CSIC Director Dr Jennifer Schooling and CSIC Postdoctoral Researcher and member of the UK National Infrastructure Commission’s Young Professionals Panel, Sam Cocking, are part of two Build Better Now online events at the COP26 Built Environment Virtual Pavilion coordinated by the UK Green Building Council. Hosted by the UK in Glasgow, COP26 runs from 31 October to 12 November.
Dr Schooling a panel member at the ‘Designing a green and resilient built environment: What do we need to do now and in the future?’ event on Wednesday 10 November from 9am to 10am. This event will explore how design needs to change to drive action towards achieving a resilient and net-zero built environment that enhances nature, both now and in the future. The facilitated discussion will include an audience Q&A and will bring clarity on the actions policy and decision-makers can support to accelerate change. As well as Dr Schooling, presenters will include: Judith Sykes, Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and a Senior Director of Expedition Engineering; Andrew Grant, Founder and Director of Grant Associates and a member of the National Infrastructure Commission's Design Group; Maria Smith, RIBA Councillor and Director of Sustainability at Buro Happold; and Sophia Kee, Principal Designer at Arcadis.
The built environment and infrastructure sectors have significant carbon footprints and, if we are serious about meeting our net zero objectives, we will need to achieve a sea change in how carbon is factored into the design, use, maintenance, and decommissioning of our built assets. This will require an evolution in the skills we teach young professionals, closer collaboration between academia and industry so that we can speed up innovation, and a common language of carbon that crosses the barriers between traditional roles in our sectors. Sam Cocking, CSIC Researcher
Sam Cocking will chair another event in the same series, 'Empowering young people to become the climate-aware built environment professionals of the future: What do we need to do now?', on Friday 5 November, 8am to 9am. Panel speakers include Professor Crina Oltean-Dumbrava, UN Expert and Partner in Sustainable Building and Construction, Mina Hasman, Sustainability Lead at SOM, Hayley Jackson, Site Engineer at Taylor Woodrow and ICE President’s Future Leader, William Holland, Chair of aspirATion at the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT)and Associate Partner at Architectural Design Partnership, and Kirils Holstove, Civil Engineer at AECOM. This event will explore future skills and the adaptation of traditional roles within the built environment and infrastructure sectors required to achieve net zero targets, and the barriers standing in the way of these changes. Short video submissions from young people and early-career professionals will introduce the event, presenting key challenges and opportunities and informing the panel discussion between young professionals and sector leaders.
Sam Cocking said: "The built environment and infrastructure sectors have significant carbon footprints and, if we are serious about meeting our net zero objectives, we will need to achieve a sea change in how carbon is factored into the design, use, maintenance, and decommissioning of our built assets. This will require an evolution in the skills we teach young professionals, closer collaboration between academia and industry so that we can speed up innovation, and a common language of carbon that crosses the barriers between traditional roles in our sectors. This event, with its dialogue between young and senior professionals, will examine what needs to happen now to kick start these changes."
• Both events are free to attend but require registration.
Sign up to ‘Designing a green and resilient built environment: What do we need to do now and in the future?’ here
Sign up to 'Empowering young people to become the climate-aware built environment professionals of the future: What do we need to do now?' here