Sustainability Magazine June 2024 | Page 22

EXECUTIVE INSIGHT
architect partner or a building contractor , or your day-to-day facility manager , everyone has to come together in order to achieve your sustainability objectives for the built environment .
Q . WHAT ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY IN TERMS OF THE BUILDING MATERIALS ?

» We talk to a number of clients about the circularity of the materials we use to fit out a space . Not only what we select as we put in the building , but what ' s the end of life of those materials so that we are thinking about sustainability holistically . It ' s also the energy that you ' re procuring on a day-to-day basis , the equipment , what type of energy sources they ' re going to use .

So how do we make individual pieces of equipment in the workplace , whether lighting or HVAC systems , efficient and integrated into your plans , whether it ' s fitting out the space or your capital plan for investment moving forward .
Q . ARE THERE WAYS YOU THINK NET ZERO COULD BE ACCELERATED IN YOUR INDUSTRY ?

» I think the main challenge that we ' re facing on the path to net zero for many buildings is electrification . And for that , you are relying on the grid getting greener or improved access to renewables in all geographies . How do you decarbonise buildings that are relying on natural gas and other heating sources to operate , particularly in northern Europe , the northeast in the United States and Canada ?

22 June 2024