School manifesto

Sustainable Communities - Buildings, Cities and Regions: addressing the challenges of the 21st century

Global changes do not only impact directly on the built environment and the work of built environment professionals: they also put them at the forefront in addressing the key issues of the new century.

Globalization

The rise of the Asian economies, particularly China and India, presages the emergence of a new economic order that brings new challenges to the 'developed - as much as the 'developing' world. As new cities and centres of economic activity emerge in Asia, cities in the developed world re-form themselves in response to changing patterns of economic activity.

How do we accommodate the new economic order?
The School has a policy which embraces programmes of international activity from PhD students, international partnership programmes, international research/collaborations, and academic and professional links around the world. Our policy is to maintain, enhance and develop these to put us at the forefront of the debate about the impact of globalization and emerging economies.

Diversity and inequality

Global economic change brings with it major demographic changes, with vast populations migrating within and between countries. Diversity and inequality, economic migrants and asylum seekers, are among the hallmarks of the new economic order.

How do we plan for increasing diversity in our buildings, cities and regions?
The School is leading the way in designing an international agenda which attracts students and staff from around the world to contribute to this process of change. Our own diversity and our links with other international institutions enables us to tap a rich vein of intellectual capacity to address the issues confronting many of the world's emerging economies.

Climate change and sustainability

Buildings and construction play a key part in emitting the greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Buildings account for 50 per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions of the UK and other 'developed' countries; the production of one construction material alone is believed to account for a tenth of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

How do we design and construct buildings so that they benefit rather than damage the planet?
The School's focus is on ways in which built environment practice can reduce impacts and create a healthy heritage for the future. The integration of ideas and disciplines is key to our success. Through such synergies we seek to ensure that sustainability embraces not only climate change and quality of life but also ethical finance and socially responsible working practices.

Quality in the built environment

In the world's richest countries such as the UK, it is increasingly recognized that material success on its own does not guarantee social well being and that, alongside economic growth, public policy should also promote quality of life. In this the role of the built environment is crucial.

How do architects, planners and developers ensure the delivery of quality in design and how can this quality be managed effectively throughout the life of the building?
The School's policy is to simulate the activities of all the main players in the creation, maintenance and enhancement of the environment through the work of planners, urban designers, architects, construction managers and real estate managers.

The digital future

As well as impacting on the nature and fabric of the built environment, the microchip is transforming almost every sphere of human activity, from communication to entertainment and from imaging to manufacture; and this digital revolution is still in its infancy. In the coming decades, as digital communication and management become the norm, urban shape and form will be substantially affected and the work undertaken by built environment professionals will be transformed.

How do we ensure that built environment professionals understand the impact that digital technology is having on the built environment and exploit its potential while avoiding its pitfalls?
The School aims to help individuals develop their full potential not only as an architect, a planner, a construction manager or an estate manager but as an individual who has the capacity to identify potential solutions across disciplines/professions and to accept the challenges of rapidly changing environments. Our design work (at the level of both the individual building and the town), our studies of working practice and our focus on changing technologies (both in research and teaching) demonstrate our strength and our position in this area.

Procurement and practice

In recent years the means by which we procure buildings has changed substantially, and the role played by the various professions has developed in ways that previously could not have been foretold. In coming decades, with the increasing adoption of PPPs, PFI etc, this process is likely to accelerate, with the built environment professions increasingly called on to take on new and unfamiliar roles.

How can we ensure that architects, planners and developers are equipped to respond to and deal with changes in procurement and practice as they arise?
The breadth and depth of expertise within the School creates a unique range of skills to assess the feasibility of change in our built environment. This not only includes the physical asset but also the social, financial and legal aspects of procurement. The opportunities for students and practitioners to interact is enhanced by our high-quality teaching and studios, together with our cutting-edge research.