I’m regularly encouraged by the conversations I have with clients who want their projects to be environmentally sustainable. In most cases, it’s not just because of the potential cost savings from lower energy consumption, but also because they see it as the right thing to do as part of the wider net zero and sustainability agendas.
I recently chatted to a member of our CIOB Sustainability Advisory Panel, Kemi Owoeye, who is a Technical Lead at Willmott Dixon and has worked on several health sector projects in the last 20 years. Her latest, a health centre in Weybridge in Surrey, is in the pre-construction phase and will be net zero in operation. It will also include a rain garden to support biodiversity net gain and help reduce surface water runoff to the sewer network, while creating a welcoming environment for staff and patients.
Kemi told me that, in her experience, the NHS understands the need for net zero better than many other sectors, as a large proportion of its estate operates 24/7 and its buildings are energy-hungry due to the specialist equipment needed to diagnose, treat and care for patients. She says the NHS also recognises it is on the sharp end of dealing with the impact of a warming climate on people’s health, and in turn spends billions treating them, so sees a benefit in playing its part to address climate change.
The social aspects of improving sustainability in the built environment aren’t talked about enough in my view, and Kemi gave me another great example of a health centre she worked on in Chiswick, which included homes for its key workers in the design. This not only removed the need for time-consuming and stressful commutes for those workers but also cut out the carbon previously emitted from them travelling to and from work. Clearly, it’s not possible to do this on all projects, but this type of progressive thinking is certainly needed if we are to reach net zero.
Legislation and standards can have a key role, as they provide clarity and push both clients and constructors to do more, faster. Planning policies have driven improvements and cost efficiencies in photovoltaic (PV) energy generation as well as nature protection for example.
I was particularly pleased to hear Kemi speak about the NHS’s own Net Zero Building Standard, and its requirement to not only address carbon reduction but also water use, which is an aspect of sustainability that’s often overlooked. Successful planning applications are increasingly including conditions around provision of sustainable drainage systems (SUDs), minimising the daily water use per person, or rainwater harvesting, while most local authorities target the maximum BREEAM credits related to water. The widespread droughts across the UK this summer are likely to become more commonplace, and the risks to society and the economy will be enormous if action isn’t taken to drive down water use.
Kemi and I are in agreement that to bring about change at the scale and pace needed, there needs to be more incentives to drive innovation and while organisations like the NHS setting their own standards is very welcome, the drivers need to come from a government level to have maximum impact across all client groups.
The policies already introduced, such as biodiversity net gain as a recent example, are having an impact, but we need to build on this momentum. As Kemi pointed out, what was considered good practice five to ten years ago is now just mediocre and we need to press, as what’s good now can’t still be best practice in 2030. A good example is the measurement and recording of embodied carbon – currently not a national requirement, but something Kemi and I agree needs to be going forward.
While there will always be barriers to overcome in reaching sustainability goals, for any public body and the NHS in particular, a key one is undoubtedly cost. Kemi has some words of wisdom that can help healthcare clients reach their sustainability goals within budget and says it all comes down to early engagement with their contractors.
She explained to me how, if contractors are only brought in at RIBA stage three of a project for example, they can make suggestions for improvements to enhance sustainability, but these might add to the timeline or costs. If, however, the contractor is on board for the earlier stages, this is less likely to be the case.
Contractors (and their own supply chains) engaged at the very start can explore whether and how existing buildings can be dismantled and materials like steel reused to reduce costs and carbon, while also planning for how the new building can be constructed in a way that incorporates sustainability features and allows for deconstruction and reuse in the future.
If the client’s budget doesn't stretch to ‘gold standard’ from the start, the contractor can also suggest ways to build that will more easily allow for retrofitting later, once the budget is available. A contractor brought in later in the process, when many decisions have already been made, such as whether to demolish the existing building, for instance, will be unable to provide timely advice. Kemi spoke to me about Wilmott Dixon’s ‘Route to Net Zero’ offer for all its clients but stresses that contractors can only fully support that journey if engaged early.
The sustainability challenges faced by the NHS and all sectors are significant but my chat with Kemi has given me great confidence that within the CIOB membership we have all the specialisms represented that are needed to overcome them. We’ve seen an increased demand for our Academy courses on sustainability as requirements become more pertinent, while our free Client Guide, the second edition of which was published this summer, has been downloaded by thousands of clients seeking advice on a range of topics, including sustainability.
The health sector has a difficult balancing act to perform between the provision of high-quality care and environmental impact, all within the constraints of extremely tight budgets. What is clear however, is the NHS is committed to meeting net-zero targets, and by working closely with quality contractors at the earliest stage of a project they can ensure the best possible sustainability improvements are delivered within budget, demonstrate innovation and future-proof the health estate.