Engineering the best environment for partnership

Giulia Civello - Senior Consultant & Carole Quinn - Consultant

Key to the delivery of a successful infrastructure project is an effective working partnership between engineers and environmental consultants. A successful relationship between these two parties provides benefits throughout the project lifecycle and ultimately results in the delivery of a better project for less cost.

Temple Group’s experience on major infrastructure projects has highlighted three key areas which are integral to a successful partnership between environmental consultants and engineers:

• effective communication;
• a bespoke team set up; and
• clearly defined deliverables embedded within an integrated programme.

Combining these factors enables environmental consultants and engineers to form a productive partnership, striking a balance between finding an effective environmental outcome without entailing excessive cost or compromising design feasibility.

Benefits include the development of a more robust design which can withstand challenge, facilitate the gaining of consents, decrease development and capital costs and deliver a project with a reduced environmental impact.

Many of the key factors in realising these benefits have been learnt through Temple Group’s role on major infrastructure projects, including HS2 and the Norton Bridge Scheme, which was the subject of a Development Consent Order application.

Effective communication

Typically, tensions between engineers and environmental consultants result from physical working barriers. The need to react quickly to client demands can often result in a lack of consultation with the environmental team. Co-location breaks down these barriers, creating a cohesive, integrated team who understand each other’s working processes and decision making structure. It promotes clear and efficient communication, which enables a more rapid response to be provided to the client.

Close collaborative working between the two teams facilitates an iterative design process and prevents the development of design options which are not feasible from either an engineering or environmental perspective. A proactive rather than reactive working relationship enables the teams to work together to produce an optimal solution from the outset, rather than providing comment retrospectively which incurs additional time and cost.

Team set up

A dedicated engineering liaison team within the environmental team provides a clear point of contact for the project engineers and controls the flow of information. This also ensures that the engineering / environment interface is clearly visible to the client, something which can be lacking on projects where both engineering and environmental services are provided by a large multidisciplinary firm. This interface provides an important opportunity to critically review and challenge engineering designs ensuring a robust project in the event of challenge.

Multidisciplinary workshops are an important tool to facilitate an integrated approach to design, bringing together environmental and engineering expertise. Workshops are particularly important for the development of mitigation, ensuring that environmental measures are developed in the context of engineering constraints and requirements, and thereby preventing abortive work and additional costs.

“Differing perspectives, opinions and ways of doing things, don’t have to be seen as a negative; it can be the driver for improved performance, the push to go beyond the norm and can be the difference between a good and a great project.” Robert Slatcher, Temple Group

Clearly defining deliverables

It is critical to the success of a project that deliverables are fit for their intended purpose. For the environmental consultant, this is most likely the Environmental Impact Assessment. In order to ensure that deliverables are fit for purpose, they must be clearly defined and agreed by all key parties and the client at project inception. This shared understanding should include elements such as the delivery date, and also the deliverable format. A commonly encountered example which covers both these issues is GIS shapefiles versus engineering CAD files. While the engineering design is often held within a CAD model, the environmental topic teams are dependent on GIS shapefiles to complete their assessment. The conversion between CAD and GIS is not an instantaneous process and requires rigorous checking to ensure that the GIS outputs accurately align with the CAD model. Any agreed delivery dates of an engineering design to environmental assessment teams must therefore build in time for this conversion and quality checking to take place.

This example highlights the importance of mutual understanding between the engineering and environment teams as to the end use of their deliverables, something that is greatly improved through an integrated, co-located team.

The delivery of a robust design on time and on budget is ultimately dependent on inputs being received in good time ahead of a design freeze and the careful sequencing of workstreams across the engineering and environment teams. Therefore, an integrated programme which reflects the interaction between engineering and environment is fundamental to project delivery.

“There will always be a balance between engineering, cost, societal benefit / impact and environmental protection – that is in essence what sustainable development is all about! But as long as each of these factors is given due consideration and dealt in a constructive and professional way, then it will be for the good of the scheme.” Tom Smeeton, Temple Group

MIPIM 2015 - The ‘F’ Words

James While - Account Director

If you’re anything like me, by now you’ve told your colleagues that you’re one of the chosen few to represent your company's interests at MIPIM.

And, continuing the assumption, you’ll have had a mixed response from said colleagues, from the green eyed jealousy of the unchosen many to the cynicism of those that simply see it as a jolly, to the few that consider it an essential networking tool for the business planning cycle.

The success of your trip is down to YOU. Nobody else. Assuming it’s in your hands, then I reckon you can manage your own success. And here’s how:

Foundation:

There are three elements here. Agreeing what success looks like and plugging that vision into the key business drivers of your organisation.

• Sit down with your colleagues. Ask THEM what, in their view, would aid their commercial imperatives? Which of their key accounts and projects are attending and what value (or potential damage) would a MIPIM hook-up have?
• The key here is to get your colleagues to tell you what they and the business needs. Once you’ve expressed and defined those KPIs back, you have no excuse for not doing your damnest to deliver them.
• Make sure you’ve trawled the databases to know which of your key targets are going. And, think about what you’re going to say that’s going to be memorable once you deliver that dreaded elevator pitch in Café Roma.

Focus:

The second of our F words describes your doing mode once there. As with everything in life this is not a binary thing; I believe that a diary can be over managed and it’s worth thinking that a stable foundation needs intermittent, not continuous support.

It’s my belief that you should have 70% of your MIPIM activities as pre-arranged focal points. If you try to plan further than this then you will miss organic opportunities that may arise ‘out in the field’ and you will become frustrated that some of the ‘bankers’ you’d pre-arranged need to be moved and you’ve no space to move them to.

Free forming:

That 30% of free time is key. You will meet people you've not seen for years or you’ll meet new people that have something real and tangible to offer.

Leave space to accommodate these. It also allows a degree of mental peaking and troughing. You cannot, by definition, focus for 14  hours a day. Having pauses in your workload will allow a natural breathing space for relationships, that may not otherwise have happened, to blossom.

Follow-Ups:

How many people have you seen come back from MIPIM with more cards than Paperchase littered across their desks and no clue as to how to manage them?

It’s an absolute truism to say MIPIM really starts once you’ve left. 

The reason for this is simple - this is when you start ‘doing stuff’- making contact, moving ideas, collaborations, developments forward.

When you get back there are two key stages to your follow-ups;

The Wash Up: Go back to the Foundation. Look at the KPIs you and your colleagues agreed and give them back each and every point with your activity and success therein related. Then, decide the strategy to deliver the outcome; a visit, a meeting, a presentation, a financial model.

Out There: As quickly as you can, seize the momentum you’ve created. Get on the phone, drive through your agreed meetings and your agreed initiatives.

Make sure it happens. Because the only person that can do that is YOU.

Don’t beat around the bush: why developer’s need to plan for ecology

John Newton - Managing Director, The Ecology Consultancy

Ecology is the relationship of living things to each other and to the environment in which they live. If carefully understood and properly assessed, ecological issues can greatly enhance the value of a development. On the other hand, it not managed well, ecological issues can cause developers significant problems.

In addition, if harm is caused to particular species, developers can incur substantial fines. Thus, it is critical to follow the legislation that protects wildlife. Luckily, with the correct advice this need not be as onerous as it sounds.  

Developments can impact on ecology in a number of ways. As well as the obvious direct loss of species and habitats from ground works, ecological features can be damaged by disturbance from noise, light, and air pollution. Another danger is the spread of so-called invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed, which can spread rapidly and damage infrastructure.

So what do we need to do?

Wildlife surveys are an established part of the pre-planning submission stage and take various forms. Normally a site is first assessed by undertaking a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) which incorporates a desk study, a Phase 1 Habitat Survey and a protected species assessment, these are not costly. Together these results indicate the site’s likely value for both species and habitats, and gives an idea of whether there are likely to be any issues that will affect the development.

Further surveys may be required if a PEA suggests that protected species are present on site. These may be species that are protected nationally or across Europe. Included in the latter category of European Protected Species are all 18 bat species in the UK, as well as the great crested newt, otter and dormouse.

Proposals for large developments require the assessment of ecological impacts to be included in planning applications, and to provide mitigation for any significant ecological impacts. As a result, surveys for European Protected Species and protected habitats are becoming part and parcel of applications for most large developments.

Timing

The timing of ecology surveys is an aspect of the development process that is often overlooked. Whilst badger surveys can be undertaken throughout the year, if bats or dormouse are presumed to be present on your development site, survey timings require much more consideration. Surveys for some forms of bat activity can only be undertaken from May to August; surveys for dormice can only be undertaken from April to November. Find our survey calendar here.

Avoidance isn’t the solution

Avoiding the problem will not make it go away. Developers have previously tried to avoid ecological issues by proposing mitigation in the absence of surveys; however, this is poor practice and is not accepted by the statutory agencies. Local authorities must have evidence that the proposed development will not be detrimental to protected species and the only way to prove that is through a survey.

In the case of a number of species poor planning of surveys can mean a wait of six months or more until the survey season comes round again. Thus it is important to plan surveys early in the project. That way, any ecological issues can be dealt with with minimal disruption and cost.

Case studies

The following are examples of major infrastructure projects that have benefited from the early planning of ecological surveys.

Beyond Green, Norfolk;

A large mixed-use residential development north of Norwich, to include two new schools, public open space and over 80 hectares of arable reversion to create a large country park, was proposed by Beyond Green. The Ecology Consultancy was engaged to work with them on the project. Surveys covered habitats, protected species, bryophytes and invertebrates. We carried out a strategic ecological assessment and technical reporting, along with the preparation of the ecology chapter for the environmental statement. Green infrastructure was designed to maximise both nature conservation and recreational value.

Outline planning permission was granted in September 2013 and, unusually for a development of this size, there were no objections on ecological grounds.

M25 widening programme;

The Ecology Consultancy, working alongside the contractor Skanska Balfour Beatty JV, has been protecting wildlife during a scheme to widen the M25 over a number of years. The Ecology Consultancy contributed the ecology and biodiversity chapter of an award-winning Assessment for Section 4a, a 5.3 mile stretch between Junctions 27 and 28.

Temple, working alongside The Ecology Consultancy, can now provide the whole range of environmental services including ecological survey and mitigation.

Intelligent Land Valuation

Simon Perry - Principal Consultant & Rachel Lambert - Consultant

Is there such a thing as an undevelopable site?

There are a wide range of factors which affect the development potential of sites but with increasingly sophisticated tools and measures at our disposal, difficult sites are becoming more viable. This fact, coupled with the renewed competition for premium development sites, means that it is now more important than ever that developers have a fundamental understanding of the constraints, threats and opportunities of prospective sites. These factors will impact the development potential of the land and a proper understanding of these at acquisition stage is therefore highly advantageous.

Quantifying and managing the opportunities and constraints faced by a development can broadly be broken down into four phases (these have been mapped and presented here below).  These are:

1. Development purpose

The aspirations and needs for the proposed development site must be understood and the associated costs must be considered, along with the market it is intended to serve. 

2. Development Opportunities, Threats and Constraints

Once the aspirations for a development on the site are understood it is essential that an understanding of the threats and constraints (which may affect the viability of the development) along with the opportunities (which may assist) be appraised. These are generally centred on the following areas:

Environment:

• Is the site accessible?
• Are there any utilities that affect the ability of the site to be developed?
• Is the site located next to a main road or other extraneous noise source which will require mitigation?
• Are there underlying contaminated land issues?
• Is the site at risk of flooding?
• Are there any ecological features which may hinder development?
• Are there ecological and landscape features that could be used to make the development more attractive?

Planning:

• Is the development in line with policy?
• What is the political appetite for development on this site?
• Does this development meet national and local needs?

Community:

• Do the local community want this development?
• Is this land valued by the local community?
• Will the development bring local benefits?

3. Constraints management

By identifying the constraints it is possible to plan for the management of these issues and to understand the financial implications.  It also enables a strategic assessment of how well the land fits within a wider development portfolio.

4. Maximise opportunities

As well as constraints, understanding the opportunities enables development value to be maximised by ensuring the opportunities are fully realised.

Informed purchasing can be achieved through these steps. Difficult sites can be developed as long as the opportunities, constraints and issues are understood, although these sites in the final analysis may not appeal to all. Even sites which on the face of it appear to be simple can become problematic if proper analysis is not done at the earliest opportunity. Effective planning at the acquisition stage minimises the probability of nasty surprises later on in the programme and ensures opportunities are maximised and realised at an early stage. 

Build costs going through the roof...

Ben Harris - Technical Director

The recovery is bringing its own challenges. As the market picks up the development opportunities increase but everyone wants to build at the same time. Costs are increasing as the market adjusts to new conditions and it leaves us looking at the price of land in a different light. These pressures are greatest in the South East with London topping the chart of most expensive places to build in the world [1]. A skills shortage may slow the growth of the sector but what can be done to keep developments on track?

Tightening up on material and resource costs has helped many to maintain margin and the use of more efficient building techniques not only reduces material use but can also reduce onsite labour. To make the most out of sites and the talent in the industry do we need to rethink how and what we build?

Planning how we use materials and how their use affects programme and budget have been common in large infrastructure projects for a number of years and the savings are significant. Off-site construction and management plans for materials, carbon, waste and water have all contributed to lower costs and are now common in value management. After getting over the initial hump of implementing BIM, the projects that use it are also seeing savings, particularly in early clash detection.

Often it is left to the contractor to kick off these techniques to manage their own costs. Could more developers make use of these tools to make more out of their sites? Instead of tucking in a wall here or reducing a quality specification there could we revisit the design completely? What if, from the outset, we looked at the development from a focus of low construction cost brought about by reducing time on site, using higher value techniques and minimising the use of materials?

Resource Management Planning is an effective way to engage the whole supply chain in using resources efficiently and saving cost. Housing and commercial developments can expect to realise a cost benefit of up to 2% [2].by taking this approach. 

If you would like to reduce the cost and environmental impact of your resources, speak to our Technical Director, Ben Harris on 0207 394 3700.

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[1] http://www.arcadis.com/Content/ArcadisGlobal/Docs/publications/Research/9110_International_Cost_Construction_Report_FINAL_WEB.pdf

[2] WRAP Cost Benefit Analysis

MIPIM - The True Survival Guide

James While - Account Director

Turn the clock back only a few years and stories of excess and indulgence on the French Riviera are stuff that would make some rugby tours look like a tea party.

As with all these things however, many, not all, of these fables were apocryphal; handed down from generation to generation of developer and embellished each successive year with another jewel of dubious veracity.

2009 was a watershed for many of us in our behemoth industry. Crashing stocks, bank uncertainty and the evaporation of liquidity conspired to turn the thriving MIPIM legend into a beachfront as bare as an icy Blackpool in January.

However, as with all of the best slimming regimes, MIPIM emerged the other side, leaner, fitter for purpose and hungry for action.

Focus is the key word; one grain of wisdom replacing a myriad of excess, like rice versus confetti, and, if you’re taking the trip down, embrace that focus. Our advice is be prepared, concise, purposeful and know why you’re there.

The biggest pitfalls are gametes of meaningless appointments, fertilised with a good degree of Apprentice-inspired irrelevant sales-speak; language that would have you fired by Lord Sugar before Nick Hewar could even frown.

So, when faced with that chance to pitch your elevator (pun intended) look at it from the client side; think about what they NEED, the first, second and last principle of any form of selling.

Here’s Temple’s view on how to approach this; 

1. Tell your client why what you do works.

Know your product and portfolio; show examples and schemes that provided clever solutions to difficult development problems. And tell them how you worked it out and what the benefit was. They want to know how you think first and then what your schemes look like afterwards. How you think is what makes you different from other consultants. Your projects are the result of someone else’s brief.

2. Don’t tell them you do everything.

Please don’t tell them you’re a Masterplanner when all you have in your portfolio of built projects is residential developments. You might have the skills, but they will be very unlikely to hire you to masterplan a 20-acre site if you can’t show them a project you have already done. Be honest. Pitch to work on a job you can show you can do. Get to know your client and grow your work that way.

3. Show  good pictures and tell a story!

Don’t show plans or black and white elevations. If it’s all you've got, then you should have invested in some decent renders or CGIs. Your clients are only human; seduce them by beautiful pictures that show benefit - both esoteric and commercial; if you’re having a discussion about technical detail and it would help to pore over a plan, bring one as a backup. Even worse are hugely detailed slides, mostly about sustainability systems showing tree, sun and cloud symbols, arrows, flow charts and statistics. Impenetrable, boring and something best left to the detailers.

4. Talk about people.

Architecture and property development is only about one thing. People. How are they going to live, work and play in the schemes we design. How are places going to be economically and socially sustainable for the people who live in them? What will they enjoy about what we design? Tell your client about the people who are going to be their customers. Without people there is no need for property.

5. Do your research before you come.

Your clients are specialist, mixed-use regeneration developers. It says so on their website, right at the top. They won’t be interested in resi conversions, sheds, hospitals or country houses. So don’t waste your time either showing those things or going to see them if that’s what you specialize in. You would spend your time so much more profitably with another developer who does what you do.

Having said all of the above, MIPIM is a broad church; people are there to meet, and forging relationships through the mutual pain of sandblasted  eyes and throbbing feet produces bonds that are durable.

But don’t expect commercial miracles simply by just turning up; this is about hard work and seeding capital for relationships; fertilise those seeds and cultivate the roots you put down and your following year could be something very special indeed.


Temple are heading to this year's MIPIM, find more information here. If you're interested in booking a meeting with our team, please contact; marketing@templegroup.co.uk. 

Carbon verification – Taking a leaf out of the accountant’s book

Erica Ward - Senior Consultant

Would you invest in a company based on unaudited accounts? When a company publishes its financial accounts we expect these accounts to have been fully audited and assured for accuracy. We need to have the confidence in that company and its performance. We are accordingly shocked when companies and their financial auditors get it wrong, and investments take a tumble, as recently happened when with a major UK retailer.

So why is environmental data any different? According to research commissioned by the Global Reporting Initiative and Accounting for Sustainability the majority of investors and analysts (77%) rate external assurance of ‘extra-financial’ reporting as very important or important[1].

Verification of environmental data, however, is still very much a minority activity. In 2013, fewer than 40% of UK FTSE 350 companies independently verified their organisational carbon footprint[2]. This is startling given that this group of companies should be leading the environmental disclosure agenda.

When comparing the risks of investment in otherwise similar companies, having verified data may make all the difference to an investor, and in time could have an effect on stock prices. Greater disclosure and particularly verified disclosure by environmental professionals only goes to help investors make the decision to invest. Whilst environmental reporting is still evolving, it is no longer an excuse when it comes to carbon; the general consensus on approach to undertaking a carbon footprint coupled with international standards (e.g. ISO 14064) enable us to compare organisations directly if their reporting mechanisms comply and are verified. In a similar way, waste and water reporting have also become more standardised.

Now that carbon and other environmental reporting have grown up as it were, the benefits of verification are clear. It means internal decisions-makers can take long term environmental risks into account and be confident that they are responding to the most important risks for their business. Today’s increasingly sceptical investors will also have the assurance that disclosures of environmental data can be confidently relied on when they analyse the impact on value creation and risk. Verification of emissions reductions and other improvements help create certainty regarding progress against targets, whether they are for an organisation or an individual project.

We’d be interested to hear your views and experiences of non-financial verification; if you’d like to get in touch please contact Martin Gibson on 0207 394 3700.

[1] Radley Yeldar (commissioned by Global Reporting Initiative & Accounting for Sustainability), 2012, The value of extra-financial disclosure: What investors and analysts said.

[2] Figure based on 52% of the 260 FTSE 350 companies that disclosed under CDP, from: Carbon Disclosure Project, 2013, Are UK companies prepared for the international impacts of climate change?