why our green building methodologies are not sustainable international facility management...

Why our green building methodologies are not sustainable

International Facility Management Association

14 November 2007, Atlanta, USA

Llewellyn van Wyk

Research Group Leader, CSIR (Built Environment)

South Africa

© CSIR 2006 www.csir.co.za

Presentation Structure

• Definitions• ‘Our Common Future’ & its 5 Key Concepts• People/Planet Interface & Construction Industry• Green Building Methodology & Rhetoric• Fault Line & Current debates• Evaluation Criteria• FM Issues & Trends• Examples• Conclusions

New Housing, Mexico


Definitions

• Infrastructure – “the basic physical assets of a country, community, organisation”

• Built Environment – “comprising urban design, land use and the transportation system, and the patterns of human activity within this physical environment”

Hyderabad, India


‘Our Common Future’

• Gro Harlem Brundtland Report 1987

• “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

•


• Habitat Agenda• Agenda 21• Montreal Protocol• Kyoto Protocol• WSSD – Millennium

Development Goals

•

International Reach


5 Key Concepts

•

• Needs:• Essential needs of the world’s poor. Could

also include Maslow’s needs

• Limitations• Imposed by the state of technology and social

organisation on the environment’s ability

• Responsibility• The environment is held as a proxy for social

equity between generations

• Transformation• Sustainability is pro-development providing

that it “involves a progressive transformation of economy and society

• Ecological Capital• Impact of development on the quality of

natural elements must be accounted for


People/Planet Interface

• 6 billion people• 73 million per year• Equivalent to a new Cairo

every 3 months• Growing inequalities

between rich and poor• Lack of social cohesion• Infrastructure collapse• Social collapse• Ecological collapse


Current Record

• “Measuring sustainable development – Nation by nation”, Ecological Economics, In Press, 2007• Only 1 out of 93 met two specified

minimum consumption requirements without exceeding biosphere capacity

• Between 1975 and 2003 only 33 countries decreased foot prints: HIC increase ratio from 1.9 to 3.7

• Only five countries increased Human Development Index without increasing footprint

• EU Environmental Assessment Report 2007

•


Construction Industry Status Report

• $4,2 trillion plus industry• Employs over 100 million• 10% global GDP• Resource consumption

• 50% all resources globally• 45% of energy generated + 5% during

construction• 40% of water used globally• 60% of prime agricultural land lost to farming• 70% of global timber products

• Poor OHS record• High rates of corruption• Over-budget, over-time• Little added-value• Little process or technological

innovation


Construction Green Initiatives

• UNEP (SBCI)• Launched February 21, 2006• Worldwide adoption of

sustainable building and construction practices

• Energy• Legislation & Standards• UN “Marrakech Process”

• WBCSD

•

Los Angeles


Green Building Methodologies

• Sustainable/durable/low maintenance• Energy efficiency and conservation• Site/land management, sustainability, reclamation &

conservation• Water efficiency, management and conservation• Indoor air quality• Outdoor air quality• Material resource management, recycling and conservation• Innovation• Concept of controlling and measuring impact of

construction is quite new and revolutionary

Norman Foster


Green Building Rhetoric

• “Ultimately adoption of sustainable building practices will lead to a shift in the building industry” (David Gottlieb)

• “Reduce buildings by radically improving the way they are designed, built and maintained” (GBCUK)

• “Transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life” (USGBC)

• “Vision is for a transformed built environment leading to a sustainable future” (GBC Canada)

• “Build a better world” (BRE UK)

Stored radioactive material


Current Debates

• “Point-mongering” • External checks without

considering the completeness of the whole (Schendler & Udall 2005)

• Have all the green features, but be socially uncouth

• Bad OHS practices on site• Keep the public out

•


Fault Line: System/Rhetoric

• “Shift in the building industry”• “Radically improving the way they are designed, built and

maintained”• “Communities”• “Social Responsibility”• “Improving the Quality of Life”• “Transforming the Built Environment”• “Building a Better World”• Terms “sustainability” and “green building” are used inter-

changeably


Sustainable Infrastructure:Evaluation Criteria

• A process of change in which the:• Exploitation of resources;• Direction of investments;• Orientation of technological

development; and• Institutional change

are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations

•


Sustainable Infrastructure:Guidelines

• Promote the common interest• “The ability to meet the needs of society for shelter, comfort,

safety, to work and establish relationships without sacrificing other essential human or ecological values today and in the future” (WBCSD 2006)

• Oversight principle that upholds values of both systems• Imbeds legitimacy through accepting obligation: lawful and

proper behaviour within broader societal context• Precedent – the Modern Movement predicated on one of the

most ambitious social movements ever conceived, to save workers from squalor and promote equity

• Unfortunately, succumbed to fashion and winds of change• Hope this does not happen to green movement


FM: Emerging Issues

• IFMA definition “ a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality of the built environment by integrating people, place, process and technology”

• Words like “proactive”, “remediate”, “risk management”, “strategic plan”, “value engineering”

• Executives plea “Never let me be blind-sided by a problem or change”

• Issues:• Enabling the attainment of the organisation’s vision and mission• Creating desirable working environments that meet employees

aspirations (dynamic, ethical, healthy environments)• Attracting new skills, young people (Generation Xers)• Immovable Asset Management


Sustainable FM: Top 10 Trends

1) Corporate Social Responsibility demands increases• Extend into asset planning, formation, operation and maintenance• Consumer pressure• Linking environmental strategy to business strategy

2) Ecological issues will require proactive responses• Next 2-5 years will force corporations to adopt to availability, quality

and access to ecological capital• Will need advice on using and investing in ecological services to

minimise risk, gain regulatory and community goodwill, improve reputation

• Invest in the restoration of ecological flows• Implement precautionary principle, having regard to future liability

claims• Construct a 21st C ecological Resource Use Strategy


Top 10 Trends

3) Technology Innovation will increase• Wider array of ‘green’ and renewable technologies• Next generation of alternative ‘green’ products• Increase value-chain and product eco-efficiency• Technology one of the most significant drivers of change

4) Supply chain pressure• Become cleaner and more integrated• Look to entire supply chain to reach ecological targets

5) Concurrent engineering will become best practice• Integrate design process• Costs, benefits, trade-offs• One of the construction industry’s more revolutionary trends


Top 10 Trends

6) Benchmarking common practice• Establish baselines• Develop evaluation and monitoring instruments• Find and bridge the gaps

7) Value chain integration• Overcome professional ‘silos’ and fragmentation• Identify opportunities for value creation by all parties

8) Human behaviour will change• Leverage power of early adopters to influence stakeholders• Promote social acceptance of ‘green’ technologies• Demonstrate leadership


Top 10 Trends

9) LCA become common practice• Integral to planning, delivery, operations and maintenance• Release of next generation LCA tools• Impact on well-established business practices

10) Designers must find their voices• Deliver on the promise• Most excitement will be found at the nexus of disciplines• Draw design into the realm of public good and benefit• Open Building Approach (Wikipedia approach)


Reichstag


Fukuoko, Japan

•

Elio Amantz


Cultural Centre China


Churches

Salt Lake City rooftop

Crystal Cathedral: Philip Johnson


Holy Grail of Sustainable Cities


Value of design

• Serve its constituents: good design extends to respecting what is notable and honourable about the past, present and future, in a manner that is restorative and transformative

• Infrastructure is back on the developmental agenda: to be sustainable it must contribute to:• Poverty alleviation• Community upliftment• Social cohesion• Quality job creation• Healthy, safe and uplifting working environments• Distributing the costs and benefits equitably• Skills development and transfer

• Ed Mazria “We are the problem, and we are the solution” West Coast Green, San Francisco, Sept 28, 2007

Masdar: Norman Foster


Conclusion

• 21st C, post-Modern epoch, is a turning point for humanity. • Old environmental

management theories and practices have no ongoing value

• Sustainability seeks balance between people/plant

• Development must improve quality of life• ‘Do least harm’ not good

enough


Discussion

Siamak Hariri Baha’I temple, Santiago

why our green building methodologies are not sustainable international facility management...

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