Bespoke Sustainability Frameworks
Sustainability Frameworks
Sustainability is integral to Cundall’s mission, vision and values. It informs our business operations and the solutions we provide to our clients.
Sustainability Frameworks
Re:Mind Studio London first meditation studio
“You don’t know what you’ve got unless you measure it!” This is true for everything from energy consumption and indoor air quality, to occupancy satisfaction and productivity. Design standards like BREEAM and LEED alone cannot guarantee performance in use. We recommend that project specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are set based on outcomes, not processes. These should be agreed at the start of the project, using BSRIA’s Soft-Landings process and driven through all the design and construction stages. Following this, they should be measured and signed off - either on completion or in use. We have been using the 10 One Planet Living Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to help clients create bespoke frameworks that achieve their aspirations. This requires meaningful stakeholder consultation to define what is important to each organisation and what success means on their projects. For some clients, these form part of the design and construction teams’ appointments, with collective incentives for achieving targets and aspirations. This helps create a more collaborative process, as everyone is working towards a shared goal, that is clearly defined from the outset.
Sustainability Frameworks
The 10 One Planet Living Principles Health and happiness
Equity and local economy
Culture and community
Land and nature
Travel and transport
Material and products
Zero waste
Zero carbon energy
The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable water
Local and sustainable food
Sustainability Frameworks
Cundall’s Bespoke Frameworks We aim to integrate practical, functional and easy to maintain designs that achieve each project’s vision. We have identified the following areas of focus, common amongst successful projects:
Sustainability Frameworks
Climate Positive Action Science-based targets and net positive business strategies Businesses and projects are aspiring to be carbon positive. This journey starts by working towards Science Based Targets (SBT) agreed by the The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with the aim of limiting global warming to 2oC (with an aspiration not to exceed 1.5oC). We have an approved science-based target and are providing this service to clients. For example, we worked with New World Development in China to help them set their target for their portfolio. This goes hand-in-hand with the requirements of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). We can assist in conducting scenario analyses, enabling our clients to identify their biggest risks and opportunities. This helps prioritise action plans going forward and enables reporting against TCFD.
UN SDGs
Sustainability Frameworks
Design for Performance Delivering real energy performance in-use The performance gap between design energy consumption and actual energy use has been widely publicised. Designing for compliance alone does not translate into performance in-use, as it does not cover controls, commissioning, handover and operations. Only by considering performance across all stages can real performance in use be achieved. To bridge this gap, the Building Better Partnership (BBP) has launched the Design for Performance (DfP) scheme. This is based on Australia’s NABERS scheme, which over the last decade has delivered a 75% reduction in landlord operational energy in use. We are a Pioneer Delivery Partner for DfP and drawing on the experience of our Australian offices, we are currently delivering one of the first pilot projects in the UK and using the methodology to help define the Welsh Government’s new energy standards for schools.
UN SDGs
Sustainability Frameworks
Whole life-cycle carbon assessment Reducing it, not just measuring it As the National Grid becomes greener, operational carbon emissions will make-up a smaller proportion of a development’s whole life carbon emissions. It is therefore important to account for the full carbon impact of development, including the embodied carbon associated with raw materials, their manufacture, transportation, installation, maintenance and eventual disposal. Our specialist team has contributed to the creation of the UK’s first nationally recognised assessment methodology: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) guidance document ‘Whole life carbon assessment for the built environment’ and we are currently developing an embodied carbon tool for the Hong Kong Construction industry. We can help assess the total impact of a project or portfolio and provide practical solutions for reducing embodied impacts.
UN SDGs
Sustainability Frameworks
Health, wellbeing and productivity Case studies from the people who deliver WELL Health and wellbeing are central to us at Cundall and we are committed to delivering spaces that enhance occupants’ health and quality of life. Over the past three years, we have delivered the first project in Europe to achieve the WELL Building Standard® (our own London office), the first two WELL-registered projects in MENA, achieved the first Platinum-rated project in Europe (The Crown Estate, London) and the world’s highest FitWel-rated project (Wates, London). In addition, we have developed our own indoor environmental quality (IEQ) monitoring system, which allows us to monitor comfort and air quality in our offices and those of our clients. We are already seeing the benefits and have made minor modifications to improve IEQ, which in turn increases productivity. We can use this knowledge to create bespoke design frameworks for clients to embed health and wellbeing throughout the design process and enhance employee wellbeing and customer experience.
Sustainability Frameworks
Productivity mapping Making the business case for wellbeing A 1% improvement in staff productivity can equate to savings of millions of pounds for a business. Recent studies from Harvard and Oxford Brookes universities indicate that environmental factors, like CO2 concentrations, thermal, visual and acoustic comfort can have as much as a 20% impact on productivity. In light of this, we have created a tool that quantifies how indoor environmental quality (IEQ) (temperature, CO2 levels and daylight) supports occupant productivity and helps optimise it. This tool can be used in any stage of a building’s life cycle - from technical due diligence studies to optimising architectural test fits and space planning designs to enable an organisation to perform at its full potential.
UN SDGs
Sustainability Frameworks
Climate risk Are your assets resilient? Global mean temperatures have already reached 1.1°C above the pre-industrial average and are almost certain to reach the Paris Agreement aspiration limit of 1.5°C in the next decade. We have less than 15 years to act to limit them to the 2°C target and based on the current global commitments this will be exceeded. Yet most design standards are still based on historic weather data, meaning buildings and infrastructure developed now are not fit for the current observed warming, let alone any future scenarios. We have been carrying out research into the risk posed by climate change on the built environment. We can provide detailed risk assessments for existing assets or new developments. We recommend all projects work to an agreed climate change scenario brief, while understanding the risk of higher temperatures. At a portfolio level we can look at TCFD reporting requirements and identify what material risks and opportunities exist.
UN SDGs
Sustainability Frameworks
Defining and measuring social value Maximising the impact on the local community Projects are trying to understand, measure and enhance the impact of their developments on their local communities. Social return on investment (SROI) is one way of doing this. SROI is an outcome-based measurement tool that helps organisations understand and quantify the social, environmental and economic value they are creating. Our specialists can outline a high-level strategy for measuring and improving social value using the SROI methodology. This can be used to quantify the net positive gain a development brings to its local community.
UN SDGs
Sustainability Frameworks
Case studies
Re:Mind Studio London first meditation studio
Sustainability Frameworks
Cundall Birmingham © Quintin Lake Photography
Cundall In 2012, we became the world’s first consultancy to be formally endorsed as a One Planet Company and we set out our sustainability roadmap for the business. The roadmap focused on what we do as an organisation, but we wanted to go further. As a consultancy, we understand that our biggest impact is on our projects, so in 2017 we undertook a detailed materiality review to understand our impacts and areas of influence. We used Bioregional’s One Planet Living Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a guide. This informed our new sustainability roadmap, which was published in November 2018 and sets targets across our projects, our offices, our homes and communities, and through industry leadership.
Sustainability Frameworks
Confidential University, Sustainability transformation project The University’s policy of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ for new buildings and refurbishment projects was not seen to be achieving real performance or value in use. We were commissioned to review the University’s sustainability strategy and make recommendations for a new framework. An initial study indicated that the additional cost of targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’ for capital projects was in the order of 0.5%-1.0%. It was agreed that this funding could be more effectively used. An overarching design policy was developed in collaboration with building procurement, the estates operations department and the department for social responsibility and sustainability. The design policy had a greater emphasis on detailed, quantified, performance-based targets with clear KPIs and it contained several aspects reflecting: Funders’ requirements for sustainability Certification schemes such as BREEAM, the WELL Building Standard®, LEED, One Planet Living, SKA education and the Building Regulations Best practice across the higher education sector, The Association of University Directors of Estates and the Russell group selection
Sustainability Frameworks
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC, Wimbledon), London, UK We were commissioned by the AELTC to review its ecological and carbon footprints, both in terms of their normal day-to-day operations and during the Wimbledon Championships. This involved hosting detailed stakeholder consultations and workshops to understand priorities and objectives. Utilising the 10 One Planet Living Principles, we helped set a roadmap for reducing their impact. We produced a detailed sustainable procurement plan, major projects scope of works, a food charter and an operational procedures guide, with a focus on providing support and engagement with their local community.
Sustainability Frameworks
The UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) Head office, London, UK The UKGBC’s mission was to radically improve the health and wellbeing of their working environment in a highly sustainable manner. The organisation refurbished its headquarters with the aim of challenging industry thinking as to what is achievable in a small-scale fit-out. We drew on our experience of sustainability and wellbeing rating tools to create a bespoke sustainability framework around the 10 One Planet Living Principles to respond to the UKGBC’s brief. The brief aimed to balance the health, wellbeing and productivity of the 25 regular office users, with outstanding resource efficiency within a restrained budget. The project achieved the lowest measured fit-out carbon footprint in the UK.
Sustainability Frameworks
AMP Capital, Melbourne, Australia
The client wanted to identify and manage the most material sustainability risks associated with the procurement of materials and services encompassing three aspects of sustainability – business conduct, social and environmental risk. Cundall conducted a materiality assessment to determine the top three consumables that represented over 90% of the spend; as well as a desktop review and market research to ensure the proposed framework (targets) are in line with industry best practice. We created a reporting template for the supply chain and FM manager to use to report monthly against the targets set.
Sustainability Frameworks
Gaw Capital, Hong Kong, China
Gaw Capital is a private equity fund management company that focuses on global real estate markets. Cundall was appointed by Gaw Capital to develop their Sustainability Policy and create reports for Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) and European Investors in NonListed Real Estate (INREV). To facilitate stakeholder engagement, Cundall visited two sites, one in construction and one in operation, speaking with staff to review and understand the existing sustainability and health and safety practices in place. This informed the priorities and processes required for Gaw Capital to meet its sustainability aspirations. Cundall set these priorities to create a well-defined and clear sustainability policy that can be understood by all stakeholders of the business. We then developed an integrated reporting template bespoke for Gaw Capital, the output of which could be used for both INREV and GRESB reports. We additionally carried out extensive training with their FM teams in China, Malaysia, Singapore and London.
Sustainability Frameworks
AirTrunk, Global
The aim of the project was to develop a bespoke sustainability strategy for AirTrunk Operating Proprietary Limited to drive the company’s sustainability initiatives in the next 3-5 years. This involved three tasks: Defining their sustainability priorities Obtaining stakeholders’ buy-in, and Designing a bespoke sustainability strategy covering the company’s level of ambition, areas of focus, and future goals (objectives, KPIs, action plans, marketing strategy input) In order to deliver this, Cundall conducted a materiality review, which included extensive stakeholder engagement and resulted in their corporate sustainability strategy and roadmap being developed. This strategy is world leading. It includes targets for PUE, WUE, embodied carbon, renewable energy, as well as advocacy and health and wellbeing of their own employees around three main impact areas of: Zero Carbon Energy, Climate Action and Positive Social Impact.
Sustainability Frameworks
If this is of interest to you on a project or to your organisation, please let us know and we would be more than happy to come in for an introductory chat. We believe that together we can create a positive change in our world. Key Contacts UK Simon Wyatt T +44 20 7438 1600 s.wyatt@cundall.com
MENA Mario Saab T +971 4 323 2629 m.saab@cundall.com
Ireland Alan Fogarty T +44 20 7438 1600 a.fogarty@cundall.com
China and Hong Kong Jonathan Yau T +852 58061 5220 j.yau@cundall.com
Spain Jose Castilla T +34 913 600 284 j.castilla@cundall.com
Singapore David Robinson T +65 6911 2600 d.robinson@cundall.com
Poland Wojtek Stec T +48 79 0510 717 w.stec@cundall.com
Australia David Clark T +61 2 8424 7000 d.clark@cundall.com
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