17 March 2008
Contact: Tessa Kordeczka, 020 7070 6769
To meet the government’s ambition for all new public buildings to be zero carbon by 2018, CABE is calling for radical changes to the way we procure, construct and use public buildings.
CABE welcomes new targets announced in last week’s Budget. It could save some 75 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 30 years. Most of the average individual’s carbon emissions come not from their home but from shared public buildings, infrastructure and services, such as schools, hospitals, libraries, central and local government offices.
The majority of government departments are still failing to make their new buildings and refurbishments sustainable, and many of those using and operating public buildings have little idea of their energy-efficiency or how to improve it.
During the planned consultations on the feasibility and implementation of this target, three key issues must be taken on board.
Firstly, the government’s own Common Minimum Standards for the public built environment – which require all procurement to support sustainable development – must be rigorously put into practice and monitored. These standards are mandatory across central government – but government departments are also expected to ensure that they are adopted throughout the public sector, for example, local authorities and health trusts. This is not happening.
We also need a fundamental shift to ‘spend to save’ thinking across the public sector. This means that whole-life costs must have priority over initial capital costs. It will almost always cost more initially to achieve higher sustainability standards but public sector expenditure must be assessed on the basis of whole-life costs and benefits.
Thirdly, we have to measure and understand how public buildings are performing. Although the Common Minimum Standards require post-occupancy assessment, it is rarely carried out. This is the only way to drive the continuous improvement in the design, construction and management of public buildings needed to meet sustainability targets.
The Budget announcement comes as CABE and the Office of Government Commerce are inviting entries for this year’s Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award. Projects shortlisted for the award in previous years have shown that good design lies at the heart of responding effectively to climate change. The 2007 winner, Dalby Forest Visitor Centre in North Yorkshire, for example, demonstrated the potential impact of sustainable design and building techniques.
Systematic post-completion and post-occupancy evaluation of all new public buildings will provide much of what we need to know in order to meet the 2018 target.