CIC Cascade

10 September 2007

1. CIC visit DQI trailblazers in New York
2. Construction Umbrella Bodies (CUB) at the Labour Party Conference - Construction at the Heart of the Economy
3. Call for Papers & Early Registration- 7th International Conference on: Sustainable Aggregates, Asphalt Technology & Pavement Engineering
4. Strategic Forum for Construction Health and Safety Group - Industry to make concerted effort to improve tower crane safety
5. The future has to be ‘green’ says construction
6. Events

1. CIC visit DQI trailblazers in New York

In July the DQI team from CIC travelled to New York to help introduce DQI to the first group of trailblazers in the USA.

This visit follows on from the decision by New York City’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) to apply DQI to $320 million worth of public building projects including fire houses, police stations, libraries, health centres and museums in New York City.

Two day-long workshops were held in mid-town Manhattan, individuals were invited to learn more about DQI and become DQI trailblazers in the USA, allowing them to use DQI for the benefit of their clients.

The response for the workshops was encouraging and 35 people attended including DDC staff and representatives from small and large architectural firms.  The workshops were led by Goran Lukic, the first USA based DQI facilitator and his colleague Marc Sallette from DQI USA together with William Hawkins and James Beevers from CIC and focused on several key areas of DQI:

• What do we mean by design quality and how we can measure it?
• Who are the key players in the DQI
• Using DQI at briefing, in design and on a completed building
• DQI results

 
The workshops were designed to be interactive and the main aim was to create as much conversation as possible, like you would see in a real DQI workshop.

Marc Sallette said of the training;

"A key goal of the training was to unleash a group of DQI evangelists in New York City - I think we accomplished this challenge and look forward to further spreading the DQI value proposition. From the discussion with training participants we were able to glean some key insights into which pain points DQI alleviates best"

One particularly successful element of the workshops proved to be the visit to the Science, Industry and Business branch of the New York Public Library, which is housed in what was once the basement of a department store.  The conversion in 1996 opened up large double height entrance space which brings visitors down from street level, and the terrazzo floor and exposed concrete make it airy and cool.

The purpose of the visit to the Library was to enable everyone to complete a post occupancy DQI assessment of the Library from a visitor’s perspective.  Interestingly, whilst the results showed on a smaller variance in views between the two groups, broader discussion about the library managed to create some fascinating debates around access and internal environment issues.

Following the training James Beevers said;

“The practical side of DQI training always creates an impassioned conversation amongst the group and the workshops in the USA were no exception.  Most if not all the delegates seemed keen to contribute to the discussion and this in itself is one of the core values of the DQI tool”

All the delegates felt DQI was a holistic approach which allowed them to consider a well rounded set of issues, but there was interest in whether the tool can be Americanized - terms such as a building’s ability to ‘weather well’ and ‘ironmongery’ didn’t translate over clearly for the US audience.  There was also a different appreciation of some of the environmental issues in DQI, though delegates were excited to be challenged these issues.

Following on from the training, New York City are now actively using DQI on a whole range of projects, and CIC are continuing to work with DQI USA to bring the DQI tool to other clients in the USA.

For more information on training courses in DQI in the UK please see www.dqi.org.uk/training.  If you have any questions about DQI please contact the DQI team at CIC on 020 7399 7424, or email dqi@cic.org.uk

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2. Construction Umbrella Bodies (CUB) at the Labour Party Conference - Construction at the Heart of the Economy
The Construction Industry Council will be participating in a fringe meeting “Construction at the Heart of the Economy” at this year’s Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth.

The event, focusing on investing in the Built Environment will be hosted by CUB (Construction Industry Council, Construction Confederation, Construction Products Association), and take place on Monday 24 September 2007 from 9.00pm – 11.00pm, in the Dorchester Suite, Marriott Highcliff Hotel, Bournemouth.

Held every autumn, Labour’s Annual Conference is one of the largest political events in Europe. This year The Labour Party Conference will be in Bournemouth at the Bournemouth International Centre from 23 to 27 September.

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3. Call for Papers & Early Registration- 7th International Conference on: Sustainable Aggregates, Asphalt Technology & Pavement Engineering
The School of the Built Environment at Liverpool John Moores University in association with Tarmac Ltd is hosting the 7th Annual International Conference addressing research and practical applications using sustainable construction materials and techniques in pavement engineering.

The conference is a continuation of the successful annual events hosted by LJMU since 2002 that have attracted large numbers of authors, delegates and exhibitors from the UK, Europe, South America and the Far East.

It is aimed at stakeholders with specific interest in the development and management of sustainable infrastructure, environmental protection, energy reduction, developments in concrete and asphalt pavement technology and aggregate recycling initiatives. The conference will be of interest to; environmental regulators, infrastructure clients, specifiers, planners, designers, local authority’s, highway related consultants, materials suppliers, construction companies, contractors and educational institutions.

Papers are invited on, but not necessarily limited to, the following topics:

• Materials technology
• Testing techniques
• Manufacturing processes
• Construction techniques
• IT developments
• Waste Materials
• Government policy
• Utilisation
• Concrete pavement technology
• Composite pavement technology

Papers should address innovation and wherever possible, the application of new materials and/or techniques. Papers describing work in progress should discuss the long-term practical implications of the research being undertaken. Contributions are especially welcome from consultants, materials suppliers, contractors and research organisations.

The conference will provide a unique setting within which to share and explore new ideas and to review innovations in the practical application of using sustainable construction materials and techniques in pavement engineering with particular interest in the utilization and use of wastes and secondary materials. It will consider the raw materials, manufacturing techniques and end product characteristics that satisfy ever more demanding design, structural and environmental requirements for development.

For further information and submission deadlines please visit http://cwis.livjm.ac.uk/blt/peat/index.htm

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4. Strategic Forum for Construction Health and Safety Group - Industry to make concerted effort to improve tower crane safety
Key industry representatives came together on Thursday 9 August to agree an action plan following the recent incidents involving tower cranes.  John Spanswick, Chairman of the Strategic Forum Health and Safety Group called the meeting providing a unique opportunity for open and detailed discussion about the challenges concerning the use of tower cranes.

The Forum agreed that in the short term, the industry would need to take action in the following areas: 

1. Ensure that site specific inductions are provided to all those in control of tower crane erection, operation and dismantling, with an emphasis on appropriate risk assessment
2. Review the levels and extent of individual competency for all,  including operators and those carrying out inspection and maintenance procedures, with a focus on training support
3. Ensure robust and thorough examination and maintenance regimes
4. Improve operator working conditions such as using external crane hoists for access, ensuring adequate welfare facilities and reasonable working hours
5. Improve communications on site amongst those in control of crane operation, including open dialogue between site management and crane operators to ensure that operator concerns can be raised without risk of retribution, such as wind restrictions in adverse weather conditions
6. Better sharing of information in relation to incidents and near hits
7. Improve communication to the public, providing clear information in relation to crane issues including examination processes

There was wide industry representation within the group and members agreed that there had been constructive dialogue on the issues addressed.  All representatives had the opportunity to raise their key issues and it was clear from the debate which followed that there was a strong general consensus on the areas of concern.

There was recognition that the industry is already working hard to improve the use of tower cranes including the production of clear and prescriptive guidance on issues such as crane operation and maintenance along with the implementation of company procedures on managing tower crane activities.  However the group felt that there were areas which required further efforts – achieving success through broad engagement and ownership of the issues.  

The Forum agreed that it would meet twice a year – the next meeting taking place within 6 months.  John Spanswick stated “Tower cranes are the most visible and largest piece of equipment on site and present a major potential hazard. It is important to maintain focus on the safe use of tower cranes and review regularly so that agreed action plans are being implemented.”

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5. The future has to be ‘green’ says construction
 ‘The Green Perspective’ report by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has revealed that over 94% of construction professionals believe that ‘green’ building is the future for the construction industry. 

Almost 850 construction professionals took part in the CIOB survey that examined the industry’s attitude towards climate change and the role of sustainable construction.

Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executive said, “From the survey we can see that there is clear concern about climate change and a desire to enforce sustainable construction but there is a lack of understanding about what is being done and what can be done to tackle these issues. The problem may lay in the fact there is still much debate among experts and political leaders concerning possible solutions and the affect that they will have in reducing climate change. What is certain is that reducing waste and carbon emissions from buildings will not only help the environment but is also profitable to businesses. From these results we can see that there is no debate to be had within the construction industry in regards to the direction that needs to be taken, but reaching these people with everyday solutions and practical changes seems to be where the ‘green revolution’ is falling short.”

The study clearly shows that awareness within the industry has been heightened in regards to environmental issues and their implications for the future of the industry:  98% of respondents accept that construction has a role to play in climate change, 91.4% believe that this role is either important or vital to climate change, 94.6% believe that ‘green’ building is the future for construction.

Further results show that the industry itself sees the importance of sustainable building however 67% of respondents felt that the current UK building regulations do not go far enough to create energy efficient buildings. In addition, building regulations were seen as the most valuable way for the built environment to reduce C02, with the majority believing that building regulations were enforceable. This would suggest that the industry would like to see a more forceful and demanding set of regulations in place to drive sustainable development and market demand.

Michael added, “Although this survey has identified an increase in demand for sustainable development over the last five years, this increase appears not yet to have reached significant enough levels. The reason for this lack of widespread market appetite is seen as a shortage of client awareness and education towards the financial benefits for building green projects. And yet 86% of respondents believe there are financial benefits to be had from producing energy efficient buildings.”

Top line statistics

• The sample consisted of 847 construction industry professionals, the majority of whom were company directors or management
• 98% of respondents believed that the construction industry had a role to play in the solution to climate change; with 54% considering that the industry’s participation was vital in reducing C02 levels

•  66.6% of respondents stated that the current UK building regulations do not go far enough to create energy efficient buildings

• 73% had seen an increase in demand for energy efficient buildings over the last 5 years
• 86% believed there is financial benefit to producing energy efficient buildings
• 46.4% felt that renewable energy would see the majority of UK investment in the future
• 94.6% felt that green building was the future for construction
• 37% regarded the use of buildings after construction as the highest contributor to CO2
• 44.9% believed that a lack of financial incentives and client demand were holding back the industry from producing Zero Carbon Buildings en masse

A full copy of the report is available at www.ciob.org.uk/resources/research

6. Events

The events page of the CIC website is frequently updated visit the events page for details.

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