Sustainable Innovation Manual for the built environment launched by UKGBC

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has today launched its Sustainable Innovation Manual for the construction and property industry.

The manual contains a step-by-step guide designed to help built environment professionals put sustainability and innovation at the heart of planning, decision-making, and project work. It includes practical templates to promote new thinking and help organise ideas. The manual is complimented by a separate Innovation Insights report packed full of case studies of sustainable innovation around the theme ‘how do we make space as agile as technology?’

These resources are products of UKGBC’s inaugural Innovation Lab: an open process of innovation designed and facilitated by UKGBC and Switch On (a purpose driven leadership and sustainable innovation consultancy).

The Lab’s insight and idea generation processes were driven by lead partners with a wealth of built environment experience and a readiness to challenge the status quo: Canary Wharf Group, Landsec and M&S.

UKGBC’s focus on innovation is designed to build the capacity of the built environment to innovate sustainably in order to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our industry.

Cat Hirst, Director of Learning and Innovation at UKGBC said:

“With the world facing increasing pressures, the need for new thinking and creative approaches is greater than ever.  We know industry leaders want to be innovative, but that can be harder than it sounds.  By demystifying the process of innovation and providing some simple steps to get started, we hope the manual will work to build the capacity of industry so that every business in the built environment can begin to reach their ‘sustainable innovation potential’.”

Martin Gettings, Group Head of Sustainability at Canary Wharf Group said:

“Canary Wharf Group has a strong track record of nurturing innovation, from our project developments, to our Level39 space, one of the world’s most connected tech communities, right here in One Canada Square.

But for us, the Innovation Lab provided a fresh perspective on how we can create the conditions for innovation to thrive, importantly by working with peers to tackle common problems together, and considering new ways that the built environment sector can be positively disrupted.

A brilliant and inspiring programme to participate in, we’re already considering what we’ve learned, to further embed our culture of sustainable innovation.”

Edward Dixon, Sustainability Insights Director at Landsec said:

“Innovation is imperative for our industry and will play a key part in the transition to a low carbon economy. We’re operating in an increasingly complex and constrained world, so we need to be bold in our thinking to keep delivering desirable, flexible and efficient space for decades to come.”

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