Innovations
Thursday 16th October 2008, Central London, 09:30 - 16:00
Innovations for the Built Environment
"Innovation will be the main driver of our prosperity in years and decades to come. Without it, our industries will not be able to compete with the growing economic powers of East Asia. Without that prosperity, it is hard to see how we will be able to achieve a more cohesive society and the wealth of aspiration that we all want to see. I want us to work together both to meet the challenges and to grasp the opportunities."
John Denham MP, Secretary of State for the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), 8 November 2007
Overview
Innovation is vital to increasing our competitiveness, improving our economy and our quality of life. It can also help us to meet some of the most challenging issues we face such as climate change and pollution. The desire to create and maintain a greener built environment is becoming all pervasive. This will affect the way we design and construct both housing and non-domestic buildings, influence our approach to refurbishment and re-use, focus our attention on building performance and management, and inform the way we design our public spaces and mange our public realm.
The goal of a more sustainable built environment, however, can only be achieved if a commitment to innovation is made by those in construction, the property sector and local authorities. This message is echoed in the government White Paper 'Planning for a Sustainable Future' published on 21 May 2007. The White Paper stresses the need to speed up the shift to renewable and low carbon energy, supporting the development of low carbon homes and businesses; and ensuring development is resilient to the impacts of climate change. In addition to this, the government has made a commitment to create eco-towns. They are intended to exploit the potential to create a complete new settlement to achieve zero carbon development and more sustainable living using the best new design and architecture.
The Environment Agency’s report 'Hidden Infrastructure – The Pressures on Environmental Infrastructure' (2007) includes some important considerations for eco-development including; location to minimise flood risk and takes into account water quality and existing water resources; a long term planning framework for all types of environmental infrastructure – particularly waste water planning by water companies and demand management, through greater water efficiency.
Objectives
As the government attempts to promote an innovative culture through refreshed partnerships with the public and private sectors, delegates at this inside government event will discuss and debate the main issues, most notably:
- How the UK built environment could evolve to help manage the transition over the next five decades to secure, sustainable, low carbon energy systems that meet the needs of society, the requirements of the economy, and the expectation of individuals;
- How can we deliver a sustainable built environment which sources, manages and delivers energy, minimising carbon emissions and maximising resource efficiency, while delivering the level of service (quality, comfort, reliability, security) required to maintain economic growth and quality of life;
- Creating long term certainty so that industry can innovate and lead internationally in products and services for sustainable construction;
- Future technologies and an exploration in the scenarios of how we might deploy those technologies;
- Integrating renewables into the built environment;
- Planning for a greener infrastructure.
Speakers
| Edward Hobson Head of Research and Futures Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) |
Richard Miller Lead on low Impact Builiding, Innovation Platform Technology Strategy Board |
| Andrew Whitaker Head of Planning The Home Builders Federation |
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| Professor David Gann CEng FICE FRSA Head, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Tanaka Business School and Civil & Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London |
Audience
Key representatives will include those from central government departments & bodies, local authorities, trade unions, organisations, science and innovation, think tanks, businesses and employers, regional development agencies, local strategic partnerships, local, NGOs, housing organisations, academia and legal & voluntary and all those interested in the innovation and green debate.