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CIC Cascade29 January 2007
1. 2012 days to go to the greatest show on earth Tuesday 23 January marked exactly 2012 days to go to the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games. At that time London and the whole of the UK will be the centre of the world's attention as the opening ceremony gets underway in the Olympic Stadium, in Stratford, London. Hosting both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games will be a huge boost to London and the whole of the UK. Sebastian Coe, Chairman of London 2012, said: "In 2012 days time, on 27th July 2012, we will welcome the world to London and the UK as we host the world's largest event. This is a good time to reflect on why we were so passionate about winning the Games. For me the Games are about the power of sport to inspire young people and drive social, economic and environmental agendas that will leave tangible legacies for the UK and the Olympic movement. There is huge support for the Games right around the country and I would like to thank everyone doing their bit to make our Games the very best they can be." The Games will be a boost for tourism, more opportunities to host sporting events and training camps for visiting teams, and more jobs and opportunities for UK businesses to win contracts for providing goods and services to the Games. The four-year Cultural Olympiad will launch in August 2008 and will celebrate the cultural aspect of the Games. This programme will consist of concerts, festivals and celebrations throughout the whole of the UK celebrating the unique history and diversity of Britain. On 27 July 2012 excitement will have been mounting in the run-up to the Games, with the Torch Relay passing through main towns and cities in the weeks before. There will be live sites broadcasting footage of the Games, enabling everyone to enjoy the spectacle. To show your support to the Games sign up to the Strategic Forum 2012 Construction Commitments by visiting http://www.strategicforum.org.uk/2012CC.shtml 2. Public Sector Procurement Survey The Strategic Forum’s SME group, which draws together many of the main elements of SME practice in the built environment sector, has expressed concern that the companies and professions that it represents are being excluded from public sector work because of changes in public sector procurement practices. The group therefore wishes to explore the possibilities of action within this area. In order to do this, the group is sponsoring a scoping survey run by the National Federation of Builders (NFB). All small and medium-sized firms in construction, including all those under the CIC ‘umbrella’ are called upon to sign up to this campaign and complete a questionnaire highlighting all problems encountered. Complete the survey questionnaire. 3. BIFM energy position paper calls for greater FM involvement in design, construction and management of buildings In its ‘Energy Position Paper’, published recently, The British Institute of Facilities Management called for greater involvement of facilities managers in building projects to ensure energy efficient design takes into account the whole life cycle of the building and how it will be used. The BIFM says facilities managers know how buildings work in practice and the facilities management approach emphasises sustainability, long-term thinking and lifecycle costing. The paper sets out the Institute’s position on energy policy and how facilities management can help to deliver targets on energy efficiency and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Facilities managers are on the front line when it comes to implementing and enforcing energy efficiency in buildings, says the BIFM. FMs can help the government achieve its carbon reduction targets. Among other recommendations it calls for operational energy-use ratings for existing buildings rather than simply design ratings. The Institute calls on government to lead by example, expecting its own projects and those of the public sector generally to bring facilities management expertise to the early stages of development. This could include using FMs to test building proposals to ensure that energy efficiency measures are fully effective and not undone by other aspects of the design. The Institute has an active Sustainability Special Interest Group and has already influenced regulation in this area, particularly through the work of its former chairman Mick Dalton. The BIFM will use the energy position paper to develop policy and activity and as the basis for responding to consultation on forthcoming legislation and regulation, including Defra’s proposals to reduce carbon emissions in the large non-energy intensive business and public sectors Visit http://www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/news/3062 further information or to view the Energy Position Paper. 4. Major Contractors Group’s deadline for all workers to carry CSCS cards was reached on 1 January 2007 From the 1st January 2007 the Major Contractors Group’s (MCG) full compliance commitment, requiring all workers to carry CSCS or affiliated cards in order to access a worksite, came into force. Recent figures show more than 70,000 CSCS cards have been issued to workers since August 2006 in the run up to the deadline. However, ConstructionSkills anticipates many thousands of workers may not have heeded warnings of the deadline and will flood them with enquiries in early January when compliance begins to be enforced by MCG. In anticipation of this extra demand, the number of staff handling calls on the CSCS hotline (0870 417 8777) has been increased and demand will be monitored over the next few weeks. For those Operatives who require a CSCS card:
For general information on the CSCS scheme visit www.cscs.uk.com or www.citb-constructionskills.co.uk/cardschemes. 5. London 2012 Greenest in History The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is set to publish its strategy for the sustainable delivery of London ’s 2012 Olympics with the explicit aim of making London ’s Games the greenest in history. The ODA, responsible for creating the Olympic venues and infrastructure, has pledged to cut carbon emissions linked to the Olympic Park and other venues by 50 percent, more than the 44 percent reduction required by new regulations due to be introduced in 2013. There are further aims to reuse and recycle 90 percent of the demolition materials and at least 20 percent of materials used in permanent venues and residential areas would be recycled. Half of the construction materials will be transported to the Olympic Park by rail and water. Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executive commented, “We welcome the ODA sustainable development strategy which will set tough performance measures for the Olympic development. These measures will deliver high standards of sustainability throughout the project and provide a sustainable future for the local community. “50 percent of the UK carbon problem can be apportioned directly to the buildings we live and work in. We hope that the example the Olympic 2012 games, and others are setting, will drive even greater ambition for zero carbon buildings throughout all areas of the built environment.” Olympic Delivery Authority chief executive David Higgins said, "Ensuring a sustainable approach to building the Games will help ensure London 2012 is remembered not only as two weeks of fantastic sporting action, but also as the greenest games to date." 6. How sustainable is your FM provision? Take part in an online survey investigating the extent of knowledge relating to sustainable FM practices and the current level of implementation on a personal and organisational level within the UK. The sustainability gap Property churn within the UK is less than 2% per annum, the majority of the UK ’s building stock is therefore already within its operational phase, and set to provide many years of service and support. Due to the slow replacement of the existing building stock, society and the business community cannot rely on new build facilities alone to meet the social, environmental and economic challenges of the future. The challenge for FM The FM profession represents collectively the largest group of multi-disciplinary built environment specialists dedicated to the on-going improvement, operation and management of the UK ’s existing building stock, and as such, has a primary role to play in implementing the sustainability agenda. Research suggests that at present the FM industry does not have easy access to the specialist knowledge, tools and supporting case study material necessary to make this a reality. Tools for the future BIFM part funded by the DTI have formed a partnership with the University of Reading, internationally renowned for their research activity in this area, to provide the FM industry with the appropriate tools necessary to move the UK’s existing building stock towards a more sustainable future. You can help to shape the future! An online survey set up jointly by the University of Reading and the BIFM represents the first phase in a programme of careful industry consultation and data collection. If you or your organisation would like to play a part in shaping the future of the FM industry then please complete the survey now, for further information on the project check out BIFM’s website. 7. Events The events page of the CIC website is frequently updated visit the events page for details. |
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