PPM^BE - Putting CSR and Sustainability at the Centre of Your Business

What is PPM^BE?

The Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD) is the overarching vehicle within which research and consultancy are undertaken at the School of the Built Environment. OISD, which is a major contributor to research and consultancy activities at Oxford Brookes University, incorporates a number of specialist research groups operating within an integrated framework.  In recent years, partly supported by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), there has been a sustained growth in business enterprise with links, contracts and CPD activities in both the public and private sectors.  This major new initiative builds on the firm foundations already in place.

Why is PPM^BE important?

The built environment is responsible for some 50% of carbon emissions in the UK and man made climate change is accepted as a ‘given’ by the majority of expert commentators including Sir Nicholas Stern. Adapting buildings and mitigating against extremes of climate, as well as ensuring the future of the natural environment are vital to understand in both technical and behavioural terms, but also set in the context of environmental and planning policies. This will mean organisations and service providers involved in the supply and demand sides of the built environment must engage fully with the

Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agendas: Sustainability (or meeting the needs of present generations without compromising those of future generations) has been widely accepted in the form of the traditional ‘Triple Bottom Line Model’ (the economic, environmental dimensions). CSR provides the ‘envelope’ for this by considering the management of an organisation’s total impact upon both its immediate stakeholders and upon the society within which it operates. CSR and sustainability cut across several key themes within OISD, and are driving ‘smart growth’ initiatives at regional (SEEDA/SEERA) and local economic levels.

Given the importance of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as key drivers for both the private and public sectors regionally and nationally in the UK, PPM^BE is designed to bring together three key areas of expertise within OISD:

• Products – developing and using sustainable building design and construction (Architecture).
• Processes – assessing and analysing the impact of sustainable building and construction on the real estate investment, development and construction processes, in terms of decision-making, asset management, knowledge management and value management (Real Estate and Construction).
• Metrics – measuring the impact of sustainable design and construction at building, city and regional economy scales (Planning and Energy Carbon Counting).

for further details see More about PPM^BE

These services are designed to fit with the requirements of a range of organisational needs including:

• Corporates;
• Service providers;
• Local authorities, and
• Central and regional government.

Future plans

A range of activities are planned over the next year including:

• Newsletter (bi-monthly for all PPM^BE Club members)
• Survey of requirements of prospective PPM^BE clients
• Research and consultancy open day
• Major research conference
• Specialist workshops
• CPD programmes
• Developing new research and consultancy partnerships in the OISD core areas

Selected Projects

• EIB Project – Social Sustainability
• RICS – Sustainability Indicators
• UNITE 3^rd Party Review of multi-storey high rise
• Energy Efficient Buildings in Steel (EEBIS), Modelling of Water-cooled floor slabs linked to tubular brise soleil.
• Study of key sustainable development issues for small businesses in Oxon
• Sustainable construction in Further Education Colleges in the UK (PDF)
• British Council-Funded UK-India Symposium on ‘Low Carbon Cities and Greening events’ 7-9 February 2007, New Delhi, India
• Further development and market assessment of DECoRuM, a GIS-based carbon-counting model

For Further information contact