CBRE, JLL and Grosvenor join UKGBC retrofit task force

The UK Green Building Council has assembled a team of more than 30 industry experts to explore the effectiveness of common retrofit measures in commercial real estate.

Members of the task force include developers, investors and consultants, representing some of the leading companies in UK real estate, such as Arcadis, Canary Wharf Group, CBRE, General Projects, Grosvenor, JLL and the Crown Estate.

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The UKGBC said it would assess real world case studies in the UK in an effort to understand where retrofit measures have been effective.

The task force will work to understand the carbon and cost effectiveness of these measures and explore how to overcome common challenges that the industry faces.

Since commercial building account for nearly a quarter of the built environment’s carbon footprint in the UK, securing a net zero built environment in line with the Paris Agreement cannot be achieved without addressing the operational emissions associated with the sector, UKGBC said.

The organisation also cited recent analysis from JLL that showed that real estate assets with stronger sustainability credentials increasingly attract higher capital values and rents.

More efficient offices are “likely” to drive greater interest from occupiers due to reduced operating and energy costs.

New research into commercial retrofits will build on existing work that the UKGBC has done in the area, including a report from last year, Delivering net zero: Key considerations for commercial retrofits. The UKGBC expects to publish its findings this summer.

Yetunde Abdul, head of climate action at the UKGBC, said: “Improving the energy efficiency of our commercial buildings has the potential to deliver significant carbon savings across the built environment, and with demand for sustainable office space surging in the UK, this is an opportunity we can’t afford to waste.

“Collaboration across this sector is key to accelerating the pace of action towards our common climate goals. That is precisely why UKGBC has assembled a team representing the breadth of the built environment to assist us on this timely and important piece of work.”

Individuals supporting the project include:

• Georgia Hilling, Cost Consultant, Arcadis
• Phil Clark, Partner – Office Sector Lead for Cost Management, Arcadis
• Michael Wadsworth, Senior Mechanical Engineer,Arup        
• Paul Warrick, Director – Sustainability & Projects, Assura      
• Joel Coakeley, Sustainability manager, BAM
• Peter Fisher, Director, Bennett Associates
• Dan Coston, Partner, Bidwells
• Richard Kaye, Director, BNP Paribas Real Estate
• Alex Edwards, Sustainability Director, Bruntwood
• Etienne Humphries, Head of Building Performance, Bruntwood
• David Hodge, Director – M&E and Sustainability, Canary Wharf Group           
• Lisa Ithurralde, Sustainability Manager, Capco           
• Tom Attree, Director of Sustainability and Technology, Capco
• Matthew Hart, CEO,CarbonShift
• Owen Connick, Strategic Leader – Building Sustainability, Carrier
• Antonette Easwaranathan, Senior Consultant,CBRE
• Davion Cheng, Associate Director, Energy Engineering lead,CBRE
• Simon Bennett, Associate Director,Civic Engineers 
• Michelle Wang, Sustainability Manager,Deloitte
• Ben Cross, General Projects
• Victoria Herring, Director, Sustainability Programme, Grosvenor
• John Pirouet, Associate Director, Hoare Lea
• Matthew Daniel, Associate, Hoare Lea
• Imogen Christodoulou, Senior Associate, Hoare Lea
• Mike Linehan, Divisional Director – Low Carbon Retrofit, ISG
• Niall Robertson, Director, Building Consultancy, JLL
• Daniel Coakley, Sustainability Manager,Lloyds Banking Group
• Chinyelu Oranefo, Director, ESG & Finance,Lloyds Banking Group
• Kieran Crowe, Director Net Zero Buildings, Low Carbon Alliance     
• Chris Newman, Zero Carbon Design Manager,Mitsubishi Europe
• Bahareh Salehi, Building Physics Engineer, Mott Macdonald
• Alexandros Chalkias, Associate Director – Sustainable Design, Savills Earth
• Brian O’Malley, Modernisation Leader, Digital Energy, Schneider Electric           
• Bettina Brehler, Director, Squire & Partners
• Domenico Gabriele, Director of Capital Projects, The Crown Estate
• David Shaw, Director, Torridon          
• Chris Joyce, Technical Decarbonisation Consultant, Turner & Townsend           
• Jack Millard, Associate, Twin Earth
• Dave Worthington, Managing Director, Verco