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Sustainability by Chantal Stagno Navarra
Sustainability
Reconfiguring our world
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Chantal Stagno Navarra MCIOB
In Malta we are fortunate enough to have still retained our traditional buildings and cultures in some of our villages. Whilst this is a tourist attraction that generates income and jobs, such jobs are generally taken over by foreigners. Locals have to commute to work since most employment opportunities are centrally located or in industrial areas. There is a high dependency on transportation which creates stressful traffic jams and exhaust fumes that negatively affect our health.
Environmentalist and author Paul Hawken asks; How can we reconfigure the world in such a way that we dramatically reduce our impact upon the environment and at the same time really improve the quality of life for people?
We need efficient public transport systems and rethink our local plans
As a nation, we are highly dependent on private cars and as stated earlier on, most of us need to commute to work on a daily basis. We all know what the traffic situation is out there but we all choose to use our private cars rather than take the public transport. In addition to improving public transport, there is the need to improve bicycle tracks and pedestrian zones however this alone will not encourage the individual to abandon the private car. There are elements of planning system which I personally feel need work. Firstly, I agree with the need for flexibility in the built environment. A longer term, more sustainable solution would look at interventions earlier in the building process, rather than retrofitting office blocks that are simply not suitable as housing. A planning and design approach which gives minimum specification of how form relates to function should be considered, thereby allowing a building to fulfil multiple uses over the course of its life without sacrificing quality as it changes. Increased mixed use developments should be encouraged so that new jobs may be created within walking or cycling distance of an individual’s dwelling. The eco-city model on which smart city was planned is a good example. This concept may be integrated in our local plans. The principles of an e co-city are consider the restoration of degraded land, they fit the bioregion and balance development, they create compact cities and optimise energy performance. An eco-city model also contributes to the economy, provides health and security, encourage the community and promotes social justice and equity whilst also enriching the community’s history and culture.
It is time to start building our ecocities which is fundamental to reverse global warming and becomes our healthy response to our current global situation.
Heritage
Green Finance for Sustainable Buildings
Gabriella Borda
Mobilising finance is one of the goals agreed to during the 2021 Global Climate Summit also known as COP26, and is the enabler of other established goals, namely to secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach and adapting to protect communities and natural habitats. Buildings are critical for the transition to a net-zero future, as they are responsible for about 40% of the global energy consumption and for about one- third of GHG emissions. Nevertheless, investments in sustainable buildings are still lagging behind their economic potential mainly due to the lack of awareness of the savings that can be generated as well as the additional benefits attributed to these buildings, namely mitigating carbon emissions, advancing social development and quality of life.
Identifying and unlocking the barriers to investments in green buildings is crucial to support the transformation process towards a low carbon, climate resilient economy. Scaling up finance solutions needed to stimulate further innovation and investments in green buildings will mainly depend on the strong support of the financial sector, supported by national and international policies and effective plans, aimed to develop the market through financial and technical support. Pursuing the enabling policies, regulations and datasets that support and accelerate the scale-up of green financial products is crucial to thrive in this decarbonisation journey.
Understanding the breadth of green buildings and developing innovative financial models is key for financial institutions to support in the process of decarbonising economies.
The road ahead is long and anything but easy, as it will require major changes across sectors, industries and stakeholders. It involves a learning curve with financial institutions that are already in the transition zone and others who have fully embraced change and efficiently financing the resources needed to move towards the green economy. Most importantly it requires commitment from everybody, as no one can escape this challenge!
restoring the building's operations to their original design intent. On the other hand, continuous commissioning focuses on improving the operation and control of building systems.
As experts and as a government, it is consequently our responsibility to set an example and communicate our knowledge on the subject.
Times are a changing
BUT ARE THEY FOR THE BETTER?
Marc V. Spiteri
At the time of writing of this article, the Kamra tal-Periti and the Building and Construction Authority had found themselves at an impasse.
Most recently, amendments have been passed on the legal notice regarding the Avoidance of Damages to Third Parties, which has created a shift in the onus on the Perit, and seems to have created an arbitrary policing wherein works on different end of the spectrum, from a simple internal alteration, to a large scale development, are being vetted in much the same way.
This has brought with it an endless plethora of questions being raised by Periti and our Client’s alike – speaking as a Perit now, it is also quite damaging to our profession as a whole, to have been guiding clients one way for a period of time, only for a new policy or change in legislation to spontaneously appear with no forewarning or explanation on the implications, and for the Client to find out with the Perit simultaneously.
The proverbial egg on one’s face in such cases, is often further exacerbated by the fact that Clients now have to take up insurances, place bank guarantees and await open ended review periods of the documents submitted by their periti, prior to beginning any works even on a simple internal alteration within their own property, with no risk of any form of damages befalling third parties, despite prior indications. Unfortunately, we have once again borne witness to common theme is our national mode d’emploi – “jew nejja, jew maħruqa”.
It is understandable that there would be resistance to change in an industry that is as large and as old are Construction, and that after decades of no regulation, the impact of any new form of controlling would cease matters from proceeding as they always had been. This, I strongly believe, is a good thing!
We couldn’t keep going the way we were. However, the changes that have come about in the last three years within the industry have been, aside from significant, very instant. There has been no transient period for assimilation.
It has simply been an imposed change with near immediate affect calling for a overnight Darwinian adaptation.
And adapt we did. Indeed, the time for dilly dallying had long come to pass by the time the legal notice was published. The need for enforcement of the protection of Third Parties was long overdue and there was the need to ensure that proper practices were being adopted to ensure the protection and safety of those impacted by the works.
However, oftentimes this has only boiled down to an academic exercise in producing the necessary paperwork that is required by the legal notice, with no tangible change being seen.
We still see buildings being taken down by means of a mini-excavator placed on the roof; we still believe that using a rotary saw cut to separate one site from those adjacent to it solves all problems arising from excavations with large pneumatic machinery; and we still see storey’s deep excavations vertically flush against adjacent roads or buildings.
The BCA has in fact tried to introduce a review method for method statements and documentation submitted, however in recent times, this author feels it has become a true case of the blind leading the blind.
Oftentimes, the reviews returned are simply a checklist assessment – items are sometimes requested, such as the verification of load transfer to foundations, when the proposed development entails the change of use of a space , or the shifting of a doorway with no impact on the building itself.
Our industry is vast, and projects and developments vary significantly, in terms of their impact, their costs, their duration, the stakeholders involved, the organisations behind them. The review of a development can never be simply boiled down to a simple checklist of items, carried out blindly – one might hazard implying that maybe these reviews are carried out by persons of a less technical background than administrative one, albeit such allegations are unfounded, and the implication should be taken to be more cautionary than accusatory or inflammatory.
Improvements have taken place, but progress needs to be carried out in the most mutually beneficial means towards the primary stakeholders, namely the regulator, the regulated and the third parties.
In the coming week following the writing of this article, the BCA and the KTP will be independently holding talks relating to the latest changes adopted – each with certainly differing scopes.
Unfortunately, the rhetoric is always the same.Therefore, I ask the administrative powers that be, to get the bickering and finger pointing out of the way as soon as possible, to set pride and position aside, to step away from the veil of bureaucratic procedures and agendas, and to sit around a table and resolve tangible changes that the industry needs;
1. Proper training and education for our workers and constructors
2. A sustainable and transparent means of licensing; 3. Identifying acceptable methods of assessment and allowing professionals to choose the most suitable means dependingon the project;
4. Adopting internationally recognised methods for categorising projects and adapting accordingly to those needs;
5. Create proper channels for discourse, and accessible and transparent platforms to facilitate the regulatory process;
In the meantime, I invite my colleagues and the managerial collegiate in the construction industry to maintain our professionalism, and not get bogged down by the need to satisfy the paper trail, and to be mindful of the technical, practical, and realistic solutions our Clients and Projects needs to ensure safe, timely and reliable execution of works.
