More of my journalism and blogging pieces have been published in the last few months and I have provided a brief update menu of Built Environment, Real Estate and Construction articles below, with links to original copy. (Additional writings on Environment, Energy and Education topics will follow.)
Hotels Check in to Greener Thinking
Summary: Enter a hotel room anywhere in the world and the chances are you’ll find a polite-but-prescriptive card by the bed or bath, advising of the benefits of ‘eco-friendly’ behaviors such as living with linen longer and reusing towels. Commendable as it may be, however, this consumer-facing front really represents only the tip of the iceberg for environmental impacts in the hospitality industry where fast-growing equates to resource-hungry.
Published in: JLL ‘Real Views’ (12 Apr, 2016)
Working with Nature to Create Better Buildings
Summary: For centuries, nature and the built environment have not been on good terms as humans build upwards, downwards and outwards. Now, however, a more harmonious relationship is developing – which benefits both sides, and, crucially, the health and wellbeing of the people in the middle. The belief system behind this shift is ‘biophilia’ and it’s changing the way we think about and design our buildings.
Published in: JLL ‘Real Views’ (30 Mar, 2016)
Modern Slavery and the Supply Chain
The UK construction industry must ensure its global supply chains comply with new legislation clamping down on the use of forced and slave labour.
Published in: ‘Future of Construction’ Special Report, ‘The Sunday Times’‘ (27 Mar, 2016)
Construction is Facing a New Era of Green Builds
As the UK construction industry strives to rebuild itself to deliver the new homes and infrastructure the country needs, new money and new metrics apply.
Published in: ‘Future of Construction’ Special Report, ‘The Sunday Times’‘ (27 Mar, 2016)
Why Buildings Will Become ‘Sensorsational’
Summary: In many small ways, we are becoming accustomed to buildings responding to our physical presence, almost without realizing: doors open and lighting comes on in hallways, toilets flush automatically in restrooms and water flows into basins when our hands approach. Slowly but surely, we have entered a whole new wireless world of sensors.
Published in: JLL ‘Real Views’ (29 Feb, 2016)
New writing… My first piece for The Hub – the award-winning content platform curated by Mitsubishi Electric – explores the idea of the user experience (UX) driving the design of the built environment, particularly our workplaces. It discusses how differently commercial developers and their clients might do things if tenants and employees were to start rating the likes of their office environment in the same way as they rank hotels, or restaurants – scoring with stars and posting reviews. It considers what the implications would be for sustainability if happiness and wellbeing provided the prime metrics for post-occupancy evaluation and the key performance question to ask was simply: ‘How does your workplace make you feel?’
