黑洞社区

This week underlines how the climate crisis has become a central concern for governments and businesses alike, with Boris Johnson setting out more ambitious carbon cutting targets for the UK while president Joe Biden hosts a climate summit that coincides with today鈥檚 Earth Day, an environmental event that is attracting more attention than previous years.

Construction has arguably been slow to find joined up approaches to tackling carbon emissions, something Erland Rendall is keen to address. He is the founder of the new digital platform called GluIQ that he thinks can help clients find sustainable solutions for their building projects.

A QS by background Rendall spent 16 years at Davis Langdon before setting up his own consultancy Atorus in 2012 - the company behind GluIQ. The original idea for the cloud-based construction data management platform, that includes sustainability guidance for clients, first came to Rendall 20 years ago, but only really started to come together in 2017.

When the pandemic took hold he pushed last spring鈥檚 product launch back, but the delay meant the venture took an fortuitous turn as he joined forces with Jennifer Dixon and Sarah Williams, who founded RIBA client advisers Design Thinking. This collaboration led to the platform incorporating detailed sustainability guidance for clients.

To mark today鈥檚 launch of their joint effort Rendall spoke to 黑洞社区 about the concept, the gap he saw in the market and how he hopes to make a difference. 

 

黑洞社区: So this idea is essentially about collating project data?

ER: It is about creating it as well. So, aggregating what is already produced, bringing that together. The first element is really client-focused, before a team is engaged. It鈥檚 helping a client capture what their wants and needs are, then helps the architect or the development manager, or whoever it happens to be, to then translate that and then for the next entity or the next stage in the process.

黑洞社区: Where did the idea come from?

ER: I had the idea for GluIQ about 20 years ago, when I was a partner at Davis Langdon working with Paul Morrell [who later became the government鈥檚 construction adviser]. In terms of most recently working with Jennifer and Sarah two aspects led me to that. I鈥檝e worked with them both in the Middle East and in London, and I had explored with Sarah this whole area eight or nine years ago.

黑洞社区: Did you see a specific gap in the market?

ER: The environmental elements as part of briefing to a project has really become an integral component. What we are seeing with COP26, with net zero 2030 and the government targets, the sustainability drive is really ramping up. So how can we enhance that component, and assist clients with that now as opposed to waiting? Sarah and Jennifer are RIBA client advisers. They sit with clients, and have created this workbook to sort of sit and take a client through that process. The gap was, how can we do that now, in an environment where remote working is the norm. How do you do that when you can鈥檛 sit beside someone? And the answer seemed to me to be to have a digitally enabled tool. If you then embed that as part of a broader project knowledge platform, then you can start to make informed, educated, smart decisions. That鈥檚 what we sought to do.

There鈥檚 a number of products in the market that share project information, but it鈥檚 the element of educating someone in what they do, to then help others not having to relearn things. One of the things that we hear from clients quite a lot is surely this team has done this before. So it鈥檚 helping clients in that regard as they can see: 鈥淵es. There are a number of people that have done this before. And we鈥檙e going to share that with you to help you.鈥� And that鈥檚 what the platform is for because that then helps everyone.

黑洞社区: What are the sustainability benefits for clients?

ER: Its focus is very much on the client and establishing the employer鈥檚 sustainability requirements. So that鈥檚 everything from net zero, right the way through to health and wellbeing. It looks at eight components. Some clients will appreciate that they have a corporate social responsibility component in terms of a corporate need, but how that translates into a capital project they may not be aware. So part of this component is to explain those elements, so that they can then factor that into what鈥檚 important to them specifically. That then creates a brief around sustainability that can then form part of the overall project brief for all of the consultants that can then be tracked in terms of its delivery.

Its focus is very much on the client and establishing the employer鈥檚 sustainability requirements. So that鈥檚 everything from net zero, right the way through to health and wellbeing

A client might understand net zero in general terms, but what does that actually mean for a project? Before you know it you could be talking to an M&E consultant and they鈥檙e highlighting watts per hour while another consultant is talking about something else. There鈥檚 a number of these metrics that then start to come into play. That鈥檚 part of the education process - trying to make a client aware of the broader subject area so that when they are asked a question are familiar with the process and understand the point of the question.

It鈥檚 not just about tonnes of carbon dioxide, it might be the heat consumption, the power consumption, the travel distance of staff, and their use of public transport. It鈥檚 very much focused on the client鈥檚 business, their operation. It allows them to set up the goals and requirements of the project in an informed manner.

黑洞社区: How has the pandemic changed what you were trying to do?

ER: Last January, we were at the point of working to create the platform live without the sustainability component. And then by March prior to when lockdown hit, we were looking to launch in April. Then lockdown came and it was very difficult to engage with people. But instead of sitting there and putting it on the shelf, we said 鈥榳hat can we know do to enhance the user interface, the benefits, the features, within the system to make life even easier for a user鈥�. And then, by the summertime, I was starting to explore best practice and it was growing in terms of carbon sustainability. That鈥檚 where the engagement with Design Thinking with Jennifer and Sarah came about, when I got wind of their analogue workbook for clients. I said 鈥楾here鈥檚 an opportunity to work together here鈥�. So that took it to the next level. 

黑洞社区: How did the partnership with Design Thinking come about and what has it added?

ER: Jennifer has come from a senior position within Aecom. We actually worked together in the Middle East on a project about 10 years ago and we鈥檝e kept in touch. Likewise with Sarah when she was with Aedas, we were looking at data. At the time I was working along with Steve Watts, who鈥檚 now at Alinea. We were looking at data and using the IBM system to analyse data. 

Sarah and Jennifer had created this workbook, which was essentially a Word document that they would sit with clients and develop their awareness around sustainability. When I heard about that in a conversation with them, I said 鈥榃e鈥檙e developing this tool which would make it accessible to clients and make it efficient, they could sit and work through that themselves prior to engaging with you, you鈥檇 have a better quality of conversation, the output, therefore, would be a better quality project for everyone.鈥�

We share a collective vision. They鈥檝e helped as a component within the overall platform, they鈥檝e helped interrogate what we鈥檙e doing. Working with the RIBA, their plan of work and everything else associated is an architect鈥檚 perspective, as opposed to a project manager or a QS perspective.

From a gender diversity perspective they鈥檝e also added a female perspective. All of these elements were hugely useful and continue to be useful to make this as open and as inclusive as possible.

黑洞社区: Finally, is there one thing in particular that you would want everyone to know about the platform?

It helps answer the biggest question that we鈥檙e all facing at the moment, which is climate change. The employer sustainability requirements component, helps the clients really drill into what that means, and it鈥檚 not just in terms of environment, and global warming and carbon emissions, that is just one component. It addresses the wider issues of stress, anxiety, depression, health and wellbeing. And for me, that鈥檚 game changing.

The construction industry suffers too much from suicide rate and mental health, combined with the fact that it鈥檚 40% contribution to climate, carbon emissions. And for me, the human impact, whether that鈥檚 an environment or as individuals, is huge. If GluIQ can save one life whether that鈥檚 an animal, a plant, or a human being, then I鈥檒l be hugely excited and satisfied.