This World Green Building Week, our global portfolio decarbonization and climate risk lead Marc Colella shares his insights on this year’s theme 'Building the Transition', exploring the concepts of energy transition, regenerative transition and the importance of a just transition.
The energy transition is about more than switching to renewable energy. It’s about systemic change and the deep retrofitting of existing buildings to be exceptionally energy efficient. What are some of the principles, techniques, digital tools and innovations that are helping to drive the success of retrofit projects?
To meet new market demands, most existing buildings need to adapt with an increased focus on quality, energy and carbon efficiency, resilience, and flexibility. In addition, first generation buildings in our cities today are beginning to fail, so it is a suitable time for building owners to be thinking of retrofitting opportunities. With approximately 80 percent of today’s buildings to be still in use by 2050, successful retrofitting projects will play a critical role in achieving decarbonization targets for portfolios and cities. We are advocating starting at the portfolio level, understanding the stranded asset risks, prioritizing interventions, & seeking opportunities to maximize commercial value when retrofitting and upgrading buildings.
Holistic net-zero design principles are required to deliver on successful retrofit projects and they are significantly more technically complex than new-build projects. The starting point should always be obtaining good data quality to enable informed decision making. A global challenge for our property portfolios whereas built data is so frequently lost. Retrofit schemes require balancing skills across retrofit strategy development, low energy design, building physics, renewable energy technologies, embodied carbon and circular economy principles, and project delivery to name a few, to optimize environment and social outcomes. Additionally, retrofit projects make economic sense, by improving energy efficiency, presenting opportunities to increase commercial real estate, attracting occupiers and sales from those who have aligned sustainability principles, and improving asset values.
To meet the technical challenges of retrofit projects, we have developed several digital tools providing our clients with a series of bundled design scenarios for the asset lifecycle helping our clients make decisions on how best to proceed with a retrofit project. The innovation is converting the client needs from a proforma into a series of design options with associated costs and operational benefits, presented in a format that helps clients make decisions. We have also developed other plug-in digital tools such as a cost and carbon database, high performance design workflows, and a modular façade retrofit system.
To ensure regenerative principles become the new normal in the built environment, we need to protect biodiversity, prioritize its restoration and embrace nature-based solutions what are some of the different ways we’re incorporating nature-based solutions into the projects we deliver for our clients around the world?
We are actively integrating nature-based solutions (NbS) into our projects worldwide. This approach is essential to not only enhance the built environment but also address many of the traditional and emerging challenges we face as a society and an industry. One fundamental aspect of our approach involves using natural materials and green spaces that incorporate plant growth. This strategy is advantageous in enhancing biodiversity, improving energy efficiency, enhancing air and water quality, mitigating flood risks, regulating temperatures, and providing recreational opportunities for communities.
We work with our clients to consider several NbS options, for example the use of green walls and roofs in conjunction with solar panels, such as biosolar; implementing sustainable urban drainage systems; and tree planting, which not only provides shade for the buildings but also captures and stores carbon emissions.
In recent research conducted on behalf of The International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), we identified significant untapped potential for the use of NbS in the built environment. Our findings show that market demands and regulations are the key drivers of the integration of green elements into building designs. In the UK for example, the concept of biodiversity net gain is what encourages the incorporation of green and blue elements into projects, increasing their market value. Because of this, we’ve seen a significant uptick in the integration of green walls and roofs, living walls, and tree facades in combination with the expansion of open green spaces and tree planting in building designs to increase biodiversity value and restore habitats. Other benefits include temperature regulation and additional spaces for amenity and recreation.
The development of many housing estates now include elements of rewilding, helping to restore the functions of the ecosystem, replacing highly manicured, resource-intensive lawns and common areas with self-sustaining ecosystems. This approach brings social, economic, and environmental benefits, including cost savings.
Other findings suggest that incorporating both blue (water-focused) and green (nature-focused) solutions help regulate temperature, improve air quality, and increase biodiversity in urban areas. Planting urban trees near residential buildings also reduces stormwater runoff and regulates microclimates, improving overall urban sustainability. Finally, the use of low-impact materials such as recycled steel, bamboo, and timber is gaining traction worldwide in helping reduce the carbon footprint of buildings.
As the effects of climate change continue to reshape urban environments all around the world – from addressing coastal erosion in Hong Kong to combating heat islands in Singapore and promoting pollinator habitat restoration globally we remain committed to applying NbS solutions that adapt to and mitigate these challenges while promoting sustainability and biodiversity.
We won’t achieve climate justice without social justice. What role can we play in ensuring that marginalized communities are not disproportionately affected by environmental changes and instead benefit from sustainable initiatives?
Our people are at the heart of everything we do and are central to our Sustainable Legacies ESG strategy.
Several key elements underscore our commitment to ensuring marginalized communities are not disproportionately affected, and instead benefit from sustainable initiatives. Firstly, sustainable initiatives should most often be part of a wider set of priorities. Whether it's a city aiming to advance its net-zero goals, an investment in district heating systems, or the establishment of climate-resilient infrastructure, the development of these initiatives is best achieved through strong data and consultative procedures that engage a wide range of stakeholders. A key tool that we use across our portfolios to better dive into the risks affecting assets, infrastructure and communities is our Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessments to ensure we prepare for climate changes in an equitable manner.
Secondly, it's important that we understand where we are working and who we are working with. Knowing who is immediately and potentially impacted by any project is an essential part of what we do. To help understand and engage with stakeholders, we’ve developed a whole set of tools – ranging from in-person interactions to digital solutions like PlanEngage. The key objective is to ensure that the insights garnered translate into improved decision-making processes and collaborative opportunities, rather than merely generating additional reports.
Thirdly, it's vital to embed equity and inclusion considerations seamlessly into every part of the project preparation process, making them an inherent part rather than mere add-ons. This includes the integration of equity and inclusion principles into aspects such as design, procurement, construction, employment practices, and monitoring protocols. It also involves nurturing a shared commitment to social change within the project framework. This holistic approach encompasses the co-benefits of job creation, skills development, improved labor conditions and mobility, and better health outcomes.
For instance, we recently collaborated with C40 Cities to develop a suite of tools and training resources tailored for infrastructure professionals specializing in areas like solid waste management, nature-based solutions, net-zero building designs, and mass transit. These resources help identify tangible opportunities to integrate equity and inclusion considerations into project preparation, and we’re looking at how we can integrate these tools into all our work.
Ultimately, sustainable infrastructure investments, be it mitigation or adaptation, is a long-term commitment. This essence lies at the core of Sustainable Legacies and in ensuring that our work actively contributes to building a just and resilient future.