Construction Voice explores the case for action on climate change in the built environment.
Ethics or Economics: Making the case for action on climate change in the built environment was the topic for the Construction Voice event on 29 January, 5.30pm – 7.30pm at PLATF9RM Hove.
The UK Government has committed to ‘net-zero’ greenhouse emissions by 2050. That gives us 30 years to get our house in order and with the built environment accounting for one-third of carbon emissions the construction industry has a big part to play.
It would be hard to argue that there is not an ethical and moral obligation on those working in the industry to find ways to reduce the climate impact caused by the construction and operation of buildings; but is there an economic justification as well?
Other industries have shown that a viable economic case can be realised in transitioning to a low carbon, such as renewable energy production now cheaper in the UK than coal/gas and electric cars anticipated to be significantly cheaper to buy and run than traditional ones by 2030.
To find out what happened you can read a summary here.
Run by Brighton Chamber, Construction Voice is attended by the key players from the property and construction private and public sectors.
This Construction Voice event brought together a panel of experts from all sides of the industry to debate the case for a revolution in our approach to tackling climate change, including:
• The cultural changes needed to embrace the change
• The opportunities for adopting new technology and practices across the design, construction and operation of buildings
• The economic justification for adopting low/zero carbon
• The role of the policymaker in enabling change
Panellists were:
• Tom Westwood, Senior Associate at Waugh Thistleton Architects
• Caterina Brandmayr, Senior Policy Analyst at Green Alliance
• Alasdair Donn, Head of Building Performance at Willmott Dixon Construction Limited
Chaired by Ed Allison-Wright from Haydon Consulting
Alasdair Donn, Willmott Dixon commented: “Sustainability is of paramount importance to us as a business; we want to lead the way for sustainability in the construction industry and one of the ways to drive this is by supporting events such as Construction Voice; sharing our knowledge and learning, to strive for a zero carbon built environment.”
For more info about Construction Voice see here.
Thank you to our sponsor Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd.
Willmott Dixon is a privately-owned contracting and interior fit-out group. Founded in 1852, they are dedicated to leaving a positive legacy in our communities and environment. In 2018 they were one of only six companies to receive a Queen's Awards for Enterprise in the promoting opportunity through social mobility category, they followed this in 2019 by winning another Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for sustainable development, their third award in total. They create value for customers, stakeholders and communities by working in a sustainable and responsible way to shape the built environment and make a positive impact to society's well-being. In 2019 they were named the fourth best company to work for by the Sunday Times.