introduce a collection of think pieces assessing the future of the built environment. It is appropriate that this paper comes to you as we launch Ecobuild 2015, an event that is synonymous with innovation, thought leadership, design and architects, cutting- edge products and the considerations which impact on the future of our built fabric. Over the next 21 pages you will hear from industry leaders on the economy, the role of clients, the plight of contracting, the upcoming election, as well as the trajectory of our cities and what it means for architecture and design. All of this comes within the context of a global sustainability debate that is shifting up a gear to focus on investment in wellbeing. As you will see, such investment can demonstrate a direct return for end-users and the way in which people live and work in our buildings. This collection comes too as the economy recovers and companies focus on growth again. But as housing demand outstrips supply, population growth accelerates and the infrastructure of our cities dominates the political agenda, there is a erce debate about the consequences of economic growth: the rising cost of living and higher energy consumption, for example. The challenge for regulators, public clients and private investors is to create stability, consistency of procurement and certainty for private companies in a time of massive change. The sector needs to pull together to create an environment where companies can invest condently in technology and their people in order to deliver the next decade of growth. On page 10 you will nd Thomas Lanes overview of the Ecobuild 2015 programme. Once again, Ecobuild will focus on macro issues and hot political and industry debates. It will feature industry leaders, regulators, government ministers, politicians, global academics and the very best hosts. Alongside this, our seminar programme will bring you case studies, learning and continued professional development from across the built environment and beyond. We hope that this collection of articles helps to set the scene and provide you with an insight into our thinking as we strive to ensure that Ecobuild is once again timely, relevant and informed. Foreword by Tom Broughton Head of Content, UBM Live Built Environment the future of the built environment 3 While we know how our cars, fridges, washing machines and TVs perform, few of us have any idea about the places in which we spend 95% of our time buildings. We have clear evidence that green design attributes such as high levels of fresh air, natural light and views of nature can improve occupant productivity, health and wellbeing, but we havent been able to put that information into the hands of the businesses that occupy buildings. The World Green Building Councils new report is set to change this. Health, wellbeing and productivity in ofces: The next chapter for green building outlines the range of design factors that can afect workers health, satisfaction and job performance. Take daylight, for example. While the stereotype of the coveted corner ofce may be outdated, research nds that workers with access to natural light and views are more productive than their colleagues who are squeezed into dark, dim cubicles. Investing in a better indoor environment can improve the health, wellbeing and job performance of your staff A recent study by neuroscientists has found that ofce workers with windows sleep an average of 46 minutes more each night, while their windowless colleagues report poorer scores on quality of life measures related to physical health and vitality. Another 2011 study, which investigated the relationship between view quality, daylighting and sick leave of employees in administration ofces of Northwest University, found those in ofces with better daylight and views took 6.5% fewer sick days. Absenteeism is a signicant drain on business productivity which ultimately impedes protability. In the United Kingdom, sickness costs employers an average of 595 per employee per year, while poor mental health costs employers 30bn a year through lost production, recruitment and absence Understanding the design factors that help or hinder workplace performance can inform nancial decision-making. When employee salaries and benets make up 90% of a typical organisations budget, a The next chapter for green building small improvement in staf performance can have a big impact, and will outweigh higher construction or occupation costs. Health, wellbeing and productivity in ofces: The next chapter for green building sponsored by JLL, Lend Lease and Skanska also presents a simple toolkit that businesses can use to measure the health, wellbeing and productivity of their buildings and inform nancial decision-making. This toolkit aims to shift the conversation about sustainability away from the technical. Few businesses care about the mechanical intricacies of how solar panels on a buildings roof can cut energy consumption and carbon emissions, or how a blackwater treatment plant in a buildings basement can slash water use. But they are interested in understanding how investing in better indoor environments can lead to better returns on their greatest asset their people. In many cases, sustainable design strategies trigger a virtuous circle that delivers on the triple bottom line of people, planet and prot. For example, designing a building to maximise daylight reduces the need for articial daylight, and with it energy costs and carbon emissions, while also creating a more pleasant and productive workplace for people. While this report doesnt have all the answers, it does establish a pathway to help building owners and managers measure the previously unmeasurable and to make business decisions that are better for people, performance and prot, and leave the planet better of too. DOWNLOAD Health, wellbeing and productivity in ofces: The next chapter for green building from www.worldgbc.org by Jane Henley Chief Executive Ofcer World Green Building Council Few businesses care about the mechanical intricacies of how solar panels can cut energy consumption. Theyre interest- ed in how investing in better indoor environments can lead to better returns on their greatest asset: their people 4 the future of the built environment the future of the built environment 5 Sustainability is no longer a buzz word in our industry; most companies regard it as an important part of how we do business. The challenge now is where to take it next. The drivers that will shape this approach will revolve around demonstrating more clearly to procurers the commercial advantages of choosing to build more sustainably. We need to be leading the agenda, rather than having it set elsewhere. Being a high environmental impact sector, no other industry has the chance of having such a massive inuence on our countrys approach to sustainable growth than our activities in and around the built environment. One of the biggest trends has been the move towards creating social value within communities. I believe it is huge untapped opportunity for our industry, given the scale of the footprint we have in society. Willmott Dixon invests over 1m a year in activities that support community cohesion and wellbeing through key areas such as skills development. Many others do the same and it will not be long before there is a common benchmark for all companies, something driven by procurement criteria, client sentiment and good business practice. We need to convince procurers of the commercial advantages of building sustainably happily, there are lots CLIMATE ADAPTATION & CARBON TARGETS Extreme weather has become the norm. Designing our buildings to be resilient to the full range of meteorological challenges is going to be key for our industry. The construction and maintenance of buildings and other structures is responsible for around 50% of UK carbon dioxide emissions, so those companies that can demonstrate innovation in this area not just in terms of new materials and technologies, but also in techniques which enable occupants to use their buildings more efectively will be at a signicant advantage. This is why we are embracing technologies like Passivhaus one residential scheme we are building in Camden is expected to save residents 75% on their heating bills. The 2020 and 2050 deadlines for reducing the UKs carbon emissions are fast- approaching. Some 80% of the homes that will exist in 2050 are already built, so there are big opportunities for our industry in low- carbon retrot. Whether those opportunities are realised depends on the interventions that the next government chooses to make THE Future of contracting in the built environment in terms of regulation and incentives. But the government will need to act fast, as the vital capacity and expertise required are in danger of withering on the vine. CIRCULAR ECONOMY Our sector consumes more materials than any other industry. The twin factors of rising energy costs and depletion of nite natural resources will lead to a mushrooming market for recycled materials. That will mean an increase in the value of materials within a building and a move to designing buildings with deconstruction in mind from the outset. This circular economy ofers our industry tremendous opportunities, by helping us better manage resources (and margins) and by driving the development of new business models. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has estimated that US$1 trillion a year could be generated for the global economy by 2025 if companies focused on building circular supply chains to increase the rate of recycling, reuse and remanufacture. The move to a circular economy model may lead us to a rethink of what we do from selling products to selling services. This approach is not new the aviation sector has been selling ying hours instead of engines for the past 50 years. COLLABORATIVE CONSTRUCTION We cannot ignore the rapid rise of the collaborative economy. Enterprises like Airbnb have revolutionised the hospitality sector. We will see the same in construction for example, through collaborative self- build developments where people pick from a selection of standard designs but are in charge of their own build process. A CULTURE OF LEADERSHIP Here at Willmott Dixon, creating a more sustainable built environment is our headline aim. But for some of our clients, perhaps inevitably after the biggest global recession in memory, sustainable development does not sit at the top of their agenda. Instead, they tell us they want better buildings and added value. Does this represent an incompatibility of aims and aspirations? We dont think so. We think, rather, that what is needed is a change in narrative. We need to dig deeper. What does better buildings and added value mean to them? Lower maintenance and running costs? Happier customers? Higher-achieving students? Stronger communities? These are all truly sustainable outcomes. These are challenging conversations for our people. They require a fundamental re-think in the types of skills we ask of them. Yes, we need the technical knowledge. But we also need to be able to listen, communicate and inspire. by Rick Willmott Chief Executive Willmott Dixon 6 the future of the built environment the future of the built environment 7 rising energy costs and depletion of nite natu- ral resources will lead to a mushrooming market for recycled materials We spend 90% of our time in buildings so why shouldnt they be beautiful? We need a more holistic approach The future of the built environment is about beautiful buildings by Munish Datta Head of Plan A & Facilities Management Marks & Spencer 8 the future of the built environment Beautiful buildings for life. Thats the future of the built environment that I like to imagine. A future that enables individuals, groups and whole communities to benet from buildings throughout their lifecycle. For many, using the word beautiful within the context of buildings may not seem like a good t. But its undeniable that buildings are the cornerstone of basic human operation. We spend 90% of our time in them, they provide us with a unifying place where we rest, work and play. So its limiting to think of buildings as purely operational. Id rather think of them as environments in which we operate, and to operate to our fullest potential, these environments need to be, above all else, beautiful. So what makes a building beautiful? M&Ss experience has shown us that a combination of aesthetics, comfortable internal lighting and temperature, access to natural light and nature are some of the characteristics of our most beautiful shops. We have found that these environments enable our store colleagues to operate at their best and allow customers to better enjoy their visits. These environments also tend to be our most efcient buildings not just in terms of their use of precious resources, but also their ability to be commercially successful. However, weve had to work hard to produce these buildings creating unity between developers, designers, builders, commissioners and end users, all driven towards a common goal. The building industry is not naturally set up to think about buildings in this harmonious way; it is disjointed. Each stakeholder in the process is interested in and rewarded for a specic stage of the building lifecycle, thereby preventing anyone to think about it for its life duration. The industry needs to better unify its thinking in order to create beautiful buildings. We need an industry in which every role, from developers to facilities management, is incentivised to design, build, operate and re-use buildings for their life. This means that engineers, for example, are remunerated not just for designing the services, but also on the way the building actually performs in a consistent way and in line with their design intent. Architects are rewarded for creating buildings that are always adaptive and t for purpose. Builders will have to think about meeting the design requirements in such a way that the building can be easily and efciently re-formed when its initial purpose is no longer relevant making full use of all the resources used in its creation. Planners will make sure that buildings remain beautiful within their changing local context. Occupiers will operate buildings as they were intended to be used in their many incarnations. Of course, there are some excellent examples within the industry of companies who do practise this holistic approach to sustainability and the creation of beautiful buildings. However, this way of thinking should not be exceptional, it should be standard. In M&Ss 1,300 buildings across the world, from shops to warehouses and ofces, we aspire to facilitate a beautiful and enriching experience for users. An experience that is comfortable, productive, efcient and always relevant. Ultimately, we want our buildings to bring benets to the business, to our customers, to the local communities around them and to the wider environment for their entire lives. We want to be known for beautiful buildings. The industry needs to better unify its think- ing. we need an industry in which every role, from developers to facilities management, is incentivised to design, build, operate and re-use buildings for their life the future of the built environment 9 PHOTO: Trent McMinn With the next election on the horizon, the main political parties are beginning to shape up their green policies. Although the more cynically inclined will say this is about making politicians appear caring remember David Camerons husky-powered trip to a melting Norwegian glacier? it does provide a sense of how the main parties intend to address environmental issues if they win power. How each party is to tackle pressing environmental issues will be tested at a series of debates at Ecobuild 2015. Extreme weather ooding, high winds and drought is becoming commonplace. Last winters oods demonstrated we are not prepared for the consequences of a rapidly changing climate. So should there be a national environmental resilience plan to help cope with this? How will the main parties tackle the dual challenge of decarbonising the electricity grid and keeping the lights on? Ecobuild 2015 promises to be a cauldron of sizzling debate about the built environment. Heres what to expect And how can any government balance the costs of building zero carbon with sky high house prices? Well debate all this. Making a good business case for investing in sustainable buildings is the most compelling driver for change. This has moved on from the simple invest now to save later argument to more subtle benets. A recent report by the World Green Building Council shows how design features associated with sustainable buildings natural ventilation, generous daylight and views of nature improve occupiers wellbeing and productivity (see Jane Henleys piece, page 4). The challenge is quantifying these benets so they can be factored into investment decisions. Developers are already latching onto the potential benets of designing buildings that promote wellbeing as this is an issue large corporates are taking more seriously. Designing for wellbeing, and ecobuild the gathering of ideas by Tom Lane Editor, Building Design Group Technical Editor Building and Ecobuild 10 the future of the built environment how the benets can be measured and the impact on property values will be explored at Ecobuild 2015. Creating buildings that promote wellbeing is a key part of building performance. Interest in building performance will continue as there is no point introducing tough environmental performance if buildings dont perform as designed. Delivering buildings that perform as intended will again be a focus at Ecobuild 2015. Occupant behaviour is a big factor in how much energy buildings use and this subject will be covered too. Metrics range from energy use through to wellbeing indicators, and outcomes include hospitals that promote healing and schools that improve learning outcomes. Innovative new materials and design solutions can make delivering better performing and more sustainable buildings an easier task. The impact of the latest technologies will be examined at Ecobuild. This includes interconnected control systems to smart cities, new materials and the latest ideas from Europe. Much efort and money is lavished on dreaming up new ideas in laboratories that never make it out onto site. We ask why this is happening and how this situation can be reversed. There are many issues that will continue to be a challenge into the foreseeable future. Retrotting existing buildings, especially homes, remains a major challenge as initiatives including the Green Deal have failed to deliver on the promise. Efective retrot will be an important theme at Ecobuild 2015 but we will be asking how this critical agenda can be re-energised. We will look at ways of engaging homeowners so they want to retrot their properties. Lessons from European retrot incentive schemes will be explored to see if these could make a diference here and we will also look at European retrot systems to see if these could make the job quicker and less disruptive for UK residents. For the rst time Ecobuild 2015 contains a dedicated BIM seminar stream in recognition of the contribution this makes to efcient building delivery. There is also a seminar stream dedicated to water as extreme weather events mean that understanding how to conserve and manage wildly uctuating water supplies is essential for the success of all new development. Much efort and money is lavished on dreaming up new ideas in labora- tories that never make it out onto site. At ecobuild 2015 well ask why this is happening and how this situation can be reversed the future of the built environment 11 As the late Simon Hoggart said, if you want to know whether something a politician says is meaningful or not, try translating it into the negative and see how absurd it sounds. So if a minister says: This government understands that what business needs most is clarity, consistency and certainty to give it the condence to invest in energy efciency, that would translate as: This government understands that what business needs is confusion, inconsistency and uncertainty... Absurd certainly! Sadly, much closer to the truth over recent years. Energy efciency isnt the only thing a new government should focus on to help create a more sustainable built environment, but its a pretty good place to start. Try this: We will reduce [voters] energy bills by at least 300 per year and create 130,000 new Governments may speak with forked tongue but their role as client and policy maker is vital for sustainability to thrive jobs spread across every UK constituency. Through cost-efective investment in all forms of energy efciency, we can remove the need to build 22 new power stations by 2020, increase the UKs energy security and channel investment into future-proong our homes and buildings. We can put an end to fuel poverty and halt the scandal of more than 10,000 deaths each winter because those people cant aford to heat their homes. Oh yes, and pick the biggest, juiciest low hanging fruit in terms of carbon emissions reductions too. If ever there was a political no-brainer, surely this is it. Should a new government commit to spend public money on this agenda? I think the answer has to be yes, but really its a matter of paying the price of a legacy of inconsistency. That is, industry will What the next government should do to help deliver a more sustainable built environment by Paul King Chief Executive Ofcer UK Green Building Council 12 the future of the built environment now only return to this agenda and invest seriously if it believes that government is really committed to stay the course in terms of policy direction. When Lord Deighton, the infrastructure minister, said he was extremely attracted to the idea of reframing energy efcient retrot as a national infrastructure priority, he went on to say that, like other such priorities, we need a clearly articulated 30-year vision and a 10-year plan of action and investment. Only then will companies, large and small, which bear the still fresh scars from the slashing of ECO, stop-start incentives and the underwhelming start of the Green Deal, be prepared to reconsider and reinvest. Lets not forget the German experience: every euro of public money spent leveraged 15 euros of private sector investment and returned 4 euros to the Treasury. It sounds like a pretty good return on investment to me. So what else should a new government do? Well, it should recognise that there are some things that only governments can and must do. Not all regulation is a burden on business, and smart regulation can correct market failures and create markets. So follow through on zero carbon homes from 2016, and zero carbon buildings from 2019 industry has had nearly eight years to prepare, and has invested millions in new products and innovative solutions which, along the way, have led to some remarkable improvements in efciency, the reduction of waste and the creation of valuable exports. A new government should also use the power it has as the largest construction client and property tenant, by far. It should lead by example to close the performance gap and cut energy waste, thereby saving public money, and paving the way for mainstream adoption by industry. As policy maker, the government should streamline its demands. Progressive companies would like to cut more carbon and other waste, but in ways which are less bureaucratic to administer. The planned review of Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme and the Carbon Reduction Commitment in 2016 provides the ideal opportunity to streamline policy intended to drive energy efciency in non- domestic buildings. It could also be a chance to nally embed an industry-wide code of practice for how we should measure, report and benchmark energy performance, enabling action to close the gulf between intended and actual use. Theres a great deal a new government, of whatever hue, can do to create the conditions in which a sustainable built environment industry can thrive. It can save more money than it needs to spend, it can set clear and consistent policy direction, and it can lead by example. Frankly, to do anything else would be to squander an opportunity for growth the UK simply cannot aford. Not all regulation is a burden on business, and smart regulation can correct market failures and create markets the future of the built environment 13 Few industries are so intertwined with both the economy and society as construction. The industrys output accounted for more than 6% of GDP even during recession, and hundreds of schools, thousands of homes, and billions of pounds worth of transport and energy infrastructure need to be built over the next three decades to service a population predicted to grow by more than 10 million by 2050. The sector is in every sense critical to the UKs future. As well as being one of the countrys most integral industries, however, construction and specically the contracting sector at its heart has so far been one of the slowest to reect the changes taking place in the wider economy and society in the way that it works. Yes, the industry has made use of advances in technology, digitalising measurement processes and developing ofsite construction techniques. But fundamentally, the way contractors work and the techniques they use bears far more similarity to the way they were working 30 years ago than is evident among their peers in other large sectors of the economy. Arguably, the modern sector, in a form we would recognise today, has been evident for more than two centuries, when the industrial revolution made possible wide-scale steel construction, and building work was revolutionised with the advent of machine Much criticised for being stuck in the past, the sector now appears to be on the cusp of a radical transformation tools and building codes. The contracting sector, however, appears to be on the cusp of a transformation. This is being driven by two major forces. The rst of these is the business reality of a market emerging from the deepest recession in living memory. The recent pressure for more for less from clients is not going to disappear after recession particularly among public sector procurers, who will be battling the UKs decit for years after austerity-era keep calm and merchandise has once more vanished from the shelves. Secondly, but intrinsically linked to this pressure, is a growing sense that new technologies are not just an optional extra for contractors that pride themselves on taking a leadership position, but are actually the only way to drive the efciencies necessary to make contracting nancially viable in the new economic reality. Financial returns from contracting have always been notoriously tight: the sector is a low margin industry that is made more attractive by the potential to generate large amounts of cash. But it is starting to look, post-recession, like this model is fundamentally broken. Margins at the largest main contractors are now an average of 1.2%, according to KPMG drive to modernise construction by Sarah Richardson Editor Building 14 the future of the built environment research. Meanwhile, growing governmental pressure to pay suppliers more quickly a pressure that for the rst time, seems to have real impetus behind it is reducing the ability of contractors to prot from holding onto their cash. This tight nancial market is exacerbated by the waste and inefciency inherent in a sector in which more than 90% of companies employ fewer than 10 people. As such, it seems inevitable that we will see widespread consolidation in contracting. This is likely to take three forms. First, vertical consolidation, as players merge to create more coherent supply chains. Secondly, through diversication, as more businesses look to bolster tough contracting margins with other related services that ofer higher returns support services, consultancy, or sustainable technologies. Thirdly, the increasing interest of overseas investors in British infrastructure projects could lead to Chinese rms, in particular, forming long-term alliances with or even taking ownership of UK contractors. Alongside the emergence of a more efcient industry structure, there is an urgent need for individual contractors to create more efcient working practices. This means the industry will need to embed new technologies far more in the way it works. Standardisation and volumetric production will have a role to play here, made possible by increasing digitalisation of the industry and by initiatives such as BIM. But technologies are also likely to change contracting in ways that no rm has yet explored through entirely replacing some current processes, or carrying out more work robotically. There is a third major, and even more fundamental, change needed to drive this forward: a shift in the demographic of the sector itself. If construction is genuinely to reinvent itself, it will need to attract a broad mix of talent including enquiring, technology- native young people who see the industrys heritage, and want to be a part of it, but can also imagine a future for it that is free from the constraint of over-familiarity with its past. construction and specically the contracting sector at its heart has so far been one of the slowest to reect the changes taking place in the wider economy and society in the way that it works the future of the built environment 15 Ecobuild is a networking opportunity and a showcase for good practice. It may also be the starting bell for progress come together by Peter Caplehorn Deputy CEO Construction Products Association 16 the future of the built environment Theres no doubt that the past few years have been hard for many in the construction industry. Even now some are still just emerging from recession and there is a nagging worry that we could still go backwards economically. Yet despite these very difcult market conditions, the industry has made some noteworthy progress. The downturn has driven some remarkable innovation; the most noteworthy is the widespread adoption of BIM methodologies. We have seen the delivery of a world-class Olympics. Unfortunately, however, there hasnt been much progress in the area of sustainability, which I fear has instead regressed in many peoples mind to that of a nice to have add- on under pressure from the bottom line. Progress in a risk-averse industry is a major challenge. Unfortunately, there are as many failures as successes; some will say failure is more dominant. Hard won progress should be celebrated. Ecobuild can be the showcase for good practice, the launchpad for a realistic debate where industry, government, academia and other interested parties can debate on neutral ground. I hope this year and going forward we will see progress at all levels, given the level of optimism. We more than likely will move on from the Code for Sustainable Homes and look at the new world of multiple-level national and international regulations. This should be seen as an opportunity to ll any gaps with solutions from industry. Innovation is needed to address these challenges, but for this to ourish a mature and stable marketplace is needed. Several parts of industry remain badly bruised from the immediate past and will need greater condence and certainty in the marketplace before such investment will take place. We cannot make signicant progress as an industry until all these market participants are joined up. There is also a desperate need for a cohesive energy policy that works at national and local levels and delivers practical benets to manufacturers and consumers alike. Business owners in particular continue to be confused by the constantly changing energy landscape and exclude themselves from the debate or wont engage completely. Technically, the research into built- environment outcomes, such as those championed by the Zero Carbon Hub, is now demonstrating a reality on the ground that many of us have believed for some time. Namely, that we do not get out the performance we try to design in. The challenge for the industry will be to see this is corrected. Whether our primary focus is keeping our clients happy or preserving the environment, we must break down the silos that too often separate us in the construction sector and instead work across the entire supply chain, from designers to manufacturers to contractors and facility managers and even the buildings end- users to ensure we have the most efcient production, the best quality products and then the available skills on-site to make the most of the materials and products. This sounds simple expressed in a few sentences, but to date for the most part it has eluded us. Using this event as a sounding board and networking opportunity to rehearse and rene these objects is an opportunity that surely cannot be missed. theres a desperate need for a cohesive energy policy. Business owners in particular continue to be confused by the constantly changing energy landscape and exclude themselves from the debate or wont engage the future of the built environment 17 What a diference a year makes. This time last year most commentators were talking tentatively about signs of recovery in the UK economy, and the construction sector specically. Having experienced the worst recession since the thirties, and construction performing the poorest out of the three major sectors in the economy during it, forecasts for future performance were, at best, subdued. This time last year the Ofce for Budget Responsibility was predicting GDP growth in 2014 of 2.4% and it now looks likely that it will be around 3.2% to 3.5%. Increasing levels of business investment and an unexpectedly fast decline in levels of unemployment are the main reasons for the improving picture. For the construction sector it is a similar story. Forecasts from the Construction Construction is in a much stronger position than was predicted a year ago and next year should be even better Products Association last year predicted growth in 2014 of 2.2% in the industry. The current forecast is for growth of 4.7%, more than double the predicted level 12 months ago. The main factor for the signicantly improved outlook is the strength of growth in the private housing sector, with increasing levels of both new house construction and repair and maintenance. This has occurred in line with signicant increases in house price levels across the UK. This was initially contained to the London area but in recent months a number of other parts of the country have witnessed increasing house price ination. Part of the increase in private housing repair and maintenance is residential solar panel installation, indicating the key part sustainability plays in the growth of this particular area of the construction industry. get ready for growth by Michael Dall Economic Analyst Barbour ABI 18 the future of the built environment the future of the built environment 19 Although the majority of growth was in private residential it was not the only sector within construction that performed well over the past year. The infrastructure sector is forecast to grow by over 9% this year after a 2.3% increase last year. A big reason behind the rise in growth in this sector is the larger prominence of major renewable energy projects within the UK. A signicant number of ofshore wind farm contracts have been awarded over the last 18 months which have resulted in the improving outlook for infrastructure output this year. This has been a boon in particular to the Yorkshire & Humberside and the Scottish construction markets with projects such as the Humber Gateway contributing signicantly to recent growth. Major ofshore energy projects are valued in the region of 700m indicating the important role sustainable projects have in the improving outlook for the UK infrastructure sector. The commercial sector is also starting to show signs of improvement after major drops in the levels of output during the recession. The sector is forecast to grow by 3.8% in 2014 with a major increase in commercial ofce projects a key contributor to this gure. That 67% of commercial projects awarded in the past year are BREEAM Excellent or Outstanding shows the increasing prominence of these standards within the sector. Looking forward to the next year, the outlook for the construction industry is bright with current forecasts for growth of 4.7%. The residential sector is forecast to continue its strong growth with the solar panels market in particular likely to contribute to this. Infrastructure, although subdued overall, is still set to grow next year with a signicant level of growth predicted within the renewable energy market. There is a major ofshore wind farm project in the pipeline in the Scottish Borders area which, at a value of 675m, will provide a substantial boost to the market over the coming years. Finally, the commercial sector looks likely to grow next year as business investment picks up. Given the increasing presence of BREEAM Excellent and Outstanding schemes in the pipeline, this is likely to be particularly relevant to those rms involved in sustainable projects in the sector in the future. Major ofshore energy projects are valued in the region of 700m indicating the important role sustainable projects have in the improving outlook for the UK infrastructure sector For architecture to go to the heart of what makes a city sustainable, it has to be adaptable, innovative and bold What makes cities work? For the past four years the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has ranked Melbourne, Australia as the worlds most liveable city. The EIU takes a ruthlessly scientic approach to quantifying urban quality and awards numerical scores for categories such as stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, culture and environment. By the same reckoning, in this years survey, Damascus in Syria came last. But is it really this easy to measure what makes a city liveable? Can the attractiveness of a city really be quantied with the cold precision of a mathematical formula? Or are there other more prosaic considerations at play? London is the most visited city in the world and according to the 2014 QS World University Rankings, it contains two of the worlds ve best universities. Consequently does this make London more successful and by extension more liveable than cities with The future of cities and architecture in a sustainable built environment by Ike Ijeh Architectural Critic Building and Building Design 20 the future of the built environment the future of the built environment 21 fewer visitors or less renowned academic institutions, such as EIU front-runners Vancouver, Vienna, or for that matter Melbourne? In truth, measuring a quantity as diverse and amorphous as a city is always a difcult challenge and achieving consistency of assessment between diferent cities is even harder. Which is what makes the future of cities so difcult to predict. But, amidst all the unknowns there are immovable certainties. Today around 3.5 billion people across the globe live in urbanised areas, just under half of the worlds population. In barely 15 years this is expected to balloon to 5 billion, over two-thirds of the worlds population. For the rst time in human history cities will no longer merely represent one end of an economic or lifestyle choice between town and country; they will become the majority, dening factor in how we inhabit and inuence our planet. In this new emerging world, ensuring that our cities nurture a truly sustainable built environment will no longer be a matter of choice; it will become a matter of survival. So what does a truly sustainable environment mean and is it achievable? Yes, it encompasses all the considerations that preoccupy the EIU, such as low crime, good healthcare, vibrant culture and efcient transport. But it is more than just satisfying these individual categories. A sustainable environment is one which has established a holistic vision for integrated urban development where every aspect of the city is specically planned and designed to maximise social, economic and environmental benets for its inhabitants while at the same time minimising its ecological footprint. The city itself no longer relies on an ecosystem, it becomes one. So how can this vision for a sustainable future be realised? Identifying goals is always easier then achieving them but there are already clearly dened principles from which sustainable cities can grow: improved communications, connectivity, information and collaboration are just some of them. But only one element encompasses them all: architecture. Architecture creates the fabric from which cities are formed and is therefore woven into every sinew of our built environment and urban fabric. Cities evolve but buildings do not, every macro and micro aspect of city life, from urban regeneration to catching a bus, is regulated by a specic architectural decision. So these decisions are crucial to any kind of city we create. Browneld or green belt, glass or stone, newbuild or refurbishment, demolish or repair, high-rise or low-rise, public or private; these are just some of the innite array of architectural decisions on which the future of our cities will depend. Being informed enough to make the right decisions is critical. Which is why sustainable architecture must be exible, adaptable, innovative and bold. But perhaps most importantly, it must be empathetic. It must understand the human condition and react instinctively to it. Cities are a collective concentration of citizenship and community. They are about the spaces between buildings as well as the buildings themselves. The city that understands these core relationships and moulds a sustainable architectural approach that allows these interactions to ourish is the city best placed to take on the challenges and opportunities of the future. For the rst time in history cities will become the dening factor in how we inhabit our planet. Ensuring that our cities nurture a truly sustain- able built environment will no longer be a matter of choice Discover the future of construction and energy The sustainable design, construction and energy marketplace for new build, commercial and domestic buildings Meet senior buyers from across the entire supply chain from architects and designers, to contractors, housebuilders and local authorities Join over 125 energy brands and 150 sustainable design and construction brands already signed up for Ecobuild 2015 Delivering more professionals with an interest in renewable energy and energy efciency than any other event in the UK ORGANISED BY LEAD PARTNER Research & Innovation Partner LEAD SUPORTERS 92% OF THE TOP 50 CONTRACTORS* 85% OF THE TOP 100 ARCHITECTS* 45K ATENDES 800+ EXHIBITORS 100+ CONFERENCE & SEMINAR SESIONS *AJ100 2014 *Buildings Top 150 2014 Co-located with