Aligning incentives for sustainable commercial buildings

9 September 2002
The Pavilion, Darling Park, 201 Sussex St
5.30pm to 8pm, $20 entry

There are clear benefits for improving the energy efficiency and living quality of our commercial buildings, and the designs and technologies are readily available. So what's stopping them being put to work? To date, the finance and ownership arrangements have given little incentive for any player to finance, design, build or operate a sustainable building. But slowly things are changing, with a five-year decision horizon slowly giving way to fifteen-year contracts, allowing plenty of scope for sustainable solutions. If buildings are coming round, what other businesses can?

The Property Council of Australia and the Institute for Sustainable Futures are both running workshops on the theme of sustainable buildings in August/September, and some of the views developing in those workshops may be aired through this broader forum.

• 5.30 pm Drinks and nibbles
  
  
• 6.00 pm Speakers
  Adrian Leaman on "why sustainable building"
  Managing Director, Building Use Studies, UK
  
  John Hanley on whether they can be built
  Construction Manager, Multiplex
  
  Chris O'Donnell on whether they are a sound investment
  Managing Director, Investa Property Group,
  
  
• 6.45 pm Panel discussion and questions, moderated by
  Maria Atkinson Executive Director, Green Building Council of Australia and Chair, Sustainability Advisory Council to the Property Council of Australia
  
  
• 7.30 pm Drinks and nibbles
  
  
• 8.00 pm Close
  
  

RSVP: josh_dowse@mckinsey.com by 4 September.

The Sustainable Business Forum is an initiative of the Corporate Sustainability Project at UTS and McKinsey & Company to help foster sustainable business. Attendance at the forums has been half academic/practitioner, half people in business. To maintain that balance, we encourage the one half to invite their colleagues in the other. For the preparation of this forum, thanks to the speakers, the Sustainable Energy Development Authority, Colliers International, and KODO International.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS FORUM
9 September 2002
Aligning incentives for sustainable commercial buildings

NOTES ON SPEAKERS

Adrian Leaman first carried out influential research on occupant health in buildings in the 1980s, and established Building Use Studies (BUS) in 1987. He runs the popular website www.usablebuildings.co.uk, and identifies solutions to problems in the usability and performance of buildings and cities.

Multiplex is the developer and manager of a range of leading Sydney properties, including Stadium Australia, King St Wharf, the Woolloomooloo Wharf and the QVB. With experience on several of these sites, John Hanley is currently managing the construction of the NSW Police Service offices in Parramatta, the first major building in Sydney designed to meet a 4.5 star rating.

Chris O'Donnell is Managing Director of Investa Property Group, who own and manage over 575,00m2 of commercial and industrial properties throughout Australia, including office buildings at 1 and 55 Market St, and the Westpac headquarters in Market Place. Chris has worked with Westpac, Lend Lease, Leightons and Capital Property Group over 25 years.

Maria Atkinson´s position with the Green Building Council comes after five years with Lend Lease as Manager of Sustainable Development and Environment, a role that included being the Environment Manager on the Sydney 2000 Olympic Village project. She advises the Property Council of Australia and the NSW Deputy Premier´s office on sustainable development, and the newly established Green Building Council has as its mission the acceleration of green building practices through market-based solutions.