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Sustainability Lisa Trainor, the ProZero Environmental and Quality Manager at fit-out specialist, Portview, explains how the company contributes to the creation of legacy-defining spaces that work for people, businesses, communities, owners and investors. LEADERSHIP, ENGAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY: HOWCONSTRUCTION COMPANIES CAN UNLOCK THE VALUE OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN 14 www.thefis.org S USTAINABILITYhas been driving real change across the construction industry over the past decade. The next 10 years will undoubtedly see this ramp up as we all aim to reduce emissions, future-proof projects and slow the rate of climate change. To reach the ambitious targets set out byThe Paris Agreement and the UK Government’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, the way construction and fit-out projects operate will have to evolve. While governments and clients have a central role to play, construction companies and specialists have the opportunity to lead this process, and as interior fit-out specialists, we can integrate sustainability into our approach while ensuring quality, budget control and delivery. Here are some of the lessons that the Portview team have learnt along the way: • Engaging early Companies of all shapes and sizes want to create sustainable buildings, but the planning and execution involved can be complicated and time-intensive. Reaching a BREEAM ‘excellent’ or ‘outstanding’ rating relies on implementing sustainable working practices at every stage of a project. This includes resource efficiency, waste management and using the right building materials and techniques, but it also means effectively engaging all stakeholders. By setting out sustainability goals at the start of the process and maintaining an ongoing dialogue, we can ensure clients, architects and contractors can consider sustainability at every stage. This includes things that can often get overlooked, such as sourcing low VOC products or using electric rather than diesel-fuelled forklifts onsite. • Building expertise It feels as if the whole world has taken a crash-course in sustainability over the past decade, and we have seen a considerable leap in expertise among our industry and clients just within the past five years. There is still a lot of progress to make, and continuing to build in-house capability is critical. Clients and investors are increasingly knowledgeable about BREEAM, LEED or WELL. However, they still need practical knowledge and insights into making these goals a reality. While expert consultants will always have a role to play, having in-house expertise is increasingly emerging as a key differentiator for clients. They want specialists that can provide value throughout the process, from sourcing materials to issuing commissioning certificates and providing aftercare. • Highlighting the opportunity Sustainability is often still seen as a tick-box, regulatory exercise by some in the construction and fit-out world. And while it is undoubtedly the case that the prospect Lush, Liverpool.Taking ownership of thefit-out process puts the success of the project in Portview’s hands