Sustainability can no longer be seen as an optional extra, but is a vital cog in the future prosperity of the UK’s construction industry. Phil Wilson, Operations Director at West Midlands Centre for Constructing Excellence (WMCCE), says building a framework which brings together sustainability initiatives is critical to the long-term success of the construction and the built environment industry in the West Midlands region. 

The word sustainability has become a fashionable term today - and not just in construction. Many businesses have already begun the journey towards sustainability by addressing issues such as pollution and energy efficiency. But if we are to build for a sustainable future we must think beyond the here and now, looking at the long-term picture and ask questions such as, how can we maintain the sustainability drive 10 years from now?

To achieve this and the upper echelons of standards such as those adopted by leading construction organisations who have embedded sustainability into their business practices requires a strategic approach and one which involves a more collaborative partnership from the whole supply chain. Everyone, from SMEs to larger businesses, are currently doing their bit, but it is how we bring all this together and share best practice from the various sustainability initiatives currently in operation, which will define our future. 

Additionally, it is vital that sustainability is not only considered in new build projects, but also in refurbishment, which is such an important area of activity in construction.  Government legislation such as the Code for Sustainable Homes highlights the importance of sustainability in new build projects. Divided into nine categories including waste, energy and co₂, pollution and materials, the Code aims to support the government target for all new-build homes to be zero carbon by 2016. However, as there are so many aging buildings in existence, refurbishment projects are perhaps more important as new build. In order for the government target of cutting co₂ emissions by 80% by 2050 to be met, existing buildings must be refurbished in a sustainable way.  In terms of the construction sector, this will mean ensuring that the buildings are well insulated and using the most energy efficient materials possible. As part of this drive for sustainability, WMCCE has been working with the Sustainable Housing Action Partnership (SHAP) to address the task of making the West Midlands’ new build housing stock low carbon by 2016 and exceeding the Government co₂ emission targets by reaching a 80% reduction by 2025.  

In the West Midlands, the Construction Taskforce, under the stewardship of WMCCE has recognised the need to support the West Midlands regio nal economic industry and has put in place the building blocks of an action plan to help take the sector forward.  It pulls together and identifies further initiatives and support that needs to be co-ordinated and communicated. The final plan provides a framework for supporting the construction sector in the region. Taking a joined-up approach, it aims to identify, instigate and monitor all opportunities to develop the sector. Addressing the sustainability issue is one of the main outputs from the Taskforce Action Plan with a challenge to bring the sustainability initiatives we currently have in place under one framework.

This has led to the launch of the West Midlands Sustainable Built Environment Forum. The first meeting of the Forum took place in February and brought together like-minded people within the West Midlands built environment sector to share their thoughts on sustainability. Emphasis was placed on discussing topics of concern to those within the region’s construction industry, as well as planning a programme for future forum.

The forum will take place on a regular basis and has four main aims:

1. To adopt a leading approach to sustainability, in alignment with organisations such as Birmingham Science City, Sustainability West Midlands (SWM) and Sustainable Housing Action Partnership (SHAP).
2. To involve interested groups around both existing and future project work streams (e.g. health, education and housing).
3. To disseminate best practice in design, build and refurbishment around work streams.
4. To provide a knowledge exchange forum for practitioners from the public and private sectors, academics and policy makers from the region.

Although these plans are still in their infancy, they represent the next challenge for the West Midlands construction sector. Joining all the dots together via the West Midlands Sustainable Built Environment Forum will not only lead to more efficient working, but will prove to be a boost to the economy and to job creation. But most of all it will be a hugely successful step forward on the journey everyone is slowly making – that of ensuring sustainability sits at the very centre of our current and future thinking.