Do politicians really care about business and should commerce keep a more careful eye on the Town Hall? In the first regional debate on whether Localism and the Coalition’s policies can drive business benefits from the sustainability agenda, engineer Professor Mark Fletcher of Arup, who is also a member of the Enterprise and Innovation Panel of the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) panel, tackled the issues alongside his colleague and former UK Sustainable Development Commissioner, Alice Owen at the Leeds Metropolitan University’s Green Vision seminar on May 12th.
The two sustainability leaders examined the new Government framework and its possible benefits and drawbacks, in front of a prestigious business audience at sponsor Squire Sanders Hammonds’ Park Lane offices.
Said Mark Fletcher: “We are getting close to a crossroads on the green agenda and will only succeed if Government helps put the right financial incentives and structures behind the initiatives we need.”
Green Party Councillor, Andrew Cooper, presented a remarkable local case study, showing how 5% of the UK’s Solar Capacity has been developed in Kirklees, which has also become the leading authority deploying microgeneration technologies and has put in place a free insulation scheme for 50,000 homes in the borough.
Developer Citu, the Construction Sector Network and Gateways School, Harewood are backing the Green Vision series.
Presentations from the event can be found here:
The last twilight seminar of the Spring series will be held on 9th June with speakers from Scottish & Southern Renewables and the Centre for Alternative Technology.
Bookings can be made via the Leeds Metropolitan University Online Store:
If you have any problems with your booking please contact Martin Smith - m.g.smith@leedsmet.ac.uk
The CKE recently held it's second Workshop event this time with a look towards Building Information Modelling (BIM).
An engaging presentation was provided by Tim Platts of TP Professional Services looking at the issues surrounding the use and future development and implementation of BIM across the construction industry.
The presentation was filmed in the Leeds Met video suite and we have uploaded the video to Youtube. We have included the three clips below.
Entittled "We need to educate the sector if BIM is to succeed" the letter addresses the work being done to drive the development of Building Information Modelling within the education sector and industry.
"True collaborative working has been touted as a panacea to pull the construction sector out of the doldrums, with BIM the magic pill we’ve all been waiting for. But the term, though used by many, is still understood by few."
To read the full article online follow the link below to the Construction Manager Magazine - Digital Edition. The article is on page 11.
Construction Manager Magazine May 2011
The CKE is currently working with HE STEM to develop a Foundation Degree in Building Services Engineering and Environmental Technologies.
On the 6th of June we are holding a meeting to gather feedback and input into the Foundation Degree programme from representatives from a cross section of the Built Environment sector. The event will look specifically at the available module choices that will be incorporated into the programme of delivery.
The event takes place at 5pm at Leeds Metropolitan University's Old Broadcasting House Building.
If you would be interested in being a part of this group please contact Claire Walker at c.walker@leedsmet.ac.uk for further details.
We are still seeking feedback on the development of the Foundation Degree, if you have not already done so please take a few minutes to fill out this brief survey: