Healthy Buildings
The Bio Revolution is Building
Will the concept of bio-based, which has attained significant appeal in other industries, gain mainstream status in construction and real estate? How exactly will we move away from conventional materials and practices? What forces are likely to help or hinder a more nature-based approach to buildings?
By Richard Francis
Bio-based buildings: 'The route to market would be a cautious one'
Examining the factors holding back the adoption of bio-based materials.
By Richard Francis
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Bio-Based Buildings: 'Nature is the template for what we increasingly expect from building operations'
Bio-Based Buildings: 'Nature is the template for what we increasingly expect from building operations'
In this series of articles, G&T's sustainability consultant, Richard Francis, will look at the implications and applications of a bio-based approach to buildings. By bio-based we mean buildings that are constructed of natural materials (wood, bamboo, algae, etc.) or mimic biological processes (store energy and water, biodegrade without harm, etc.)
By Richard Francis
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The Future of ESG: What Is the Role of Plant-Based Places?
The Future of ESG: What Is the Role of Plant-Based Places?
This series has focused on the emerging concept of plant-based places, one that is gathering more interest in the industry. We have shown that a drive for net zero carbon and healthy environments has bolstered the choice of bio-based materials. Forthcoming regulation and innovative natural products are reinforcing this trend.
By Richard Francis
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Plant-Based Places: Regulation and Other Barriers to Greater Uptake
Plant-Based Places: Regulation and Other Barriers to Greater Uptake
In prior articles in this series, we have looked at issues (net zero carbon, healthy buildings) and innovations (new materials, technological developments) that have propelled the idea of plant-based spaces. This is the positive side of the discussion. What also needs consideration, however, are some of the limitations and hurdles facing further adoption of plant-based materials.
By Richard Francis
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The Growth of Plant-Based Materials
The Growth of Plant-Based Materials
In this series of articles, we first set out the plant-based model and how its principles can be applied to both the construction and operation of buildings. We believe successful plant-based materials will mimic the qualities of conventional products (in terms of strength, functionality, etc) while providing sustainable benefits. Over time, as sustainability concerns mount, they will become increasingly attractive, not as alternatives but as products of choice.
By Richard Francis
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Healthy Buildings and the Plant-Based Model
Healthy Buildings and the Plant-Based Model
In this article, we will explore how natural and plant-based materials assist human health and wellbeing. In addition, we will suggest how plant-based processes (sequestering carbon, removing toxins from the air, conserving water, biodegrading naturally, etc.) represent the future playbook of an effective ESG strategy.
By Richard Francis
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Plant-Based Places: Net Zero and the Plant-Based Model
Plant-Based Places: Net Zero and the Plant-Based Model
The drive for net zero carbon in construction and real estate represents an unparalleled development in the history of green buildings. There has been a fundamental shift in how we understand carbon emissions and the evolving and expanding definition of net zero carbon exemplifies this change.
By Richard Francis
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Plant-Based Places: Emerging Products and Principles
Plant-Based Places: Emerging Products and Principles
The rise of ESG and net zero carbon has greatly increased our industry’s appetite for innovation and new thinking. After three decades of relative stability (characterised by green building certifications and regulations) there is now an emerging drive to deliver buildings that better appeal to a wider, more sustainably savvy audience.
By Richard Francis
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Existing Buildings and Carbon Performance: Managing the Opportunities.
Existing Buildings and Carbon Performance: Managing the Opportunities.
Much of the current discussion around net zero carbon tends to focus on new buildings. It involves questions of how to lower embodied carbon, incorporate new materials, integrate on-site renewables and so on. These issues are certainly important and need answers, but they can also obscure the importance of existing buildings.
By Richard Francis
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Updated: Future Health of Buildings
Updated: Future Health of Buildings
The experience of COVID-19 has created two new and lasting requirements for buildings: 1. owners and occupiers need to provide an objectively safe indoor environment and 2. they must communicate trust and a sense of welcome to those coming through the doors.
By Richard Francis
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The Future Office
The Future Office
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many to rethink their physical office space. In planning a logistically-difficult return to the office, organisations appear to be asking fundamental questions about the future design and purpose of the post-pandemic office. Whilst there are still many unknowns, the current pandemic has fuelled a seismic shift that will alter our perceptions of how and why we use offices and workspaces for years to come.
By Michael Urie
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Health and Wellbeing in Schools
Health and Wellbeing in Schools
How the built environment impacts health and wellbeing represents a critical and growing area of sustainability. We are increasingly aware of the connection between where we are and how we are. It is no surprise that the newest and most popular sustainability certifications for commercial buildings – the WELL Building Standard and Fitwel – focus on the building/body connection.
By Richard Francis
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The Growth Of Healthy Buildings Is Changing How We Manage Them
The Growth Of Healthy Buildings Is Changing How We Manage Them
What makes us healthy? The things we do, the food we eat, the air we breathe? All these elements play a part, but a new factor is being recognised. Click here to read on.
By Felicity Francis, BISNOW
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Office Well-Being
Office Well-Being
Unlike other sustainable items, buildings do not communicate in simple terms what they are made of and why they are good for you. Yet all of us are making stronger connections between where we are and how we are, all the time.
By Richard Francis
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The New Normal in Higher Education: Health and Wellbeing in the Campus Of The Future
The New Normal in Higher Education: Health and Wellbeing in the Campus Of The Future
Research from the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the research and education organisation focused on the built environment, found that rising levels of interest in wellbeing in the UK will translate into significant investment over the next three years in the real estate industry.
By Michael Urie
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The New Normal in Higher Education: The Sustainable Campus Of The Future
The New Normal in Higher Education: The Sustainable Campus Of The Future
As part of their sustainable campus plans, several universities in the UK have made the construction and refurbishment of buildings a primary area of focus. Sustainability often comes at a cost as such buildings employ more premium construction techniques.
By Michael Urie
