS1953-2009, Leixlip, Co Kildare

AMERICAS

Lam Yiu Shue MRICS1931-2010, Richmond Hill, Canada

ASIA

Thomas Paul Flaherty MRICS1967-2011, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Lam Kam-Ming MRICS1951-2010, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Wong Sai Lun MRICS1951-2011, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong

Obituaries

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 61

David Neale FRICS 1958-2011

David B Neale died on 7 June aged 53 after a short illness, but leaves behind a lasting legacy within coastal and

marine/hydrographic surveying. David was a key driver behind the continuing excellence of the surveying courses in the University of the West Indies (UWE), based in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and was a great influence on a generation of Caribbean surveyors who qualified through UWE. David was a hydrographic, marine and coastal zone expert and was highly effective in raising the profile of marine coastal issues on the international stage through his involvement with the FIG Commission. Gaining chartered status in 1994, David served on numerous marine specific panels and RICS Americas boards. He is survived by his wife Vanessa and son Geoffrey and will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues.

Advertisement

LionHeart Lottery is open to everyone, not just RICS members. Everyone in the property world will be encouraged to buy lottery numbers, from £1 each to a maximum of £20 a month, which will be entered into a monthly draw for a top prize of £1000 plus other cash prizes.

The lottery will start in October 2011. Ambassadors and supporters around the UK will encourage their colleagues, friends and associates to get behind this innovative fundraising campaign.Christine Janaway from Bruton Knowles in Gloucester, one of LionHeart’s band of ambassadors, thinks this is a brilliant idea: “I can ask all of my colleagues to join in supporting the lottery, knowing the proceeds will go to LionHeart beneficiaries and that everyone has a really good chance to win one of the cash prizes. The charity provides such good advice, support and encouragement for RICS members and their families, that I’m sure all of us in the property industry will want to back LionHeart with this fun approach to raising much needed funds.”Go to www.lionheartlottery.org.uk for more information.About LionHeart: RICS members and their families can turn to LionHeart for advice and information, support and sometimes financial help when they face difficulties in their lives. LionHeart is a registered charity in England and Wales (261245)

and is a Company registered in England (980025).

And help us to help RICS members less fortunate than yourself

‘The LionHeart Lottery launch’

You couldWIN £1000

LionHeart launched a new lottery for property people at a reception held on 1 June 2011 at The Grosvenor Office in London.

Representatives of the press together with LionHeart ambassadors and supporters were told about this exciting and novel way of generating income and awareness for the charity.

15

8

3

4

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P51-66_Info.v2.F1.indd 61 28/06/2011 13:53

Flexible, postgraduate courses forconstruction professionals at the School of Built and Natural Environment

For more information please call 01772 892400 email pgenquiries@uclan.ac.uk or visit www.uclan.ac.uk/bnepostgrad

MSc/PGDip/PGCert (Full-time and Part-time)� Construction Project Management (CIOB accredited)� Building Conservation and Regeneration (RICS/IHBC accredited)� Project Management (APM accreditation pending)� Building Services (CIBSE/Energy Institute accredited)

with opportunity for conversion� Sustainable Waste Management (CIWM accredited)

MSc/PGDip/PGCert (Blended E-Learning)� Construction Law and Dispute Resolution (RICS accredited)� Property Management� Construction Management with routes in

- Construction Economics (RICS accredited)- Facilities Management (RICS accredited)- Project management (RICS accredited)

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Apply online now for a September or January start andtake the next step in realising your own career aspirations.

“My professional development was also dramatically enhanced and I found myself rapidly promoted from Quantity Surveyor to Commercial Manager”Nicolas Noyer, Senior Consultant,

International Dispute Resolution Company

find out morewww.rgu.ac.uk/modusT: 01224 262247 E: myfuture@rgu.ac.uk

Flexible online Postgraduate Courses that fit in with your busy lifestyle

www.rgu.ac.ukmy time my career my future

attend site visit meet with architect finalise contract business lunch update the boss develop project brief read and action survey report go home eat dinner apply for masters flexible study enhance your career a clear future

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MSc Construction Project Management

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62 r ics.org

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P62-65_Classified.v1.indd 54 27/06/2011 13:42

DIRECTORYFor directory advertising please contact Lucie Inns +44 (0)20 7793 2477 lucie@sundaypublishing.com

95,256 average net circulation 1st July 2009 – 30th June 2010

RECRUITMENTFor recruitment advertising please contact Grace Healy +44 (0)20 7793 2491 grace@sundaypublishing.com

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 63

Business services

CHEGWIDDEN & Co Chartered Accountants

Mergers & Acquisitions Department

ARE YOU PLANNING TO SELL YOUR PRACTICE?

We are the leading broker for Surveyors and have many buyers registered with us looking to expand throughout the

UK and the ROI. We can also assist you with a valuation, partnership change advice and MBO/MBI’s

Contact:Paul Beason FRICS - pjb@chegwidden.uk.comMike Harris FCCA - mah@chegwidden.uk.com

Tel: 020 8597 2531 Fax: 020 8599 6273 www.chegwidden.uk.com

Advertise in Modus and recruit from a pool of more than 95,000

chartered surveyorsThe Sept issue will be published on 1 Sept

Recruitment booking deadline Tuesday 2 Aug

Recruitment copy deadline Tuesday 9 Aug

WANTED Experienced Building Surveyor to join well-established firm of chartered building surveyors who specialise in education,

training, subsidence and social housing work.

We operate throughout North West England; being based in both North and East Lancashire.

We would want someone capable of taking over the firm within the next few years. The candidate should therefore have drive, enthusiasm, time

and ideally some capital to invest. All options considered.

This is an ideal opportunity for a chartered surveyor who may be thinking of setting up on their own.

All enquiries will be treated in the strictest of confidence.

Write to Box 03, Sunday Publishing, Enterprise House, 1-2 Hatfields, London SE1 9PG

CHARTERED SURVEYORWe are a progressive regional player covering

West Midlands and Shropshire.

We need a Valuation Surveyor to work within the Professional Team to cope with the existing wide ranging and

heavy workload, and to grow the department.

We offer incentivised packages with genuine partnership potential.

Forward CV and application to ian.roberts@tsrsurveyors.co.ukricsrecruit.com

TO VIEW THESE JOB DESCRIPTIONS in full and to apply online, please visit ricsrecruit.com and enter the reference number in the keyword box.

T +44 (0)20 7793 2491E grace@sundaypublishing.com

GENERAL PRACTICE Commercial Surveyor South Yorkshire Negotiable Ref: RICS0020This is an ideal opportunity for a qualified Commercial Surveyor keen to take on a new challenge and develop your expertise in a niche market.

ESTATES MANAGEMENT Estates Facilities Manager LondonNegotiable Ref: RICS0021This large independent school based in North London is seeking to appoint a qualified Estates Facilities Manager with proven experience to undertake the full range of FM duties.

COMMERCIAL Property Management Surveyor HampshireNegotiable Ref: RICS0022An immediate vacancy available for a Management Surveyor. Handling a diverse commercial portfolio throughout the South of England you will have solid experience in commercial property management.

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P62-65_Classified.v1.indd 55 27/06/2011 13:42

01343 890400www.bowlts.com

chartered surveyors

TRAINEE CHARTERED SURVEYORWe are an independent firm of Rural Practice Chartered Surveyorsundertaking work across all aspects of land and property manage-ment. We currently have a vacancy for a Trainee Rural PracticeChartered Surveyor. Applicants must be willing to work towards gain-ing MRICS status.The successful applicant will be self-motivated, pos-sess good organisational skills and should have a full current drivinglicence. For an application form and further details, contact:-

64 r ics.org

To view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.com

With the Residential Valuation and Survey sector showing some encouraging signs, several leading companies are recruiting.Candidates must be MRICS and have a track record in residential mortgage valuations, Homebuyer reports and ideally building surveys. Local knowledge and living in the area of coverage is important.

FULL TIME PERMANENT POSITIONS (basic salaries to £45k + commission)St Albans, NW London/Bushey, Central London, North London, NE London, E postcodes/Docklands, East London/Barking, Brentwood, SE London, Wimbledon/Inner London, West London, Ashford/Kent, Dumfries/Scotland.

ZERO HOURS POSITIONS (part time & full time)All areas of M25/Home Counties, Ealing/Wembley, Burnham/Slough, Putney, Twickenham, Central London, SE London, Kent, Brighton/Crawley, Guildford, Southampton, North Devon, Essex, Norwich, Scunthorpe/Grimsby, Northampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Manchester, Bolton, Liverpool/Wirral, Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford.

PRIME CENTRAL LONDON VALUATION SURVEYORPrevious experience of top-end resi property valuations gained with an up market, prestigious Central London firm is required. Highly attractive salary package.

POST VALUATION TEAM MANAGER – S.YORKSLeading company and major distributor of resi valuations. To lead a team dealing with valuation challenges and queries from applicants, brokers and lenders. Knowledge of lenders valuation requirements and competing panel manager firms reqd. May suit AssocRICS or a resi surveyor (retired and bored!). Basic salary c£25k + benefits.

If your ideal location is not listed, email your CV with contact number and we will keep you advised of new opportunities.

Please email your CV in strictest confidence to: jjohnson@mlarecruit.comOr for a confidential discussion call Jeff Johnson on 07940 594093

RESIDENTIAL VALUATION SURVEYORS

Building Control Surveyor £31,754 - £35,430pa Permanent, Ref No: 2645 We are currently looking for a surveyor with a good knowledge and experience of the building regulations, who is able to work under minimal supervision and is an excellent communicator. In return we offer a chance for you to develop in this challenging and diverse role. To find out more about this post please visit our website www.jobsatportsmouth.co.uk

Deputy Gaveller (Mining Engineer/Mining Surveyor)Coleford (Forest of Dean) £9,032 - £10,404 plus benefi tsPart-time 11 hours per weekTo apply, please visit our websitewww.forestry.gov.uk/vacancies

� 0131 314 6406 or

� Kirsty.winter@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Please quote ref 0039.

Closing date: 3rd August 2011.No recruitment agencies please.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all sectors of our diverse community.

www.forestry.gov.uk/vacancies

The Trevor Patrick Partnership was established in 1989 and has built on an established team of surveyors and designers. Continued repeat business from our valued clients and frequent recommendations from fellow consultants is a statement of trust in our capabilities and integrity.

We require the following professionals to join our innovative team.

SENIOR QUANTITY SURVEYOR (REF SQ1)Salary £45 to 55k+ per annum depending on experience.You should be MRICS with 5 to 10+ years pqe. Expertise in all aspects of quantity surveying and in particular the preparation of detailed cost plans and bills of quantities (including a working knowledge of computer billing software) will be essential. Experience in the provision of project management and employer’s agent duties would also be desirable. We can offer a varied and interesting workload on projects in the commercial sector and rail industry.

SENIOR BUILDING SURVEYOR (REF SB1)Salary £45 to 50k+ per annum depending on experience. You should be MRICS with 5 to 10 years pqe which will include extensive experience of design, NBS specification writing and contract administration. The workload is varied with a particular emphasis on rail industry clients. Experience with AutoCad will be an advantage.

To apply, please send your detailed CV indicating your current salary to m.welsh@ttpp.co.ukClosing date Friday 19 August 2011

NO AGENCIES PLEASE www.ttpp.co.uk

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P62-65_Classified.v1.indd 56 27/06/2011 13:42

07.11 // 08.11 // MODUS 65

At e.surv Chartered Surveyors we understand that it takes all kinds of people to make a successful business, and our team is as diverse as our customer base. One thing is consistent, and that is our approach to providing customers with outstanding levels of service. e.surv Chartered Surveyors is the UK’s largest distributor of valuation instructions. Our business is growing, and as it does we need to employ high calibre, passionate people to grow with us. We are currently recruiting for M/FRICS qualified residential valuers and Chartered Building Surveyors to work across both our private and lender client-base. We’re looking for professional people in Bristol, Dorset, Exeter, Gloucester, London and Northampton.

These are particularly exciting times for us and as launch partners with the RICS for the new Associate RICS (Assoc RICS) grade of membership, we’re also very keen to bring in new team members at this level

When you join e.surv you’re guaranteed:• Excellent rewards including a first class salary,

pension plan and holiday entitlement• Help and advice to further your own continuous

professional development• A supportive working environment with open and

honest communication

We’d love to hear from you.Send your CV and covering letter to tina.beale@esurv.co.ukor call us on 01636 610555

e.surv Chartered Surveyors is the country’s largest provider of residential valuation services

e.surv looking for surveyors from coast to coast

Part of the LSL Property Services plc Group Visit www.esurv.co.uk to find out more about us

Join the UK’s largest distributorof mortgage valuations

ricsrecruit.com

Missing an experienced surveyor or graduate?RICS’ recruitment advertising solutions – Modus, ricsrecruit.com and our specialist journals – offer an unrivalled surveying audience for all your recruitment needs.

Contact Grace Healy today:+44 (0)20 7793 2491 or grace@sundaypublishing.com

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P62-65_Classified.v1.indd 57 27/06/2011 13:42

CANADAINFRASTRUCTURE

GAP =

$66bn

AUSTRALIAINFRASTRUCTURE

GAP =

$455bn

INDIAINFRASTRUCTURE

GAP =

$502bn

USINFRASTRUCTURE

GAP =

2%

Investment (US$) the Indian Planning Commission estimates is needed between 2008 and 2012.

The Future of The Private Finance Initiative and Public Private Partnerships was commissioned by RICS and produced by the University of Ulster and the University of Aberdeen. The report is available for download at rics.org/research

40

$50tnAmount (US$) needed to be invested globally on infrastructure over the next 25 years.

$350bnValue (US$) of 1,046 global PPP deals between 2005-2010.

UKINFRASTRUCTURE

GAP =

£500bn

The number of countries where Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) are used.

Infrastructure investment needed between now and 2020. Current infrastructure spending is around £30bn per year, leaving a shortfall of roughly £20bn.

PPP £2-5bnValue of contracts per year reaching financial close (1996-2005).

69% of PPP projects have been completed on time.65% of PPP projects have been completed on budget.

$79bnValue (US$) of 241 global PPP deals in 2007.

$51.5bnValue of 122 deals in 2010.

$2,200,000,000,000Estimated total cost (US$) of repairs to infrastructure. It’s thought that the investment gap in the US can only be filled with substantial private sector help.

Predicted spend (AUD$) on infrastructure needed by 2018.

PPP

55Number of PPP deals 2005-2010 (total value US$28.1bn).

$800mPPP projects in excess of AUD$800m now require mandatory government support.

PPP $154bnValue (US$) of 240 PPP projects delivered since 1995.

86% of India’s national road highways have been procured through PPP schemes.

63%Percentage debt of total PPP project costs in 2008. This has risen to 79%.

PPP $3.2bnValue (CA$) of 15 PPP deals at market peak of 2007.$3.9bnValue (CA$) of 10 PPP deals in 2010.

PPP $1.2bnValue (US$) of 15 PPP deals (2005-2010).

Investment (CA$) needed by 2020.

$400m Average (US$) PPP deal (2005-2010). This fell to $200m (2007) but has since risen.

The US spends less than 2% of its GDP on infrastructure (China = 9%).

$132bnAmount allocated to infrastructure in the $787bn American Recovery and Re-investment Act.

66 rics.org

Illustration by Ian Dutnall

Measure//

SPENDING GAPINFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

MODUS_jul-Aug_P66_measure.v2.F1.indd 1 28/06/2011 13:55

Market leaders should lead the market.The innovations that have made us the overwhelming market choice.

Quest has developed IT solutions for the UK propertyMarket for almost 30 years and has grown to be the leader in the provision of survey and mortgage valuation technologies. Working closely with the industry, Quest has expanded its range to include risk management tools for lenders, surveyors and panel managers, via its award-winning Q-Guard suite of tools. And, Quest is also a major provider in the Home Report and Energy Performance Certificate markets.

To understand how Quest can work in partnership with your business, visit www.questuk.com or call 0844 844 9969.

Taking the risk out of property transactions

MODUS_Jul-Aug_P67_Quest_Ad.indd 54 24/06/2011 11:16

MODUS_Jul-Aug_p68_bmi_Ad.indd 30 24/06/2011 11:18