Sustainability: Bridging the Knowledge Gap
“We cannot solve problems using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
White Paper
Chris Wallbank Director Sustainability Jones Lang LaSalle
Bryon Price Director A.G. Coombs Group
May, 2007
- The Australian real estate market continues to demand greater environmentally sustainable performance at a time when the skills required to achieve performance enhancements are decreasing in the industry.
- The skills shortage is compounded by a ‘knowledge gap’, which has occurred as critical knowledge of building design and operation is lost between different stages of the building life cycle.
- A focus on a single rating number is contributing to a lack of the specific data that is required in order for performance uplifts to be achieved and maintained.
- The introduction of tools that rate environmental performance, such as Green Star and ABGR, has brought about a change in the way real estate is designed and operated and has lifted awareness across the property sector.
- The take up of the rating tools has been high, with over 100 projects having received or been registered for certification under Green Star and some 29% of the national office market having been rated using ABGR.
- The rating tools have the potential to facilitate the transfer of knowledge, and to improve understanding of the real issues around sustainability performance outcomes, by focusing on data reporting at a more specific level.
- If the knowledge gap is addressed, the Australian market environment presents a unique opportunity to achieve innovation and global best practice in measurement and reporting on sustainability performance.
- Environmental performance rating tools have the potential to drive this change; however the industry must play a role in ensuring that Australia takes advantage of this opportunity.
About the Author
Chris Wallbank Director Sustainability Jones Lang LaSalle Chris Wallbank has 25 years experience in the design, construction, commissioning and maintenance of building services, with the last thirteen years focused on building performance improvements with new and existing property. Chris brings his engineering expertise and experience to develop Jones Lang LaSalle’s sustainability platform, building on the firm’s existing delivery capability. His focus is on demonstrating the tangible benefits of a well documented and cost effective sustainability program for new and existing clients. He has worked in a multi-discipline environment to develop an intimate knowledge of the relationships within, and between engineering and services disciplines. His skills have been developed over numerous new and existing projects and his approach is heavily biased towards practical solutions tailored to project specific requirements.
Bryon Price Director A.G. Coombs Group Bryon Price is a mechanical engineer with notable experience in energy efficient buildings. He is Director of Business Development for the A.G.Coombs Group of companies. Prior to joining A.G.Coombs Bryon was responsible for a range of energy and environmental projects. These included innovative and award winning long term energy management roles with a number of major financial, commercial and retail organisations, and various Commonwealth and State Government Departments, and the preparation and management of a number of innovative energy performance briefs for major building developments. Out of this experience his particular area of knowledge and interest is ‘whole of life’ energy and environmental management in buildings.