Optimising sustainability and user experience����

The recent generation of buildings has already implemented smart technologies, such as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to gather environmental and system inputs. Aspects of the workplace environment, like air quality, benefit from these inputs, relying on a fine balance of systems driven by sensors and user comfort feedback.����

Today, as we design the next generation of buildings, artificial intelligence is advancing smart buildings even further by automatically adapting a building’s systems using IoT insights. Data analytics and artificial intelligence are valuable tools in making informed decisions about building design, maintenance, and resource allocation.����

There are many ways to maximise Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) outcomes in smart building design, such as measuring embodied carbon in the procurement process and using Environmental Product Declaration information to source low-carbon technology solutions.������

It’s important to consider how people are likely to use the building in the future, analyse the efficiency across a portfolio, and consider aspects like popular transport modes and the demand for car parking spaces, all of which can significantly impact a building’s footprint and optimisation.��������

For organisations, tools and technologies can improve people’s living and working space. Augmented reality, artificial intelligence, laser scanning, artificial hygiene, and circadian lighting can all be used to support health and well-being. Considered and implemented thoughtfully, these tools play a vital role in unlocking a range of sustainable outcomes and improving business performance while engaging people to work together towards a low-carbon economy. ����

However, systems selection at the design and procurement stages is key to seamless integration. A powerful master systems integrator is a critical success factor of any next-generation smart building. This delivers a fast network for the building occupants, the capacity, speed, and flexibility to integrate all the building’s systems, and better ESG outcomes, particularly when followed-up with reporting, learning and optimisation, AI-powered insights and predictive maintenance.����

The intersection of IT and ESG in buildings presents an incredible opportunity to drive sustainable and responsible practices. The components of ESG are interwoven with IT solutions that optimise energy consumption, enhance occupant well-being, track material sourcing, enable data-driven decision-making, promote resilience, and ensure transparency.��

 Organisations that embrace IT-driven ESG initiatives in their building infrastructure are not only fulfilling their social and environmental responsibilities but also positioning for long-term success in a world where sustainability is paramount. As technology continues to evolve, IT will remain an invaluable tool in creating a better, more sustainable, and equitable future for all.��

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Airports across the world have already begun their journey towards establishing digital twins – many without even realising it. Spatial data development and data management practices are the foundation of fully realised digital twins, and airports have invested in GIS and BIM platforms for decades. Across the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector, digital ways of working are becoming critical in creating and testing designs. AEC professionals regularly create digital replicas to virtually test their designs before initiating on-site construction, a vital practice within the confines of brownfield environments. This approach enhances safety, program efficiency, and budget management, and reduces operator risks, and is increasingly seen as an essential component of the AEC industry.

However, digital practices can taper off as we progress through the design and construction phases, particularly when the AEC teams no longer find immediate benefits. This creates a downfall for airport operators when transitioning into the handover phase. The digital replica, once indispensable for design planning, may not be consistently maintained throughout the construction, commissioning, and handover phases.

Through �����Ƶ’s extensive global airport experience, we have observed many clients face these challenges with producing and maintaining digital twins. Each client presents unique requirements shaped by their existing progress and capital works program. Considering these specific requirements is crucial to enabling high-quality deliverables. We explore five key steps to ensure successful airport digital twin implementation.

1) Commit to the implementation strategy

Choosing a front-loaded, strategic approach to developing clear and consistent information requirements may take more time initially, but it promises superior long-term results. This approach is particularly beneficial for clients with a gradual increase in capital works projects and an engaged internal stakeholder team. Alternatively, an agile project-based approach offers quicker results by evolving information requirements through specific projects, allowing for more rapid adjustments and, crucially, the involvement of all relevant parties in defining requirements.

2) Elevate existing success

Often, we tend to focus on our shortcomings on the path to developing a digital twin. However, it’s equally important to highlight and support the outstanding accomplishments already taking place within our organisation. These successes are frequently driven by teams or individuals who work without a well-defined strategy. Recognising and supporting these contributors is vital for accelerating overall progress.

3) Set realistic goals and objectives

Start by identifying well-defined use cases and prioritise them based on the potential benefits compared to the effort required for implementation. This approach enables clear communication of the strategy to stakeholders, which is essential for effectively managing the necessary change.

4) Allocate resources for new roles

The transition to new deliverables will require additional support for the client team and the parties involved in providing the required data. A well-structured strategy should ensure that any additional resource investment pays off by reducing the duplication of information handling. Proper resourcing is especially critical in the initial stages to set projects up for success and ensure the delivery of required data upon completion.

5) Adapt the strategy

Recognise that the transition won’t happen overnight, and technology is continually evolving. Consequently, information requirements will also evolve over time to keep pace. Regular feedback from the entire stakeholder team and the providing parties is key to unlocking future opportunities. The critical task is continually monitoring and updating the strategy to reflect these changing needs.

Realising the Benefits

As Airport operators return to record levels of passengers, and significant capital works projects are once again in full swing, there has never been a more opportune moment to review your digital twin strategy. It’s the ideal time to ensure that you are harnessing the benefits of digital ways of working and maximising the potential of the data. The data generated today will form the foundation of how we operate and optimise these facilities into the future. It’s crucial for airports to seize the opportunity now to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape and enhance their operational efficiency for years to come.

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The emergence of federal funding opportunities that prioritize decarbonization and EV adoption, such as , has created an unprecedented opportunity for cities to incorporate decarbonization into their master plans. For this to happen effectively, cities should prioritize early coordination with partners, integrate data-driven approaches, ensure approaches account for equity, and leverage available funding mechanisms.

Incorporate decarbonization goals

Master planning has long been used to guide a community’s growth, focusing on ways to ensure that how communities use and benefit from spaces is at the forefront of design and planning. Master planners have often focused on clear goals such as diversity, inclusive design, attracting economic investment, promoting desired change, and enhancing livability.��In terms of decarbonization planning, this can mean revisiting how people interact with infrastructure and developing goals accordingly. ��

For example, rather than focusing solely on how many vehicles can be transitioned from internal combustion engines (ICE) to electric, a plan should consider how to shift patterns of movement to not only reduce emissions but also to change modes of travel and reduce overall vehicle miles traveled. Resulting planning efforts should include goals around convenient journeys, multi-modal transportation options, making spaces more livable, and encouraging alternative modes of transportation such as public transit or cycling.����

Prioritize coordination

Achieving decarbonization goals requires early coordination between different city departments and broader stakeholders. In an example of broad regional collaboration, �����Ƶ worked with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and a core team of broader regional stakeholders, including the City of San Diego, the County of San Diego, the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, and the San Diego Association of Governments on their Accelerate 2 Zero (A2Z) Strategy, a regional collaborative aimed at reducing air pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through zero-emission transportation initiatives. The initiative includes a focus on making charging infrastructure accessible for fleets, schools, workplaces, and community members through a region-wide set of strategies that address areas of equity and increasing adoption.

The resulting Strategy demonstrates how collaboration introduces opportunities to support streamlining processes, such as zoning and permitting, often associated with lengthy implementation timeframes.

Utilize data and optimization modeling

Data and optimization should also shape effective decarbonization master planning to support measurable and trackable impact. In the United Kingdom (UK), the siting of charging hubs is driven by a combination of forecast demand on the strategic road network, proximity to power grid connections with capacity, and locations of truck and service rest stops. This requires coordination between National Highways, National Grid, local authorities, and other key stakeholders, further reinforcing the need for collaborative approaches to decarbonization planning.

The �����Ƶ team in the UK has applied this best practice by conducting extensive survey work around truck stops and facilities to improve understanding of drivers’ behavior, resulting in more predictive planning based on expected demand of where vehicles will be and ultimately linking to the power grid network capacity. Moreover, it is crucial in cities and urban areas to identify the optimum locations requiring the least amount of additional charging infrastructure, but which would also be efficient in terms of the vehicles using that infrastructure.

��

Incorporate equity into investment approaches

Incorporating equity into decarbonization approaches should include opportunities for creating training and learning programs – representing a meaningful opportunity to support local economic development and empower the next-generation workforce with ‘green jobs.’ Estimates have shown that an investment of US$188.4 billion in green infrastructure spread equally over the next five years could generate US$265.6 billion in economic activity and create close to 1.9 million jobs. It is worth noting that the ‘green economy’ has seen its most significant jump in urban centers, providing communities with diverse, career-level employment options, with particular emphasis on the underemployed and unemployed.

To measure the impacts of transportation decarbonization on equity within communities, �����Ƶ is supporting the City of Sacramento’s Department of Public Works, an award recipient of the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) Blueprint Grant. The work includes developing key metrics with City departments that track equity impacts and align them with e-mobility pilots that the city is launching. The metrics and corresponding data are included in a digital dashboard to track and measure progress toward goals.

Leverage financial opportunities to support implementation

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law in November 2021, allocated US$7.5 billion as part of the National EV Infrastructure (NEVI) Program to build a nationwide charging network. The funding has initially focused on installing fast chargers along the interstate highway system, which would help mitigate battery range fears and enable long-distance travel, but also has funding for community-based chargers. The legislation also included large investments to upgrade the nation’s power grid and to expand domestic battery production and recycling capacity.

Cities can apply for and leverage these federal funds to improve charging infrastructure within their communities as part of a comprehensive EV Master Plan. Aside from NEVI, IIJA also expanded other decarbonization programs, such as the Low or No-Emission Grant Program for transit agencies, to accelerate the advancement of zero- or low-emission vehicles and associated facilities. �����Ƶ has supported various agencies in the US to apply for and be awarded these grants.

State government policies also offer incentives, such as rebates, to encourage EV ownership by helping offset the high upfront costs of EVs. Several states have also implemented a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) program, which requires auto manufacturers to sell a set quota of battery-electric or plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles. In the UK, the Government has amended the deadline for phasing out the sale of ICE-only cars and vans to 2035, with only ZEVs on sale from that date onwards. This is being supported by funding for delivering charging points and providing more than £250 million in funding for bus infrastructure via the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme.

There is a considerable focus on funding from the federal government trickling down to the states to local governments, and most of these policies are tied in with supporting disadvantaged communities and other vulnerable populations. Most government agencies prioritize shaping how these funds will be deployed to serve their communities rather than owning or operating fueling stations. These funding sources are created to accelerate private industry participation and deployment.

A brighter future in the making

Through the right master planning lens, decarbonized transportation represents an opportunity for a meaningful transition to healthier communities. Prioritizing transportation decarbonization with equal opportunity for all can act as a catalyst to improve overall master plans, develop clear pathways to decarbonization, and enhance community livability equitably.��

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In this article, we explore five challenges related to communicating flood risk for major infrastructure projects, the current tools utilized to overcome them, and a contemporary solution for stakeholder engagement.

Five challenges when communicating flood risk

1. Complexity of the information: Effective communication of flood risk requires a nuanced understanding of natural factors – meteorology, hydrology, topography and land use – and the impact of human actions such as urbanization, deforestation, and construction in flood-prone areas. Stakeholders have varying levels of knowledge and understanding of these impacts, so communicating this information clearly and concisely can be challenging.
2. Uncertainty and probability: Flood risk assessments involve dealing with complex uncertainties and probabilities. Many members of the communities where we work are not experienced in statistics and complicated probability-based frameworks or know how to read and interpret flood model outputs. Advancements in flood modelling software and increasingly complex regulatory frameworks have widened the gap between our data and our ability to communicate it effectively.
3. Stakeholder diversity: Stakeholders have varying levels of knowledge, interests, and priorities. Stakeholders may include individuals, landowners, developers, insurers, businesses, and government agencies. Tailoring flood risk communication to different stakeholder groups and addressing their specific needs whilst keeping this information concise is time-consuming and challenging.
4. Communication channels: Identifying the most effective communication channels to reach different stakeholders and ensuring timely dissemination of information is critical. However, determining the appropriate channels and timing that align with stakeholders’ preferences and routines can be difficult, particularly when dealing with diverse groups.
5. Emotional and psychological factors: Flood risk communication can evoke strong emotions and psychological reactions. Stakeholders may experience fear, denial, or complacency, which can influence their understanding and response to the information. Their own individual situations and experiences with flooding in the past can also significantly affect these emotional responses. Addressing these emotional and psychological factors is crucial for effective communication.

Context is key

In this digital era, our communities are provided with a myriad of ways to consume and engage with information. They now seek more detailed answers to complex problems, yet the overwhelming abundance of information we get every day restricts our attention to lengthy information. Having access to data and information alone no longer provides a satisfactory outcome. It’s, therefore, essential to understand the specific concerns and questions pertaining to each stakeholder group.

For instance, residents near a proposed infrastructure project may want to know how much deeper floodwaters might become on their property after the project is built. In such cases, it would be more effective to make comparisons using an actual historical flood that people can relate to rather than communicating a statistical and often misunderstood Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP).

Complex data requires a creative approach

Historically, the complexity of flood modelling data has kept this ‘black box’ of information largely hidden from the public. However, the increasing public scrutiny and community interest in improved environmental management are driving new and alternative solutions for improving the effective communication of this data and information.

Traditionally, hard copy, static flood impact maps are produced for major infrastructure projects to compare the existing case (current situation) with the developed case (after development) modelling results. Understanding them requires impacted landowners and other stakeholders to trawl through hundreds of static PDF maps to understand how the flood risk is likely to change and which changes exceed the flood performance targets. Then to find the direct impact on them, they must locate their property or area of interest. The lack of interactivity on these static maps and the disconnect with the technical reporting means they may not even be able to see the predicted impact in an easily digestible format.

To ensure these complex and convoluted concepts are communicated effectively to stakeholders, an engaging, intuitive, and interactive platform is required that can effectively navigate between technical detail, visualizations, maps, and graphics.

The optimal method for communicating flood risk data: An online, interactive, and visually rich platform

An online flood map portal provides site visitors with a visually immersive and user-friendly experience designed to cater to various audiences. It effectively communicates technical information such as flood mapping, making it accessible and understandable to the community, regardless of their level of technical knowledge. Allowing the community to search for their address and interact with an adjustable map to customize their experience of the information enables everyone to find the answers they require.

The Flood Map Portal, created by �����Ƶ for a major infrastructure project, provides this enhanced experience for the community. Hosted by PlanEngage, the Flood Map Portal simplifies the creation of this style of complex and data-rich report into a visual and interactive online platform. It offers the appropriate level of technical content, interactive mapping tools, data visualization and online surveys to make data easier to search, understand and collect feedback from the community. This version of advanced data communication has proven to be a practical approach for presenting flood modelling and flood performance criteria assessment outcomes for this project.

Additionally, text-based technical information displayed alongside flood maps makes it easy for users to access and interpret both types of data simultaneously. This has been a challenge in the past as flood maps and technical information were often presented separately in hard-copy reports with a fixed scale or required users to navigate between different pages, which can be difficult on a computer screen or hard-copy document.

PlanEngage allows flood management practitioners to transform complex modelling data and technical reports into actionable knowledge. This, in turn, empowers the communities we serve to understand and interpret the data, enabling them to make informed decisions based on sound judgment. Comments and reviews posted by users act as immediate feedback loops to the project team and drive further engagement and understanding.

During a community engagement event about flood risk, we saw first-hand the benefits of making flood risk data more accessible. We used a 3D experience from a digital twin to inform and engage vulnerable residents in a frequently flooded neighborhood in Australia. In doing so, we helped them to understand flood behaviors, gain their trust and explore ideas which help alleviate anxiety and address future flooding.

Overall, the online Flood Map Portal, significantly enhances transparency in the planning and development process, ultimately leading to the successful implementation of more resilient and impactful projects.

Final thoughts on flooding

With the technological advancements of digital modelling, AI, automated design, increased data analytics capabilities and cloud-hosted reporting and visualization platforms, the tools, and technologies to make this process more efficient and effective are now becoming readily available. How we use this technology to communicate flood modelling data more effectively is only just starting to be explored and provides an exciting opportunity to enhance this space.

We are presented with an exceptional opportunity to optimize the use and dissemination of flood modelling data to ensure that the infrastructure projects we design and maintain are more considered, better designed, and ultimately deliver superior outcomes for the communities in which they are located.

The post Unlocking the power of context: The crucial factor in communicating flood risk data appeared first on Without Limits.

The UK is regarded as a life sciences powerhouse. Medicinal and pharmaceutical products are among the country’s top five exported goods, and the nation comes second only to the US in terms of inward investment.����

The UK government values the domestic life science sector at £94 billion, and estimates it provides over 250,000 high-skill jobs in fields such as drug discovery, diagnostics, MedTech devices and vaccine creation. It is an expanding science, encompassing fields such as AI, genomics, biomanufacturing, tech-enabled healthcare devices and personalised immunotherapies.����

The ‘golden triangle’ of London, Oxford and Cambridge is home to some of the most significant and well-funded universities and research centres in the world – all of which demand access to best-in-class life sciences laboratories. Universities and businesses in other parts of the UK are also hungry for lab space.��

What are the characteristic design features of laboratories?

Lab fit-outs typically consist of a physical laboratory space area where research is carried out and an office-style ‘writeup space’, for performing desk-based analysis.����

However, unlike office spaces, there are no accepted guidelines, specifications or building standards for life science laboratories. Despite sharing many common features such as receptions, desk space and communal staff areas, and even though they are often based in the same building, laboratory occupiers generally have different needs to those of office workers.

Many specifications refer to BCO Office 2019 as guidance for the office element, with no real set guidance for the laboratory function.����

Confusion is also rife in how to deal with what is included within the shell and core of the building, and what is required as standard within the tenant demise.��

The way life science companies operate within a building is also evolving. The incubator model – common in the US – is now gaining traction in the UK. In this model, multiple fledgling start-ups work in the same building and utilise the same facilities.

This one-stop-shop concept provides flexible, low-cost lab space and support to develop early-stage research. In addition to shared services, incubators can provide support to access venture funding, legal and IP guidance and commercial mentoring.����

Designing with a solutions-focused lens

Some features and equipment common to laboratories are standard parts of a lab fit out specification. These include fume cupboards, door seals or multiple door systems, and writeup space.����

It is generally considered wise to keep laboratory and office writeup space adjacent to each other to encourage the cross-pollination of experiments, research, and reflection amongst peers. A typical lab/office ratio is around 50:50. In projects where labs and offices are kept separate from each other, tenants have reported difficulty in effectively collaborating.����

The access requirements must be considered well before the installation phase of a fit out. Particularly large or unique pieces of equipment may require specialist installation or be difficult to transport, lift or move, or may need to be built in situ. In some cases, rooms or buildings are designed around a specific piece of machinery. This can add to the building’s weight and structural loading considerations, including anti vibration measures, plus floor-to-floor height.����

The more specialist the equipment, the more likely the requirement to provide special measures to control the environment in which the equipment is to be located – for instance slab thickening for vibration control, dark rooms, and clean rooms.����

In turn, room heights often need to be higher to accommodate additional MEP needs. From a safety perspective, labs usually require high levels of ventilation and in some cases, advanced air filtration. There needs to be more frequent air changes in a science facility compared to an office space.����

Prioritising health and safety is crucial

Containment levels – the ability of a lab to contain key biological hazards, genetically modified organisms and chemicals – must also be taken into consideration. These range from containment level 1 (C1), which represents the lowest level of risk, to containment level 4 (CL4), where highly dangerous or exotic microbes or pathogens are present, which currently do not have vaccines or antidotes.

At any containment level, laboratory doors/entrance systems need to be sealed and airtight. There are different ways to achieve this, but a common design is to create a double-door entry system.����

The risk of containing potentially dangerous materials also makes building security a key design consideration. This extends beyond the labs themselves, to building reception areas and external spaces. Depending on the levels of security required, this will add significant costs on to a project.����

Waste disposal is also key, and subject to hazardous waste regulations. Storage is also required for products such as consumables, glass products, personal protective equipment (PPE), and scientific literature. This can significantly increase storage space demands compared to a typical office.������

‘Dry’ labs – used for computational science or advanced mathematical analyses – will require appropriate mechanical and electrical installations. Equipment such as 3D printers, powerful computers and lasers all demand specific power, safety measures, air supply controls, emergency power and humidity levels to function successfully.��

Occupancy levels tend to be lower than typical office standards, between 15 – 18m2 per person, which impacts key services such as WC/shower provision and lift capacity.

Meeting the growing demand for lab space

The sector is a hot asset for private investors. A record £2.5 billion in venture capital (VC) was invested into private UK biotechs in 2021: a 79 per cent increase on the total raised in 2020. Overall, this signals that life science companies in the UK are now strong targets for both state and private capital and suggests demand for lab space is unlikely to abate in the short term. ��

As new science clusters emerge outside of the golden triangle, major new projects are springing up around the country, with big-name international businesses making the UK regions their home.����

Life science laboratory fit-outs must be adaptable and able to meet the needs of biotechnology start-ups, which are by their nature nimble, ambitious and fast-growing. They demand high-tech, high-spec working environments where they can meet and collaborate with their peers.

Strong sustainability credentials are also key. The challenge for the design and construction industries is to keep pace with the scale and ambition of the life sciences sector – creating laboratory spaces that help accelerate and support scientific progress.������

This is an abridged version of an article that was first published in Building magazine. .

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The UK is home to some of the most innovative state-funded cancer treatment centres in the world. However, the NHS is under immense strain: record numbers of people are coming forward for cancer tests, with almost a quarter of a million referrals per month in 2022, according to NHS data. This is triple the number of referrals reported in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic meant people were often reluctant to attend hospitals or to visit their GP practice.

This means cancer care centres are dealing with all-time high levels of referrals and patients, at a time when coronavirus and its attendant risks is still ongoing. Those commissioning cancer facilities are tasked with the challenge of delivering high-quality spaces which are sensitive to patient needs, while incorporating the best of new and existing technology. There’s also a huge focus on quality; and all this must be achieved under tough public sector budget and time constraints.

Enhancing patient experience

Cancer facility designs should provide a sense of calm and reassurance, in a place where patients often feel frightened and overwhelmed.

Clear wayfinding, creating logical pathways and flows through the building are a key factor in order to reduce stress on patients, staff and visitors. Wayfinding and layout should also account for the fact that people often receive difficult news and information in these spaces.

Discreet, calming interview rooms are necessary, and some centres have private exit routes which avoid patients and families having to walk through a public waiting room after receiving bad news. In turn, waiting areas are evolving from serried rows of fixed seating to a more relaxed, hotel lobby-style layout, with chairs that can be moved around coffee tables or by windows.

Cancer treatments typically require patients to make multiple outpatient visits, and so designing simple pathways that enable visitors to create their own rituals – whether that means being able to go from a cafe out to a courtyard garden or terrace with a coffee, or into a quiet multi-faith space for contemplation – is important.

Giving patients a sense of autonomy and choice is vital and can lead to better healthcare outcomes. Most new cancer care centres with patient beds are now favouring single patient rooms. Evidence suggests inpatients will have a shorter length of stay if they’re in a single room, which provides a more peaceful environment, greater privacy, the ability to have relatives and friends sleep in their room, and also having loved ones able to help carry out their personal care. That said, some small, four-bed bays are still being designed into projects to provide patient choice.

Ensuring staff feel valued and supported

Providing care makes heavy demands on staff. There are currently more than 110,000 unfilled posts in the NHS, and staff retention is a critical issue for the service. Employees need to feel valued and cared for in their workspace.

These needs can be met in building design via good changing facilities, excellent provision for pedestrian, cycling and driving access and parking, restful facilities for breaks such as quiet rooms, sleep ‘pods’, spaces for indoor exercise such as yoga, and also private outdoor spaces to provide privacy and fresh air during shifts.

Access to education spaces should be seamless. Staff also require access to good education and training facilities, ideally close by or within the same building. Activity-based working involving a variety of workspace typologies is shifting from general workplace design into healthcare buildings. This is reflected in growing calls for these buildings to integrate, or at least have ready access to employee education, office space, clinical and support services such as Maggie’s or Macmillan support centres.

Creating adaptable buildings

Treating the shell and core as having a longer lifetime and the internal fitout as a shorter-term endeavour is a way of looking at buildings which NBBJ has been doing in conjunction with �����Ƶ. Even if they are being procured as a single contract, designing the shell and core as distinct and separate from the internal fit-out configuration is being increasingly practiced. As cancer treatment and hospital design is changing and developing quickly, this approach enables faster changes and updates to the internal elements.

Standardisation – to have repeatable rooms where possible – provides benefits in terms of design, construction, maintenance, cost and clinical safety. As staff become more familiar with a room layout and equipment layout, it is much safer for them to be able to treat repeated patients without the added burden of understanding an unfamiliar space or layout. This also lends itself to Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

Cancer care centres and net zero

Cancer care centres often have a higher energy usage (kWh/m²) than acute hospital facilities. This is due to a higher proportion of specialist radiotherapy and imaging equipment, usually within a smaller building footprint; the need to maintain a comfortable internal environment; and for specialist departments to incorporate a high fixed air change rate for infection control purposes. There is a potential conflict between NHS Net Zero Carbon (NZC) requirements, and the ability to offset the energy consumed by major medical equipment and Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health (MEP) plant serving energy intensive departments.

When developing net zero carbon energy strategies for cancer centres, it is important to ensure that actual energy usages are quantified during the early design stages. This should incorporate design solutions that allow clients to manage and benchmark their energy consumption, against design assumptions, so that they can achieve net zero once the building is in operation. At present, new-build healthcare projects target BREEAM Excellent as a minimum.

�����Ƶ is designing solutions to enable new cancer centres to achieve net zero. Our approach includes designing all-electric facilities with a fabric-first focus, working with the architect to maximise the efficiency of the building through materials and components choices. Also central is the use of highly efficient decentralised air-handling plant to reduce both distribution energy losses, while maximising MMC.

Case study: Clatterbridge Cancer Centre

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool is part of a cluster of world-leading specialist hospitals within Merseyside, including the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.

The 11-storey, 110-bed NHS facility opened in June 2020. �����Ƶ provided building services engineering, civil and structural engineering, acoustic engineering and sustainability as well as BREEAM and environmental services.

In collaboration with architect BDP, the focus from the outset was on designing a low energy building with a fabric first approach. A high-performance facade was integral to achieving this, as it insulates the building while maximising daylight penetration and thermal comfort for users.

Dynamic control systems help the building to perform over 50 per cent better than the Department of Health’s guideline carbon targets. More than 30 per cent of the building’s electrical demand is generated on site by low and zero carbon systems, including photovoltaic panels.

Modern methods of construction have been used wherever possible: 30 per cent of the structure comprised modular components. Prefabrication and modularisation of MEP systems in particular aided on-site construction and improved quality of build, cutting timescales and reducing on-site health and safety risks. The project is rated BREEAM Excellent.

 

This is an abridged version of an article that was first published in Building magazine. .

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Carolyn Stegon, �����Ƶ’s U.S. West region PPM digital lead, manages a digital plan review division that has launched work flows for clients to enhance project delivery success.

With hundreds of reviewers providing thousands of comments addressed on scores of reams of paper plans, traditional design review is a necessary but onerous step in the design process — one that calls for collecting, tracking, adding and reconciling seemingly infinite amounts of data and comments for each review phase.

A new digital solution I developed while working for our �����Ƶ clients is revolutionizing design review procedures by better coordinating information while reducing time, expense and re-work — with the ultimate goal of streamlining internal agency and government efforts.

The start of something new

In 2010, I began helping to manage design reviews for one of �����Ƶ’s major California clients. As a structural engineer with a decade of experience, I had a firm understanding of the technical review process and knew it could be time consuming and challenging. My engineer brain told me there had to be a better way. How could the process be streamlined?

I was introduced to a software platform that provided flexibility and organization that was in use by the client. With some adaptation, I customized and developed the software developing it so it provides an efficient digital design review platform that our clients could use to manage their projects. With the initial success of this review platform, I gradually introduced this new solution to some of our other clients. Success built on success and eventually I was approached by other clients to revise their design review process and began to lead an �����Ƶ team that customized software solutions tailored to each of our clients’ needs. In some cases these newer clients were using the same software as our initial clients, in others we introduced clients to this software and in yet others we adapted other software to meet their requirements.

The importance and usage of a digital review system

Our team is all about developing and implementing a digital review system that works best for every client. Design and implementation typically involve an eight-step process encompassing a client working group, understanding and building client workflows, building the digital platform, establishing building procedures, providing formal training, receiving and then incorporating training feedback, and finally integrating the system into the client’s office. This last step includes providing project support, maintenance and staff augmentation as needed.

One key to developing the system is establishing a working group that incorporates decision-makers and subject matter experts. As a team we work to engage the right people up front. This advances the process by providing insights on work scope, goals and current positioning while delivering strategies that manage specific organizational challenges.

As its popular rises, so does the needed training and guidance

We develop hands-on supportive training that includes varied exercises and chaptered training videos. Our team also provides step-by-step procedures that include screen shots so reviewers fully comprehend their role in the design review process. As training progresses, we work with staff, helping them gain familiarity with the system by establishing a “sandbox setting” a demonstration project where they can practice using the platform. We also provide guidance on active projects.

Our involvement continues until clients are comfortable with the new solution. Our follow-up always includes a feedback survey and direct contact information for future assistance.

The nitty gritty: How does the system work?

Plans are uploaded as PDFs. The packages include specifications, calculations and any other information needed for review. Submissions can be done from an office or from home, with all reviews, back checks and approvals completed digitally. We invite reviewers to the digital space, where everyone views the same plans at the same time, working live in the space. This real-time collaboration enables our clients to communicate with project teams across multiple entities. We set up menus that document information and enable the originator, architect, engineer and other team members to see, sort, and more accurately respond to and reconcile comments. Plans may be digitally resubmitted and plan originators are able to obtain their permit digitally.

A record of success and a hopeful future

Now, 12 years after the first program, our services are evolving to become even more efficient. We have delivered customized design review systems to more than 30 clients, including the Division of the California State Architect, which reviews US$6 billion in construction plans for all California K-12 schools, community colleges and other state owned and leased facilities. We also work with the City and County of San Francisco and the Los Angeles Unified School District, and we use digital design reviews internally as part of our ISO 9001: Quality Management System certification.

To date, the �����Ƶ team has helped Design Review Teams, including Permitting Agencies, cut down the average time required for review by 10-20 days, equating to tens of thousands of dollars in productivity increases. Additionally, we have helped Document Originators drastically reduce their paper and shipping costs overall. And the rate of adoption is only going up. We expect to work with 25 more clients in the coming year, furthering the efficiency of the design review process.

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Looking back at 2022, we saw the wrap of several organizations focused on the deployment of automated vehicles (AVs) with the closing of Argo.ai being the most recent. The combined forces of inflation and potential recession have driven up the cost of investment funding, and the United States is facing intense global pressure related to the development of automation. Vehicle automation also has the additional burden of being a safety-forward technology and safety solutions have traditionally shown a lower return on investment. This economic environment is leaving a strain on start-ups entering the market as well as organizations currently operating in the AV market.

Where does this leave automation? How can AVs prove their safety reputation while delivering on their promising investment to market? More importantly how do we continue to advance a technology and strategy that can help us tackle the significant loss of life caused by our existing modes of transportation that connectivity and automation could help solve.

Continued investments from global giants like Google’s Waymo which recently launched full-fledged robotaxi services in Phoenix, GM and Cruise which launched commercial services this last fall, or Baidu and Pony.ai which have won the right to deploy automated taxis in Beijing point towards a continued growth in a tightening global market.

Infrastructure owners and operators (IOOs) could equally have a significant investment in how to accelerate automation. Over the past few years, IOOs have worked to find their role in the deployment of automated vehicles. For the past decade, AV manufacturers have consistently messaged to IOOs that their vehicles are able to function in environments built for human drivers; however, minor adjustments to the infrastructure, particularly in the form of extra-vehicle situational awareness provided via communications, would allow for AVs to function more optimally. AV operators have explained that infrastructure consistency is important providing an environment that minimizes conflict with other road users. Until now, IOOs have not had a significant role in the deployment of AVs.

What if IOO’s and the AV industry could invest together to identify a set of minimal functional requirements for automation, better accelerating the safety frameworks for deployments, and thereby support automation developers and operators during a time when their funding is tight?

There are a handful of AV operational needs that are common across most platforms and approaches. If IOOs could develop some of these common factors, AV developers may be able to use their limited funding for other automation development. Equally IOOs would be playing an investment role in accelerating the deployment of safety benefits brought by the automation technology.

Some of the key areas of cooperation and support from the IOOs may include:

• Localization support
• Object detection and classification
• Common elements of path planning – such as sparse high-precision GPS waypoints, and high definition (HD) mapping.

If the AV industry can harmonize on these attributes across operational design domains (ODDs), AV developers may use investments to support more specific automation capabilities required for that developer’s specific business needs.

Localization and mapping

Many IOOs are considering creating high-definition maps of their geographies and several are considering integrating these with digital twins that also allow the IOO’s to convene digital policy, rules of the road and insights. As part of their efforts to improve safety in Utah, Utah Department of Transportation has already created HD maps of the entire state. Not all AV operators or designers use mapping the same way, and most AV OEMs create their own maps.�� If IOOs were to undertake an effort to understand the minimal set of data attributes needed for these maps, there may be opportunity to provide some harmonized basic mapping protocols that could be used by AV operators.�� If IOOs can increase safety with an investment in mapping, that may also allow AV operators to invest in other areas of operation, thereby proliferating safety and mobility improvements and improving automation technology.

IOOs should also work with the AV industry to determine what information can be shared from the industry back to IOOs if, for example, minimal map data is generated and shared with the AV industry, perhaps the industry could reciprocate with high-precision GPS corrections to the position of map elements. A thorough understanding of potential shared data needed to support automation could also be a part of an IOO effort to create digital twins of infrastructure.�� If an IOO can work with AV operators to understand data needs, digital twin design can be harmonized to accept and use data from vehicles.

Harmonized asset data

Roadway assets, specifically lane markings, signage, and traffic control devices, are not the same throughout the world.�� If IOOs can work together on developing and approving a harmonized dictionary for roadway assets and create a data exchange for this information, this could enable safety capabilities of AVs. This concept is already being pursued in the Department of Transportation Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx), and for other infrastructure-based information such as signal phase and timing (SPaT) through the USDOT Joint Program Office (JPO) Operational Data Environment (ODE). Expanding on the WZDx idea, AV truck operators have also requested a Weigh Station Data Exchange (WSDx), which is another area where IOOs could add a spark.

Likewise, precise localization is a challenge for both automated and connected vehicles, specifically in “urban canyon” areas where tall buildings inhibit direct line of sight to GPS satellites and the GPS signals are reflected.�� Tunnels also provide a specific challenge for automated and connected vehicles for blocking GPS entirely, and due to the extreme lighting contrast for machine vision systems when entering or exiting a tunnel. Even in the complete absence of GPS information, AVs have the benefit of numerous onboard sensors, which are used to provide precise localization data to AV systems, such as the path planner. However, the effectiveness of this is tightly coupled to the algorithms used within the AV software stack. The USDOT-sponsored connected vehicle deployments have shown significant challenges in urban areas with tall buildings, specifically in New York City.�� In that pilot, the noisy GPS data was addressed using a novel method of measuring time-of-flight from Roadside Unit (RSU) to offset GPS signal error and verified using a vehicle mounted laser pointer. This would be possible by precisely measuring the GPS position of the RSU, which can be transmitted to On-Board Unit (OBUs) or stored in an onboard map of the AV or CV system. This is another example for how automated and connected vehicle systems can inherently improve each other, and how IOOs may be able to better support automation.

Like the RSU solution NYC used, GPS corrections can also be provided using a technology called real time kinematics (RTK), which uses a precisely positioned base station and broadcasts a correction that devices can use to overcome the error in the GPS signal. IOOs could provide something similar as a service to augment GPS precision equipment, which may include any kind of roadside equipment that is able to be precisely located and transmit a simple message with its location and a timestamp; however, regardless of the information an IOO is able to provide, the automated or connected vehicle devices will still need a minimum level of capability to process the data available effectively.

Path planning

Path planning is one of the fundamental components of an AV. In essence, this function is responsible for evaluating all available paths the vehicle could take in both the short-term and long-term planning horizons, and then selecting the “best” path.�� This occurs many times each second for short-term planning, which allows a vehicle to correct for small deviations in the vehicle’s position versus its previously planned position, and to react to immediate or predicted hazards that have been detected by the AV’s perception pipeline. Long-term path planning is akin to route planning and may never be revaluated once a route is set; however, a flexible path planning architecture will have the ability to replan a route based on unforeseen circumstances.�� To the extent an IOO can support fundamental path-planning which is something AV developers could potentially share.

One of the limitations of today’s AV systems is their inability to drive on roadways that have not been previously mapped by the AV developer using proprietary methods and data structures.�� This limits scalability and operational flexibility, but according to the previous mention on minimal map data requirements, IOOs could provide a sparse GPS waypoint data layer, accessible through a permissioned API for example, that would provide the AV developer with an idea of the contours of the roadways that a new route could be created within their system.�� The first time a vehicle travels on a new roadway using only the sparse GPS waypoints, it could proceed more cautiously relying more on its onboard sensors to navigate the environment, but as its traversing this new route, it can be recording all the data needed for the AV developer to create its own version of a map.�� The AV industry could then contribute back to the IOO information such as corrections to the sparse waypoints, further improving the accuracy of these, and expediting the use of the roadway for others in the future.

Together IOOs and the AV industry have an opportunity to use ingenuity and transferable solutions-thinking to integrate data, systems and mapping that can improve the safety ROI needed to ensure the livelihood of the AV market. Investors, developers, public and private organizations all should be working together to enable the future of automated transportation.

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It’s no secret that for many years, there has been a shortage of engineers around the world. A number of factors, including an increasing aging workforce and lack of interest, have been attributed to the declining numbers. In Hong Kong, it’s facing two additional conditions with the relocation of experienced engineers overseas and new graduates pursuing employment elsewhere rather than locally.

However, the shortage is not because of the absence of opportunities. In fact, under the pandemic, many governments are looking to invest in infrastructure projects to boost their economy and enhance resilience. In Hong Kong, there are ambitious plans for the future development of the city targeting increasing housing and infrastructure with the Northern Metropolis and Lantau Tomorrow Vision initiatives.

I believe the issue is that we need to showcase to more people, especially students, the exciting opportunities available in the engineering field and how the work contributes enormously to benefit their communities. When students are asked about their ideal occupations, their first choices are usually doctors and lawyers. They seldomly think of engineers as much of their work happens behind the scenes. This is especially true for those in the geotechnical discipline where projects are underground and not necessarily as aesthetically attractive as say a towering skyscraper. However, that doesn’t make their work any less important.

A good example is the Po Shan Drainage Tunnels, an innovative groundwater control system built underneath the hillside of the Mid-Levels areas of Hong Kong which offers better control of groundwater levels through a pair of drainage tunnels, 172 sub-vertical drains and an automatic real-time monitoring system. This wonderful piece of engineering work is almost invisible from outside, but it’s critical to reducing landslide risks and protecting the community. Geotechnical engineers are integral in safeguarding the public, whether it’s against devastating natural disasters, or ensuring the safety of a towering skyscraper through the design of a secure foundation to support the building above.

Both companies like �����Ƶ and professional institutions have important roles to play in attracting and developing engineers. �����Ƶ has the unique advantage of offering engineers of different disciplines ample opportunities to work on world-class projects around the world. Many of today’s engineers are excited about the prospects of working on international mega-projects such as NEOM in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, professional bodies can help raise the profiles of engineers and build up the image of the profession through outreach activities. In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) is one of the largest professional bodies, and in my new role as the Chairman of the HKIE Geotechnical Division, I’ll be actively working with its members to recognize and promote the technical excellence and contributions of engineers to the community.

In addition to attracting more talents to the sector, nurturing the current pool of young engineering professionals is just as important. The declining numbers of experienced engineers offers them great opportunities to advance their careers, but some might not be equipped to take on more senior roles or responsibilities. Therefore, it’s up to the more senior engineers to spend more time in supporting the development of the next generations of engineers.

If the shortage of engineers continues to increase, it will certainly affect the delivery of various government and private projects. And if certain projects such as those to increase housing do not come into fruition, it can result in a chain of events that negatively affects different communities.

As someone who has been in the geotechnical engineering discipline for around 23 years, I still find it a very fun job as we are always dealing with uncertainties and complexities. Each project that we work on is unique as no two are the same. When we come to work every day, we are facing new challenges, which can be tough, but also rewarding. To me, engineers are unsung heroes whose contributions span from laying solid foundations for buildings and infrastructures to building safe tunnels through mountains and across the sea to ensuring public safety from different hazards such as landslides and flooding. There is a great sense of satisfaction and mission from this field as your work delivers positive impacts to your community and many others.

Johnny Cheuk is �����Ƶ’s vice president, Geotechnical, Hong Kong, and Chairman of Geotechnical Division at the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.

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Below are just a few of the highlights from the report which shows how we are providing truly sustainable solutions for our clients informed by decades of experience, industry-leading ESG expertise and, above all, a drive to do good and be good.

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Progressed toward our goal of science-based net zero by 2040, a target validated by the Science Based��Targets initiative (SBTi)

We reached operational net zero in fiscal 2021, while reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions which cover fleet and office energy, respectively, by 47 percent from our full year 2018 baseline year, using key travel and real estate initiatives. In accordance with the new and even more rigorous SBTi net zero standard, we have also s which emphasizes decarbonization over offsets. This ambitious target places us among the forefront of companies globally.

Launched our ESG Advisory Services, supported by decades of expertise

One of our signature milestones this year has been the launch of our ESG Advisory practice, which deploys our depth of expertise to navigate our clients through this rapidly evolving space and realize their ambitious visions. Working with organizations at the forefront of the green transition globally, including the United Kingdom’s and , our Advisory Services are mitigating risk, building trust and improving long-term outcomes worldwide.

Advanced��ScopeX initiatives to accelerate our ESG offering for��clients and cut carbon in our work

is a core offering of our ESG services and will be one of our greatest contributions to tackling the climate crisis. By accounting for materials, site locations, logistics and construction methods, it will help reduce and eliminate the impact of projects on the natural environment. With ScopeX, we aim to reduce the carbon impact of major projects by at least 50 percent.

Acted on equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) by addressing equity challenges globally and regionally

We continue to make progress . We’re nearing our target for women to compose 35 percent of our workforce, with women in 18 percent of leadership roles and making up 33 percent of our overall workforce. We have also fostered a culture of inclusivity that has been recognized by organizations like the Human Rights Campaign— which has named us a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality in the United States. Our ED&I commitments efforts extend to the communities we serve, where we’ve implemented locally relevant workplace diversity and pay equity goals.

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Beyond a commitment

In just one year, we’ve made objective progress on our targets and have set even more stringent ones so that we can lead for our clients and our people. But what can’t be quantified is our sense of purpose.

For us, ESG is so much more than a commitment—it’s something we see every day in our work, where its impact is truly felt. I invite you to see that impact for yourself in this year’s report and explore each of our accomplishments as we continue to deliver Sustainable Legacies worldwide.

Read the report

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Despite clear public interest in speeding the delivery of infrastructure improvements in the United States, it can take as many as 4½ years on average to receive environmental approvals that clear the way for major federal projects.

The Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) establishes an approach to reduce these delays, and other permitting reform efforts are being pursued by government to deliver needed highway, rail, water, new energy and utility projects more quickly. At the same time, new cloud-based, interactive digital platforms like �����Ƶ’s PlanEngage can be influential ��to help reduce by half the cumulative review time and improve transparency and public engagement. In fact, lawmakers in Congress are considering policies to encourage the use of digital tools in the review process.

Making regulatory documents more accessible

While the review requirements set out in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are critical to protect communities and habitat, a combination of factors over time has combined to extend the environmental review process – leading to costly delays and even dooming worthy projects. Environmental Impact Statements that were as once as short as 10 pages now average 600 pages, plus appendices that typically exceed 1,000 pages. Understaffed regulatory agencies often working across multiple jurisdictions and juggling input from the public, consultants and other stakeholders can bog down under the sheer weight of the review process.

Online digital platforms like PlanEngage essentially make NEPA documents more accessible, expanding stakeholder engagement and transparency, while enabling interactivity and edits in real time between regulatory agencies and the public that can speed up reviews.

How PlanEngage made collaboration easier in Arizona

This was the case in Arizona where PlanEngage was first used by the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) during review of a 280-mile interstate highway segment between Nogales and Wickenburg. Instead of navigating dense, static, two-dimensional PDF documents, the platform allowed users to search headings and subheadings through a navigation bar and provide input. Readers could pop out graphics, see photos and visualizations in a separate window on their devices, and provide input.

In addition to promoting more efficient reviews, online digital platforms allow for better collaboration between agencies that can identify and resolve conflicts earlier in the process, which also reduces the number of formal comments on the draft EIS. In the case of Arizona’s I-11 expansion, it also unlocked new opportunities.

Arizona officials said the results achieved through the interactive process will guide their efforts on future studies.

With as much as $1.2 trillion in new federal infrastructure spending hitting the market, and greater demand by the public for input and more equitable ways to deliver it, the timing is right for increased uptake of online digital platforms. In a process where debate is limited to formal written submissions or public hearings, interactive, mobile-phone friendly documents and engagement, can draw higher levels of interest, reach a broader audience and allow for a wider diversity of voices in real time.

What’s more, officials say, is that better public understanding of projects leads to more substantive comments, less ambiguity and fewer delays or challenges related to not being able to find information in a timely way.

Reducing costs, speeding up delivery

The core goals of environmental review and public participation remain as important as ever in the review process. Delivering an ambitious infrastructure program requires a new approach that aligns with the original intent of NEPA requirements and helps get projects off the drawing board.

A 2015 analysis prepared by Common Good, a nonpartisan reform coalition, found that a six-year delay in starting construction on public projects cost the nation nearly $4 trillion, a sum far in excess of the amount needed to modernize America’s infrastructure. Today’s inflationary economy has already begun eating into the spending power created by IIJA and client project decision-making.

Regulators and clients alike can play a role in encouraging innovation and moving from the approach of previous generations for environmental reviews to an interactive, cloud-based platform approach appropriate for 21st century infrastructure. The outcomes can lead to better projects delivered faster and more economically, while ensuring the environmental protections that keep our communities safe and thriving.

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Water utilities account for about two percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, equivalent to the world’s shipping industry. While the need to decarbonize has never been more crucial, at the same time the world’s growing population needs more water – and not just for drinking. For sanitation, cleanliness, food production and the removal of waste products, the demands on supply are ever growing.

A small number of leading global water utilities and stakeholders have set net-zero and climate neutrality targets to mitigate their emissions, but many are still in the process of working out how to achieve these. Other operators have yet to commit to formal targets – and many of these are in Asia.

Emissions from water

The increased demand on water supply is being accelerated in Asia as more people move to urban areas, becoming dependent on industrial supplies of food and sanitation. It is estimated that by 2050, the 9.7 billion people on our planet will need 45 percent more food and 55 percent more water.

However, the delivery and treatment of water and wastewater require a great deal of energy, resulting in large amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as fugitive and flared emission of CH₄ (methane) and N₂O (nitrous oxide). The key processes – such as treating water to a potable standard, treating wastewater to a standard appropriate for discharge, pumping water around the supply network and pumping wastewater around the sewer network – contribute direct emissions such as the release of CH₄ and N₂O from the treatment process, as well as indirect emissions from its grid electricity use.

In order to meet growing water demands, the upgrading of existing water networks and creation of new facilities will be needed.

Taking steps towards net-zero

As one of the world’s most rapidly urbanizing regions, water scarcity is a major issue for Asia. How it responds could have a major impact on the climate crisis. Currently the lack of funding and innovation has hindered many regional water utility operators from making progress on their net-zero journeys, while some have yet to start. This needs to change.

According to a , a non-profit organization that runs the global environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions, 3,879 companies from 21 markets across the Asia Pacific region disclosed their emissions, targets and climate action through CDP’s Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)-aligned Climate Change questionnaire, representing 14 percent of global market capitalization and a 29 percent increase from the previous year. However, out of those companies, just 291 companies (8 percent) reported having net-zero targets in place and a majority were set to 2050 or beyond.

In order to be part of the net-zero conversation, water operators and businesses in Asia will need to make transformations to their existing processes if they are to lower their emissions. Whether it’s through reducing the energy intensity of its processes, adding renewable supplies or embracing the circular economy, there are a variety of measures that early stakeholders of the net zero water journey have found some levels of success with, particularly in the following four key areas:

1/ Operational improvements for carbon redirection and the circular economy: During the water treatment process, biproducts, which have previously been regarded as waste, is generated but rather than simply disposing them, they can be treated as secondary raw materials to be recycled and reuse. Recovered products can be used as clean water for irrigation and cleaning, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer for farmers, as well as for heat energy and electricity.

2/ Make changes to water processes: Initiate innovative biosolid programs such as thermal hydrolysis, anaerobic digestion and combined heat power process which help to reduce energy consumption. In Hong Kong, YLEPP is the first wastewater treatment plant in the city to adopt the advanced treatment technology of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) for biological treatment. Not only is the AGS technology highly efficient, it also demands less energy than traditional processes due to the reduced use of mechanical equipment, such as mixers and recycle pumps.

3/ Switch to zero carbon energy sources: Build renewable energy sources such as hydropower generators and solar panels into facilities to power processes with less emissions. An alternative would be directly purchasing renewable energy sources from providers. Singapore’s Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant is an innovative large-scale desalination facility capable of treating 137,000 cubic meters of water per day that optimizes energy usage through implementation of techniques including direct coupling, energy recovery devices and permeate split.

4/ Embracing digitalization: Equipped with high quality data collected by sensors, water operators will have a better understanding what’s happening currently in their processes and aid in setting different target benchmarks to begin implementing new decarbonization innovation. The information can also be used to develop new equipment to improve energy consumption and optimization.

When it comes to tackling carbon emissions, there is no one-size-fits-all solution as each operator faces its own particular situations and challenges. They will need to do a thorough assessment of their operations and carbon targets to begin their decarbonization conversation. As the water industry works to meet the ambitious goal of net zero by 2030, it will be aided by an evolving ecosystem of technology and innovation to drive the decarbonization transformation to provide the essential resource to communities while doing less harm to the environment.

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When the producers of one of the BBC’s biggest shows called and asked whether they could feature autonomous pods from a project we’ve been recently working on, along with our colleagues at , we were initially hesitant. It’s not that we didn’t want to raise the profile of future mobility, but when we say that profile would be in the hands of nine candidates vying to be Lord Sugar’s apprentice, you’ll understand why.

Nevertheless, we decided to go for it, with the candidates being tasked to brand their own autonomous pods and much of the filming undertaken at �����Ƶ’s London Aldgate offices. Like most viewers, I cringed my way through the episode as the candidates pitched their branded pods to a range of potential clients – and very good sports – including �����Ƶ clients High Speed 2 (HS2) and Network Rail, with some success.

But what happens on The Apprentice stays on The Apprentice. While the pods pitched by candidates will, of course, never see the light of day at HS2 and Network Rail, it does raise the question of whether autonomous pods will soon become a common part of our transport infrastructure?

The episode came about after the show’s producers spotted the �����Ƶ-led project on the news, which was a research project looking at how autonomous vehicles could work as part of a wider transport system.

Autonomous vehicle technology is already here and well developed, but there are a range of social, legal, and technical issues that will make their wider deployment more challenging to achieve. So, what did we learn from the candidates and how far off the mark were their brands?

One of the most important barriers to consider is public perception. Industry will need to understand their fears, concerns, ideas and aspirations to ensure future services are designed to meet their needs and make them feel safe. What the show demonstrated was that the perception of how pods could potentially be deployed was diverse – from a green transport solution to an experiential activity.

A hugely important discussion about how autonomous transport interfaces with society and technology is currently unfolding and ongoing. The research we’re undertaking in this area has been crucial, as it helps us understand what we need to do, as an industry, to make this technology applicable to real life. These decisions about real life application have to grapple with answers to questions such as what are the right priorities for which types of roads, considering how best to balance the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, autonomous vehicles such as pods, and freight?

These answers will, in turn, raise the question of where investment in autonomous pods is best placed. For example, if its focus is in taking carbon out of the ‘last mile’ of journeys, should we, as a society, pursue in preference current policy to promote active travel modes increasing walking and cycling? As we evaluate the viability of investment returns, we may start to see the focus shift towards other challenges such as the potential to aide freight decarbonisation, or improve the customer experience of mass transit.

Societal reactions are often shaped by the media response and decisions will feed into government policy around the roll out of this technology. Mapping the algorithms that control the vehicles with a clear and consistent policy approach will be crucial to enable these systems to realise their potential. Last night’s episode was a tiny part of that discussion, but it will certainly help raise awareness of the debate around how we’ll get around in the future. In the same way those of us of the Tomorrow’s World generation recall the technology introduced to us by Maggie Philbin, it will be interesting to look back on this episode in a decade’s time and see how much it has dated.

In the episode the candidates were tasked with the fun element in the evolution of our deployment of autonomous vehicles, exploring the potential markets. At �����Ƶ we’re working at a wider and deeper level, considering the societal and technological challenges and researching the interface of this technology with the market and regulation. We’re playing a pivotal role in developing our understanding of what we need to do to put autonomous vehicles into operation.

But we’ve got more in common with those on The Apprentice than you might think. Just like Lord Sugar, we’re looking for a diverse range of the brightest and most innovative minds to join us and help society navigate what the future might look like. And just like the candidates, there’s still so much to learn about the part autonomous vehicles will play in our mobility future, that it’s fair to say we’re all still apprentices.

This is an edited version of an article that first appeared in New Civil Engineer’s .

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London is home to many world-leading scientific institutions, but laboratory space in the capital is at a growing premium. If the UK’s science capabilities and output are to continue to expand, more high-quality research space is needed.

Former UK Research and Innovation chairman John Kingman has stated that for the UK government to achieve its goal of growing scientific research and development (R&D) to 2.4 per cent of GDP from its present 1.7 per cent, it requires the UK to lift total economy R&D from £37 billion a year now to £68 billion in 2027, with the scientific workforce also needing to increase by 50 per cent.

To create a successful research ecosystem that is attractive to the scientific community requires both scale and proximity to other research sites — no mean feat to deliver in London at a reasonable cost. This can, however, be achieved at a more affordable, sustainable manner in a campus environment, where the cost of living for scientists is also far lower than in the capital.

This shift to regional science parks is being driven in part by the government’s levelling-up agenda, which is contributing to prompting the industry and its clients to ask where high quality regional laboratory, research and development facilities could be created beyond expensive urban hubs.

Estate agent Savills reports that laboratory space around the UK saw rents rise in 2020. Availability of commercial lab space in Cambridge is at its lowest in seven years, with prime laboratory rents at an all-time high.

There is therefore an opportunity to create a pipeline of high-quality, low-rise regional facilities to house these new businesses. Rural science park proposals are typically easier to gain planning consent for, are more affordable, and offer greater space than London-based developments. The cost of land and rental values are lower, and the cost of living is significantly less compared with the capital for the people working in these developments.

The cost of delivering this building type is considerably lower than for developing or even redeveloping an office facility in London. From a space and planning perspective, is easier to deliver a two-to four-storey new-build facility in an emerging research park or business park location than in a built-up city location.

Built well and situated carefully, these parks can become part of thriving residential and academic communities, feeding in talent and knowledge from local universities and teaching hospitals, with tenants benefiting from close proximity to other researchers and start-ups. Furthermore, the UK is following the US’s lead in commercialising research-focused organisations that spring out of academic institutions. About four out of every 10 UK start-up incubator companies specialising in science and technology originated within a university, and these institutions are becoming more aware of the financial implications and opportunities of this. Meanwhile, the start-ups themselves are becoming an increasingly attractive proposition for investors.

Examples of completed projects include the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, which has become the largest centre for medical research and science in Europe, and Norwich Research Park, which currently offers more than 1.7 million square foot of build space with simplified planning and access to business rate discounts due to its enterprise zone status. Looking ahead, locations such as Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin are gaining the attention of developers.

In a recent article for Building magazine, we explored the changing faces of scientific need and estate requirements, putting the campus at the heart of the community as a whole. The article covers:

Design considerations

• • A key design consideration is the pace at which start-up science organisations can grow, as this directly affects how flexible their accommodation needs to be. The typical start-up spun out of a university begins with one to five people; this can rapidly expand within an 18-month to two-year period to potentially 50 to 100 staff, if the company makes strong progress with the science it is developing.
  • A number of factors contribute to the relative ease of delivering commercial lab facilities in regional science parks compared with tight city-centre sites: increased ratio of office-to-lab space; ease of installing site-wide infrastructure and utilities; and freedom to build horizontally and logically.
  • Functionality of spaces. Often tenants that receive start-up or seed funding may need to use it to buy particular scientific equipment. Smart developers are recognising a science park environment can de-risk this by allowing tenants to spend their money more wisely on more affordable space and to share equipment.
  • Flexibility of design: Developers need to design in adaptability in floorplans and MEP plant areas to enable, for example, labs to be able to transform from dry lab to wet lab.�� What’s more, plug-and-play service modules can increase the building’s ability to adapt as tenant needs and technology evolve.

Construction issues

• • Constructing sufficient power infrastructure for these energy-intensive sites is one of the biggest challenges at present. Local utility providers must therefore be consulted to determine if there is sufficient available capacity and whether upgrades to higher-voltage supplies are required.
  • Consideration also needs to be given to the space allocated for back-up power systems.
  • Given the high amount of data generated in these buildings, digital security issues must also be considered. In multi-tenanted buildings, intellectual property issues can arise so it may be necessary to separate different tenants’ physical and digital access to services.

Key requirements

• • The requirements for scientist occupants can differ greatly from those of typical office workers. In a flagship commercial office in a city centre, a statement entrance is often a client priority. For the scientific community however, high levels of practicality are more important. This could include getting goods in and out of the building with ease or access to high quality equipment.
  • Having an engaged, thriving scientific community at science parks is key to fostering knowledge and collaboration in these spaces. To help promote user satisfaction and enjoyment, this is often as much about the outside space as it is about the building. Generally, office workers tend to look favourably upon office spaces with a gym inside the building. Scientists however, often prefer to have that type of facility situated away from their workplace, where they are often working under intense laboratory conditions. Instead, excellent outdoor space is often prized by clients, which in practice can include natural landscaping, ponds, wildflower meadows and green space.
  • This leads to another key client demand in regional science parks: the ability to commute to these buildings in a low carbon manner.

Regional science parks offer a cost-effective solution to the pressing need for increased laboratory and research space in the UK. They also drive investment, jobs and opportunities into regional parts of the country, contributing to the government’s levelling-up agenda and serving the educational institutions and communities that surround them.

Designed well, these buildings can contribute to meeting net zero carbon goals and provide staff with the ability to live and work in a community of scientists and analysts outside of the traditional golden triangle of London, Oxford and Cambridge — promoting a diversity and availability of opportunities far beyond the capital.

Cost model for a regional science park

We have created a cost model for a regional science park facility, comprising ground floor plus four more floors of flexible office and laboratory accommodation. Each floor is divisible by up to four tenants. The lab to office ratio is 60:40, while the net to gross floor area ratio overall is 77 per cent. The building is set on a typical greenfield site, with good accessibility from major highways, on a plot location that has main plot infrastructure in place to the point of connection.

It is assumed that the building will adopt all electric MEP installations, to meet the BREEAM Excellent standard and contribute towards making it a low carbon facility.

To read the above article in full and to download the full regional science park facility cost model, .

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The energy market in Australia is moving fast, with economic drivers and customer preferences outpacing government policy.��State and territory��governments are��introducing��policies to��encourage��the uptake of low or zero emission vehicles.��There have��also��been��several recent investment commitments from the private sector,��state,��and federal government��to support advanced biofuel and green hydrogen projects.��

The choices we make in the next few years with regards to these assets have the potential to shape the energy sector for decades to come.����

Unlocking the potential����

Our domestic consumption of petroleum products, including petrol, diesel and jet fuel, is supported by a network of fuel storage terminals.��Over time��hundreds of smaller city and regional facilities��have��been consolidated��into larger installations spread around the Australian coastline.����

These facilities are positioned to provide optimal access to the markets they serve and the necessary supporting infrastructure such as port, power, water, gas and fuel infrastructure. Over the years these facilities have become integrated into well-established industrial areas where there is community acceptance of their industrial land use. With the right planning and investment, all these sites have the potential to play an extremely valuable and important part of the future clean energy supply chain.����

From fuel storage to energy generation��

We predict that the strategic value of our petroleum fuels storage terminals will see them progressively transition to the generation, storage or transmission of renewable energy and future fuels.��To make this a reality the right forward planning and investment��will be��key.��

To understand��the strategic value of these��fuel storage��terminals, and the role they may play in our energy future,�������Ƶ��analysed��the strategic attributes of 58 sites across Australia and New Zealand. We��assessed each��site��potential future utility and what role��it��could play in the generation, storage or transmission of renewable energy and future fuels.������

The future fuel unicorns��

The fuels storage terminal sites are all well positioned to meet current fuel demands, but they vary greatly in their suitability to support our future energy needs. Although all sites potentially have a role to play as part of our energy future, only seven achieved “future fuel unicorn” status, awarded to highly connected and versatile sites, ideally suited to supporting the energy transition. These seven sites had a rare combination of good access to power, water, gas, port infrastructure, combined with land available to generate renewable energy.����

��Key findings:��

Renewable energy��superpower����

For Australia to reach our potential as a��major exporter��of renewable energy��we will need to find commercially viable means of domestically distributing and exporting our vast renewable energy resources to global markets.��

Many of these sites��have��good wind resource and��solar irradiance, located in the vicinity of other large energy consumers, and the electricity transmission network. This ability to��connect��into the grid for both import and export of high volumes of electricity presents numerous opportunities including onsite energy generation��and/or storage.����

The storage, domestic��distribution,��and export of renewable energy in the form of hydrogen is��predicted to become��commercially viable��in the��next few years.��Many of these sites are ideally��located��to��support this emerging hydrogen market, including��though the generation��and injection of��hydrogen directly into the gas network or export via the existing hydrocarbon transmission infrastructure.������

Fuel storage terminals located at ports in North Queensland, the Northern Territory and Northern Western Australia may well be the best suited for the production and export of hydrogen��due to abundant renewable energy resources and proximity��to the key hydrogen markets in Singapore, Korea, China and Japan.��

Whether it’s side-by-side with petroleum fuels during a transition period or��via a��substantial transformation into renewable energy��and future fuel generation, storage and export, these sites��have a��key��role to��play.����

We think now is the time to look beyond the current horizon and consider a far more radical future for these sites��as the infrastructure of our energy transition and low carbon future.����

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We are witnessing a revolution in the way mental healthcare provision is delivered across the island of Ireland. New holistic care models, based around central tenets of therapy and recovery rather than isolation and institutionalisation, are informing the design and location of pioneering new facilities,

helping to destigmatise mental health.

Increasingly, innovative design methods are underpinning the delivery of these new secondary care facilities, where digital tools are leveraged to create award-winning environments that are both inclusive and nurturing, yet robust enough to ensure the safety of both patients and staff – a delicate balance to strike.

This article draws on our experience of delivering some of these new healthcare facilities – from acute services to forensic mental care and children’s support units – to demonstrate how a digital-led approach can improve delivery, increase operational effectiveness and support the person-centred care model being rolled out across the island of Ireland.

The enormous costs of poor mental health

More than one in six people in EU countries (17.3 per cent) have a mental health problem in any given year – the figures for the island of Ireland

Coronavirus has added a further twist. Isolation and lack of access to formal and informal support during extended lockdown periods have been devastating for those with existing mental health issues, with some evidence from the UK pointing to in cases as a direct result of the pandemic.

Aside from the significant human and social costs (through reduction in quality of life, depression and pain etc.), the wider economic costs are enormous – up to as much as four per cent of GDP across EU countries, or over €600 billion. In the Republic of Ireland, estimates suggest that costs amounted to

Recommendations (NHS)[4] and (HSE)[5] have paved the way for a radical step change in the way mental health care provision is delivered to try and minimise these costs.

While there has been a steady if modest increase in overall gross non-capita mental health budgets in recent years, the current percentage allocation to mental health still falls short of recommended levels – and the number of beds per 100,000 across the island of Ireland is low in comparison to other EU countries (Figure 1). Demand for services is still acute, particularly in urban areas across the country (Figure 2).

New best practice is emerging

Changes in the delivery of mental health care provision have clear implications for how healthcare trusts manage, design and deliver their estates: this is where good design and technology step in.

Risk assessment is a good example. Risk assessment processes are an intrinsic part of mental health. Creating a secure environment for patients and staff is a critical requirement particularly in acute units – where patients can become distressed, disruptive and destructive with potential for self-harm, violence and even loss of life.

In the new intensive support unit for children in Glenmona in Belfast, where we needed to make the facilities as inclusive and homely as possible, we took a risk-based assessment approach to reduce the safety requirements while using cutting-edge design to ensure compliancy. In low and medium risk areas the proposed interior design means that safety and anti-ligature features can be more discretely placed, and design layouts promote line of sight limiting the amount of surface protection measures.

We took a similar approach at the Acute Mental Health Inpatient Centre – a recently-opened state-of-the-art facility located in Belfast City Hospital. ��There, technology has been leveraged to minimise at risk situations for both patients and staff. Isolation controls can identify water misuse allowing staff to immediately shut off supply to patient rooms. Smart electrical design removes self-harm electrocution risk.

Innovations around personal technology and sensors – –complement the safety measures embedded within the physical building. At the Inpatient Centre in Belfast for example, radio-frequency identification (RFID) is integrated with the alarm systems enabling real-time patient and staff tracking. In case of emergency, immediate staff-assist and staff-attack response location information is communicated to site-wide display stations.

Costing benefits

Costing the benefits of these systems needs to happen early. A socioeconomic cost benefit analysis is the best way to measure the impact of an improved environment and the reduced risk to staff and patients. Generally, the more area within the building, the greater the capital cost.�� However, designing solely to Health Building Note (HBN) guidance can potentially impact on the therapeutic environment within mental health facilities.�� Careful consideration must be given to incorporating daylighting, natural ventilation and single-loaded corridors which provide good levels of natural light and views out to external spaces.

There are both positive and negative revenue and operational impacts of deviating from HBN guidance.�� This was demonstrated by a mental health trust who decided to increase all its bedrooms with en-suites from 15m² (as per HBN guidance) to 23.5m².�� This enabled the trust to admit patients of all levels of mobility, resulting in never having to turn away a patient who required a larger room. This decision resulted in the trust achieving the optimum 85 per cent occupancy rate which, in turn, had a positive revenue impact.

Conversely, if trusts choose to deviate from HBN guidance and drive areas too low, it can result in a smaller facility, with the same quantity of rooms, albeit smaller, and similar staffing level requirements.���� Smaller rooms can prevent disabled or obese��patients from accessing the facility which can reduce the potential revenue that could be gained from a more flexible design approach.

The benefits of digital delivery

The best way to incorporate these enhancements is to design buildings digitally.

This is happening in Scotland where we are working with Health Facilities Scotland (HFS) and NHSScotland (NHSS) to deliver on the Scottish Government’s Digital Health and Care Strategy. The first step was to embed Building Information Modelling (BIM), which allowed NHSS to then create a digital estates strategy. One of the key components of this is the digital twin — a shift from a deterministic to a more probabilistic, dynamic model.

Via digital twinning, NHSS aims to link its physical assets (buildings and potentially end-users) to a digital representation, using data from sensors and analysing variables such as condition, efficiency and real-time status. This connectivity coupled with data analytics will reform facilities’ levels of operational effectiveness, generate extra insights from the digital twin to help reshape and improve services, and support person-centred care.

Using data to achieve parity of esteem for mental health

These facilities are at the vanguard of mental health care across the island of Ireland. Cutting edge design and technology is already improving the quality of patient care, and better protecting staff. Likewise, digital tools and processes are delivering the next generation of facilities efficiently, achieving value for money.

It is important that this momentum is not lost. Collating data and user experience evidence is the next step. In combination with in-depth cost model knowledge, a strong case can be made for further investment, and another step can be taken along the road to achieving parity of esteem for mental health.

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To keep the U.S.’s $20 trillion economy going, it needs roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and other vital infrastructure. Current systems are creaking, however, and according to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), fixes would require an investment of $5.6 trillion. The private sector could play a bigger role in financing these projects but for this to happen, public-private partnerships need to evolve.

One way to drive this evolution is to incentivize the broader use of unsolicited public-private partnerships through federal legislation as a way for state and local governments to procure new projects. Unsolicited public-private partnerships allow the private sector to propose new, creative ways to deliver projects with a public purpose — from schools, hospitals and government buildings to roads, bridges and water treatment facilities. Unlike projects originating with a public-sector agency that typically include defined scopes, unsolicited public-private partnerships give private sector teams broad discretion to create new projects from scratch using their own innovative solutions. And unlike in competitive bidding — where the private sector cannot actively enlist public support for its proposal over any others — teams submitting unsolicited public-private partnerships can reach out to key stakeholders in order to build support and consensus for their proposed projects.

Unsolicited public-private partnerships offer real promise and potential. However, there are also some roadblocks to address first if the federal government is serious about unleashing the power of the private sector to help transform America’s crumbling infrastructure.

Here are four prominent roadblocks and ideas on how to fix them.

Roadblock 1: A disorganized, patchwork regulatory regime that exists at the state and local levels

Little uniformity exists today in enabling legislation for unsolicited public-private partnerships, making it difficult for stakeholders — including investors and project delivery teams — to scale their approaches, creating erratic deal flow and driving up transaction costs. Indeed, as of 2018, only 24 states (and the District of Columbia) had enabling legislation allowing the private sector to submit unsolicited public-private partnerships proposals in the first place. Another challenge is that the mechanics and the breadth of these statutes vary. Some only apply to certain market sectors like transit or social infrastructure, while others require a certain minimum threshold of capital spend in order to qualify for an agency’s consideration.

One way to fix this scattershot approach is for the federal government to actively advocate for and push down more uniform regulations into state and local legislation. It could place conditions on the distribution of future grants or as part of established, successful loan programs like the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). It could also work with the industry to help craft model unsolicited public-private partnership legislation in jurisdictions without a statute on the books yet or amend statutes under which unsolicited public-private partnerships have been difficult to administer or execute.

Roadblock 2: Infrastructure procurement in general is broken

It’s time for the architecture, engineering and construction industry to take a stand and reject bespoke contracts. Large, transformative infrastructure projects have traditionally been a poor fit for design-build procurement under public-private partnership models — whether unsolicited or not. Because certain risks typically retained by public-sector owners (like right-of-way acquisition, permitting, differing site conditions, third-party approvals, etc.) are instead transferred wholesale to the private sector in public-private partnerships, this creates the chilling effect of shrinking bidding pools and making procurement needlessly expensive.

The federal government could instead promote the use of standardized, consensus-based procurement documents from industry organizations (DBIA, EJCDC, etc.). These forms try to share risk equitably between owners, contractors and designers. They would immediately drop transaction costs and promote increased participation across the industry.

The federal government could even go as far as trying to ban lump-sum bidding on projects that receive a certain amount of federal funding and require that those projects be procured on a cost-reimbursable basis with fixed fees for overhead and profit, much like in other sectors of federal procurement. Private financiers would balk at that approach. But in the long run, everyone would benefit from increased certainty around project delivery, an appropriate allocation of risk with fewer claims and litigation, and better PR for public-private partnerships and design-build procurement, generally.

Roadblock 3: Unsolicited public-private partnerships aren’t free (but maybe they should be)

Some legislation that enables unsolicited public-private partnerships requires bidders to pay a substantial fee with their submission, ostensibly to compensate the agency for its time and effort in reviewing the unsolicited proposal. This fee, which is on top of the costs for developing the actual proposal, can become a significant obstacle or even a deterrent in getting private sector participants engaged in the��process. The federal government could help here by offsetting some of these costs through grants to subsidize proposal evaluation, including hiring staff or even seconding experienced contracting officers who would assist local agencies in procuring or administering complex or federally strategic projects.

Roadblock 4: Challenges against confidential information and industrial and intellectual property

Many states that authorize unsolicited public-private partnerships will still require a subsequent competitive public solicitation prior to formal acceptance. For example, California does not permit a public agency to even consider a proposal without first seeking competitive proposals from other firms. This is typically referred to in the infrastructure and project finance industries as a “Swiss Challenge.” These challenges add an additional layer of uncertainty — and therefore risk and cost — to teams developing unsolicited proposals.

Those challenges are compounded because when teams submit proposals for unsolicited public-private partnerships — even in a Swiss Challenge jurisdiction — they may be required to disclose certain confidential and proprietary information. Some states offer zero protections for intellectual and industrial property while others provide statutory cover (yet another example of the patchwork regulatory environment). In those cases, an unsolicited proposal team may find that its new competitors are free to use its concepts, designs and business models, despite developing the original proposal content at a�� significant expense. Even the public agency may be able to reserve its right to use designs from rejected unsolicited public-private partnership proposals. This stifles the creativity and innovation, which are hallmarks of the private sector. Protecting industrial and intellectual property should therefore be a primary pillar of any model legislation.

Bonus Roadblock: Build America Bonds and expanded tax-exempt financing could make a comeback

With Democrats also controlling Congress, a Biden administration-backed infrastructure or coronavirus stimulus bill could create new sources of tax-exempt financing for projects, as well as renew Obama-era Build America Bonds. (This program expired in 2010 and authorized taxable municipal bonds to include federal tax credits and subsidies for participating state and local governments.) Additional sources of infrastructure funding should of course, be cheered. But they could create an environment where investor appetite for unsolicited public-private partnerships is curbed thanks to other attractive alternatives. Regardless, emphasizing the potential for this type of partnership to innovate will be critical in successfully securing private capital for creative, worthy projects.

Unsolicited private-public partnerships are key to delivering more innovative projects

The private sector must be properly incentivized and protected when proposing new infrastructure projects to produce fresh ideas worthy of attracting investors. Private capital will not be a magic bullet but if enabling legislation is authorized uniformly with correctly aligned incentives, unsolicited public-private partnerships could go a long way toward helping America build the 21st century infrastructure that it desperately needs. Improved legislation, coupled with fiscal and administrative support from Washington, could get the ball rolling. And, in the age of coronavirus, with state and local budgets struggling, private capital may be one of the last bridges available for restoring, rebuilding, and revitalizing America’s infrastructure.

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Many client organisations are beginning to win the war on data governance, with mature data structures, well-defined libraries and efficient, accessible digital systems in place for data submission. Yet, the battle to obtain accurate data from the supply chain persists. Focus on this weak point is essential if industry is to truly embed data-driven practices.

Historically, the primary challenge has been the accurate and timely capture of granular cost data to inform benchmarking and facilitate greater accuracy for future investment decisions. As the construction industry continues to utilise digital technologies however, detailed asset information and robust carbon assessments are adding to these data capture demands.

In the UK, it is mandatory for central government and arm’s length bodies (ALB) to follow data-driven practices on a comply or explain basis, as set out in the Construction Playbook which was published by the UK Government in December 2020. The playbook recognises the ‘golden thread’ of building information and advocates that “contracting authorities should seek opportunities to collaborate … and adopt shared requirements and common standards… to drive efficiencies, innovation and productivity” and that “embedding digital technologies … will improve the performance, sustainability and value for money of projects and programmes”.

Our data scientist Niru Sundararajah recently published an article outlining the good data governance practices that can help ensure successful data outcomes, but this is only half the solution if you are struggling to obtain the data in the first place. In this article, we outline the steps organisations can take to maximise the value of their data by ensuring their supply chain delivers digital assets, alongside physical ones.

Make it standard

Computer scientist Andrew S. Tanenbaum once said, “The nice thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.” ��This is as true for the construction industry as it is in computing.

Cost breakdown structures (CBS) aligned to established methods of measurement vary across sectors yet all offer similar-but-different breakdowns at various levels of granularity. In recent years however, the growth of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has brought attention to a range of classification systems such as Uniclass and the International Construction Measurement Standards (ICMS). The UK BIM Framework should be referenced as best practice as its standardised approaches to information requirements as well as the classification and exchange of data gives common definitions which, if adopted universally across sectors, can bring efficiencies to all parties and build powerful repositories of digital assets.

Often however, it is not simply a case of choosing a standard; many organisations have evolved their own CBS and asset breakdown structures (ABS) in their financial and asset management functions respectively, immediately establishing multiple ‘golden threads’ that do not get utilised across the full delivery lifecycle (and often with no consistent alignment even between silos within the same business). Such differing specifications lead to challenges when trying to compare data between organisations, so with no one-size-fits-all, it is little wonder that contractors serving multiple clients cannot easily provide data to the exact prescribed requirements of each.

In these situations, adopting or aligning to an alternative, recognised standard across the whole organisation will entail complex transformation, or even loss, of a valuable base of legacy data – but in a world of ever-increasing digital practice it is a case of if, not when, organisations take action to break the deadlock of immutable incompatibility. This requires acceptance of short-term vulnerability – and temporary mitigations such as extra assurance and benchmarking activities – as new data is acquired in return for medium- and long-term gains in the digital capabilities espoused by the Construction Playbook.

“Adopting or aligning to an alternative, recognised standard across the whole organisation will entail complex transformation, or even loss, of a valuable base of legacy data – but in a world of ever-increasing digital practice it is a case of if, not when, organisations take action to break the deadlock of immutable incompatibility.”

Make it easy

Suppliers will have varying capability when it comes to providing project data. This not only means that quality of submissions can vary but also that with the burden of data provision constantly growing, the onus is on clients to avoid inefficiency in their requests if they are to avoid inadvertently driving up the overhead costs they have to pay.

As net-zero initiatives continue to mature, increasingly detailed carbon data will be requested, potentially bringing yet another set of measures, classification and derivation rules into play. Through our work with large infrastructure clients such as HS2 and the Environment Agency on integrating financial, sustainability and project performance data, we have developed the methodologies that allow these varied datasets to be efficiently managed against common structures, minimising the opportunity for errors, easing data collection effort and facilitating robust project controls.

To ease the data provision burden across all classes of data, clients should seek to implement an ask-once policy whereby suppliers are not asked to submit the same information multiple times by different areas of the client business. This can be as simple as, for example, not requesting cumulative expenditure when monthly is already being provided, or not requesting that project details are entered when a reference code, from which the information can be indexed, is already part of the submission. It can also mean considering precisely what is being asked for relative to the ultimate organisational objectives. Requests can be reduced by targeting only the most useful data, as opposed to demanding absolutely everything.

On larger programmes and frameworks where the cost benefit is justified, clients can help suppliers through collaborative activities ranging in scale from simply providing advocate resources to assist suppliers in getting submissions right through to providing checking and validation tools to pre-approve data before submission. Or, clients can undertake a systems engineering exercise to fully align and integrate client and supplier reporting systems to automate data acquisition.

The asset handover stage often involves detailed inspections. The latest cloud-based digital tools provide platforms that can manage this process, collecting and validating data using mobile devices in the field in real time against a corporate breakdown structure or design BIM. Leveraging technology like this can bring huge benefits in data collection efficiency and accuracy. Regardless of the tactical implementation, in all cases a clear process for the submission, validation and subsequent approval or feedback should be established as a business-as-usual process.

“To ease the data provision burden across all classes of data, clients should seek to implement an ask-once policy whereby suppliers are not asked to submit the same information multiple times by different areas of the client business. This can be as simple as, for example, not requesting cumulative expenditure when monthly is already being provided.”

Make it attractive

Making valid data submissions a contractual requirement can be a crude tool, but an effective one if used correctly. Accurate project data is valuable, so having a significant final payment dependent upon receipt of valid data is not unjustified and will ensure that suppliers treat submissions with the same priority that clients do.

Without adequate incentivisation, data collection can become an unfunded tick-box exercise, completed to bare minimum standards by the cheapest resource, regardless of their capability or proximity to the project on which they are reporting. Inconsistent or incorrect data can be worse than no data at all; at least with no data a client knows they have a gap and can look for alternative information, whereas the consequences of relying on data of poor or unknown quality can be catastrophic.

For more mature suppliers however, the process can provide sufficient reciprocal benefits to be its own incentive. Digital twins – digital replicas of physical assets that respond in real-time – can provide a vehicle for data exchange and, as the Construction Playbook recognises, effectively embedding digital technologies such as these into construction delivery can facilitate a number of benefits including improving safety, enabling innovation, reducing costs, and supporting more sustainable outcomes.

Time to act

Clients need robust data from their supply chains if they are to keep innovating and improving. Equally the supply chains need to become more capable at collecting and exchanging that data, and there are enormous benefits available to both sides in adopting common approaches and standards.

Ultimately, clients and suppliers who fail to implement actions to make that data standardised, easy and attractive to obtain will fall behind their peers, especially as we look to a future where digital triplets – the next stage of evolution of the digital twin, where each individual asset or product has its own digital record for tracking, querying and analysis – will become common practice.

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The much anticipated publication in October of the comes as the NHS embarks on a long-term programme of investment in health infrastructure. With £3.7 billon funding to build 40 new hospitals, delivering on the net zero commitment is going to require a new approach.

Net zero means reducing the carbon emissions associated with a building’s usage and construction to zero or below. ��Thanks to the huge and varied demands required of them, hospitals have a large carbon footprint from both construction and operation, although modern design and a decarbonised grid look set to radically reduce operational emissions in future. To achieve the NHS objective, hospital trusts should look closely at the building structure, which our analysis shows has the potential to be most impactful when it comes to reducing embodied carbon demands.

As NHS Chief Executive Simon Stevens , the climate emergency is also a health emergency. Leading by example, the NHS – which is responsible for around 4 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions – has set out a clear objective of reaching carbon neutrality by 2040.

Official targets for embodied carbon have not yet been set for new hospitals, but we have compiled what we think those targets might look like by using targets for Greater London Authority office buildings, those put forward by the , combined with �����Ƶ benchmark studies of both office buildings and recent completed hospitals. Figure 1 demonstrates the range of ‘do minimum’ and ‘aspirational’ targets for both GLA and �����Ƶ benchmark studies. This has enabled us to set our own targets as shown.

To inform net zero strategies, the �� and LETI have compiled a set of building guidelines, to which �����Ƶ has contributed. In addition to these considerations, hospitals have specific requirements that deserve careful consideration.

On an individual scale, hospitals contain a variety of departments ranging from administration through to theatres and imaging. Each space has different structural design requirements which need to be addressed: from space requirements influencing grid spacing, to floor loading requirements and vibration limits. The buildings also need to accommodate complex equipment and mechanical, electrical and public health (MEP) routing requirements, with high space demands for services. Medical equipment such as MRI scanners are heavy and have stringent vibration criteria.

To address the specific and changing nature of healthcare provision, hospitals require adaptable and flexible solutions – as the rapid re-purposing of spaces during the coronavirus crisis highlighted. In the future, hospital buildings and facilities must be designed to respond to multiple and fast changing health situations, with space for new technologies.

From operational energy efficiency to the question of whether to build new or refurbish, there are many considerations for hospital trusts to consider. In this article, we are going to focus on what our own analysis has shown to have the most impact on reducing embodied carbon emissions: the building structure.

Thanks to experience delivering carbon efficient buildings such the , the world’s first carbon neutral lab, and the LEED Platinum facility at in California, �����Ƶ has been building up a library of carbon data relating to a building’s structure. Figure 2 shows that half of the embodied carbon of a typical office building is due to the structure. When it comes to hospitals, the percentages are similar, despite the unique challenges placed on such buildings.

Three considerations for net zero hospital design

To reduce the carbon footprint of a building structure, three considerations are key: design, materials choice and offsite manufacture and assembly.

1/ Design

Three broad principles will help achieve the best energy efficient outcomes from design:

a) A pragmatic approach

To rationalise material use and reduce carbon content throughout the building, the following lean engineering practices will help:

• providing regular grids,
• maximising the repeatability of structural elements,
• designing to standard component size as much as possible,
• maximising pre-fabrication potential,
• limiting the structural spans,
• avoiding irregular shapes and structural complexities such as transfers.

Reducing the use of basements can also have significant savings. �����Ƶ benchmark studies have shown that 20 per cent of embodied carbon can be found within the substructure. This figure rises exponentially with the inclusion of basements.

b) Avoid over-specification

Like the human body, the different elements of a building are inter-connected, and prescribing a specific outcome for one variable can put pressure on other variables. The key is achieving a balance between flexibility requirements, which require additional functionality, and efficient design. This requires input from NHS estate managers, clinical planners and the design team as a whole to first establish flexible criteria and the strategies to implement these.

c) Applying circular economy principles

Design focused on eliminating waste and re-using resources can increase building life span as well as incorporating flexible structural arrangements. From the outset, consideration should be given to what happens at the end of a building’s life, designing for dismantle and re-use.

2/ Materials choice

The choice of materials used in construction has the potential to impact embodied carbon significantly, and exploring the most appropriate material should be considered from the outset. As Figure 3 shows, using sustainable materials such as timber, and reducing high carbon content materials such as swapping cement with replacement materials can make a huge impact.

Developing designs around the chosen material will maximise carbon savings.�������Ƶ has developed bespoke tools to define materials choice by enabling rapid prototyping of early stage options and reporting against performance criteria including carbon content. Along with our carbon calculators and advanced analysis tools we can then maximise carbon savings throughout the design development of the building.

3/ Design for offsite manufacture (Modern Methods of Construction/MMC)

To support the modernisation of the construction sector, off-site production is being actively encouraged by the government, whose five central departments have adopted a for public buildings. The NHS looks to be following suit with a requirement to explain how , when applying for funding from government.

Through efficient energy usage in manufacturing techniques and the reduction in material usage and waste,�� offsite production. Evidence collected so far suggests that construction waste and site CO2 emissions can be more than halved through a DfMA approach compared with traditional practices.�� It can take many forms, from constructing individual structural elements (steel, concrete or timber) through to full building modules. Taking full advantage of these benefits requires structural engineers to adopt the design principles stated above from the outset.

The world’s first ‘net zero’ national health service

With NHS net zero carbon hospital standards due to be set in Spring 2021, the business case for the planned new hospitals will need to demonstrate the energy strategies to meet them. The challenge is to not only meet these emerging requirements, but to pre-empt them. To be sustainable, the new projects should be built to serve current and future generations.

Tools and processes to deliver on these aspirations include rapid prototyping and optimisation software used from inception, through to advanced bespoke carbon calculators giving BIM linked real time carbon assessments through the detailed design phases. The planned 40 hospitals should be net zero heroes, carbon exemplars that set the trend for future NHS buildings and infrastructure.

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Governing bodies and decision-makers are often tied to specific jurisdictional boundaries; yet, our environmental, economic, public health, and equity challenges are rarely confined by these boundaries. There is an increasing need to work at the regional and mega-regional scale to effectively address and overcome these challenges. Non-government organizations (NGOs) and research organizations are bridging the gap by thinking and acting regionally.

Urban planning and research NGOs in the U.S. and globally are developing regional growth strategies, convening public and private sector stakeholders, establishing policy frameworks for growth, and addressing social equity concerns such as land use and infrastructure issues.

During the Urban Land Institute’s Fall 2020 meeting, �����Ƶ’s Stephen Engblom had the opportunity to speak with the leaders of three key regional planning organizations, Alicia John-Baptiste, President and CEO of San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR); Tom Wright, President of New York’s Regional Plan Association (RPA), and MarySue Barrett, President of the Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) in Chicago, to discuss their efforts to prepare and plan for a future that better meets the needs of everyone.

Each of these organizations were formed at a time of crisis and evolved as key conveners across jurisdictions, sectors and political divides. Therefore, as our cities face unprecedented challenges, their ability to think and act regionally and across mega-regions is critical to scale solutions that address the most pressing urban crises of our time. These NGOs bring together and align thinking across the government, public stakeholders, and people, and across sectors and timeframes, through independent analysis and recommendations.

Engblom: Tell us about your NGO, its work at the regional scale and the value of politically independent regional planning organizations in guiding cities/regions to equitable and resilient futures.

John-Baptiste: SPUR is an urban policy organization founded after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco to advocate for quality, affordable housing construction. We are in unprecedented times as a region and a nation: experiencing a global pandemic, waking up to the need for racial justice, and recently in the Bay Area, seeing the Northern California fires associated with climate change.

Organizations like SPUR tackle long-term systemic challenges as a country and region. We knew even before the pandemic that we needed change and the importance of surfacing solutions to effect the changes. Inspired by RPA, we are preparing a regional strategy that addresses regional needs, and measures to move policies in different directions across issues of housing, transportation and the economy.

We recently published , in collaboration with �����Ƶ, to ensure the Bay Area’s sustainable and equitable future for those already here, and those who want to come here. Our organization benefits the region through its multi-disciplinary approach to policy. We are independent of the system so we can approach the work through both practical and aspirational lenses.

Wright:�� RPA has been in existence for 98 years when the Russell Sage Foundation funded the Committee on the Plan of New York and its Environs to guide the development of the region and enhance the quality of life of residents, without regard to political boundaries. RPA has created a new regional plan for each generation: 1929, 1968, 1996 and the , published in 2017. Each plan establishes a generational regional and metropolitan blueprint.

As an NGO, we are an independent voice outside the government sector so we can stand up against the status quo. In the New York metropolitan region where RPA works, there are 31 counties and 782 cities/municipalities (one of which is New York City with 8.5 million people). There are also three states, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, that make up the tristate area. We work across silos so when we discuss a transportation project, we can connect it to economic development, resilience, and social equity across these states.

The pandemic is challenging urbanity, social justice, and climate change. Our planning capabilities provide the larger context to address these pandemic-related challenges to urbanity, social justice and climate change. We work with civic organizations across a region with a strong civic structure. Our work on congestion pricing, for example, was made possible by collaborating with local grassroots organizations in addition to other transit advocates and business groups.

Barrett: The Metropolitan Planning Council was founded in 1934 during the Great Depression. We were initially founded to advocate for affordable housing. Our range of issues have expanded to drive progress in delivering a better, bolder and more equitable future for everyone. In recent months, the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustices have shown that the current system doesn’t work for everyone. Our organization is rededicated to the research, advocacy and partnerships needed to fuel solutions at this high-stakes time.

MPC understands the equitable importance of working collaboratively with innovative civic and community groups. As an independent organization, MPC acknowledges the tremendous pressures on the public, corporate and philanthropic sectors, and the need to center community voice in forging transformative solutions. We are trusted intermediaries who can help solve complex problems.

Our , completed in conjunction with the Urban Institute and published in 2017, is a seminal organizational product. We quantified the price of systemic racism for the top 100 metropolitan areas, measuring it in residents’ lost income, lives and, potential. Chicago’s hyper-segregation means that a Black adult earns $3,000 less annually and the region as a whole loses an average of $8 billion annually.

These quantifications led to a regional reckoning. In 2018, MPC followed up with a Roadmap for Our Equitable Future that prompted introspection within our organization. We are also asking every Chicago institution to adopt a racial equity framework and recommended two dozen specific near-term actions. Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who took office in 2019, is committed to tackling poverty and inequity and has challenged the corporate community to join with others to create an equitable recovery. These two phases of work armed us with the tools to create a more equitable society.

Engblom: Each of you touched on collaboration. Can you cite examples where regional planning entities have collaborated for better results, either amongst your peer organizations, or with public or private entities?

Wright:�� RPA is very interested in preparing a comparable Cost of Segregation study for our region and hopes to announce such a collaboration soon.

In the Fourth Regional Plan, we made health one of the key pillars and looked at how we could reconnect urban planning, metropolitan planning, and public health. We researched a regional health index at the metropolitan scale (comparing health indices at different counties and understanding it at the regional scale). We then analyzed the built environment’s impact on public health and quality of life. Congestion pricing, for example, has potentially enormous benefits for public health.

With the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies among others, we created the Healthy Regions Planning Exchange. This new group, which encompasses SPUR, MPC, and eight other organizations, including indigenous peoples, met in February to develop the current framework.

John-Baptiste: I worked for local government for 16 years. That background helps me understand what is feasible, but also where SPUR has a role to push for solutions that are more aspirational. Public transportation plays a major role in regional sustainability. We are focused on measures to make our transportation system work better across the region. Currently we have 9 counties and 27 transit agencies. Working with the relevant transit agencies and the Bay Area’s metropolitan planning organization (MPO), we developed the Coordinated Network Planner concept, borrowing from programs in Germany and Switzerland.

With the San Francisco Estuary Institute, we also published a on climate adaptation and sea level rise in the bay focusing on nature’s boundaries rather than jurisdictional boundaries. We are now working with a cross-sector of government, community, and civic organizations to build the government’s capacity to implement these actions across jurisdictions.

Barrett: Collaboration is a daily practice. Jurisdictional boundaries and terms of office are irrelevant. Between 2008 and 2019, we issued a cost of “gridlock” study over the next decade, we methodically released the . We then collected best practices and models for financing and setting transportation priorities and followed up with a quantitative analysis of the gap, in 2016, $43 billion of state of disrepair. Then, MPC organized a #BustedCommute campaign to gather pictures and videos of commute barriers. In 2018, we issued a report called “Transit Means Business” which documented that those businesses near transit not only didn’t lose jobs during The Great Depression, they were the only ones to post job gains.

Years of effort culminated with the State of Illinois committing to a $43 billion, six-year capital program. We continue to prod on decision-makers on how to best deploy those resources. With the pandemic and social injustice, we must deploy those dollars differently.

Wright: Our organizations influence the government and public by doing these quantitative analyses. Over the past 20 years, our ability to do these analyses has been elevated by GIS and other technical tools. At the same time, we are supported by boards of directors and corporate partners who have areas of expertise that provide the bench for our small, nimble organizations. Many of our board members are also former public officials with expertise in the issues we work on. We rely on their insights to make our work effective.

Engblom: A common thread in this discussion is how we can improve inefficiencies in our existing processes that have resulted in poor outcomes or inequitable outcomes. Emerging from the pandemic, what does an equitable future look like and what will it require?

Barrett: We need to take advantage of this moment to have this collective conversation. The quintuple crises — public health, economic, racial, climate and political — underscores that cross-sector collaboration and coordinated policies and investments are the only path to reset and rebuild. Old power structures that limited decision-making to a select few have blocked too many residents of metropolitan Chicago from a brighter future. Shared performance metrics and data-driven decisions can guide dollar reallocation at the state and local levels. We can change the harsh reality of Chicago neighborhoods stuck in a never-ending cycle of gun violence, coronavirus contraction, and unemployment. Only with systemic change will we close our racial wealth and health disparity gaps.

Our three grounding questions are: Who is at the table? How are we measuring? And how are we re-prioritizing resources? If we apply these, Chicago has a chance to be a model for other cities and regions.

Wright: We need integrated approaches. In the New York City metropolitan region, we have one short-term existential threat, the mass transit system which relies on farebox revenues. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) needs federal investment. The agency is losing $200 million weekly and by the years’ end could see a 50-percent commuter rail service reduction and 40-percent subway and bus reduction along with 10,000 staff furloughs. This has a ripple effect on the region, its recovery speed and longer-term MTA financial health relative to capital plans. We are working with other advocates to stave off these cuts.

John-Baptiste: We are striving to create regions where everyone can thrive. For that to happen, we need to create just conditions and baseline needs must be met. Getting to a Better Normal requires us to 1) confront the truth of systemic racism; 2) remember how interdependent we are; and 3) act in our spheres of influence. For SPUR, that means analyzing data and evaluating policies to correct harms of the past – and address today’s inequities.

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