rics modus, global edition - june 2013

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skipping The skip The war against construction waste p14 grOwTh markeT Surveyors working in timber and forestry p30 Talking Tech Winning ways in the TMT property sector p36

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CONCRETE THINKINGWhen it comes to building materials, fashions move very slowly. For example,

arguably we’ve been addicted to concrete for more than a century, and this wonder

material provides some 70% of the world’s homes. But change does happen:

sometimes at the margins, sometimes in the mainstream – and sometimes quite

suddenly. So, this issue, we’ve turned our attention to the changing nature of

construction materials, with a collection of products that could change our world,

and the surveyor’s job, over the next decades. Some are old friends due for a

comeback, some are innovations on the cusp of commercial reality, and some are

just great ideas we’d love to see happen. But all have the potential to make our

built environment a very different place. We hope you enjoy our selection.

OLIVER PARSONS EDITOR

06.13 // MODUS 03

Regulars04_FEEDBACKYour views on Modus and the surveying profession

06_INTELLIGENCEGlobal news, plus opinions, reviews and reactions

35_BUSINESS ADVICEA plan of action to help you take control of your email inbox

41_LAW ADVICEHow to prepare your business for the new pension auto-enrolment legislation

Features14_WAR ON WASTEHow surveyors are taking the lead in minimising construction and demolition waste, with some best practice case studies 18_TOMORROW’S MATERIALSFascinating new and upcoming construction materials, plus some innovative uses for a few more familiar products

30_TALES FROM THE WOODThree RICS members discuss the ins and outs of working in the timber and forestry sectors

36_THE SILICON REVOLUTIONThe unconventional workspace demands of London’s burgeoning technology, media and telecommunications sector

Information43_RICS NEWSNews, updates and a message from the RICS President

51_EVENTSProfessional development, training and conference dates

54_RECRUITMENTThe latest job opportunities from across the industry

58_THE MEASUREInteresting facts on concrete usage in the built environment

Contents

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Feedback //

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.

MORE SPACE PLEASEI’m intrigued about the amount of copy space given over to feedback. In the April issue, there was a note saying: ‘We regret we are unable to print or make individual responses to all letters that we receive’. In all previous issues, there was a note saying: ‘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 understand the part in terms of replies but, for a members’ magazine, restricting the number of letters published doesn’t seem right. This is especially so when, as much as I like the style and content of the journal, there are often plenty of full-page photographs. While they may add to the visual impact of the house style, some careful editing to allow more members’ letters to be published would seem appropriate. It’s hard enough to get some fellow members to engage with the institution, without refusing them page space in their own journal.Paul Collins MRICS, Nottingham

Thank you for your letter. We do print the overwhelming majority of appropriate letters received, but with the need to make the Join the Debate section either a full single page or a double-page spread, compromises are necessary in terms of inclusion, and we often need to edit letters down in length. Generally, the more succinct a letter, the more chance it will have of being published. Oliver Parsons, Editor

SAVING FACEIn response to Eric Carter’s letter in the May issue (page 5), and his belief that the UK should ‘set an example to the world’ and adopt a green energy strategy based on the belief that CO2 is altering our climate, I have to disagree. The issue isn’t whether carbon production is changing the climate – and I admit to scepticism – but whether or not the UK should cripple itself with costly ‘green’ legislation, and give even more money to a foreign-owned, barely regulated, utility cartel in the hope that it will produce cheap energy in the long term. In the meantime, while we wait for this wonderful new world that our politicians promise, we will have to dress like impoverished pensioners, wearing all our clothes at the same time with our feet in double slippers. The only example that sets to the rest of the world is of a laughing stock.

Not one major power has gone green, as our government proposes to do. What’s more, carbon-credit trading is dead in the US and dying everywhere else, except in Europe, where governments have been seriously debating whether or not to create a carbon credits market because the private sector isn’t interested. You couldn’t make it up.

I don’t object to low carbon per se, but not if all it does is provide a lucrative source of income for consultancies and foreign windmill manufacturers. I don’t advocate that we should all burn low-grade coal in our fi replaces, but we must be realistic. We are almost fl atlining as a service economy, with bigger debts than almost any other developed country. If we are naive enough to believe that we can start to rebalance the UK economy, and begin to regrow our industries, we need to get real about using the cheapest energy we can source in order to compete with the US, the Far East, India and China, which opens a new coal-fi red power station every fortnight. So, when it comes to setting examples, let’s not set one in self-destruction.Ian Gaynor MRICS, Nottingham

TOO MANY PEOPLEIn the April issue (page 4), Charles Fifield gives a fair appraisal of the usefulness of Energy Performance Certificates. While I appreciate RICS’ response that its key issue

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‘must be about responsible stewardship of the earth’s resources’, it is the latter statement – ‘the current population growth projections, resources such as energy, water and in fact land itself are going to become even more scarce in the future’ – that is the real problem, which RICS has no control over.

In 1900, the world population was 1.6bn, and most households relied on fossil fuels for their heating/cooking, and few properties had any form of insulation. Industry was also heavily reliant on fossil fuels, without any dire eff ects on global warming. However, from the middle of the century onwards, we have seen the largest world population growth ever – in 2011, world population reached 7bn. There are now 4.5 times as many people living on this planet than there were just over 100 years ago, and this has to be the biggest cause of increased carbon emissions.

Unless the countries of the world as a whole can control future population growth, we will have immense problems. With more and more land taken up for housing, roads and industry, there will be less to use for food production, and sourcing increasing energy requirements will become dire. Trevor Lee FRICS, Cambridgeshire

ARTICLE OF FAITHIn his letter in the April issue (page 4), Charles Fifi eld raises the old chestnut of scientifi c consensus in the global warming debate. Of course, there is consensus – if he wants to do a literature review. However, some scientists don’t necessarily agree with the consensus, but think they have been abducted by aliens, and that Elvis Presley is alive in Cheshire.Peter Fenn FRICS, Manchester

BACK TO BASICSIn response to your request in the March issue (page 5) for a project using new or unusual materials, I hope the following will be of interest to surveyors. I’m a surveyor operating in the Lac Léman Région (Geneva-Lausanne) of Switzerland. I was approached by a client in the nearby Jura Mountains to advise on a long-standing problem connected with a developer having ‘shoe-horned’ in an extra three-storey house on a steep, narrow site 20 years ago. The buyers had lived there

JOIN THE DEBATE

:REACTIONS AND RESPONSES FROM PREVIOUS ISSUESDo you have an editorial comment about this issue of Modus? Please email [email protected].


surveyors (including those self-employed) are now being made financially liable for alleged defects purely because the purchaser has complained.

The response from RICS doesn’t deal with the fundamental problem that, for a fee as low as £23.50, valuation is no longer economically viable in relation to the cost of PI insurance AND run-off – certainly not where surveyors also have to answer lenders’ alleged queries. These sometimes contain derogatory or defamatory emails, or require extensive response to lenders on structural and damp issues where the lender clearly lacks the technical ability to evaulate the risk. No fee is payable for additional work and the surveyor is eff ectively working for nothing.Gerald Kennedy MRICS, Birmingham

Thank you to all the members who have taken the time to write to us about PII. For answers to the most commonly asked questions on this important subject, turn to page 47.

to enter the other parts of the profession that pay more. Ergo, the lending scene is running out of valuers and, unless RICS wakes up soon and confronts not just the PI scenario, but the fee levels for residential surveying and valuation (without hiding behind the ‘market forces’ excuse), there will soon be a crisis.Ceri N T Jones MRICS, Macclesfi eld

PAY AS YOU SURVEYIn reference to the letter from David Robertson (May issue, page 5), may I suggest that RICS launches a pay-as-you-go PI policy for valuations? It could link in well with the Valuer Registration Scheme, which promotes accuracy via the auditing of the results. Plus, such a service would help thousands of the individual members, and go some way in offsetting a general feeling that the profession is geared towards the larger fi rms.Hugh Broadbent MRICS, Derbyshire

NOT WORTH ITThe letter from David Butler (April issue, page 5) was surely a portent of future unemployment for surveyors, some of whom (like myself) have ceased to operate because of the risks not only from PI claims, but from other forms of redress. Mr Butler’s letter doesn’t refer to the Property Services Ombudsman system, where

from new, and were now wondering how to restrain the unstable hillside. We quickly identified that conventional approaches, such as stone-filled gabion baskets and reinforced concrete retaining walls, had to be ruled out, as they are quite stark, engineering solutions. Instead, we deployed a traditional system used in mountainous terrain, where trees are logged to produce a giant ‘cradle-work’, which is fi lled with stone and soil, dressed with a matting mulch and planted up. Respecting the naturalness of the setting, we’ve eff ectively re-engineered the slopes by terracing, doubled the useful surface area of the garden, and provided an exciting opportunity for habitat regeneration. We’ve also given the client peace of mind and a new hobby – designing hanging gardens to clothe the fortress!

This system has lots of applications, such as revetments, retaining walls, river-bank erosion etc, and the results here are quite spectacular, and likely to be permanent and sustainable. It also promotes traditional skills from Haute-Savoie, France, which are not widely seen, and show that engineers need not rely just on concrete and steel.Alan Bird MRICS, Switzerland

HEADING FOR CRISIS?As a small fi rm, I agree with both Mr Yorke’s view on the dangers of speedy, on-site reporting, and Mr Robertson’s concerns regarding ever-increasing Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) premiums in the May issue (page 5) – and I believe there is a connection between the two. The move to on-site reporting is driven by commercial considerations to carry out as many inspections as possible. But this removes the time for refl ective thought, opening the door to claims. For large fi rms, the odd ‘hit’ can be taken, so long as the bottom-line fi gure isn’t aff ected. But small fi rms can’t do this – and what happens is that PI insurers look at their overall risk, and often penalise smaller fi rms for the claims they receive from the bigger ones. Our own PI premium rose this year by 65%, through absolutely no fault of our own.

Mr Robertson points out the ineff ectiveness of RICS to look after the interests of its members in its own backyard (preferring instead to move towards global dominance), but doesn’t mention the disconnect between the increase in PI premiums and ludicrously low fees. This is like an elastic band and, at some point, it’s going to snap. For some small fi rms, it already has snapped, and they have withdrawn from surveying and valuation work.

My belief is that the average age of a residential valuer is late 50s and, even though fee levels are ridiculously low, people of this age are adapting to it as they move toward retirement, whereas young surveyors prefer

06.13 // MODUS 05

COMING SOON:IN THE JULY/AUGUST ISSUE OF MODUS

China special: Updates, insights and unique perspectives on the world’s next economic superpower

Stacking up: The impact of modular construction on the built environment and the surveying profession

Brick by brick: How are the BRICS economies comparing today?

PLUS, are you engaged in work on temporary buildings, pop-up retail, emergency shelters or demolition? If so, we’d like to hear from you for our forthcoming ‘temporary’ issue. Please email [email protected].

We regret we are unable to print, or make individual responses to, all letters that we receive.

If your letter relates directly to RICS, please email [email protected].


Intelligence :news :reviews :opinions :reactions

Modus_June13_P6-7_Opener_v2.indd 6 21/05/2013 10:38

Don’t be alarmed – the alien spaceship has come in peace. Foster+Partners’ spectacular new airport terminal in Amman certainly looks like it’s arrived from outer space, but the architecture firm isn’t designing spacecraft just yet (though it has designed a spaceport under construction in New Mexico). Inspired by Bedouin tents, the ‘domes’ of the terminal have been constructed to a modular, flexible template that will allow the airport to expand, as the owner AIG Group aims to triple its capacity to handle 12m passengers per year by 2030. Concrete has been used throughout to help ‘passively’ cool the environment – the material’s high thermal mass absorbs heat during the day and slowly releases it during cooler periods at night. Furthermore, horizontal louvres have been installed to shade the surrounding glass façades. The louvres help reduce the heating effect of direct sunlight, and lessen the impact of discomforting glare that reflects towards the runway.

:Queen AliA AirportAMMAN, JorDAN

Modus_June13_P6-7_Opener_v2.indd 7 21/05/2013 10:38

Commercial development activity expanded solidly in March, with the fastest growth in refurbishment activity since May 2007, according to Savills. The fi rm’s Total Commercial Development Activity Index – a net balance that monitors the overall performance of the commercial property sector –

showed that although private commercial development rose at the fastest pace in four months, public sector work saw a slight decrease. ‘This is a refl ection of the diffi culties developers are having raising fi nance for new-build projects, and an indication of the rising interest among tenants for austerity-driven

solutions,’ said Michael Pillow, head of building consultancy at Savills. ‘What's more, some tenants are starting to focus on whole-life carbon costing, and therefore choosing a refurbished building over a new build. And the rise in demand from companies in the technology, media and telecoms (TMT) sectors has also

fuelled demand for more creative buildings and fi t-outs.’ Meanwhile, valuations activity in March also returned to levels not seen since 2007, according to Connell’s Housing Market Activity report. The fi rm found the number of residential valuations conducted grew by 24% compared to the same month last year.

UK INTEREST RISING FOR COMMERCIAL REFURB

Opinion

PROTECT ALL TYPES OF PROPERTY FROM SQUATTERS

Mike Weatherley MP is absolutely right to start an early day motion in Parliament to make squatting in commercial premises a criminal

offence. There is a huge distinction between homeless people, who need support, and squatters, who occupy property without permission as a lifestyle preference.

Last September, the law changed to make squatting in residential properties a criminal offence, but squatting in commercial buildings continues to be a civil matter. We recently conducted a survey of property managers, which revealed that 27% had been targeted over the past two years, and 30% expect instances of squatting to increase. Since September, there has already been a huge rise in commercial properties being targeted: in Weatherley’s constituency of Brighton, for example, within the past few months, squatters have taken over empty shops, a doctor’s surgery and a post office building, while in London, they targeted Chelsea’s famous Cross Keys pub, the empty BT offi ces in Holborn and a warehouse in Kingston.

Weatherley acknowledges that more needs to be done to encourage the owners of empty buildings to bring them back into use. Although this poses a real challenge for businesses, especially in difficult economic circumstances, it’s now more important than ever for owners and managers of empty properties to take their responsibilities seriously, and review their security, upgrading it where necessary.

The Advisory Service for Squatters estimates there are around 22,000 squatters in England and Wales, with an

average of five per property. If those currently in residential properties are forced to relocate, I estimate that more than 4,000 commercial properties would be required to house them.

Weatherley argues that the owners of commercial premises should be afforded the same legal rights as the owners of residential premises when it comes to the removal of squatters from their property. Commercial properties can be out of use for all sorts of quite legitimate reasons, and many are only empty for a short time, but a business can be ruined when its property is taken over by squatters – for example, dealing with the costs of repairing water damage when pipes are removed for their scrap-metal value, or fi re damage caused by badly wired electrics.

Therefore, we urge the government to listen to Weatherley’s motion, and explore a potential change in the law as soon as possible, so that commercial property owners can benefit from the same protection as residential property owners.

MARK COSH is a director at SitexOrbis. sitexorbis.com

Mark Cosh SitexOrbis

HOME FROM HOMEIn October last year, squatters took over one of London’s oldest pubs

Intelligence //

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GermanyALGAE-POWERED BUILDINGThe world’s first ‘bioreactor’ façade has been displayed at the International Building Exhibition in Hamburg. Using 200m2 of integrated photo-bioreactors, the façade – installed on a pilot test ‘BIQ‘ House (pictured) – generates biomass and heat from the cultivation of microalgae to heat water in a closed-loop system. The idea is the result of three years of research and development by Colt International, based on a bioreactor concept developed by SSC Ltd, and with design work by Arup. The BIQ house will continue to be used as a testing hub for future ‘living’ buildings.

UKMULTI-MILLION-POUND TOWN UPGRADECapita Symonds has been appointed to provide project management and environmental, design and construction supervision services on the £100m development of Bargoed, a former mining town in the Welsh Valleys. Funded in part by the EU’s Convergence European Regional Development Fund, the fi rm will work on around £8m of town centre enhancements, including reconfi guring traffi c routes and improving public spaces. A new ‘park and ride’ facility will also be created to encourage local residents to use public transport.

:ONE BIG QUESTION HOW IS THE CONSTRUCTION MARKET PERFORMING IN YOUR REGION?

Source: RICS Construction Market Survey Q1 2013.

East Midlands The public sector remains more active than the private sector but, for both, current workload and new enquiries have increased for three consecutive quarters. Consequently, a concern is the diffi culty in recruiting new, and replacing retiring, staff .

Alan Robinson FRICS, Tompkins Robinson Surveyors

North West Margins are becoming unrealistically tight, which is not sustainable for contractors long term and needs to change. Also, clients are becoming more demanding – for example, some cite minor issues as a reason to withhold fi nal payment in order to aid their own cash fl ow.

West Midlands Some areas of work, such as fi ve-star hotels and Ministry of Defence works, seem to be on the up, whereas others remain fl at or on a downward slope. Contractors and professionals, therefore, are either fl at out or suff ering, depending on the type of work they do.

Philip John Hodges MRICS, Ridgeways

John Boys MRICS, B&E Boys Ltd

06.13 // MODUS 09

Source: Jones Lang LaSalle Q4 2012

PRIME WAREHOUSING RENTS IN EUROPE (€/m2/pa)

Alan Robinson FRICS,

John Boys MRICS,

Philip John Hodges MRICS,

London 173 Dublin 59 Paris 52 Madrid 67 Brussels 55 Berlin 56 Warsaw 43 Moscow 102

UK 600 MORE FIRMS COLLAPSE THIS YEARMore than 600 construction fi rms became insolvent in the fi rst three months of 2013, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). While this was a reduction of 5% on the number recorded in Q4 2012, with 5,500 construction fi rm insolvencies in the past two years, the sector remains ‘among the worst aff ected’. PwC’s report found that London had the highest number of construction insolvencies, with 977 in the past two years. Alan Muse FRICS, RICS Director of Built Environment Professional Groups, commented: ‘RICS strongly supports the government accelerating the commissioning of “shovel-ready” schemes. Coupled with the government construction strategy, and simpler procurement processes, this will provide a multiplier eff ect to the economy, and benefi t struggling SMEs.’


It has been hard to escape headlines about the twists and turns in the gold market recently. However, the predictable focus

on bullion has, arguably, overshadowed even more signifi cant developments in a broader range of materials. Most industrial metals (copper, aluminium, nickel and lead) and a

number of soft commodities (wheat, soya beans and corn) have seen prices retreat since 2012 – further evidence that the ‘supercycle’ in commodities is drawing to a close.

There have, of course, been exceptions. US natural gas has been fi rm on the back of a cold winter and a temporary dip in production growth. Cotton has also soared, based, to some extent, on uncertainty surrounding Chinese purchases. And US gasoline has benefi ted from issues of refi ning capacity. However, the bigger picture for commodities has been more challenging, and I suspect this will persist.

If this proves the case, going forward, it’s likely to be refl ected in the performance of each individual commodity being more heavily dependent on its own specifi c supply-and-demand dynamics, rather than on broader infl uences. An example of where this is already happening is the copper market, which has begun to shift into surplus, partly because of a moderation in Chinese demand. This has been accompanied by the opening of a number of new copper mining projects in Chile, Peru and Mongolia, which, on some estimates, could account for around one-seventh of total production by 2014.

The temptation may be to view this shift in the copper market as temporary and assume it will revert back to a defi cit state, driven largely by the demands of China’s developing urban infrastructure. On the other hand, the

new leadership in China faces pressure to shift the economy away from investment and a little more towards consumption. If this happens, it would hardly be a surprise if copper were to continue its pedestrian trend.

Meanwhile, it could be premature to call the top of the gold market just yet, for its own specifi c reasons. The expansion of central bank balance sheets through quantitative easing is not a new story, but the aggressive approach of the new administration in Japan to achieving an end to defl ation clearly does mark a change of stance.

For the time being, there is no real sense that the large amounts of liquidity that have been created through bond purchases in major Western economies will lead to a generalised increase in prices across the globe to the benefi t of gold as an infl ation hedge. Indeed, market-based break-even infl ation rates are still relatively subdued. But, it is worth bearing in mind that this whole approach to policy is something of an experiment, and it carries signifi cant risks.

All of which brings me back to the end of the ‘supercycle’ in commodities. It may be a little simplistic, but my bet is that we now face a period where individual commodities ‘unicycles’ will dominate.

How will materials prices aff ect you? Email [email protected].

Simon Rubinsohn, RICS Chief Economist

Intelligence //

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Column

A PRECARIOUS RIDE ON THE COMMODITIES UNICYCLE

UK OBSOLESCENCE OFFERS INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITYThe rise in building obsolescence is becoming a critical issue for the property industry, says Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). A report by the fi rm has identifi ed three important factors – legislation, corporate requirements and new workplace technologies – that will increase the obsolescence risk and accelerate asset depreciation. For example, the UK Energy Act 2011 will drive increased obsolescence, making it unlawful for landlords to lease space, and occupiers to sublet buildings, rated F or G from April 2018. However, JLL highlights the opportunity for shrewd investors and proactive occupiers to gain value through strategic refurbishment and proactive asset management. Download the report at bit.ly/JLL_Obsolescence.

IrelandOVERSEAS APPETITE BOOSTS MARKETCommercial property investment in Ireland was strong in the fi rst quarter of 2013, according to CBRE. Around €275m (£237m) of investment in properties worth more than €1m traded in the Irish market during the fi rst three months of the year – already around half of the total €545m (£470m) invested in the whole of 2012. ‘A number of the assets signed in Q1 were brought to the market several months ago, so now we need to see more prime property released for sale to satisfy demand,’ said Caroline McCarthy from CBRE, Ireland.


06.13 // MODUS 11

BooksREVIEWS

Thoroughly revised, this third edition includes new material on sustainability and residential leasehold property, as well as more on risk techniques.19529 // £35.99

Order from rics.org/shop

This practical book compares the popular NEC family of contracts with other construction industry standard forms, which will assist professionals at all levels.19212 // £25

The latest edition of the NEC3 box includes the new Professional Services Short Contract, and a series of ‘how to’ books on the use of NEW contracts. 19528 // £475

A useful manual that off ers plenty of reliable and trustworthy advice on new energy-saving legislation that will aff ect every homeowner.19517 // £14.99

AustraliaSWEETT SECURES NEW CITY TOWER PROJECTSweett Group has been appointed as project manager on what will become the second tallest tower in Brisbane. A key scheme of the Queensland government’s strategic masterplan, the A$650m (£440m) 1 William Street tower will be 258m tall and provide around 75,000m2 of commercial offi ce space. The group’s team of Brisbane-based consultants will provide services for developer CBus Property, the property investment subsidiary of CBus, one of Australia’s leading superannuation funds. ‘We’re incredibly excited to be delivering another signifi cant development in Brisbane,’ said David Hayden, MD of Sweett Group, Australia.

South AfricaABSA UNVEILS GIANT ‘LUMEN’ LIGHT SCREENThe world’s largest LED (light emitting diode) screen has been switched on in Johannesburg. Turner & Townsend provided project and cost management services for the ‘Lumen’ project on behalf of Absa, one of South Africa’s largest fi nancial services groups and a subsidiary of Barclays Bank. Wrapped around the top of Absa’s 29-storey tower, the screens are visible up to 1.5km away, and are bigger than any in New York’s famous Times Square. To reduce energy use, the project team installed LED tiles that require the lowest power consumption in their class. ‘This has been a logistically and technically challenging project, but to see our work transformed into this iconic addition to the city’s skyline has been hugely rewarding,’ said Ian Donaldson, managing director of Turner & Townsend Africa.

We like

DESK UNION It is: An ‘online marketplace’ to help small businesses fi nd and rent spare workspace. Who’s it aimed at?: Primarily at small businesses, freelancers, consultants and independent professionals in need of low-cost offi ce space. It’s the brainchild of Victoria Arnold, a young award-winning entrepreneur. ‘By 2050, it’s estimated that 50% of the global workforce will be independent, with no offi cial company space from which to work,’ she says. ‘I felt there should be an easy way to link up individuals with companies that have spare desk space. Not only do users secure fl exible and cost-eff ective space, but they also get the benefi ts of interaction with the host business and other tenants.’Where’s it active?: Currently only in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, though there are plans for a UK-wide rollout. Landlords upload property details to the site, and tenants browse and book space. Tenancy is on a rolling monthly basis, with Desk Union handling the paperwork and rent collection.What is the cost?: The typical rent for a desk averages £200 per month, from which Desk Union takes 50% of the fi rst month’s rent and 12.5% of the monthly rent thereafter.deskunion.co.uk


08 r ics.org

Hot pointsThe Building Research Establishment is to carry out a major survey to understand heat loss in 7m solid wall homes in the UK. Funded by the Department of Energy & Climate Change, the project will help homeowners make more accurate predictions of energy consumption and identify the potential for energy savings from solid wall insulation.

Flood expertiseMott MacDonald is to provide consultancy services for a project to improve fl ood defences and drainage in coastal areas of Bangladesh. Funded by the Dutch government, the Blue Gold programme will cover an area of around 160,000 ha, and help rural communities sustainably manage their fl ood infrastructure.

New directionsMichael Ulyatt MRICS has become the fi rst chartered surveyor to be appointed to the council of management of the Institute of Demolition Engineers. Meanwhile, Aberdeen-born George Gillon FRICS has been announced as the new chief commoner of the City of London’s Court of Common Council.

Capital app Deloitte Real Estate has launched a new app that displays newly completed projects and proposed future developments across London. Available on the iPad, the New London app features an interactive map, which can also fi lter results by status, such as where they are in relation to future transport routes.

Opinion

USER-CENTRED BUILDINGS MAKE FOR HAPPIER WORKFORCESKatie Livesey Building Research Establishment

Over the past couple of decades, the Latham and Egan Reports have held sway over the construction industry,

bringing quality and the customer centre stage. Now, buildings are seen as assets that must perform to meet the strategic and business needs of an organisation just as much as its people and equipment do.

However, in all of this, users – and we are all users – are rarely considered. Building users don’t necessarily select or specify buildings, but they do work in them, or visit them to obtain services, such as patients in hospitals and pupils in schools. They are, therefore, a great source of information about how an organisation can get more out of its built assets, in terms of both worker performance and business results.

When we consider users, it makes sense to think about building outcomes. For example, the purpose of a school is to be a place where children learn, and its design and operation can affect how well it achieves that purpose. Leaking ceilings contribute to a poor building outcome, but there are also more subtle effects

at play: good acoustics in a classroom, and a wise use of textures, light and colours, can all improve the attention span of pupils.

So how well do we currently take account of the wellbeing of users? Post-occupancy evaluations, and similar techniques, are a step in the right direction – but we need to do more from the very beginning of the construction process, to systematically cover the factors that affect users’ physical and psychological wellbeing, and their perceptions of the buildings they occupy. There has been no effort to synthesise the specialist knowledge that exists on this subject into practical guidance.

If we pay closer attention to users, buildings can be more effi cient and effective, and their workers and clients happier and more productive. What we need is a cohesive body of knowledge to guide us, and a willingness to listen to and learn from users. And, given the likely impact on organisations’ bottom lines, can we really afford not to?

KATIE LIVESEY is a senior consultant in BRE’s Building Technology Group. bre.co.uk

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THERE ARE NO SHORT CUTS TO SUCCESSVincent Clancy MRICS CEO, Turner & Townsend

‘When it comes to expanding your business overseas, it’s important to think long term. There are no short cuts to success. Negotiating the global industry map, working out how to diff erentiate your business from others, and building your winning team and capability takes time and resources. It’s a real commitment with highs and lows along the way.’

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SHOP AROUND: GLOBAL SHARE OF LEADING LUXURY BRAND OUTLETS

2012 2009 Asia-Pacifi c 44% 39% North America 24% 30% Europe 21% 23% Middle East 5% 4% Latin America 3% 1% Rest of the world 3% 3%

Source:Ledbury research in Knight Frank’s The wealth report 2013

(Excluding concessions)

2012 2009


01.11 // MODUS 09

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Construction waste //

Waron Waste

Modus_June13_P14-17_Production waste.v7.indd 14 21/05/2013 10:43

SurveyorS have a powerful opportunity to help cut project coStS by reuSing, recycling and

reducing conStruction waSte, argueS Katie PucKett

Since March 2012, Marks & Spencer hasn’t sent any waste from its construction projects to landfill at all. The retailer set a target to eliminate waste to landfill in 2007, as part of its Plan A sustainability strategy, and it has been working with its supply chain ever since

to find ways to reuse and recycle surplus materials, old fit-out components, packaging and excavated soil.

On its Cheshire Oaks store, completed last August and its greenest to date, 1,168 tonnes of construction waste was diverted from landfill, with pallets, cable drums and glulam beams finding new homes in the local community. Sheets of plywood were used to build a local scout hut, hoardings became bee hotels and two trees were donated to Chester Zoo as scratching posts for the lions. But the project still produced 1,168 tonnes of waste in the first place – which is where Plan A’s head of property Munish Datta is looking next, and he wants surveyors to help him: ‘My role is to get designers, cost consultants, constructors and project managers thinking right at the very start. So much more can be achieved by thinking differently and challenging specifications. Measurement is one of the key things. As soon as you put a monetary value on waste, it sharpens people’s minds and they realise that it’s money they’re throwing away, not plasterboard or timber.’

Great strides have been made across the construction industry on diverting waste from landfill over the past five years. In 2008, the government’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) set a target of halving construction waste sent to landfill by 2012 in England, which more than 800 companies signed up to. Final figures will not be published until the end of this year, but a report by the Strategic Forum for Construction last July found that the amount of construction and demolition waste sent to landfill had dropped from 6.15m tonnes in 2008 to 4.28m tonnes by 2010, an improvement of almost 30%.

Some contractors went much further, and are now closing in on their own zero-waste-to-landfill targets. Willmott Dixon, for example, diverts around 98%, as does Simons Group, which built the Cheshire Oaks store. Meanwhile, attention has shifted to the wider issue of resource efficiency: preventing waste in the first place, and eliminating it at the design stage. The earlier waste is considered, the greater the potential for reduction – but waste that hasn’t been produced is much harder to measure.

This is where surveyors come in. As waste reduction develops in complexity, they are perfectly placed to quantify hypothetical waste, calculate the savings and translate it into hard cash to spur on the rest of the project team. ‘You can measure the diversion of waste from landfill very easily,’ says Gilli Hobbs, director of resource efficiency at the Building Research Establishment (BRE). ‘You can measure the number of skips that were produced, you know where it’s going to, and you can establish how much was recycled or reused. With waste reduction, it’s more difficult because there isn’t that tangibility, and that’s where surveyors can play a really important role.’

BRE has been able to benchmark levels of waste production using data gathered by its online SMARTWaste tool, which is used by contractors to prepare site waste management plans. By analysing the performance of real projects, BRE has set targets for projects that are aiming for a BREEAM environmental rating. Under BREEAM 2011, projects can earn one credit if the waste produced >>

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is under 13.3m3 (11.1 tonnes) per 100m2 gross internal fl oor area. Less than 7.5m3 (6.5 tonnes) earns two credits, and less than 3.4m3 (3.2 tonnes) earns three. The waste credits are some of the most popular among project teams, says Hobbs. ‘People are often looking for the most cost-effective credits, and construction waste is a good area to target, not because it’s easy, but because there isn’t an extra capital cost to the project apart from time – and the reduced cost of waste disposal can offset the extra time taken.’

DESIGNING OUT WASTESurveyors are also key to raising commercial awareness of waste among the other members of the project team. M&S already asks its quantity surveyors to identify the top 10 materials used on a project, by volume and value: ‘That gives architects and M&E [mechanical and electrical] consultants a foothold on where they should be focusing to design-out as much waste as possible,’ says Datta. Going further, he’d like to focus consultants’ minds by linking their fees to waste reduction. But setting fee levels as a percentage of

the total contract sum provides a perverse incentive, he argues. Instead, he’d link them to the waste prevented and the money saved. ‘At the moment, there is no link. There needs to be a signifi cant change there. Surveyors could help clients incentivise the consultant team by making sure people are rewarded for the waste they reduce.’

Jerry Percy FRICS, head of sustainability at Gleeds, suggests that quantity surveyors could play an even more active role: ‘We should be able to say: “Did you realise Mr Architect that, based on what you’ve specifi ed, even if the contractor uses best practice, there will still be X tonnes of waste generated at a value of X pounds”. We could then work with the design team to quantify the savings from shifting to a different product, or using off-site manufacture. The starting point shouldn’t be measuring what’s already been wasted, it should be tracking waste upfront to prevent it.’

For example, the fl oor-to-ceiling height of a room might be 2.3m, while the standard height of a sheet of plasterboard is 2.4m – resulting in a 100mm offcut throughout. ‘You can’t refi x 100mm of plasterboard anywhere, whereas if the

Providing a fi nancial incentive to encourage waste reduction throughout the supply chain is at the heart of Willmott Dixon’s latest initiative. ‘Our diversion from landfi ll is now about as high as it can be, but we’re still producing a lot of waste and spending a lot of money on skips,’ says Jo Rock, senior environmental manager. ‘We’re now looking at why there’s so much waste, starting at the beginning, with preconstruction.’

Rock’s scheme, developed with assistant building manager Mark

Wolverson, brings a fresh approach to what happens on site. Normally, the main contractor installs six or seven skips, into which each trade segregates its rubbish. ‘In an ideal world, we’d make subcontractors pay for their own skips,’ says Rock. ‘I can guarantee that then they would probably produce less waste, and they would pack the skips better. But a site can’t accommodate skips for each subcontractor, and there would be less segregation.’ Instead, Willmott Dixon calculated a set

Timber is separated out for recycling as a terrace of condemned houses is

demolished in Cumbria

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:CASH FOR TRASH WILLMOTT DIXON’S

INITIATIVE INCENTIVISES WASTE REDUCTION


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fl oor-to-ceiling height was raised to 2.4m, there wouldn’t need to be any cutting, so installation would be quicker, and there wouldn’t be any waste, therefore avoiding waste disposal costs,’ explains Percy. A lot of the information is already out there, he adds, surveyors just need to ask for it.

However, most guidance on waste produced to date has been aimed at contractors, designers, the product supply chain and clients, rather than surveyors. Hobbs notes that there is simultaneously a glut of generic information and a shortage of detail, especially aimed specifi cally at surveyors. She recommends the Resource Effi ciency Action Plans developed by the industry, with support from WRAP and BRE, which focus on specifi c products such as plasterboard, windows and joinery. ‘If a surveyor is doing a project where there’s a lot of fl ooring, for example, they could go to the WRAP website and download the resource effi ciency action plan specifi cally on that.’

One of the toughest nuts to crack will be the fi t-out sector, partly because there are so many different elements lumped together within the ‘fi t-out package’. A useful tool here is the Ska environmental rating system, developed and managed by RICS. Sam Pickering, head of sustainability and energy EMEA at CBRE, helped to develop Ska Retail, and he believes its strength is the emphasis it places on waste and the level of detail it demands. ‘It separates out the various waste streams, whereas other systems tend to lump everything together,’ he explains. ‘That’s where quantity surveyors need to focus – considering each waste stream and measuring it, so that there is a more detailed waste contract.’ A lot more could be salvaged where there’s a will to do it, Pickering adds. He was involved in a fi t-out for Mexican food chain Wahaca, which also targets zero waste to landfi ll. The building was previously a nightclub, and the old wooden fl oors had seen much wear, tear and spilt beer, but the client chose to invest time in having them sanded and treated so they could be retained.

Strip-out is the next frontier for waste reduction, which will involve moving the focus even earlier – to before the design stage. BRE is currently developing a methodology for pre-refurbishment audits, which would assess elements of an existing building that could potentially be retained or reused. Hobbs says that pre-refurbishment audits could be

required as part of BREEAM projects from 2014 or 2015, and that they could be carried out by surveyors.

This is not to be confused with pre-refurbishment surveys, currently being developed by RICS and WRAP to take advantage of the opportunity that building surveyors often have at a very early stage in a project. In some cases, clients may call on surveyors to assess an existing building when there is little more than a speculative design, and before sustainability has been considered. ‘That’s where opportunities may get missed,’ says Phil Birch, associate director of sustainability at Sweett Group, who is working with WRAP and RICS on a pre-refurbishment survey toolkit. ‘Once things have been ripped out, it’s much harder to put them back. If a building surveyor thought about resource effi ciency earlier, they could communicate opportunities back to clients.’ For example, if a building surveyor is looking at a roof where 40% needs to be replaced, rather than recommending a complete replacement, they might emphasise the 60% that could be kept. Their role would be especially signifi cant on lower-value projects, where there may not be an architect, leaving them responsible for the specifi cation and tender documents.

Indeed, the earlier in the project, the more important the surveyor becomes, which means

that their role in policing and eliminating waste will become pivotal as the fi eld develops. The contractors and subcontractors may be the ones physically throwing materials into skips, and the architects and designers the ones virtually trimming surplus from

building models, but as the people counting the costs on behalf of the client, it will arguably

be the surveyors in the driving seat.

‘As soon as you put a monetary value on waste, it sharpens people’s minds and they realise that it’s money they’re throwing away’

of rates for dumping materials in the skips – factoring in the cost of managing the scheme – and each subcontractor was asked to include the cost of waste disposal as a separate item in their tenders. ‘Say the total package is worth £100,000, they might include £2,000 on skips. They can then be directly compared to the competition, and we can use historic data from site waste management plans on each type of waste,’ explains Rock. ‘The surveyor may need to challenge

them: for example, “You’ve allowed £2,000 but, based on your package value, we think it should be more like £1,200”. We don’t want them pricing it as a risk.’

On site, the waste area is locked. Each subcontractor is provided with smaller wheelie bins to bring rubbish to the waste area, where it is weighed and recorded. At the end of the job, suppliers are billed for all the waste they’ve produced: if a subcontractor produces less waste than they priced for, they get to keep the diff erence from

their original contract sum; if they produce more, they are billed for the excess. Meanwhile, Willmott Dixon’s own preliminaries are reduced as less waste is produced overall, and the fi rm is building up a set of very accurate fi gures for the waste produced by each trade.

The scheme is currently running on six live projects in the Wales and West region, and though it’s too early to quantify the results, Rock believes there will be a signifi cant reduction in waste. ‘It’s an incentive for the subcontractor

to produce less waste, and if they’ve got to fi t it into a wheelie bin, they’ll cut it into smaller pieces, which will take up less space in the skip. No subcontractor knowingly wastes materials, it’s usually down to poor management and storage.’ Rock hopes the new regime will lead to a cultural change throughout the supply chain: ‘Instead of accepting damaged deliveries from manufacturers and just skipping them, when they see there’s a £12 charge for that, they might send it back.’

HOW DOES CONSTRUCTION

WASTE AFFECT YOU? Share your views by emailing [email protected] or tweeting @

modusmag.


MATATA ER18 r ics.org

FuturisticLUNAR SOIL

The ability to ‘print’ a building is undeniably very exciting. A 3D-printing system is a large, mobile machine with multiple nozzles that spray a binding solution onto layers of sand (or a sand-like material). The machine is connected to a computer, so the designer draws a shape digitally,

TOMORROW’S

1 clicks print, and then the machine creates the shape by spraying layer upon layer. But what can it realistically be used for?

UK-headquartered 3D printing pioneer D-Shape lists multiple applications on its website, such as bus stops, swimming pool furnishings, kids’ playground equipment and recreating missing

parts of columns. However, one project D-Shape is involved in shows how the technique could really come into its own. Working with the European Space Agency, D-Shape is exploring the possibility of 3D printing a lunar base. JF Brandon, a representative from D-Shape Canada, says: ‘3D printing is ideal for the project because it

would use lunar soil, which would drastically reduce the material and equipment needed to be transported to the moon from Earth.’Applications: Ideal for construction in remote sites, such as deserts – and other planets.Availability: At the moment, 3D printing at scale is still in the very early stages of development.

Compiled by Roxane McMeeken

Modus_June13_P18-29_Materials.v6.indd 18 21/05/2013 11:07

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Low-carbonCARBON-NEGATIVE CEMENT

Probably as close to a miracle product for the construction industry as it gets, this new type of cement actually absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits. With traditional cement considered to be the largest CO2 emitter of all the mainstream construction materials, this new product could make the biggest dent in the industry’s carbon footprint.

Making traditional cement entails a carbon-intensive process of heating limestone to 1,450oC. However, an alternative has been pioneered by UK fi rm Novacem that’s based on magnesium oxide, which means more CO2 is absorbed than emitted during its production. Further benefi ts are a lower heating temperature – 700oC is the maximum – and the fact that magnesium oxide, used to produce magnesium silicate, is a resource found in abundance worldwide.

Founded in 2007 as a spin-off from Imperial College London, Novacem unfortunately went into liquidation last year. Australian manufacturer Calix has bought the enterprise, allowing investment to continue in this important product.Killer benefi t: Absorbs carbon. Availability: Still at prototype stage.

SustainableLEAD’S GREEN CREDENTIALS

Counter-intuitive as it may seem, lead is emerging as a ‘new’ sustainable material, and can now even be found in the Building Research Establishment’s Green Guide. One of its main green features is its low melting point of 327oC, which is below that of any other metal used in construction, giving lead a smaller carbon footprint than other materials used to do the same jobs. Another benefi t is that lead is completely recyclable, and can be used repeatedly without any loss of performance. It also has low replacement and maintenance requirements – as thousands of churches around the UK can prove. ‘In terms of life-cycle quality, over 65 years, lead is almost 100% cheaper than conventional roofi ng materials,’ explains Doug Weston from the Lead Sheet Association.

But what about the risk of theft? It’s hoped the recently introduced ban on cash transactions for scrap metal in England and Wales will make lead a less attractive target. And as for its toxicity, Weston says it just needs to be handled safely and correctly, and that the impact from run-off is minimal.Killer benefi t: 100% recyclable.Cost: Signifi cantly cheaper than conventional alternatives.

‘Materials should perform in terms of aesthetics, too’IAN HUNTER former materials

researcher and co-founder of Materials Council

When we advise on materials selection, we usually take a performance-based approach, but materials should perform

in terms of aesthetics, too. Often, the most important innovation is when changes are made to a material we already use – for instance, the current trend of enhancing traditional and natural materials. With natural materials, one problem has always been that they don’t provide the level of aesthetic consistency the architects want. But now, there’s a new wave of activity aimed at controlling nature: a supplier of traditional Italian marble, for example, has developed computer software that allows them to scan the marble and classify it in terms of its aesthetic qualities. The system sorts marble into eight categories, resulting is less wastage and a material that architects are more likely to use.

‘With traditional products, there’s a huge amount of innovation happening in concrete – from carbon-negative concrete to decorative products. One product I particularly like can produce a pattern or message when it gets wet. It’s not widely used yet, but it could have a range of applications for aesthetic or safety purposes.

‘In contrast, I think some new materials are being over-hyped. Graphene, for example, is a high-tech, lightweight super-conductor, but I don’t see a need for it in construction. It’s very expensive, and is much more appropriate for replacing silicon chips.’

CREATIVE MINDS AROUND THE GLOBE ARE REVOLUTIONISING THE

CONSTRUCTION SECTOR WITH SMART MATERIALS THAT WILL HELP TO CUT COSTS, SAVE TIME AND MAKE OUR WORLD MORE SUSTAINABLE

Modus_June13_P18-29_Materials.v6.F1.indd 19 22/05/2013 12:37

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Case study:

Rammed eaRth constRuctionIf proof is required of the durability of rammed earth, its most successful application is in the Great Wall of China. But more recently, it was used to build the Sheppard Lecture Theatre at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, Wales, completed in 2010. Here, beautiful curved rammed earth walls reach up to 7.2m in height: ‘The building is a great advert for rammed earth – it’s big, bold and three storeys high,’ says Rowland Keable, director of Rammed Earth Consulting, which worked on the theatre. Formed by packing 320 tonnes of loose subsoil into layers 150mm thick between shuttering, the walls are load-bearing, but here they don’t provide the external façade – instead, they are surrounded by timber- framed glazing on one side, and hemp and lime on the other.

The material’s comeback over the past couple of years is not only down to its durability and aesthetic quality. As the approach typically involves earth found on site, or very close by, rammed earth has the lowest carbon emissions of any mainstream masonry material, explains Keable. There’s no need to transport it, or heat or chemically process it, and it doesn’t involve sending waste to landfill. What’s more, rammed earth buildings have an insulation value similar to that of conventional bricks or blocks, but as the walls are thicker than standard masonry, they store more heat or cold than a conventional building. As a result, rammed earth has been classified an A+ material under the BREAAM sustainability assessment methodology.

But, realistically, how widespread could rammed earth become? ‘At the moment, people are building one- or two-storey buildings with cement – a material strong enough to build skyscrapers. This is clearly not the best approach,’ says Keable. ‘We need replacements, and rammed earth will undoubtedly be part of the picture.’ Killer benefit: The lowest embodied carbon of any building material.cost: Similar to a conventional approach.

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glass off ered by the Japanese manufacturer Toto currently uses the photocatalyst titanium dioxide, which, when painted on a surface in nanoparticle form, reacts to daylight by releasing oxygen. This disintegrates organic substances on the surface. Also, when exposed to both sunlight and water, the titanium dioxide reacts to produce a hydrophilic layer that washes the surface clean in the rain.Killer benefi t: Eliminates major cleaning and maintenance needs.Availability: Self-cleaning glass is already widely available from mainstream glass manufacturers such as Pilkington.

Set up in 2007, Ecovactive has yet to put ‘mushroom insulation’ up for sale, but the process could well be the shape of things to come. ‘As well as a viable alternative insulation, it may well have other uses as a construction material,’ says Ian Hunter, from Materials Council. ‘The challenge with some biodegradable products is that the binder isn’t always biodegradable, too, so the products cannot degrade. But here, the mushroom itself is the binder.’Killer benefi t: A low-CO2 insulation. Availability: Still in development.

FuturisticBREATHING GLASS

New York architectural practice The Living has created glass that ‘breathes’ like human skin. Reactive architecture is a growing trend, and mechanical louvres that open and close based on light and temperature sensors have been around for some years – but Living Glass is a whole new level of innovation. The glass is pierced with gill-like slits controlled by tiny embedded wires that contract in reaction to the electrical stimulus of various ‘inputs’ – such as CO2 levels, warmth and human touch – opening the slits and allowing air to fl ow through. With no motors or mechanical parts, it reacts without making a sound, and can be used for windows or entire façades. Availability: Currently only bespoke.Cost: Very expensive for now.

Low-carbonMUSHROOM INSULATION

In the future, materials may be grown rather than manufactured. Ecovactive, a small company based in New York, has developed a form of insulation made of fungus. By inoculating agricultural waste products with mycelium (fungus), a ‘mushroom’ grows without any need for light, watering or petrochemicals. This results in a material that can be used for various types of insulation, and can even be grown in a mould to take the shape required. What’s more, the process involves minimal carbon emissions, and the product is 100% biodegradeable.

‘We need a more open-minded approach’RICHARD QUARTERMAINE MRICS project director, Sweett Group

As materials become increasingly scarce, buildings will become more expensive – so the standards we set now need to accommodate the development of new and innovative

products. Designs and construction programmes shouldn’t be restricted to specifi c materials, for example, and aesthetics may need to change. Generally, we need a more open-minded approach.

‘At the moment, we’re not seeing many products made from new materials, but we are seeing variants of existing materials used in a more resource-effi cient way, which is helping to address raw material scarcity issues for now. A common theme is increasing recycled content. Clients are very interested in recycling, and many are now setting targets for recycled content in their projects. Using recycled materials is a great way to reduce embodied carbon, as less energy is needed to make them – for example, a good deal of the steel and plasterboard used in construction now contains a high percentage of recycled content.

‘In the future, products that can deliver buildings at lower costs and with reduced risk, as well as environmental benefi ts, are going to be the most in demand.’

06.13 // MODUS 21

Pilkington’s self-cleaning glass uses daylight and rain to break down and wash away organic dirt

IntelligentSELF-CLEANING GLASS

Based on nanotechnology, self-cleaning glass is among a growing list of super-charged construction products. Andy Parkman, director for building engineering at AECOM, is currently working in this fi eld: ‘Nanotechnology is about modifying particles at the sub-atomic level, which changes the characteristics of the material,’ he explains. In construction, this is mainly leading to coatings and additives for existing materials to enhance their performance.

So far, self-cleaning glass is probably the nanomaterial product used most widely. A version of the


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Practical turning dirt and dust into roads

When added to most types of soil and sand, AggreBind transforms them into robust building materials. Developed in 2000, by the eponymous company based in both the UK and US, the soil-binding polymer allows roads and building blocks to be created in situ, using whatever material is available. This makes it a great solution for construction projects in places where trucking-in materials would be difficult.

‘You just take the concentrated AggreBind to the site, dilute it and mix it with the material in place,’ explains Robert Friedman, partner at AggreBind. ‘You end up with a construction that is waterproof, solid and non-dusty.’applications: Roads and simple buildings, particularly in remote places and developing countries.Cost: AggreBind says its product cuts costs by 50% through saving time, materials and equipment.

Futuristic aerogel

Although invented in the 1930s, aerogel was little used until the 1990s, when NASA began insulating spaceships with it. Here on Earth, aerogels are now being used in a growing number of ultra-light, super-efficient insulation products, including Thermablok and Kalwall.

The most common type, aerogel silica, is created by removing liquid from a silica gel, which increases its density, and results in a product that is translucent, shatterproof and maintains a good level of thermal performance. Kalwall’s product, for example, has the

Aestheticintegrated solar PV

Traditionally, clients seeking to harness the sun’s energy have had to suffer the indignity of attaching chunky photovoltaic (PV) panels to their buildings. Now, however, a growing number of manufacturers are developing PV systems that are far less incongruous. US-based Onyx Solar is among those offering a range of building-integrated PV materials for use on roofs and façades, including transparent PV products for use in skylights and windows.

‘Building-integrated PV is now becoming widely available and, therefore, cheaper,’ says Ian Hunter, from Materials Council. ‘It’s also becoming more flexible, and research is even being done into making it suitable for curved surfaces,’ he adds. Unfortunately, some new products don’t produce as much energy as the more robust panels, but the volume of research and development underway in this sector means that improved performance shouldn’t be far off. Killer benefit: Solar power without compromising on aesthetics.need to know: Generally delivers less energy than conventional PV panels – for now.

Using the soil-binding polymer AggreBind, roads can be constructed in situ, without using any cement

appearance of glass, and can be curved or flat, making it suitable for roofs, walls and conservatory-like atriums. It’s highly insulating, with an impressive U-factor (rate of heat loss) performance.

As availability improves, aerogel products are becoming more reasonably priced and, therefore, more widely used in everyday projects, such as schools and other public buildings. Killer benefit: Insulates, while also being ultra-light and transparent.applications: A neat solution for the light-starved colder climates of Northern Europe.

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IntelligentLIVING METAL

As well as glass engineered to ‘breathe’, metal mesh is currently being developed at the University of South California, in the US, to expand and contract to let in heat or air. The principle is actually ingeniously simple, says Ian Hunter, from Materials Council: ‘If you have steel on one side of a strip, and copper on the other, one heats up, and therefore expands,

faster than the other, causing the strip to curl.’ These alloys, known as thermo-bimetals, could be used to make intelligent sunshades that close automatically in sunlight. Killer benefi t: Thermo-bimetals can be used to create products that self-regulate temperature. Applications: Still in development at the moment, but eventually the products could be used in windows, walls and roofs.

PracticalSELF-HEALING CONCRETE

Cracks in concrete could become a problem of the past, thanks to a number of innovative projects to create the magical-sounding ‘self-healing’ concrete. Perhaps the most interesting initiative is Bio-concrete, which is currently being developed at Delft University in the Netherlands. The material contains spores of bacteria, which react with water when it enters through a crack, and grow to

‘By asking the supply chain for help, you will unlock innovation’

DR PETER BONFIELD OBE chief executive, Building Research Establishment

During my secondment to the Olympic Delivery Authority from 2006 to 2012, we discovered something really important

about materials. There, we had a whole bunch of challenges to meet, such as sustainability, the responsible sourcing of materials and delivering everything on time. But, rather than assuming we knew which materials would be best, we went out to the different sectors, showed them the challenges we had, and asked them what they would suggest.

‘The materials producers came back with various solutions that met our criteria, and were often best in terms of cost, too. As a result, all our wood was responsibly sourced, and we used concrete that contained waste resources, and therefore had 30% lower embodied carbon.

‘This enabled us to set unprecedented standards, and shows that if you stop kicking the supply chain, and ask it for help instead, you will unlock innovation. For cost consultants, simply talking to manufacturers can make them more able to deliver what clients want.

‘Materials producers do need to learn more, though. When you ask them about how something is transported, or what plant it contains, they can answer precisely but they are often less knowledgeable about social impacts. That said, producers are getting better all the time.’

produce limestone, which then fi lls up the crack.

Dr Henk Jonkers, who is leading the project, says the product was tested on a concrete roof, where it stopped all leakage problems. Several years of further testing are planned, and Jonkers expects Bio-concrete to be available to buy in around four years’ time: ‘Our challenge now is to produce the healing agent at acceptable costs: we’re aiming for about €30-€45

(£25.50-£38) per cubic metre of concrete mixture,’ he says. Although this may still sound costly, Jonkers explains that the higher initial costs compensate for the costs that would otherwise be incurred for leakage repair and sealing cracks manually. In this way, the product should pay back the client within the fi rst fi ve years.

Meanwhile, the University of Michigan, in the US, is developing concrete that can actually bend.

Known as Engineered Cement Composite (ECC), the product contains polyvinyl alcohol fi bres and is based on the principle that, whereas one large fracture threatens a structure, multiple hairline cracks allow the concrete to move without breaking. It’s also 40% lighter than normal concrete. Killer benefi t: Eliminates repair and maintenance needs.Applications: Particularly useful for structures in earthquake zones.

06.13 // MODUS 23


Materials //

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It works! You choose where and when to study. Our specialist courses are designed to fit in with real lives - people like you who are juggling work, family and childcare commitments.and childcare commitments.

We offer diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Many programmes are accredited by RICS, CIOB or other professional bodies.

➔ PGDip/MSc Facilities Management

➔ PGDip/MSc Property Investment

➔ PGDip/MSc Surveying (Graduate Development Programme)

➔ MSc Real Estate

➔ MBA Real Estate andConstruction Management

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23283-ModusFullPageAd-040213.indd 1 06/02/2013 15:00

SustainableBAMBOO FIBRES

A number of interesting and sustainable products based on bamboo are currently emerging. Leading bamboo manufacturer MOSO, based in the Netherlands, off ers a comprehensive range – from indoor fl ooring tiles to outdoor decking panels – made by shredding down the hollow bamboo stems and gluing the fi bres together under compression. Bamboo products are extremely strong and sustainable: MOSO says that bamboo stems can be harvested every fi ve years in a mature plantation without decreasing the size of forest, and the harvesting process also encourages growth.Applications: A sustainable and fast-growing alternative to MDF, which contains timber on a much longer growth cycle.Need to know: The bamboo stems may need to travel a long way fi rst, which signifi cantly adds to the product’s carbon footprint.

SustainablePRE-FAB PASSIVHAUS

Passivhaus sounds fantastic but it has a fatal fl aw: to achieve the standard of insulation and air-tightness required for certifi cation, each trade working on the building has to reach a level of precision so extreme that many projects miss the mark. However, former carpenter Ron Beattie has created a pre-fabricated building system that could revolutionise our ability to meet the standards. Launched in 2009, Beattie’s system is simple, with no more than 16 parts for any type of building, which, he says, ‘a 16-year-old trainee will have no problem assembling’. The buildings achieve air-tightness levels as low as 0.50m3/hm2, which cuts heating costs by up to 90%. His company, Beattie Passive, has completed several houses, including four in Scotland that were indeed built by 16- to 18- year-olds. Killer benefi t: Makes Passivhaus standards more easily achievable.Cost: Cheaper than a bespoke Passivhaus, because the labour costs are 50% lower and the components are mass-produced.

‘Material development is being driven by the retrofi t market’ANDREW WYLIE associate director, Buro Happold

At the moment, there are three categories of innovation in materials: existing materials that are being used in new ways, existing materials that are currently unfamiliar to

designers, and new, high-tech materials. ‘Key existing materials being treated in innovative ways are

concrete and steel. There’s no big breakthrough here, but both are seeing more recycled content, which is greatly reducing costs and carbon emissions. Designs using these materials are also becoming more effi cient, and more thought is being given to end-of-use processes, such as demolition and disposal.

‘Existing materials that might be unfamiliar to some designers include plant and earth-based materials, which tend to have low embodied carbon, such as rammed earth or chalk, bamboo and hemp. We will see increasing use of cross-laminated timber, in particular.

We used this for the fl ooring in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford six years ago. Back then, no one had heard of the material, and we had to do a detailed study of the risks of importing it. But, over the past few years, there has been a quiet revolution in the use of timber.

‘Another plant-based approach on the rise is straw-bale construction. Its advantages are that it stores carbon within the building, it has thermal insulation benefi ts and it’s often produced locally. It was once the preserve of the hairy jumper brigade, but now companies are componentising straw bale, and it’s moving into the conventional market.

‘High-tech material development is being driven by the retrofi t market. In particular, we are seeing growing use of phase-change materials, which act as a thermal sink and even out temperature fl uctuations. Coatings that can be applied to existing elements of the building to improve performance will become increasingly important as we intensify efforts to improve the existing stock.

‘The key challenge will be assessing which of these materials are most appropriate for a building. Before, you only thought about what would support the building’s loads as effectively and cost-effi ciently as possible. But now, we’re also looking at how sustainable materials are, in terms of their embodied carbon and social implications.’

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Materials //

➔ BCSC Diploma in Shopping Centre Management

➔ Diploma in Construction Practice

➔ Diploma in Surveying Practice

➔➔ BSc(Hons) Building Services Quantity Surveying, Building BSc(Hons) Building Services Quantity Surveying, Building Surveying, Construction Management, Estate Management, Property Management and Quantity Surveying

➔ PGDip Adjudication

➔ PGDip Arbitration

➔ PGDip/MSc Conservation of the Historic Environment

FlexibleDistanceLearning

It works! You choose where and when to study. Our specialist courses are designed to fit in with real lives - people like you who are juggling work, family and childcare commitments.and childcare commitments.

We offer diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Many programmes are accredited by RICS, CIOB or other professional bodies.

➔ PGDip/MSc Facilities Management

➔ PGDip/MSc Property Investment

➔ PGDip/MSc Surveying (Graduate Development Programme)

➔ MSc Real Estate

➔ MBA Real Estate andConstruction Management

➔ RICS Professional Membership -APC Adaptation Route 1

To further your career call 0800 019 9697, email [email protected] or visit our website...visit our website...To further your career call 0800 019 9697

www.cem.ac.uk

learn today,lead tomorrow

23283-ModusFullPageAd-040213.indd 1 06/02/2013 15:00Modus_June13_P18-29_Materials.v6.indd 25 21/05/2013 11:08

1615

‘We need to take a holistic approach to assessing materials’NICK HAYES head of sustainability, EC Harris

Materials are becoming much more prominent in the industry – driven, primarily, by enlightened clients (particularly retailers) who are looking at them from

a sustainability perspective. The most important thing is that materials must be viewed in “cradle-to-cradle” terms. This means we need to start by looking at the extraction, the transportation and installation; and then, how it’s eventually uninstalled and what happens next – is it sent to landfi ll or recycled?

‘Refurbishment is so much of the market at the moment, particularly in retail, where there tends to be a high turnaround of refreshments. With our retail clients, we’ve found that reducing the number of changes made to fi xtures has a positive impact on embodied carbon, and also reduces costs. They can keep the existing frame and change only the fascias, which results in a refreshed look without removing so much material, while also reducing workload and increasing recycled content.

‘Another smart approach is to target the elements that are the worst offenders in terms of embodied energy. This way, we can make a big difference by changing just one thing. And it’s not just the materials themselves, but also how they’re packaged. Ordering less automatically results in less packaging, but we can also choose materials with less packaging to start with. In general, we need to take a more holistic approach to assessing materials.’

SustainableCORK OAK BARK

The beauty of cork is that it’s bark – which means it can be shaved off the cork oak while the tree continues to grow. ‘Cork bark is gaining attention because it has a fast regrowth cycle – around 10 years – so it’s rapidly renewable, whereas most hardwoods take a long time to grow,’ explains Ian Hunter, from Materials Council. Moreover, the cork oak actually stores carbon when it’s generating bark, leading to greater levels of carbon sequestration.

The sustainability of cork means that it’s becoming an increasingly mainstream material, and is often used for fl oor and wall tiles, as well as insulation. However, in order to be truly sustainable, the adhesive used to fi x it must be equally eco-friendly. Availability: It’s widely available, but mainly produced in Portugal (just over 50% of the world’s supply).Surprising fact: Harvesting the cork bark triggers the tree to sequester more carbon.

FuturisticBIO-COMPUTATION

‘Using just light, water and a few nutrients, a tree can produce a pinecone – a complex 3D object. This suggests that, with synthetic biology, we might be able to manufacture new materials in an equally effi cient way,’ says David Benjamin, from architectural practice The Living. We could, he adds, potentially ‘programme’ biological systems to genetically engineer completely new materials with high-performance properties, controlled by designers via a computer. For example, imagine if you could engineer a panel that was fi rm in some areas and softer in others, or a beam that was light in some places and heavier in others.

Far-out as this might sound, it’s already on the way. The Living is working with the universities of Cambridge and Bristol in the UK to develop a bio-computation-based process to harness natural systems of creation. A bacteria-based system is currently being developed, and the team has already created the software. However, the project is still at an early stage, and Benjamin says it could be a decade before the technique is used commercially. Killer benefi t: The potential to create completely new materials with bespoke properties. Availability: Commercial use could be at least 10 years away.

26 r ics.org

Designed by Arquitectos Anónimos and manufactured by CARPAV, this family home

in Esposende, Portugal, is clad almost entirely in cork bricks

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PracticalHYGIENIC COATINGS

A growing range of anti-bacterial construction materials is making hospitals a safer place to be. In a major endorsement, hygienic coatings have been specifi ed for the ongoing £1bn redevelopment of St Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospitals, where Wallfl ex Hygienic Coating, manufactured by Construction Specialties UK, was specifi ed for the operating theatres and anaesthetic rooms.

06.13 // MODUS 27

At nine storeys, Stadthaus in London is one of the world’s

tallest timber structures

CASE STUDY:

THE TIMBER ‘SKYSCRAPER’Timber is hardly a novel ingredient for the building industry, but it’s one of several traditional materials that are being used in intriguing new ways. Completed in 2009, Stadthaus, a nine-storey apartment building in Shoreditch, London, is a fascinating example of the load-bearing capabilities of wood in a cross-laminated form. Although the building sits on concrete foundations, its core and walls are made solely of timber, which is lower in both cost and carbon emissions than concrete. Created by KLH UK, the cross-laminated timber system used in Stadthaus comprises panels that are made of solid spruce strips stacked in perpendicular layers and glued under high pressure. This limits the eff ect of water on the wood, and makes the panels much stronger than unmodifi ed timber.

Andrew Wylie, associate director and materials expert at engineer Buro Happold, says: ‘Currently, clients are not keen on timber because they think it burns, rots and bends – but now engineered timber, such as cross-laminated panels and LVL (laminated veneer lumber), is increasingly addressing these concerns, and I think we’re going to see wood being used a lot more in the future.’ Killer benefi t: Wood beats concrete in terms of cost and sustainability. Need to know: Flammability is currently being engineered out.

The hygienic coatings contain non-leaching anti-microbial agents that provide protection against dangerous fungi and bacteria, including MRSA and E. coli. Applications: Healthcare, laboratories, swimming pools, schools, food and pharmaceutical process areas, and bathrooms. Need to know: When applied and maintained correctly, Construction Specialties’ products shouldn’t need recoating for at least 10 years.Im

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28 r ics.org

Aesthetic GlitterinG concrete

It’s a useful material, but only the most austere modernists tend to appreciate the stark aesthetics of concrete. However, several new types of concrete now incorporate light, which is transforming the grey stuff into something that can literally brighten up a property. Products made by Berlin-based BlingCrete, for example, contain tiny glass beads, making the material retroreflective – like cat’s eyes on a road at night. What’s

more, the concretes also come in a range of colours and textures.

There is also a glow-in-the- dark concrete from Ambient Glow Technology, developed by Universal One Corporation in the US, and Hungary’s Litracon offers a semi- translucent, patterned concrete. Killer benefit: Makes boring concrete beautiful. Applications: Mainly leisure interiors, but it could also be used for safety purposes, such as highlighting steps.

CAse study:

PhAse-chAnGe mAteriAlsThe £16.7m refurbishment of the east wing of Somerset House in London, completed last year, shows just how useful phase- change materials can be. Architect BDP’s brief was to fully refurbish the Grade I-listed property, while simultaneously bringing it up to a sustainability standard of BREEAM Excellent. But, early on, BDP made an alarming discovery: the timber and slate roof of the building was a flimsy, lightweight structure, and not insulated at all, which was a major barrier to achieving a high level of sustainability. ‘We needed to add mass to the roof to minimise temperature oscillations,’ explains Ilic Testoni, an associate architect at BDP. ‘Normally, we would add concrete, but with Somerset House being a true architectural treasure, both the outside roof and ceiling inside had to be protected, so concrete was not an option.’

The solution was to line the roof with phase-change material boards, by Eco Building Boards (ebb), which combine BASF’s Micronal Phase Change Material with ebb’s unfired clay building boards. The boards store and release heat, without taking up much space or adding too much weight. The 14mm-thick boards contain droplets of wax, so when the temperature rises above 23oC, the wax melts, absorbing heat. When the temperature falls, the wax solidifies and then heat is released. ‘The boards act like concrete, but without increasing the thickness of the roof,’ explains Testoni. ‘It was a brilliant use of an ultra-modern material in a historic building.’ Killer benefit: Thermal mass without the bulk and weight (ebb PCM boards are 12kg per m2, but a concrete slab with the same thermal mass is more than 120kg per m2).cost: Only slightly more expensive than equivalent conventional products.

At London’s Somerset House, phase-change materials increased the roof insulation while preserving the building’s heritage

BlingCrete combines the strength of concrete with attractive, light-reflecting materials

20

CBRE is leading the way in raising standards in valuation across EMEA, as the first Regulated Firm to register all its valuers for RICS Valuer Registration across the region. This step sends a clear message to clients and prospective clients that CBRE and RICS Registered Valuers within the firm welcome open scrutiny, quality assurance and regulation against international standards and recognised industry best practice. As such, clients can be confident they are dealing with an organisation that accepts, embraces and evolves best practice for their interests in every area of business.

CBRE & RICS Valuer Registration

A joint approach to raising and enforcing global valuation standards

For further information on partnership, please contact RICS Regulation on +44 (0) 20 7695 1670

18309 MODUS full page ad - RICS VALUER REGISTRATION V3.indd 1 20/05/2013 14:32Modus_June13_P18-29_Materials.v6.indd 28 21/05/2013 11:35

CBRE is leading the way in raising standards in valuation across EMEA as the first Regulated Firm to register all its valuers for RICS Valuer Registration across the region.

This step sends a clear message that CBRE and its RICS Registered Valuers within the company welcome open scrutiny, quality assurance and regulation against international standards and recognised industry best practice. As such, clients can be confident they are dealing with an organisation that accepts, embraces and evolves best practice for their interests.

“With more and more clients crossing borders it is important to have a common valuation qualification that is recognisable and trusted world-wide. The RICS Valuer Registration initiative will give our clients clarity and confidence as well as enhancing the credibility of the valuation profession.” Mark Creamer, Head of EMEA Valuation & Advisory Services, CBRE

For further information on partnership, please contact RICS Regulation on +44 (0) 20 7695 1670

www.cbre.eu www.rics.org/valuerregistration

Together we’re raising and improving global valuation standards

18309 MODUS full page - RICS VALUER REGISTRATION FINAL.indd 1 21/05/2013 17:32Modus_June13_P18-29_Materials.v6.F1.indd 29 22/05/2013 12:38

Timber industry //

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Forestry valuationtiM HoWarD MRICS, CANADA

As a tangible asset surveyor at Deloitte’s Vancouver office, Tim Howard works with the Business Valuation and Real Estate teams,

covering a number of industrial sectors. Howard is originally from the UK, and has been involved in valuations of timberland, saw mills and paper mills right across Canada. ‘Forestry is a very challenging and rewarding sector to work in,’ he says. ‘I’m involved in a wide range of cases and clients, of different sizes and in various locations, and I really enjoy the travelling side.’

The forest products industry is a foundation of the Canadian economy, and Deloitte works with the largest, most profitable forest products companies in the world, as well as small, local operations. ‘It’s an interesting time to be working in this sector because there are so many fluctuating global demands,’ Howard explains. ‘Today’s industry operates in a dynamic landscape of political, environmental and economic interaction on a global scale. Successful companies must not only react to changes, but also anticipate them. Cost reduction, product differentiation, fibre-supply security, forest policy administration, certification and globalisation are all issues at the forefront of the industry.’

The economic conditions of the past few years have had a significant impact on forestry in North America, but indicators of recovery are now strong. ‘There was a drop-off in demand for timber in the North American construction industry because of a lack of new homes being built between 2007 and 2011, with the result that lumber prices plummeted,’ says Howard. But, he adds, the housing sector began to recover in 2012, with growth expected to ramp up by late 2014, and the North American forest

products industry forecast to return to growth during the period 2011-2016.

According to Howard, there is also demand due to the growth in exports to China: ‘The building industry in China imports most of its lumber from Russia and North America. A 25% tariff on log exports in Russia [implemented in 2008] has shifted log imports to North America – and with Chinese housing volume expected to continue to grow, demand is set to increase over the coming years.

‘Because wood product suppliers had been steadily reducing output, the temporary and permanent closures of facilities created demand pressure, boosting lumber prices, which should now remain high until the capacity catches up with demand. Then, the increased construction activity should ensure that demand remains buoyant.’

As a result, forestry is being viewed as a more popular investment sector, says Howard. And industry figures back this up: MarketLine Industry Profile figures from the Forest products in Canada February 2013 report indicate that the Canadian forest products market grew by 3.7% in 2011 to reach a value of US$18.2bn. It’s forecast that, by 2016, the Canadian forest products market will be valued at US$27.7bn – an increase of 51.7% since 2011.

Howard confirms that both demand and reforestation in many countries is being boosted by regulations that focus on green certification and sustainability: ‘Many market players aspire to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to promote their forest management practices, which provides an aid to a sustainable future for timber,’ he explains. ‘Country-specific building regulations are also boosting demand for “ecological” materials to be used in construction, resulting in the increasing popularity of forest products – provided costs can be kept economically viable.’ >> deloitte.ca

Tim Howard is confident that the forest products market in Canada will see a strong recovery over the next few years

Modus_June13_P30-35_Tree Int+Bus advice.v7.indd 30 21/05/2013 12:08

06.13 // MODUS 31

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Timber consTrucTionsimon corbey MRICS, London

Simon Corbey MRICS is an associate at the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP), a not- for-profit membership organisation

committed to promoting a low-impact and healthy built environment. Based in London, ASBP conducts and commissions research, organises seminars and lobbies government to introduce policies to push forward the green building agenda.

‘Using timber in buildings is a “win-win” on so many counts, from the sustainability angle, but also when you consider issues such as speed of construction, reduced tolerances, waste minimisation and the ability to build in any weather,’ says Corbey. ‘We believe structural timber should be considered as equal to steel and concrete, although we do also want to see more reused steel and low-impact concrete used.’

For the potential benefits to be realised, though, Corbey and ASBP believe the current Building Research Establishment (BRE) Green Guide to Specification for building products, sometimes used as a planning instrument, as well as a means of gaining credits under the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM, might be considerably improved. ‘Our first point is that there is nowhere near enough focus on embodied carbon in building materials [the energy used in manufacturing materials],’ says Corbey. The emphasis, as speakers at recent ASBP seminars have testified, has tended to be on energy in use, both in commercial and residential buildings. The Code for Sustainable Homes allocates less than 1% of available credits to embodied carbon, yet research by the National House Building Council and BRE suggests the split is 35/65, embodied/operational.

‘An important benefit of using timber is sequestered carbon,’ adds Corbey. ‘Trees absorb large amounts of carbon, around 50% by mass, so using timber, and other biogenic materials, locks up carbon within a building.

We would like to see this natural carbon capture and storage number quoted separately from embodied energy. The potential effects of policies designed to increase the use of biogenic materials in UK buildings suggests that the net carbon

sequestration could be as high as 10 MtCO2 in 2020, and 22 MtCO2 by 2050. To put this into context, the total embodied carbon emissions from all UK construction activity in 2010 are calculated to be 33 MtCO2e.

‘One of the issues is that assumptions are made on current rates of wood going to landfill at the end of a building’s life, with that subsequent carbon release. But, as we recommended in our paper submitted to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Excellence in the Built Environment, the reduction to zero wood to landfill would immediately resolve that issue. Wood can be down-cycled into timber board products or used for fuel: none of it should be chucked in a big hole in the ground and wasted.’

‘Using timber in buildings is a “win-win” on so many counts. It should be seen as equal to steel and concrete’

Timber industry //

32 r ics.org


Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor

‘The use of wood in construction is increasing because of a combination of factors: it’s versatile, attractive, renewable, thermally insulating, stores carbon and can be recycled into wood products or burnt for renewable energy at the end of useful life. Architects and specifi ers are realising that wood is the solution to many modern challenges, and we’re seeing inspirational use of timber in both public and residential architecture. However, there is huge potential for wood to play an even more important role. At Confor – a membership organisation that supports the market for wood and forest products – the message we are trying to get across now is that wood can be used in almost any building situation.

‘Of course, if we want the demand to increase for UK timber, it’s vital that we manage existing woodland productively and plant more trees. There is huge scope to develop forestry nationally, as we currently import about 80% of the timber we use – mainly from Scandinavia, North America and Latvia. Now, the Grown in Britain campaign is bringing together major procurers and timber suppliers to make best use of domestic timber.

‘Timber prices and forest land values are increasing, so we are now seeing landowners and farmers looking at timber as a more viable use of their land than, for example, sheep farming, which has been uneconomical without large CAP subsidy in many areas for years. Grants are available for initial planting, and then annually for up to 15 years, when thinning starts to take place. And, income can be generated from the young wood, which can be used for MDF or as fuel.

‘The Wood for Good manifesto calls on the government to take measures to make it easier to choose wood – including a reduction of VAT to 10% on sustainable timber and timber products – and uphold the expansion of productive woodlands by providing a planning and support system that will promote commercial forestry.’

Opinion

‘WOOD IS THE SOLUTION TO MANY MODERN CHALLENGES’

ASBP believes the government should support the speedy development of EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations), which adequately recognise the role of carbon sequestration. ‘We need the right tools for the job: accurate EPDs that can be fed into Building Information Modelling so that a calculation can be made on the effects of replacing a concrete frame with a timber one at the touch of a button,’ adds Corbey.

‘If it’s an issue that the majority of timber used in construction is not UK-sourced, then we should gear up to produce cross-laminated timber, like the Scandinavians do. Of course, it means investment, but the Forestry Commission should support the production of biogenic building materials.’

As Corbey points out, progressive local councils are asking for timber to be specifi ed in building projects. In Hackney, for instance, the planning policy is ‘wood fi rst’, and in Shoreditch, the innovative nine-storey Stadthaus apartment building was the fi rst of its height to use timber load-bearing walls and fl oor slabs, as well as stair and lift cores. The building locks up an impressive 186 tonnes of carbon over its lifetime.

‘Engineered timber is more expensive than some equivalent building materials,’ admits Corbey. ‘But that pales into insignifi cance when you consider the speed of construction, thermal performance, and the sequestered and embodied carbon.’asbp.org.uk

06.13 // MODUS 33

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Forestry stewardshipMathew Maguire MRICS, UK

Mathew Maguire MRICS is a land agent with the Forestry Commission (FC), which operates under Defra and

manages the Public Forest Estate in England. He is involved in commercial forestry and woodland protection.

The FC plants millions of trees a year and harvests some 4m tonnes of wood annually – more than a third of total domestic production – from public forests. The harvested timber is used in both the building industry and for fuel, with income helping to offset forest management, and enabling public access and recreation. The FC also acts as an information source for owners of private woodland, advising on sustainability and disease control, and protects wildlife habitats and historic woodland sites.

The multiple facets of the FC make Maguire’s role an ever-changing one: ‘I could be looking at timber harvesting one day, and our recreation and tourism side the next,’ he says. ‘Commercial plantations used to be dark and dingy places but, where appropriate, we’ve developed areas where people can stay

in log cabins and appreciate the beauty of the forest around them. We have miles of cycle trails and paths, and people can learn about our woodlands at the visitor centres.’

Maguire is one of a two-man team covering the East of England, based at Thetford Forest on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. He worked in forestry for commercial firms, and qualified in Rural Estate Management in 2001, before joining the Forestry Commission in 2005. As a land agent, Maguire is also involved in sporting facilities, including shoots, outdoor concerts, deer management and even green burial sites. As he explains, recreation and commercial forestry are complementary when well managed, though balancing the FC’s various objectives is a constant challenge. ‘On the operational forestry side, we are experiencing strong demand for our

timber, partly because we can demonstrate through certification that our woodlands are well managed and sustainable. With rising energy prices, there’s also increasing demand for low-grade timber to use as fuel for woodburners and biomass boilers, which means we’re now getting a return on some of our lower-value produce, and previously unmanaged woodland in private ownership is now being brought back into management. Our forestry land has increased in value, but that is less significant for us as we hold our forests for the nation: everything earned from the estates that we manage is reinvested.’

With increased demand for timber, the question of whether sufficient trees are being planted for the future has been addressed by the Independent Panel on Forestry, set up to advise government on the future direction of forestry and woodland policy in England. ‘A core message is that the FC should work more with third parties and stakeholders to increase planting and actively manage woodland,’ explains Maguire. ‘With the positive response from government, and wider opportunities for initiatives on the non-operational side of woodland management, I’d say it’s an exciting time to be working in forestry. The future is bright.’ forestry.gov.uk

Timber industry //

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‘With rising energy prices, there’s increasing demand for low-grade timber to use as fuel’

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06.13 // MODUS 35

Let’s start with the uncomfortable truth about the way we use our email. We open our email inbox, check for what’s new, scroll up and down, check again for what’s new, scroll up and down, and then check for other new information on social media, the news or our smartphone. Generally, we have developed an addiction to being connected, and to the illusion of productivity.

Your inbox is not your to-do list Your inbox is nothing more than a holding pen for where new inputs land. Often, we try to keep emails in our inbox because we don’t want to lose them, or we want to come back to them – but the really meaningful work goes on outside of the email inbox. Using your inbox as your primary to-do list reminder means that tasks from elsewhere can get missed. And you end up emailing yourself. A lot.

Don’t let it nag youYour inbox is packed full of potentially exciting information to distract you. But checking too often can become a deadly disease. Turn off the sounds and graphics so that you only visit your inbox when you’re ready to, not every time something new comes in.

Process your emails This might sound straightforward, but it’s a subtle change that can have quite a profound effect. When you open your inbox, switch your mindset from simply checking what’s new to making decisions, and creating the momentum needed to move those emails to where they need to go. To get it out of your inbox, there needs to be an obvious next step – folders, in other words – otherwise you’ll give up too easily and leave it there to come back to later.

Achieving inbox zeroAnyone can clear out their email inbox with a bit of hard work and determination, using this three-stage approach:

Create three processing folders in your inbox called: @Action, @Read and @Waiting. Using the ‘@’ symbol before each word ensures that these are at the top of your inbox folder structure. Then, tidy up your email folders so that they all fi t onto one screen, which will mean that you won’t have to scroll up and down so much when you’re fi ling your emails.

To get your inbox to zero, you’ll need to be comfortable with using the delete button more regularly. Remember that at least 80% of your emails do not require any signifi cant action, so you can be pretty ruthless, but not reckless. Start with your really old emails, where no action is required, and move them all into a reference folder called ‘Death Row’. Then, arrange them by ‘From’, to bunch together emails based on the sender, and then begin your cull. Alternatively, you can arrange them by ‘Subject’ and do the same. If you ground to a halt, keep re-sorting until you’ve deleted everything you can easily.

When you’re left with just the emails in your inbox that need a bit more thought and organisation, a more considered and careful approach is needed to fi le each one into your process folders and reference folders. Apply the two-minute rule: anything that can be fi red off in less than two minutes should be dealt with immediately, rather than storing it in the @Action folder. Some of what you read you’ll still want to fi le as reference or delete, but you should fi nd that as you hit the ‘home straight’, you’ll be more engaged with the three processing folders.

Moving forwardWith an empty inbox, you can manage future emails easily and free up your mind to focus on other tasks. It can also help to set up fi lters and rules to automatically file regular messages – such as mailshots and notifi cations from social media – to view later. And try to turn off your email when you need to concentrate so that you won’t be constantly distracted by new messages coming in.

GRAHAM ALLCOTT is the author of How to be a Productivity Ninja, and founder of Think Productive, which runs email-training workshops. thinkproductive.co.uk

ANYTHING THAT CAN BE FIRED OFF IN LESS THAN TWO MINUTES SHOULD BE DEALT WITH IMMEDIATELY

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Business advice //

How to deal with

EMAIL OVERLOADBy productivity expert Graham Allcott


Built as a bacon factory in the 1930s, and later used to store tea, the Tea Building is an imposing eight-storey beehive of creativity in Shoreditch, East London. After a redevelopment

in 2003, by property developers Derwent London and AHMM architects, it now epitomises the kind of trendy offi ce space and, perhaps more importantly, location that is increasingly sought-after by new technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) companies. It’s one of the iconic buildings of London’s ‘Tech City’ – the government’s name for the nebulous area around Shoreditch and Old Street roundabout where successful TMTs have been clustering over the past decade. Not that the government should be claiming much credit for this success, though.

‘It’s totally organic what’s happened in Shoreditch, and it’s not because of the government’s intervention, or any “Tech City” or “Silicon Roundabout” branding,’ says Michael Raibin, director at Hatton Real Estate, an East London-based commercial property agency. In the past year, the government has been keen to boast about the up-and-coming area – or ‘jumped on bandwagon’ as Raibin argues – by branding it Tech City and announcing a package of measures to help TMT business start-ups. These include tax relief, deregulation and funding of around £500m to help small and medium-sized businesses access loans. While these measures are welcomed, some, like Raibin, believe too much branding might hinder the independent, organic growth of the area – a growth that won’t be easy to replicate to fi t other parts of London.

And it’s not just Shoreditch where this is occurring – Raibin has witnessed the ‘City fringe’ areas of Clerkenwell, Farringdon and Islington buzz with demand from TMT companies in the past few years, more so than at any other time in his 14-year career in the capital. ‘These areas are now becoming more acceptable for TMT tenants, not just because occupational costs are more competitive than the West End or the City, but because they are where the best talent is. We’ve made a number of transactions for key TMT players, and many have told us they want to be in an area with other like-minded people. It is unlikely that the creative tech talent will want to hang out with the hedge fund contingent at Canary Wharf – and they don’t want to be told where’s “cool” by the government.’

Redeveloped former warehouses such as the Tea Building offer attractive and unique large-volume workspaces for TMT tenants. The building has certainly come a long way since the mid- to late-1990s, when the surrounding streets were seen as crime-ridden and dilapidated. Its open-plan, fl exible, characterful spaces – where it wouldn’t be unusual to find company CEOs having lunchtime ping pong tournaments with staff – have become a magnet for many young

advertising agencies, clothing designers, trendy internet retailers and social media marketing fi rms. And, while the owners now ask for relatively high rents in what may seem like a basic building, demand is high, so those able to afford the increasing rents are no longer emerging start-ups, but more mature, second-stage private businesses.

As a wide-ranging term for the sector, TMT encompasses broadcasting, publishing, new media, advertising, marketing, public relations, information technology, telecoms and media. A BNP Paribas survey last year found that 54% of TMT firms expect to grow their London headcount by a third, on average, over the next three years. Therefore, with workspace needed for more than 14,000 new employees, the fi rm predicts this growth will translate into around 111,000m2 of additional offi ce demand – the equivalent of two Shard-sized skyscrapers.

36 r ics.org

REVVOOOLLLUTUTUTUTUTUTIIOONTHE SILICONTHE SILICONTHE SILICONTHE SILICONTHE SILICON

THERE’S MORE TO LONDON’S TMT PROPERTY SECTOR THAN SHOREDITCH’S OLD STREET ROUNDABOUT. BRENDON HOOPER

REPORTS ON DEMAND FOR FLEXIBLE, DYNAMIC WORKSPACES

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‘The “broad church” that is TMT is the most active sector in London right now, in terms of demand,’ says Dan Bayley MRICS, head of central London offices at BNP Paribas. Bayley has spent around 20 years providing development and leasing advice to funds, landowners, developers and occupiers in the capital. More recently, he has become something of an expert on the needs of clients in the TMT sector. Last year, his team transacted an eight-floor, 4,300m2 letting for Amazon at Glasshouse Yard on the edge of the City. ‘However, it’s very difficult to classify what type of workspace TMT clients want – the technical requirements and their ideal location,’ says Bayley. ‘It’s almost easier to say what they don’t want, which generally means bland “vanilla” space, or to be in traditionally

corporate areas, such as the City or Docklands. And at the same time, it’s become increasingly tough to find buildings of the right size or rent price in traditional media areas, such as Soho or Covent Garden.’

This challenge is reflected in how the TMT sector cannot simply be defined as a homogenous group. For example, BNP Paribas’ survey found the telecoms side is smaller by activity, with these types of firms generally more happy to lease traditionally corporate workspaces. Meanwhile bigger, long-established media advertising companies, whose margins remain relatively tight, are more concerned with finding more efficient building spaces, rather than venturing out into ‘unchartered’ territories away from the West End. Though relatively lower rents are one reason why the ‘emerging’ locations of King’s Cross, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Hammersmith and the South Bank are high on the wish list for many TMT tenants, money is, of course, no barrier for some of the big players. Google recently bought a hectare of land to develop a 90,000m2 office at King’s Cross Central for a reported total cost of £1bn, while Twitter, Salesforce, Facebook and Microsoft are all rumoured to be looking for significant properties in central London.

bright young thingsFrom cash-tight start-ups to multi-million-pound giants, what’s becoming more apparent is how the type of office and its location reflects more about how a TMT company’s brand is perceived for recruiting and keeping talent. In addition to the location and cost, a Jones Lang LaSalle report on the TMT property sector earlier this year noted that,

‘two important considerations influencing property strategies are the retention and attraction of a talented workforce, and the flexibility within a building that provides for the rapid expansion many of these firms are witnessing.’ BNP Paribas’ findings back this up: when surveyed on the look and feel of their ideal office space, 59% of start-up tenants preferred a warehouse-style space, 63% agreed the right office space is crucial for building a successful brand, and 77% of those in marketing agreed on the importance of real estate in attracting the right talent.

Nick Katz FRICS is a commercial property agent marketing and developing the property start-up honestbuildings.com, a LinkedIn-style online network for property professionals, owners, managers and occupiers to share information on buildings around the world. Katz is a tenant at the Open Data Institute (ODI) in Shoreditch, >>

Tech City //

06.13 // MODUS 37

:simple workspace City Road EstatEFollowing the success of the Tea Building, Derwent London is launching The White Collar Factory office concept at Old Street roundabout this year. Partnering again with AHMM architects, the development team says they are taking a ‘less is more’ approach, focusing on the kind of building qualities attractive to creative tenants, including spacious floor-to-ceiling heights, flexible floorplates, and low-energy heating and cooling systems. With this design, Derwent believes tenants’ operational energy and running costs will be reduced by around 25%, while effective management of the space by tenants could lead to additional cost savings of 5-10%. As a sign of confidence in demand, the firm will begin building without a pre-let agreement.

Modus_June13_P36-39_Silicon roundabout.v6.indd 37 21/05/2013 12:40

38 r ics.org

Hong KongInitiated in 1999 by the Hong Kong SAR government on a 240,000m2 site at Telegraph Bay, Cyberport was developed to help local businesses capitalise on the burgeoning growth of the internet. Now, it’s a thriving cluster of technology and digital content tenants, many of which have been nurtured by a dedicated ‘incubation’ facility for technology start-ups, the IncuTrain Centre, which helps provide office space, financial assistance, training and access to high-powered broadband.

Cyberport puts its success down to pooling resources to create business opportunities, while accelerating IT adoption in the wider community.

bangaloreMore than 35% of India’s IT employees work in Bangalore – a city that now contributes a huge amount to the country’s GDP. Divided into three clusters – Software Technology Parks of India, International Tech Park Bangalore and Electronics City – its huge IT economy is fed by graduates from IT engineering

colleges around the city, who go on to work at some of India’s biggest software companies, such as Infosys and Wipro. Bangalore is also home to around half of India’s biotech companies – however, there are concerns that the city’s slow pace of infrastructure development and high land values may drive many new businesses to other cities.

lagos and nairobiAfrica is seeing new sources of office market demand as a number of TMT locations are

endorsed by governments, such as ‘Silicon Savannah’ in Kenya, and ‘Silicon Lagoon’ in Nigeria. In January, Kenya’s president launched Konza Technology City, a US$14.5bn (£9.1bn) IT and business hub around 40 miles from Nairobi. Masterplanned by SHoP architects, the project is part of Kenya’s Vision 2030 plan and is expected to create around 200,000 jobs by its completion. Meanwhile, in Lagos, Nigeria, the government has invested US$3.5m (£2.3m) towards a tech incubation centre to aid internet start-up firms.

:Cyberports and siliCon lagoons TMT hoT-spoTs around The world

Tech City //

one of a network of start-up ‘incubators’. Co-founded by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the non-profit ODI secured around £10m from the government to support TMT start-ups in its modern and highly connected office space. ‘I pretty much operate with my laptop, iPad and the bag on my shoulder, so there’s a big difference between a start-up, like us, and a “grown-up” company that has more serious office needs in terms of energy and server space,’ says Katz. ‘I mostly work in the cloud – that is, storing data online. Flexibility is key when you’re a growing company.’

Katz believes this confluence of big anchor firms and tech and media start-ups in East London has a vibrancy that is unrivalled almost anywhere else. This is noted by BNP

Paribas, too: London is only really challenged by New York as an in-demand base for TMT companies, while there is also no major shift to other UK cities. ‘Every day, I look forward to coming to work here,’ says Katz. ‘The flexibly planned office means you can get distracted chatting to other tenants, but many of these chats have developed into potential partnerships and new ideas. I’m 29, and people my age don’t want to work in silent cubicles – we need colour and atmosphere. These kinds of offices are an experience that enables the workforce because they’re happy.’

Everyone agrees that, while help from the government to develop and nurture TMTs and the office space they require is appreciated, too much Tech City branding is unnecessary, and may be to its detriment. There’s a feeling that it’s only a matter of time before larger, more corporate advertising agencies or multinational mobile phone firms set up and ‘spoil the vibe’:‘Is this really a problem? I’m not so sure,’ says Bayley. ‘I’ve advised one or two owners around there not to worry too

much about who the office tenants are, but to make sure the mix of retailers and restaurants remains a bit “boutiquey” and independent, as this is a major draw for the people who work at these types of companies.’

There’s certainly nothing new in worrying that too much gentrification of a perceived ‘cool’ zone will lead to bigger corporates coming in and dominating, dampening the area’s initial appeal. ‘It’s a tough balance to keep for Shoreditch and places like it,’ says Katz. ‘But I’d say the challenge is for corporates to react and respond to our changing working environment as the typical old-model office space is beginning to fall by the wayside. The “Facebook generation” is here to stay.’

View a digital map of more than 1,300 east london TMT businesses and how they are connected at techcitymap.com, and find out more about Tech City at techcityuk.com.

advertising agency Mother london is a tenant in the Tea Building, in london’s

‘silicon roundabout’

CIH 202x274 Modus Box.indd 1 17/05/2013 16:46Modus_June13_P36-39_Silicon roundabout.v6.indd 38 21/05/2013 12:40

CIH 202x274 Modus Box.indd 1 17/05/2013 16:46Modus_June13_P36-39_Silicon roundabout.v6.indd 39 21/05/2013 12:40

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Modus_June13_P40-41_Law advice+ad.v2.indd 40 21/05/2013 11:47

06.13 // MODUS 41

The biggest shake-up of workplace pensions for decades is on its way. It began last October and, by February 2018, even the smallest organisations will have to fulfi l their automatic enrolment (auto-enrolment) obligations. The new regime could have a signifi cant impact on employees’ retirement options. However, with some 12,000 employers a month set to reach their staging dates in May to July 2014, escalating to 130,000 towards the end of 2017, there are concerns over the demands that will be placed on the UK’s fi nancial, pension and payroll system.

THE NEW REGIMEFor employers across the property, land and construction sectors, satisfying auto-enrolment legislation will mean significant ongoing compliance and obligations. In

response, the government launched a consultation this year to simplify ‘those irritating regulations that do not need to be there, or are not clear’. But, with the findings of this review not due until mid-2014, employers should plan to fulfi l responsibilities based on the current duties.

These include: Providing all employees with information about their

new pension rights Automatically enrolling eligible employees into a

qualifying scheme with a default investment option Enrolling non-eligible employees into a qualifying

scheme if they decide to opt in Offering employees not entitled to be auto-enrolled the

opportunity to join a scheme Advising those automatically enrolled that they have the

right to opt out (but not be seen to be encouraging this), and refunding contributions to those who decide to do so

Registering the qualifying scheme with the Pensions Regulator, and re-registering the scheme every three years

Automatically enrolling employees who have previously opted out every three years

Keeping records of all aspects of auto-enrolment.

This is a substantial list of requirements, and the Pensions Regulator, which is tasked with overseeing the new regime, will work with employers to educate where needed, but also enforce where necessary. Enforcement could lead to a financial penalty, ranging from £50 to

£10,000 per day. Employers, therefore, must ensure they have a system in place to deduct contributions, and remember that auto-enrolment is not a pension issue but rather one of compliance.

SAFEGUARDING COMPLIANCEThe fi rst decision is whether or not to take advice, and some employers will decide to go it alone, rather than share the risk of non-compliance with a regulated fi nancial adviser. Whichever way, it’s important to plan while there’s still time, as there are several different ways to certify contributions to an auto-enrolment pension scheme. Also, the legal framework is still evolving and, in the absence of case law, there is not yet a fully developed set of guidance for employers to follow.

It’s advisable to review your employment contract, as there may be issues around contracts, agency workers and consultants. It might also be a good time to review other employee benefi ts and pension arrangements already in place – for example, will the existing pension provider help manage the new regulatory aspects?

The impact on payroll processing could be substantial, so check what the payroll provider will do to facilitate the enrolment process. In some cases, where payroll or pension providers’ systems fall short, new independent solutions are available to aid auto-enrolment compliance. Importantly, some of these can provide the fl exibility required to handle multiple payrolls and pension providers. Alternatively, you can devolve responsibility for the default investment option to the pension provider, or a specialist pension and employee benefi ts adviser.

The new regime requires long-term commitment, expertise and resource. A robust strategy from the outset will go a long way in ensuring that the complexities and costs of auto-enrolment are managed effectively.

GLYNN JONES is the divisional director of Group Savings & Investments with LEBC Group. lebc-group.com

Find out more about auto-enrolment from RICS Benefi ts Plus partner St James’s Place. Visit rics.org/benefi tsplus.

THE NEW PENSION REGIME REQUIRES LONG-TERM COMMITMENT, EXPERTISE AND RESOURCE, AND MUST BE MANAGED EFFECTIVELY

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Law advice //

Are you ready for

AUTO-ENROLMENT?By fi nancial adviser Glynn Jones

These include: Providing all employees with information about their

new pension rights Automatically enrolling eligible employees into a

qualifying scheme with a default investment option Enrolling non-eligible employees into a qualifying

scheme if they decide to opt in Offering employees not entitled to be auto-enrolled the

opportunity to join a scheme Advising those automatically enrolled that they have the

right to opt out (but not be seen to be encouraging this), and refunding contributions to those who decide to do so

Registering the qualifying scheme with the Pensions Regulator, and re-registering the scheme every three years

Are you ready for

AUTO-ENROLMENT?

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01.11 // MODUS 09

Information :rics news :diary :benefits :resources

In May, professional organisations from around the globe, including RICS, established the International Property Measurement Standards Coalition (IPMSC) at the World Bank in Washington DC. The coalition aims to resolve disparities by developing and implementing a set of international property measurement standards that are principles-based and internationally applicable, which will be adopted by all nations worldwide. IPMSC will now appoint an independent committee to lead wider industry consultation and the standards development process. rics.org/internationalstandards

global StandardS uSeful 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

it’S encouraging to See that government initiativeS are having an impact on the property market in the uk

RICS Global Residential Director peter bolton king

06.13 // MODUS 43

transactional activity expected in global

capital markets in 2013

$450-$500bn

Washington DC, US


08 r ics.org

facts, stats & surveys

RICS news //

44 r ics.org

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The highest rental values reported were in the

East of EnglandThe amount new rents have fallen by, compared

to the previous quarter (£27,651)

The average annual pub rent for new leases in

England and Wales

How well do we manage our woodlands? rIcs has published a study of uK woodlands to find out the extent to which woodland owners understand the principles of effective woodland stewardship, and to identify the barriers to implementing sustainable woodland management. the survey found

that the majority of woodlands are in personal ownership, and while income generation was the main goal for landholdings as a whole, personal pleasure was the most commonly cited management aim, followed by landscape conservation and biodiversity. a significant

proportion of owners were not in receipt of any grant aid, but most respondents cited grant aid as the main factor that would incentivise them to plant new woodland, followed by other income sources and advice. rics.org/research

rIcs senior vice President Louise Brooke-smith frIcs gave the keynote presentation at the recent rIcs conference, ‘What makes a building truly sustainable? Is energy efficiency enough?’. setting out the findings from the World Green Building council’s report, The business case for green building – which is the first to draw together evidence from around the world on the subject – Brooke-smith highlighted rIcs’ contribution to valuation of sustainable features in property.

rIcs provides its members with guidance to ensure they have the knowledge and skills needed to meet the increasing demand for advice on the benefits of green buildings. valuation professionals need to understand energy efficiency and renewable energy features, and collect better information, in order to assess their economic impact and better advise clients. Building on the forthcoming new global guidance note, rIcs will develop dedicated training for valuers. rics.org/sustainability

In the first quarter of 2013, 10% more construction- sector professionals saw workloads increase than at any time since the end of 2007, according to the latest rIcs construction Market survey. What’s more, surveyors expect this positive trend to continue, with a net balance of 27% more respondents expecting workloads to rise over the coming year. One of the main drivers behind the upswing is the boost in private house building, which suggests that some of the government’s initiatives are quietly breathing life back into the uK property sector: ‘attempts to stimulate the market seem now to be having some impact, but the availability of finance and planning-related issues continue to be obstacles to development,’ said rIcs chief economist simon rubinsohn. rics.org/construction

BuildinG GOES up

true sustaInaBILIty

£26,920£731

£33,500

Modus_June13_P42-53_Info.v6.F1.indd 44 23/05/2013 15:19

01.11 // MODUS 0906.13 // MODUS 45

The projected average rental costs as a

percentage of turnover

The lowest rental values reported were

in Wales The average new pub lease length

Taken from the Q4 RICS Pub Benchmarking Survey.

To contribute, email [email protected]

Alan Collett FRICS RICS President

‘We must accept our responsibilities as a profession, and also our individual responsibilities within it’

anus, the Roman god after whom January is named, was the god of beginnings and transitions. He is often represented as having two faces, one looking back at the past, and the other to the future.

As I write this, my last words for Modus, I am conscious of the importance of managing transition. Each President acts as Chairman of our Governing Council, leader of the Leadership Team, and ambassador for the whole profession. We have to face the challenges of the future standing on the strengths of the past.

Our world and profession are in transition with the rebalancing of world trade and unprecedented urbanisation in the rapidly developing economies. We also face the great challenge of sustainability: how can a burgeoning population manage the resources of one planet when some have too much, and some far too little?

RICS members are involved in all aspects of land, property and construction in more than 140 countries worldwide, and all are helping to meet today’s challenges. Those in construction, for example, are striving for an ever-more efficient use of materials and energy by introducing Building Information Modelling into their working practices, and by finding new ways of using cost management

to get more for less. Within RICS, there’s also a renewed emphasis on the importance of lifelong learning, with members encouraged to stay ahead of the game, rather than just keeping up with it.

To take some of the risk out of cross-border investment, RICS is working on new international standards of measurement, and seeking to agree a common standard of ethics with other professions. This will also help to ease flows of global capital into infrastructure and development, enabling all economies to grow sustainably. Meanwhile, we are demonstrating how self-regulation, alongside government regulation, can work to the public advantage – for example, our research into the regulation of letting agents in the UK.

Going forward, we must continue to accept our responsibilities as a profession, and also our individual responsibilities within it. By sticking to the mission of our Royal Charter, we can contribute more to our societies, and also to our own career progression.

Thank you, the members, for electing me to Council, and to Council for electing me as President and allowing me to contribute. On 1 July, I shall hand over the office of President to Michael Newey, and will return to my professional life in housing.

In response to calls from the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee to improve transparency, RICS has launched the first UK pub rent benchmarking survey. The data, provided by three

leading pub companies, has been collated, analysed and published, providing a resource to compare key indicators, such as average rents, length of leases and projected turnover. RICS is

now working to produce quarterly pub benchmarking surveys. RICS Director of Valuation Ben Elder said: ‘This is a significant step forward in providing badly needed, transparent data to

the pub industry. As the UK’s leading professional valuation body, our aim is to provide expert, impartial advice on the impact of changes in the market.’rics.org/marketsurveys

the fIRSt RICS PUb Rent SURvey

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

9%£19,0007 years

J


08 r ics.org

Recently, I had a bit of a change from my normal routine of surveying houses. Instead, I spent a morning giving a lecture to a group of building surveying students. I was, I have to say, quite amazed by the 100% attendance at nine o’clock in the morning – not a lecture slot I would have necessarily managed when I was a student. But then, I suppose times have changed in the decade since I graduated, and now it’s a very competitive market indeed for graduates. There’s no time for slacking.

One discussion we had was about age. Within the residential surveying profession, I do seem to be young for what I do (I’m 31), and most agents seem surprised when I turn up to collect the keys. In fact, sometimes they even tell me they were expecting someone older. In the past, I have attempted to look older by growing a beard – but this only resulted in appearing sufficiently shifty to make the agent hesitant to hand over the keys at all. I suppose some of us just don’t look good in beards. But it is a puzzle why I don’t come across more young surveyors in the residential sector. Maybe it’s just that someone starting out in their career would prefer to be in an office surrounded by other young people than poking around millionaires’ penthouse flats in Mayfair on their own – as I tend to do.

So, as well as imparting the necessary core valuation material, and the fact that the surveying profession really is great and they should definitely join RICS, I pointed out to the students that the current demographic probably means a lot of surveyors will, presumably, be retiring in the near future – leaving a gap for a new generation of surveyors to fill. I don’t think I’m old before my time, and I really believe that surveying residential houses is a great way to earn a living, and that it requires a sufficient degree of skill and knowledge to keep a young surveyor stimulated, without the plateau in knowledge that can be experienced in some careers.

But now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find my pipe, put on my slippers and finish another survey report.

If you are interested in being a secret surveyor, email [email protected].

‘there will soon be a gap for a new generation of young surveyors to fill’

Secret Surveyor

A recent RICS survey shows that nearly half of the sector is still not using Building Information Modelling (BIM). while 100% of respondents, from a broad spectrum of disciplines, said they have either already adopted or are actively considering adopting biM, 49% stated they are not currently using the process.

the results of the survey, conducted at riCs’ national biM conference earlier this year, also provide an indication of the barriers restricting the adoption of biM, with 46% of respondents identifying minimal client demand as a major factor, 23% culture and 15% a lack of industry collaboration. Collaboration is particularly important, as it’s only when biM is implemented

at every stage of the property’s life cycle – from design and build through to occupation and management – that processes and financial efficiencies can be fully maximised.

alan Muse, riCs Director of built environment professional groups, commented: ‘we have welcomed the launch of biM4sMe by the Construction industry Council and the government’s biM task group, which will provide vital support to sMes (small and medium-sized enterprises) in engaging with biM. riCs’ uK Construction Market survey showed that 28% of the industry is currently using biM – a figure that’s likely to rise. therefore, sMes must embrace biM to remain competitive.

‘if fully embraced, biM will be a positive force for change in the construction and property industry and beyond. we’re trying to enable the realisation of this potential by providing the tools and influence that are needed. however, further work is needed if the industry is to fully realise the potential of biM.’rics.org/bim

46 r ics.org

CommerCIal: a mIxed pICtureThe latest RICS Global Commercial Property Survey continues to show the uneven economic scene is holding back the occupier market in some parts of the world. This is particularly the case across most of the euro area, as well as the CEE region (Central and Eastern Europe). Significantly, it’s reflected in the fact that within this region, rent expectations are positive in only two countries: Germany and the Czech Republic. By way of contrast, the results for the occupier market remain more upbeat in North America, parts of Asia and Russia. Predictably, the results for China, Hong Kong and Malaysia continue to reflect the relatively solid macro data, as well as anecdotal evidence highlighting the ongoing appeal of real estate. Meanwhile, the turnaround in the fortunes of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) property market is gathering pace, with occupier demand showing a further increase, development starts rising and rent expectations continuing to edge upwards after four years of negative readings. Set against this, the softer results for Brazil reflect the sharp slowdown in the economy here. rics.org/marketsurveys

bIm uptake StIll low

RICS news //


01.11 // MODUS 09

Get up to speed with professional indemnity insurance (pii), which protects professionals and is a requirement for rics reGulated firms

Under the spotlight: PII

Valuation underpins economic activity and wealth generation, and is absolutely fundamental to risk management in property lending. it is, therefore, essential that the industry works together to remove the barriers that stand in the way of an efficient market – which includes the availability and affordability of pii. as an organisaion, rics is firmly committed to ensuring that there is a broad availability of valuation services available, which is in the public interest. new guidance is now available for members, entitled Managing key risks and liabilities in valuation. here, we answer some of the most common questions about pii:

q: Previously, lenders have pressurised valuers to over- and under-value property. These commercial pressures on surveyors have not been considered by judges, who tend to consider more the commercial pressures on lenders. What is RICS going to do to discourage this kind of lender behaviour, and encourage

judges to understand better the pressures valuers are facing? A: it is the role of rics to educate our members, but also our stakeholders more widely, to understand the risks involved in valuation for secured lending so that there are steps taken to ensure the sustainability of the market as a whole. the new guidance is one part of this education process, which will involve dialogue with member firms, individual members and all relevant stakeholders.

q: Why is RICS not doing more to force lenders to limit liability? And why can’t RICS force all firms to collectively limit their liability? A: rics took legal advice, which noted that the organisation cannot force all firms to limit liability as it would be anti-competitive. however, as a professional body that sets standards and good-practice guidelines, we do advise all firms to limit their liability, and our guidance strongly invites firms to do this. we, and our members, can also

inform clients better about the reasons for this. the guidance is the first step in an educative process that will involve engaging with all key stakeholders.

q: For court purposes, what is a ‘reasonable valuer’? A: the test of ‘reasonable valuer’ is to get a view of reasonable behaviour from a person or body of peers. the court needs the view of a ‘reasonable valuer’ to help in making a judgement about whether the valuer being sued has been negligent. this assumes that the judge understands the issues and so a large degree of trust is placed in the judge that they do understand the view of the ‘reasonable valuer’.

q: Is it possible to agree a liability cap of 100% or 0% (ie no liability cap)? A: it is possible to have no liability, but ideally this must be explained in the record of engagement. the guidance gives more detail on this point.

q: How far does the duty of care go? Does this apply to buyers? A: the guidance points out that lenders are pressurising surveyors to expose themselves to greater risks. the default position is that surveyors do not owe a duty of care to third parties in a public domain. permitting someone to see your valuation does not mean you owe them a duty of care – whether you permit third- party reliance or not is in your gift. if you stipulate that you will not permit third- party reliance, you are protected from any action around duty of care issues.

Looking for more on PII and valuations? head to rics.org/pii, where you’ll find information on assigned risks pool, how to handle a claim and maintaining cover when you retire, as well as the latest pii news and free events that you can attend. here, you can also find and download the Managing key risks and liabilities in valuation guidance.

06.13 // MODUS 47


08 r ics.org

www

Advertorial//

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MenswearChoose from a wide range of ready- to-wear collections. This year, Austin Reed has teamed up with Savile Row’s Nick Hart, designer of Spencer Hart, to launch the exclusive AR RED Nick Hart menswear collection. This is the most exciting collaboration on the high street, providing effortlessly cool yet classic tailoring with an edge, which has become a favourite of some of the best dressed men around, including David Beckham and David Bowie. austin reed Bespoke Alternatively, the Austin Reed Bespoke service offers the ultimate

suiting solution, tailored exclusively for you. Owning a Bespoke piece is truly one of life’s luxuries – the pleasure of designing your own item, exactly how you want it, is incredibly rewarding, and adding personal touches will ensure that your item is completely unique. With suits starting from £399, an Austin Reed Bespoke suit is a worthwhile style investment, and experienced fitters will guide you through the whole process to ensure a perfect fit.

woMenswearLadylike tailoring that is both functional and flattering is perfect for women who mean business. Stylish and versatile tailored separates, in a wearable colour palette, make a great addition to any woman’s working wardrobe.

riCs MeMBers Can enjoy the following Benefits at austin reed: 20% off full-price items 10% off sale and promotional items

To redeem, simply present your RICS membership ID in store, or enter the following code online – RICS20FP for 20% off full price and RICS10MD for 10% off sale and promotional items. austinreed.co.uk Terms & Conditions: Offers are valid on Austin Reed branded merchandise only. Not valid in concessions or outlets. Offer valid until 31 December 2013.

Update your workwear

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

48 r ics.org

AS GOOD AS OUR WORD

Advertorial //


01.11 // MODUS 09

www

MembershipGraduate survey resultsIn the latest RICS Graduate Intake Survey, the 46 firms surveyed revealed that they expect 391 of their total 491 graduates to enrol onto the APC (Assessment of Professional Competence) next year. This figure represents a 31% increase in APC candidates compared to last year, despite there being only a 3% increase in the total graduates recruited for this September.

Other key findings include: 71% of firms were recruiting

graduates at the time the survey was conducted (February 2013) London starting salaries have

increased to an average of £24,500, (£23,500 in 2012), but regional salaries have dropped to average £20,600 (£20,900 in 2012) 94% of companies offering

incentives provide training and learning support, as well as the payment of RICS membership fees 85% see the APC as the relevant

qualification to their business sector (up from 80% in 2012), and 70% say

that it enhances reputation and professional status The most used method of recruiting

graduates is the corporate website and job boards. Significantly, there was a 26% decrease year-on-year in firms recruiting via university tours.

The main goal of this annual snapshot survey is to gather top- line information about the number of graduates starting at firms in autumn 2013, in order to understand and support firms in their recruiting and training initiatives.

The results of the survey are expected to help both employers and RICS. For employers, it’s an opportunity to benchmark their graduate recruitment initiatives against those offered by their peers. And for RICS, the survey is a valuable tool to maintain and deepen contact with firms, in order to better tailor our support to them and approach firms with the services and products that would be more relevant to them.rics.org/graduateintake

The RICS 2013 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Cadogan Place, London on Monday 1 July at 3pm. Items of business for the meeting are: To approve the minutes

of the 2012 AGM To receive the financial

statements for the period ending 31 July 2012 To receive a report on

Corporate Performance for 2012/2013 To receive the report

from the professional auditors To reappoint BDO LLP

as the professional auditor until the conclusion of the next AGM To note the new

composition of the RICS Governing Council for the session 2013/14.

To see the minutes of the 2012 AGM, the financial statements and the professional auditor’s report, visit rics.org/agm2013.

If you would prefer to receive hard copies, these are available by emailing [email protected] or by telephoning the RICS Contact Centre on +44 (0) 2476 868555.Members are also encouraged to join the AGM remotely. For more information on how to do this, and to register to join remotely, go to rics.org/agm2013 by Friday 28 June.

Join the Annual General Meeting

CORPORATe PeRFORMAnCeRICS has published a summary of its worldwide performance against its goals and objectives for the third quarter of the 2012/2013 financial year (February to April 2013), which is available to members and other key stakeholders to download. During this year, RICS intends to continue the focus on gaining market and government recognition for RICS qualifications and standards across the world’s key economic and political centres. In doing so, we will raise the status of the profession and embed confidence in the markets where our members operate. We are also placing more emphasis on the clear and consistent communication of our vision, strategy and achievements in order to increase member and external stakeholder understanding of our direction, and drive up satisfaction in the value we provide. At the heart of our strategy is the development of international standards, and we are currently working collaboratively with markets, governments and other organisations worldwide to create consistent, sought-after standards for our sector. Feedback on the report is always welcome to [email protected]. rics.org/corporateperformance

06.13 // MODUS 49

reminderall riCs members must undertake a minimum of 20 hours CPd (continuing professional development) each calendar year, of which at least 10 hours must be formal CPd. you should then record your activity online – it’s quick and simple.

start by logging today at rics.org/cpd.


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MSc Real Estate and Property Management* – For aspiring, new, property industry entrants

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APPLY NOW for September 2013 or January 2014 start. PgCert and PgDip options available. We welcome applications from students without formal qualifications but significant relevant experience.* Professionally accredited

For more information visit: www.salford.ac.uk/built-environment or contact the College of Science and Technology’s Enquiries Team on [email protected] or 0161 295 4545.

BETTER PROJECTS?BETTER APPLY TO RGU.

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Become an effective project manager with an RICS accredited course.

OUR MSC Construction Project Management COURSE STARTS SEPTEMBER 2013 OR JANUARY 2014 WITH FLEXIBLE ONLINE STUDY MODES TO FIT WITH YOUR BUSY WORKING LIFE. APPLY NOW!

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01.11 // MODUS 09

sessions that cover fire risk assessment, asbestos surveys and accident investigation. Each session provides advice on risk management, responsibilities and statutory compliance.£95 + VATrics.org/healthand safety2013

RICS Expert Witness Workshops17-19 June, LondonGain the knowledge and practical skills to perform your role as an expert witness at this accredited course. Develop the skills to confidently and competently give evidence in any court proceedings, and obtain the Advanced Professional Award in Expert Witness Evidence, held by more than 250 experts in the UK.£250 + VATrics.org/ewworkshop

It’s Your APC Conference18 June, LondonTailored to provide a step-by-step guide for building surveyors at every stage of their training, this conference is designed to support Assessment of Professional Competence candidates with expert, professional and academic guidance on the final assessment submission, the

interview and core competencies.£150 + VATrics.org/apcconference

RICS National Rural Conference 20 June, CirencesterThis annual one-day conference focuses on energy, economic reviews, professional standards and business growth. The programme features 15 experts who will share essential advice for professionals in the rural surveying sector.£125 + VATrics.org/nationalrural RICS Planning and Development Conference 201325 June, LondonReceive expert advice on viability and planning, plus how to make projects work financially in an increasingly complex environment. The conference offers analysis of how the Community Infrastructure Levy applies for practitioners, insight into the influence of neighbourhood planning, and advice on the renegotiation of S106 agreements. £250 + VATrics.org/planning-and-development

RICS Distressed Property and Insolvency Conference20 June, LondonNavigate through the complexities of the law on insolvency, and examine solutions to the challenging property market in today’s economic climate. Keynote speaker is Steven Clegg, head of

effective strategies to safeguard your property assets against obsolescence, and prepare for 2018 legislative changes.£195 + VATrics.org/greenbuilding

RICS National Residential Conference16 July, LondonDelivered through a mix of technical insights and strategic debate, this conference will critically assess the barriers to growth in the residential market and debate opportunities for your business’ development.£138 + VAT Early bird rate – £115 + VAT (expires 18 June) rics.org/residential conference

ScotlandScotland Summit 201313 June, EdinburghDiscover who and what is driving

Scotland’s economic growth agenda, with competitive market insight. Speakers include: Nicola Sturgeon, cabinet secretary for infrastructure, investment and cities; Robin Crawford, who chairs the review of procurement in construction; and Ainslie McLaughlin, a director at Transport Scotland.rics.org/scotlandsummit

WaleSWales Housing Conference 20 June, CardiffHear how the Welsh government is providing solutions for the ailing housing sector, the likely impact of welfare reform, and the process of renovating older housing stock to achieve a lower carbon footprint. £100 + VATrics.org/waleshousing

Eventsspecialised support at Nationwide Building Society. £195 + VATrics.org/insolvencyconference

RICS East Midlands CPD Day Lincoln 25 June, LincolnA unique opportunity to update your professional knowledge and skills with a selection of topics. With breakout sessions and focused streams, you will have the opportunity to attend sessions on a variety of topics, which will provide essential guidance that you can use in your daily practice.£125 + VAT – full day£75 + VAT – half dayrics.org/lincolncpd

RICS Green Building Performance Conference10 July, London Critically examine the issues relating to the environmental performance of buildings from an owner and occupier perspective. Develop

FoR RICS EvENtS BookINGS AND ENquIRIES [email protected] // +44 (0)20 7695 1600

RICS NatIoNal QS aNd CoNStRuCtIoN CoNfERENCE 12 June, Kensington close Hotel, london

This conference aims to assess the challenges and opportunities

quantity surveyors are faced with in 2013 and beyond. Delegates will receive practical advice in adopting an efficient procurement strategy, and insight into BIM, plus useful feedback on the Government Construction Strategy. £220 + VATrics.org/qsconference

englandRICS Dilapidations Roadshow June to July, various locationsMitigate risk to your practice with key insights into break clauses and case law updates, plus practical case studies on how dilapidations have been working since the implementation of the Dilapidations Protocol.£150 + VATrics.org/dilapsroadshow

RICS valuers Roadshow 2013June to July, various locationsWith a mixture of commercial and residential valuation updates, including an overview of EcoPAS, BOPAS and residential comparables, gain a greater understanding of risk and liability in the valuation market. There will also be information on PI (Professional Indemnity) to ensure you are fully aware of your obligations.£125 + VATrics.org/valuersroadshow

Health and Safety SeminarsJune to July, various locationsThis essential update will be addressed by the Health and Safety Executive, followed by three practical

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EASTERNRichard Michael Bolland MRICS1954-2013, EssexHamish David Liddell FRICS1927-2013, RoystonMalcolm Prior FRICS1937-2013, WatfordPeter John Sanders FRICS1944-2012, HertfordStuart Alexander Silcock FRICS1917-2013, Leigh on SeaAlan J Speakman FRICS1923-2013, Romford

LONDONIain Charles Calder FRICS1934-2013, LondonAndrew Paul Gaskell MRICS1974-2013, LondonBryan Charles Reed MRICS1935-2013, LondonNigel Walsh MRICS1960-2013, Kent

NORTH WESTRalph Harwood Duxbury MRICS1917-2013, Thornton Cleveleys Harvey Lightbrown FRICS1921-2013, Bury NORTH EASTHenry Kenneth Howard FRICS

1926-2013, North RidingJames Thornton Newbigin FRICS1919-2013, Newcastle upon Tyne

SOUTH EASTDonald J G Lamden FRICS1932-2012, Leatherhead Prof Arthur David Gerald Smart MRICS1925-2012, Lymington William Henry Smith MRICS1921-2013, EastbourneJohn Edward Southgate-Sayers MRICS1930-2010, GuernseyDavid John Treagus FRICS1933-2012, Purley

SOUTH WESTFredrick Kenneth Burroughes FRICS1916-2013, BristolJohn Barlow Chadwick MRICS1921-2013,CheltenhamRonald Claude Charles Jolly MRICS1928-2013, BristolDavid John King FRICS1922-2013, Dorset

WEST MIDLANDSJohn Moore MRICS1921-2013, MalvernGerald Charles Davies Osbourne FRICS1929-2013, Coventry

EAST MIDLANDSRichard John Erdswick Broster FRICS1928-2013, Stamford Douglas Child FRICS1929-2010, Nottingham Patrick Joseph Enright MRICS1930-2013, NewarkTrevor Mortimer Thomas Hopkins FRICS1935-2013, Sutton-on-TrentGeoffrey Duncan Lambert FRICS1933-2012, BelperGraham Oxborough FRICS1946-2013, LincolnshireKeith George Tompkins MRICS1928-2013, Wellingborough

YORKSHIRE & HUMBERJohn Stephen Gargett MRICS1930-2013, DoncasterJohn Charles Brian Hinchcliffe FRICS1929-2013, Huddersfi eldJack Denton Hunter MRICS1920-2013, Scarborough George R N Kay FRICS1935-2013, York

NORTHERN IRELANDLindsay Graham FRICS1936-2013, Newcastle

Obituaries

William Henry (Bill) Smith MRICS 1921-2013

Bill entered the quantity surveying profession after a stint of six-and-

a-half years’ Second World War service. Having been conscripted at 18, he served as an RAF navigator at fl ight lieutenant rank. He later achieved his chartered status through the College of Estate Management and rose through the professional ranks, working for A J Willis & Thompson; Rider, Hunt & Partners; and A S Wilson & Partners (which later became Wilson Pritchard Partnership, then Wilson & Partners, and fi nally Wilson Large & Partners). During his working life, Bill saw and embraced many changes in the industry, the profession, and in the use of technology. Born the year before the First Edition of the Standard Method of Measurement, Bill cut his teeth on a now well-thumbed but treasured Fourth Edition – complete with copious manuscript notes of guidance accredited to the aforementioned A J Willis – before he witnessed metrication, decimalisation, calculators, and the cut-and-shuffl e system of bill preparation. Then, computerisation was yet a distant anticipation.

Bill devoted his private life to his family, which included two great-grandchildren, and utilised his numeric skills as treasurer of his local Scientifi c Society and, latterly, his bowls clubs. He proudly retired on 27 October 1986, with a reception held in the Lecture Hall at RICS headquarters, and fi nally hung up his slide rule on 13 April 2013.

Gerald Lionel Johnston FRICS1931-2013, County AntrimGerald Damien Shaw MRICS1961-2013, Craigavon

SCOTLANDMartin John Hunter MRICS1965-2013, EdinburghFrederick Simon Jones FRICS1939-2012, FortroseJan Alexander Lewkowicz MRICS1950-2012, DennySir William James Denby Roberts FRICS1936-2012, Auchterarder

John (Jack) Robinson MRICS1925-2013, Newport-on-Tay

WALESDonald Morgan Evans FRICS1932-2013, Cardiff John T E Jones MRICS1923-2013, LlandudnoJohn Ross Matheson MRICS1943-2013, RuthinGeoffrey Morris FRICS1933-2013, Swansea

AMERICASJames Craig Currie FRICS1923-2012, Hornby Island

ASEANIbrahim Abdullagh FRICS1944-2013, Singapore

NORTH AMERICAWilliam A Radlinshi HonRICS1921-2013, Sterling

NORTH ASIAWai Kwan Eric Chan MRICS1959-2012, Tseung Kwan O

Please email obituary notifi cations to RICS, including membership number if known, to [email protected] or call +44 (0) 870 333 1600.

06.13 // MODUS 53


RecruitmentFor recruitment advertising please contact: Angus Sharpe +44 (0)20 7871 2667 [email protected]

The July/August issue will be published on 22nd July

Recruitment copy deadline Wednesday 26 June

ONE CALL ONLY – FOR ALL THE BEST RESIDENTIAL SURVEYING JOBS

MLA assists the majority of the industry’s employers with all their latest vacancies. With just one call to MLA, you will find all the best jobs in the market. With our many years of independent experience, we advise on salaries and other terms and help you apply to the most suitable full and part-time opportunities available. If you have experience of undertaking mortgage valuations and homebuyer reports (ideally building surveys), make MLA your first contact.

Immediate requirements: London/M25 (all areas), Kent, Surrey, E&W Sussex, Hants, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, Glos, S&W Wales, Berks, M4 Corridor, Oxon, Bucks, Beds, Herts, Essex, North Norfolk, Notts, Derbys, Northants, Wolverhampton, Warwks, South Manchester, S. Lincs, Scotland.

Call Jeff Johnson on 07940 594093. Or email your CV in confidence to: [email protected]

If your location is not shown, register now to be kept advised of new opportunities. www.mlarecruit.com

JLC Consulting Limited Chartered quantity surveyors Chartered project management surveyors

We are looking for chartered quantity surveyors and chartered project management surveyors who have suitable post-qualification experience at a senior professional level in their respective fields.

These positions are permanent, with very good prospects for the future, and offer opportunities for surveyors wanting to relocate specifically to Gibraltar and Southern Spain.

If you are looking to relocate to Gibraltar, or nearby Spain, and are interested in either of these positions, please send your CV in confidence, including two written references and contact details, to:

JLC Consulting Limited Suites 19 & 21 Block 6, Watergardens Waterport Road GIBRALTAR Email: [email protected]

QUANTITY SURVEYORS AND PROJECT MANAGERS - GIBRALTAR

94,818 average net circulation 1 July 2011 – 30 June 2012

Residential Chartered Surveyors Birmingham and Bristol

The Principality Group consists of The Principality Building Society, Wales’ largest independent financial institution, Peter Alan Estate Agents and Nemo Personal Finance and are looking for Chartered Surveyors to carry out residential valuations Principality Surveyors provide surveys and valuations for a variety of Lenders throughout the UK.

Applicants must be FRICS or MRICS qualified and an RICS Registered Valuer with relevant experience. The successful candidate will have a full understanding of all residential valuations within the financial services environment as well as good business acumen with excellent communication and IT skills. Successful candidates will relish the challenge of problem solving and negotiating in a dynamic business environment. In addition you must have a full drivers licence along with the technical ability to support and maintain our ISO9001 accreditation.

If you feel you have the right qualities, please send your CV to [email protected] If you would like to discuss this role in more detail please e-mail, Matthew Morgan, Chief Surveyor at [email protected]

Closing date: 21st June 2013

Close to our communitiesPrincipality Building Society is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, reference number 155998. Principality Building Society, Principality Buildings, Queen Street, Cardiff, CF10 1UA. www.principality.co.uk

HR Surveyors Ad 05-13-1.indd 1 16/05/2013 16:39:33

Modus_June13_P54-57_Classified-v2.indd 54 21/05/2013 14:14

For an established practice in the northwest of the UK, covering East Lancashire, Wigan and North Manchester areas. Providing mortgage valuations, homebuyer reports and building surveys to a wide variety of lenders and private clients.

The successful applicant will need to demonstrate the following:

• RICS qualified, with at least 1-2 years post-qualification experience of residential valuations

• Ideally, registered with the RICS Valuer Registration Scheme

• Capable of working independently based either at home or in an office

• Good communicator at all levels• Computer literate with standard industry software.

Salary by negotiation dependent on relevant experience and qualifications.

To apply, email your CV and covering letter to: [email protected]

EXPERIENCED RESIDENTIAL RICS- QUALIFIED SURVEYOR REQUIRED

06.13 // MODUS 55

Recruitment //

Dorset HealthCareUniversity NHS Foundation Trust

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust is a successful provider of integrated community health and mental health, specialist learning disability services, community brain injury, community dental services - including community hospitals and prison healthcare.

The Trust has a turnover in excess of £220m, more than doubling in size in 2011, having a disperse and extensive property portfolio across the county of Dorset along with providing care at some sites further afield.

Associate Director: Estates£89,513 p.a. inc. of car allowance Job ref: 152-S799.13The Trust is seeking an experienced, innovative Estates professional to lead and develop its estates and facilities management functions. Whilst initially managing the Trust’s estates, fire safety and transport management staff, the role will also integrate and subsequently manage the Trust’s Facilities Management services.

The post will report to the Finance Director and conclude the integration of two estates teams to provide a customer focused maintenance function and develop and deliver an estates strategy to both best support our clinical delivery of services and maximize the inherent potential of our property holdings.

Whilst the post will be based in the Bournemouth and Poole area, the post will involve car travel across Dorset.

Closing date – 28 June 2013 Please apply online at www.jobs.nhs.uk

Providing care all of us would recommend to family and friends.

How to talk about your weaknessesby linda whitney

‘What’s your greatest weakness?’ is one of the worst questions to deal with in a job interview. ‘It’s a direct invitation to put your head in a noose,’ says Martin John Yate, author of Great Answers to Tough Interview Questions. Today, this question is rarely asked in such a direct way, as it tends to intimidate candidates. Instead, companies will use other, more indirect, questions – but, ultimately, they still want to find out what your weaknesses are. So here’s how to deal with the issue honestly, without dooming your application.

First, you need to recognise when the issue of weaknesses comes up. ‘Generally, we avoid the word because it can make candidates immediately defensive. Instead, we ask about workplace challenges and frustrations,’ explains Rachael Urwin, resourcing partner at Rhead Group, which has a significant quantity surveying arm. Sarah Thompkins, who is Parsons Brinckerhoff’s human resources manager, agrees: ‘We don’t ask directly about weaknesses, but they can emerge from basic questions, such as “why do you want this job?” If the candidate says they are currently working 60 hours a week, it can reveal a weakness so we try to identify the reason.’

turn your weaknesses into strengtHsIf the issue of weaknesses comes up, don’t duck the question: you can be honest, but still turn it to your advantage. ‘The response “I don’t have any weaknesses” is one to avoid,’ cautions Matt Wilson from recruiter Eden Brown. ‘Try to be honest, but give it a positive and constructive spin,’ he adds. Lee Faux, principal consultant at recruiter Resourcing Group, suggests putting the problem in the past and demonstrating how you solved it: ‘For example, you could say: “Organisation wasn’t my strongest point, but I implemented a time-management system that has really helped to overcome it.”’ Thompkins confirms: ‘Indicating that you were able to recognise your weaknesses and address them is what we like to hear.’

You can also use the question to ask for training. ‘Identifying your challenges and asking if the company can sponsor you for extra training shows that you are keen to develop yourself,’ says Urwin. Keshiv Prabhakar MRICS, a quantity surveyor at Faithful + Gould agrees: ‘As a chartered surveyor, you will always have more to learn, and so will inevitably have some areas of weakness,’ he says. For example, Prabhakar suggests that if your experience has mostly been in post-contract, you could say: ‘My pre-contract experience doesn’t match my post-contract work. I have done cost plans alone, but not as a lead for a team of several surveyors on a cost plan, and I am looking for more experience there. I hope your company will be able to provide it.’

What’s more, new developments in the industry mean that there is always more to learn: ‘Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the latest issue, so you might say, “I’ve not worked on a BIM project yet, but I’m very keen to do so. I’ve heard that your company’s training is really good, so I’d like to learn more about that while working for you.”’

Careers advice


UPM Tilhill is an Equal Opportunities Employer www.upm-lhill.com

Woodland Investment Advisor, England & Wales UPM Tilhill has an exciting opportunity available in our Investment & Property Team.

UPM Tilhill has an exceptional pedigree in acquiring and managing forests and woodlands for a wide range of investors and intermediaries. The Investment & Property Team are located throughout mainland Great Britain, each member of the team has specific responsibility for a geographic region reporting directly to the company’s Business Development Director.

Key elements of the role include:• UK forestry acquisitions; sourcing, analysing and closing transactions for a range of high net worth and intermediary clients. • Forestry valuations. • Financial modelling of forestry investment options for prospective and existing clients. • Planning and managing forest inventories. • Project managing the purchase of company timber stock properties • Presentations to prospective and existing clients, key stakeholders and at sector events. • Contributing to specialist sector literature and indices.

We seek applicants with a relevant academic qualification and at least 8 years relevant experience who can show a sound understanding of recent developments in English & Welsh forest policy, with a proven track record in developing new business and excellent inter-personal and presentational skills. Commercial acumen and excellent client relationship management skills are vital. Candidates should be highly motivated and possess outstanding organisation and communication skills, have a good level of IT competence, particularly MS Excel and Word, and have the ability to apply high professional standards in a thriving commercially driven business. Professional membership of the Institute of Chartered Foresters or RICS is a requirement. In return we offer an attractive salary and benefits together with personal and career development opportunities.

For more information and to apply, visit the careers section of our website at: www.upm-tilhill.com. For all other enquiries please send an email to [email protected] or call 01723502550. Closing date for applications: Monday 1st of July 2013

56 r ics.org

To view more jobs online visit ricsrecruit.com

Residential valuation, HomebuyeR and building suRveyoR

Opportunity for contract surveyors/consultants to joina nationwide firm of surveyors. Opportunities exist in specific postcodes throughout England and Wales.

Please forward your Cv and contact details by email to:[email protected]

COTSWOLDSURVEYORSCHARTERED SURVEYORS & VALUERS

Telephone 0845 300 5452 www.cotswoldsurveyors.co.uk

DIRECTORSHIP POTENTIALRESIDENTIAL CHARTERED SURVEYORS

Cheltenham, Oxford or Worcester

Due to continued expansion we require experienced ResidentialChartered Surveyors to undertake Mortgage Valuations, Homebuyer Reports and Building Surveys for a varied corporate and private client base.

You should be a self-motivated, reliable and enthusiastic team player with a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience and a desire to help build the business.

For more information please forward your CV and contact details to: [email protected]

Experts in ConstructionProviding specialist recruitment solutions for the construction sector, Randstad CPE o�er specialist tailored recruitment solutions for all stages of the build process, from the initial design and planning, build and project management, to the building services and facilities management.

As experts in our �eld with a long history in the construction market, including Olympic builds, we are best placed to help you with your recruitment needs.

For all your Construction requirements please visit www.randstadcpe.com/construction or call 0800 169 0863.

www.randstadcpe.com/construction

RICS 14th May.pdf 1 5/14/2013 3:38:15 PM


ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: NEW BUILD PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS

We are a property consultancy, based in London, looking to recruit an experienced, RICS-qualified, new build property acquisition professional who:

•Hasspentatleast10yearsworkingwithdevelopmentcompaniesand/oragentsspecialisinginthebuy-to-letnewbuildsectorinLondonandothermajorcitiesintheUK.

•Possessesaverygoodnetworkofcontacts,atseniorlevel,withinthenewbuildenvironment.

Basicsalarynegotiablecirca£60,000per annum,withpossibleOTEof£90,000 – £120,000.

Please contact: Bruce Freeron07971 000873or 07527 933798

Applicationswillbehandledinthestrictestconfidence.Thepackageofferedwillbecommensuratewithexperienceandexpertise.

With over ten years’ experience recruiting real estate specialists, our in-depth market knowledge has helped residential professionals progress and their careers across a range of disciplines. For a confidential discussion about your career plans or recruitment requirements, contact Archie Hirson or Jonathan Reaney at [email protected] or call 0207 478 2500.

Offices globally www.cobaltrecruitment.com

The power of people

If you are an ambitious residential property professional considering a career move, now is the time to get in touch. Cobalt Recruitment’s Residential team has seen a sharp increase in activity across the sector; with requests from surveying practices, managing agents, developers, investors and landlords all seeking experienced residential professionals.

MRICS Residential Valuation SurveyorLondon, Mayfair • £39,000This is an opportunity for a qualified residential valuation surveyor to undertake valuations on a range of assets primarily across central London. You will be responsible for undertaking single asset and loan security valuations, as well as being involved in the wider valuation and development team. Based in Mayfair, the successful applicant will ideally be familiar with the London market and able to work well both in a team environment and also independently. Ref: AH222751

MIRPM Property ManagerCentral London • £30,000-£40,000An exciting, unique property management role has become available to work on behalf of a prominent residential landlord and investment firm based in their city office. As an experienced property manager, ideally you will be MIRPM qualified and educated to degree level. You will taking on the responsibility of a varied residential block/leasehold portfolio of predominately prestigious Central London properties, whilst overseeing a number of external managing agents assigned to the larger portfolio. Ref: JR222441B

Residential Property Opportunities

06.13 // MODUS 57

Recruitment //

East SussexLively Independent Practice

require a Qualified SurveyorFor Professional Work/Commercial Agency

to be based in Uckfield, East Sussex.Must have sense of humour & like dogs.East Sussex experience an advantage

Age not a barrier

Applications with c.v. to:[email protected]

or send to:The Granary, Cornfords Yard,

High Street, Uckfield TN22 1RJ

www.lawsoncommercial.co.uk

For more information callChris Lawson on 01825 76 44 88


7.38m(1972)

4.65m(2008)

43.3mThe diameter of the

dome on the Pantheon in Rome – the world’s largest unreinforced

concrete dome.

In 1756, UK engineer John Smeaton

rediscovered hydraulic cement through repeated testing

of mortar.

2,480,000m3

The amount of concrete used to build the Hoover Dam,

Arizona, US.

26,400m3 The total amount of concrete used to build the foundations of the twin

Petronas Towers in Malaysia (452m).

1,480mThe length of the Tatara bridge

in Japan, the world’s longest cable-stayed concrete bridge.

27,200,000 m3

The amount of concrete used to construct the Three Gorges Dam,

in Hubei, China.

330,000m3

The amount of concrete used in the foundations and tower of the Burj Khalifa. Its construction also holds the record for the highest vertical

concrete pumping at 606m.

17mThe diameter of the world’s largest

concrete tunnel segment ring, produced for the Alaskan Way project in Seattle, US.

1 tonne of cement requires 2 tonnes

of raw material (limestone and shale).

70% of the world’s

population live in concrete structures.

The energy required to produce cement.

(btus per tonne)

5%of global CO2

emissions are attributed to the cement industry.

3.8bn m3

The approximate amount of concrete produced annually around the world.

Sources: auburn.edu, Cement Association of Canada, constructionweekonline.com,

ecosmartconcrete.com, sustainableconcrete.org, rsc.org, wikipedia.org

GREY MATTER CONCRETE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

58 rics.org

Illustration by Ian Dutnall

Measure //

Modus_June13_P58_Measure_v4.indd 58 21/05/2013 14:19

ONLINE AUCTION June 18-20

The world‘s leading online marketplace for commercial real estate

germany.auction.com Register Now!

Featured PropertiesGERMANY COMMERCIAL AUCTION€75+ MILLION IN 30+ PROPERTIES

Werl Retail 3.519 m2

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Neuss Office 8.523 m2

Starting Bid*: 600.000 €

Schwalbach Logistics 6.283 m2


* The starting bid does not necessarily correspond to the minimum selling price at which an offeror is generally willing to sell a real property. A binding real property purchase agreement requires notarization; therefore, the successful close of an auction does not lead to a valid claim for conveyance of title regarding the respective real property vis-à-vis the offeror or Auction.com Commercial Germany GmbH. The purchase price for a real property offered on de.auction.com is the Winning Bid Amount. Auction.com earns a Buyer’s Premium of 5% of the Winning Bid Amount plus VAT. For more details please refer to the FAQs and our General Terms and Conditions.

• All Properties Must Be Sold!• Online Due Diligence Data Vault• Transparent Online Auction• Easy Bidder Qualification and Property Inspection

OPENING BIDS NOWTAKEN IN EUROS.

Modus_June13_P59_auction.com_Ad.indd 2 20/05/2013 11:59

...if you take out a Hiscox Home Insurance policy by Sunday, 30th June 2013.

For full terms and conditionsvisit hiscox.co.uk/rics/wineor call 0845 365 1734.

Receive a complimentary case of wine...

SPECIAL OFFER FORRICS MEMBERS

The offer only applies to Hiscox 505 Home Insurance available via the speci� c telephone number and website. To qualify for the offer the policy has to be taken out between Wednesday, 1st May 2013 and midnight Sunday, 30th June 2013, the reference code ‘wine offer’ has to be entered (online) or quoted when calling and a valid email address has to be provided. For full terms and conditions about the RICS wine offer visit www.hiscox.co.uk/rics/wine or request these when calling the speci� c telephone number. Cases that do not meet Hiscox’s underwriting criteria may be referred to a Hiscox recommended specialist insurance broker, where this offer will not apply. Policies are underwritten by Hiscox Underwriting Ltd on behalf of Hiscox Insurance Company Ltd both of which are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an Appointed Representative of Hiscox Underwriting Ltd. For UK residents only. 11743 05/13

Call 0845 365 1734 for a quote or visit hiscox.co.uk/rics/wine

Preferred Partner

Modus_June13_P60_Hiscox_Ad.indd 60 20/05/2013 12:00

rics modus, global edition - june 2013

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