My Key Events

Upcoming key events which I will be involved – attending, organising or presenting at …..

7th July – Green Drinks Lancs  6-8pm New Continental Preston Details Here

August 12 be2camp Birmingham

Sept – Pecha Kucka event – Midland Hotel Morecambe

7/8th October be2camp london be2camp@workingbuildings

October 8th  FM2.0  –  Total Workplace Management, London Olympia

on PR for community enterprises …

In support of our local rural Community Enterprise we are in the process of developing a PR strategy.  Following discussions with PR friends so far, my experiences and messages picked up from twitter friends I arrived at the following ‘checklist’ as a starter.

Posting here as it may help others but also to seek more help in developing this strategy. We will be meeting as a publicity sub-group early next week with potential professional help so any comments, amendments or additions to the following more would extremely welcome.

• Think vision not project – Keep pushing the vision and objectives – why are we doing this
• Make the message come from the community, from the children NOT the committee
• Be clear on the strong good news messages we can talk about
• Keep message consistent
• Politics of the moment is on our side use it – local, local local / sustainable rural communities /green / sports, health etc / better travel etc
• Use first person talk not corporate talk – we want to start a ‘conversation’ and be more engaging
• Use stories – or tell a story in the message – make it real
• Include quotes, references, endorsements and testimonials from respected people (in the community, of standing, nationally known)
• Be visible –
  • Use new viral web sources that can be picked up bt many sources – eg Facebook groups, on a blog, and promote via twitter
  • Target those who will spread our message (’mavens’ and ‘connectors’ )
  • Use all traditional forms – noticeboards, newsletters, local press, free press, advertorials, national etc
• Identify our audiences – what do they read, listen to, will be different for different groups
• Be different – we need to get people to read past first sentence
• Be professional but personal – we are asking for big money
• Be consistent

Thanks

on integrated, clustered project management …

There have been a good number of conversations on twitter recently in discussing collaborative procurement and collaborative contract management. It is amazing that such a dialogue can take place in just 140 characters at a time, reinforcing the potential of twitter and why there should be more adoption within the built environment for knowledge and improvement share.

 Su Butcher over at Just Practicing blogged on the design and build conversation, and to pick up on that (and to complete a few promises for more information to those in the twitter conversations) here is my contribution, that links together D+B, PQQ,s Clustering and Integrated Project Management

 

 

Early engagement in a project is essential for all parties and stakeholders, to ensure best possible outcomes for meeting client / end users needs, value, quality, time, sustainability, and community impact.  The classic chart opposite that shows opportunities for change (read improvement, or adding value) mapped against cost of doing the same demonstrates the potential of early involvement.

Typically – (I would say historically but I know it is current, and even the term historically adds some kind of respectability to poor practice) the contracting team is not appointed until the brief and design are ready for build. Even worst the project build team is not assembled until after the main contractor and then progressively throughout the construction programme. 

Design Build moves the engagement of the project design and build main players to earlier in the process, often following brief or concept design. This is good yet still leaves these parties out of the brief and out of any value management exercise, where undoubtedly they can add real value. 

Bringing the project design and build teams in on day or week zero can be achieved through mature frameworks and or relationships, along with mature cost and contract arrangements. End users and FM should likewise be part of the early engagement, or ideally there first , engaging the others as the project process drivers.

 

This leads to an Integrated Project Team, which looks, feels and acts very differently from a traditional project organisational structure. Issues such as co location in one office, shared and seconded staff across the project all add to an effective delivery of value.  But as has been commented in the twitter conversations this approach is rarely practiced to its full potential, and arguably not since Building Down Barriers.

(But see the Highways Agency ECI, Early Contractor Involvement approach)

In addition, whilst the contractor may be engaged at an earlier stage, to add value they really need to engage with their supply chains, ideally adopting clusters around elements of construction. This allows specialist and build-ability knowledge into design, but necessitating. again mature, supplier relationships or ready-to-go (RTG) clusters.

Appointment of the players in this collaborative and integrated model requires careful selection, and arguably cost should not feature at all. Ideally trusted players from previous contracts, ie supply chains or clusters would be assembled, as happens elsewhere in other sectors.  

Such integrated approaches are essential in achieving improvement to predictability of time and cost, adding value and meeting the project objectives.

Pre-Qualification Questions, PQQ’s, interviews, visits, collaborative workshops etc as part of the selection should focus on procuring the designers, contracting,  facilities management teams etc based on such issues as proven approaches to achieving requirements and reducing budget costs through tackling waste in the process. There is estimated to be 30% waste of time, material, effort, documentation management  etc in the overall project process – and so really tackling this can produce far greater savings than through selection on price to get lowest or best value prices.  (But the thread of Higher Costs from Lower Prices is another blog subject!, as is the poorly understood difference between cost and price) 

I guess I should point out that a far amount of my support time to clients, contracts and contractors is spent on facilitating this type of integrated working, or some of the individual components thereof.  

And the interest in this approach?  Well that would appear to be on the increase (at least on paper unfortunately), as, in current economic circumstances, contractors seek approaches that would offer improved value and reduce costs for their clients in an attempt to differentiate them from competition and win work.  

The culture of mistrust and baggage of the industry though really prevents real progress. But, as we cannot fix the problems of today’s industry with the thinking that created the problems – new thinking is required, new thinking in terms of early engagement, integrated, clustered project management.

_______________________

Twitter Conversationists in their own words (twitter profiles) included:

The_Architect : Manchester, UK. Chartered Architect, Music lover. Frank Lloyd Wright expert and a Romantic soul.

LizMale: Buckinghamshire. PR consultant specialising in UK construction and sustainability in the built environment

EEPaul: SE England, London SE3, Woking London-based blogger on IT, SaaS, construction, PR, marketing and Web 2.0 stuff (also a Crewe Alex FC fan, Wikipedian, cyclist)

Fairsnape: Forest of Bowland Lancs UK. Supporting, shaping and commenting on trends, web stuff, improvements and futures in the built environment

Melstarrs: London or Leeds, UK Green Building Design Engineer and Accreditation Professional (CIBSE, BREEAM & LEED)

ConstructingExc: London. Constructing Excellence is the single organisation charged with driving the change agenda in construction, housing and regeneration.

SuButcher: Essex, UK Practice Manager for No-nonsense Architects Barefoot & Gilles. Tweets on the UK Construction and Property Industry, blog at http://www.justpractising.com

Geoffwilkinson: UK Building Regulations Expert, Fire Engineer, Arsenal Fan, Partial to the odd Real Ale

PaulDohertyAIA: Shanghai. New York Architect, Living and Working in Shanghai, China

HotelDesigns: Croydon, Surrey. we are the online magEzine for the hotel interior design industry featuring directory, news, reviews and more!

on passivhaus challenges

Su Butcher  has posted an excellent and very useful comment on PassivHaus  being about saving energy over on her blog, Just Practicing.  I did comment there in brief but here is a more detailed response.

Relationship with Code 6 and Carbon Definition  As was reported from the Zero Hub consultation Passiv Haus is the aspirational target of the UK zero carbon definition, not only for domestic but for a wider scope of building.  

Challenges  The PassivHaus challenges are not just within in design. (With all the eco-kit, materials, knowledge and lessons from PassivHaus in use out there, the ‘design’ of passivhaus is now arguably just a process to repeat)

Challenges lie, in my view, in three areas:

Construction. Construction of PassivHaus will require a far higher level of quality and fit than we are used to (at least in the UK) .  Research at Leeds Met is showing that the retro investigation and remedial work to fix or improve on failed air tightness tests can be prohibitively expensive and may well become commonplace.

I am excited and impressed that one of my clients, a Lancashire house building contractor are building /eco- refurbing one of their own properties to learn and understand the new issues involved in PassivHaus  (they are also doing the same to CSH6  + I hope to get a case study together soon)

End Users – the challenge here is to engage with the hearts and minds of potential PassivHaus dwellers. Ask anyone (esp with a family) if they would want to live in a PH and most often the response would be no.  And that is on the house ‘image’ – there is also the life style of living in a sealed box with minimal user ventilation that needs addressing.  This may apply to all modern eco-homes in what Greer refers to unforgivingly vertical houses not being designed for practical family life. (And does anyone else have the Peter Seger song Little Boxes playing in the mind when looking at / reviewing / visiting modern new eco homes?)

Existing Stock – Here the challenge is to move the PassivHaus  debate and design considerations away from new build home to PassivHaus eco renewal, and away from just homes to commercial, industrial and public buildings. 

…

using twitter in the built environment?

Next week, the 12 – 15th May, sees a series of built environment ‘events’ in the UK:

• Be2camp north in Liverpool 15th May (following on from the worlds first unconference  for built environment) 
• Sustainability Now (13-14th ) Buildings Virtual Conference and Exhibition
• The Facilities Show NEC Birmingham (12-14th)

All of these will use twitter as a ‘backchannel’ to enable off line chat, discussion or commentary on the events.  Each of the events has a twitter hashtag   ( #be2campnorth   #sustnow and  #FACshow09 )

The use of twitter will also allow those not able to attend  to keep in touch with real time happenings within the events, and also enable input into sessions from more than just those attending.  All increasing the scope, reach and impact of the events

I did consider putting together a top 10 reasons and benefits of tweeting, why construction and facilities management should twitter, why managers should let their staff twitter and indeed why managers themselves should!.  

However, far better to get a collaborative list from built environment people who use twitter and realise its value (you know who you are!) 

So in preparation for the potentially unprecedented flurry of twitter use next week what are your reasons to use twitter? (add to comments below and I will compile)

Ada Lovelace at be2campnorth

I am delighted that Suw Charman-Anderson (Social Techology Consultant, Guardian writer and twitter-er) will be talking at be2campnorth on the 15th May in Liverpool on the inspiration of Ada Lovelace  

(Well actually Suw will be presenting from home via web and video link ups so that she can attend (as in walk to) another conference in London on the same day)

I had not heard of Ada until Suw started  her ‘campaign’ to ‘find the modern day Ada via twitter.  Suw wanted to highlight the contributions of women in technology and science so they can serve as role models for women. Reading responses and pledges to the Ada Lovelace day organised by Suw back in March, I soon recognised that Ada is still great inspiration to many women and men in computing, technology and social media.

Ada Lovelace (1815 -1852) was one of the world’s first computer programmers, and one of the first people to see computers as more than just a machine for doing sums

A number of the modern day Adas nominated (on finding Ada) are working in the construction or built environment related  sector.  It is fitting then that be2camp north will kick off with Suw talking about Ada, why she is such an inspiration, her relevance today and future plans for the finding Ada campaign.

So if you are working in or interested in finding out more about web and social technology in the built environment and looking for inspiration, both from Ada and Suw, be2camp north is for you.  And if you cant get there in person, register to attend online. 

Note: Suw spoke on ‘death to email’ at be2camp 2008 in London – the ustream video of which can still be found online at the be2camp network

HIP blog and tweets

Prompted by a tweet from Paul this morning I have been reading back through the excellent informative posts on his HipConsultant Blog

In addition, since the end of 2008 HIP-Consultant.co.uk has been on twitter to

• Update followers with articles published both on our blog and at Ezines.
• Update about news from HIP-Consultant.co.uk
• Detail related UK Property News of interest and followers hopefully will appreciate.
• Find and network with others within our niche.
• It is also being discussed that we could possibly use Twitter to advertise vacancies for DEAs to supply EPC(s) within the UK.

Could twitter be the end of emails asks Paul. Follow on twitter @hipconsultant 

 Some of the recent posts worth a scan include:

• A Twitter on the UK Property Market
• Home Information Packs receive approval from industry professionals
• Home Information Pack (HIP) changes
• Where now with Fuel Poverty?
• Energy efficiency in the home – how much can you save?
• Are you aware of Commercial EPC regulations

be2camp north shapes up

Interested in the Built Environment?  Not sure about Web 2.0, social media, blogs, Twitter and the like?

Then Be2camp North is the event for you.

Following on from the world’s first Web 2.0 construction event, in London in October 2008, Be2camp North in Liverpool on 15 May brings together people interested in how Web 2.0 can help industry professionals create a more sustainable built environment. From using social media for marketing to GIS, BIM and virtual worlds, Be2camp will stimulate and challenge how you use the web. Find out more at http://www.be2camp.comJust looking at the potential scope and range of topics for the up coming be2camp north event in Liverpool on the 15th May.

The topics and themes for the day are shaping up as follows?  Where else will you be able to get the following for ‘free’ ?

Register Here

Topics:

Ada Lovelace Day – Women and technology (Suw Charman-Anderson - via Skype)

Geographical information

• Geographical information and urban design (Rollo Home)
• Earth Exchange, map mashups for construction (Alex Albon)
• Geo-caching – talk and game (Martin Brown and others)

Second Life + other Virtual Worlds

• Wikitecture – a Second life view from USA (Keystone Bouchard)
• Pivote – Second Life emergency training (Dave @ Daden)
• Maybe a Second Life contribution from Leeds? (Angrybeth)
• SL Pennine Lancs (elevate) visualisation (Jeff Smithson)
• Sustainability Now 2009: lessons from the latest virtual exhibition (Phil Clark / UBM?).

Ubiquitous computing

• Arduino session (Amon Katz)
• The internet of things – Adrian McEwen

BIM

• from BIM to FIM: Facilities Information Management (Steve Forshaw)
• BIM and social media (Rob Annable)

Other topics

• Web 2.0 and construction PR and marketing (Paul Wilkinson)
• Social media guide for AEC people: out of beta (Pam Broviak)
• Online communities: the Constructing Excellence collaborative working champions (Martin Brown / Paul Wilkinson)
• Bazaart: Street art and urban design (Daniel Gilbert)

• Possible Passiv Haus link with San Fransisco
• CWC recession survival guide launch?
• Kalexo: new levels of interaction in construction collaboration (TBC – possibly input from California)

What would you like to see?  Please use the be2camp discussion forums feature to:

• volunteer to speak on an existing topic/idea
• suggest additional or alternative speakers
• suggest additional or alternative topics
• nominate speakers where nobody is currently listed
• volunteer a presentation, a story or anecdote of your own

Background:

The Be2camp concept started as a Twitter conversation between Martin Brown and Paul Wilkinson, following Martin’s attendance at Barcamp-type events, suggesting we do ’something’ for the (UK) built environment. This discussion was picked by Jodie Miners in Australia, through Twitter, and through conversations within Second Life with Pam Broviakfrom Illinois, USA. The timing of Be2camp 2008 was fixed to coincide with Jodie’s visit to the UK, while Pam helped coordinate Be2camp’s Second Life activities. So now you know who to contact, praise or blame!

sustainability now champion

Phil Clarke at Building Mag @zerochamp has asked me to be a  champion for the forthcoming Building magazine’s Sustainability Now virtual event taking place 13 and 14 May.

Still awaiting details, but I will be online in the discussion lounge on the 14th May and look forward to chatting with you there (and hopefuly drinking virtual champagne with Mel and others?) 

 

I will be in great company with fellow green bloggers:

• Lucy Pedler, an architect founder of the influential body The Green Register, which has a membership of 600 influential sustainable professionals
• Principal at green consultancy Inbuilt and green blogger Mel Starrs, who writes at Elemental
• One of the sector’s most popular figures on Twitter, blogger Su Butcher – a practice manager at architect Barefoot & Gilles who blogs at Just Practising.

A detailed agenda for the event should be available next week. In the meantime here’s a bit of a snapshot of the type of content at the show:

•  Live seminar on refurbishing existing houses with the Energy Saving Trust
• Discussions on issues such as PassivHaus design, the zero carbon definition and the CRC
• Videos from Ecobuild 
• Some content from Bioregional on their views on sustainable legislation and updates from their projects
• A survey on BREEAM 2008 

More here 

To take part in the online event sign up here  Its Free ! with the benefits you’d get from major conferences without the travel and from your home / office computer.

fm2.0 wordle

construction the future report wordle

Wordle image created for Constructing the Future Report 08/09