The new Green Construction Board will export green innovation to the rest of the world, Construction News reported.
Dan Labbad, chief executive of Lend Lease and co-chair of the board, which met for the first time this week, said: “We need to look at the green agenda as a proxy for innovation and we want to demonstrate to clients that we can build ‘green’ and export that to the rest of the world.”
Fellow co-chair construction minister Mark Prisk said that while the Board would not have executive decision-making powers, it would inform government departments on green policy areas.
“The key over the next eight to 12 weeks is to get the agenda right; when you go back to the work of the Innovation and Growth Team Low Carbon Construction report, we want to make decisions which will affect the industry for the next 30 or 40 years,” he said.
The board will also have working groups focused on skills, information, procurement and infrastructure in the industry.
The 15 members appointed are:
- Dan Labbad, chief executive officer, Lend Lease (EMEA) (co-chair)
- Bill Bolsover, Aggregate Industries
- Robert Care, Arup
- Mark Clare, Barratt
- Andrew Gould, Jones Lang LaSalle
- Chris Hopkins, Ploughcroft
- Bill Hughes, Legal and General
- Peter Maskell, Philips Electronics UK
- John Moore, Balfour Beatty Engineering Services
- Chris Newsome, Anglian Water
- Mark Oliver, H&H UK
- Sunand Prasad, Penoyre and Prasad
- Mike Putnam, Skanska
- Lynne Sullivan, Sustainable by Design
- James Wates, Wates
Building reported that the new Board is to consider the future of the display energy certificates (DEC) scheme after it was dealt a blow by the government last month.
At the Board’s inaugural meeting it was agreed that measurement of energy usage in construction and in completed buildings would form one of the core topics for the group, including consideration of a possible replacement for DECs.
Dan Labbad told Building: “From my perspective measurement is key. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it, as the old saying goes.
“One of the work streams will look at measurements and one of the areas of measurement is buildings in use, but it’s too early to say what it will look like.”
DECs, which are already in use in all public buildings, were expected to be rolled out to all commercial buildings. But chancellor George Osborne blocked an amendment to the Energy Bill last month that would have allowed this to take place.
