Just over a week after attending the FOOTPRINT+ conference for Jackson Coles LLP, some of the key points I took away from the event:

It was interesting to hear Basil Demeroutis from FORE Partnership discussing the benefits of early contractor involvement, not just from main contractors but key suppliers at earlier stages of the project. The theme of collaboration was prominent in several talks and the importance for all those involved in projects, from Clients, Contractors, Designers, Suppliers and End Users, to be more involved at a greater number of stages in projects was emphasised, to ensure key project targets and in particular sustainability targets are met.

I attended several interesting discussions around sustainability including Emily Watson, Matthew Mapp, Laura Collins, and Gianluca Rapone discussing the approach to façade refurbishment at Woolgate Exchange and the detailed whole life carbon assessment completed to inform Client decision making. It was also noteworthy how many speakers referenced a broader definition of sustainability, not just focussing on carbon assessments, which now appear to be ‘par for the course’, but also sustainability in social value, community engagement, and wellbeing.

The importance of gathering and managing data was also a recurring theme. The discussion on the challenges of insurance for new materials and technologies was engaging, and Rachel Norris and Andrew Kane emphasised the importance of providing data to insurers for any proposed new technologies. This is clearly going to be a challenge that the industry needs to overcome to enable the widespread introduction of some new innovative materials in the future. Again, engagement and discussion with stakeholders seems to be vital.

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By Richard Mould

Project Director

Jackson Coles LLP