Ms Georgina Dalton

Purpose

– The purpose of this research paper is to examine some of the issues that the UK surveying profession need to consider with regard to climate change in the built environment.

 

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on an examination of literature related to adaptation and mitigation and the flow of information in the context of climate change and the built environment. The findings in this paper are based on a questionnaire survey (September 2008) of recent graduates from 23 programmes in the UK to assess the current state of knowledge and understanding of the issues confronting the profession with regard to the impact of climate change. They follow on from an earlier independent perception survey of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) members which specifically focused on climate change. The findings from this survey suggested a degree of unpreparedness amongst the surveying community in the UK regarding issues around climate change and the built environment.

 

Findings

– The paper suggests that, whilst the RICS stress the importance of sustainability in their literature and most university course documents include reference to sustainability and the effects of climate change, the message from graduates is mixed. For example, approximately 50 per cent of graduates considered that there was no, or little reference to the issue in their own programmes.

'Sustainable' or 'green' commercial buildings are frequently seen as a growth sector in the property investment market. This research examines the emergence of sustainable commercial buildings in both the UK and overseas. The empirical part of the paper is based on a telephone survey of 50 UK corporate (private sector) occupiers taking leased and owner-occupied office space, which was carried out during the period of April to November 2008. The survey focused on actual moves made within the previous two years, or moves that were imminent during 2006-2008. The research suggests that although there is an emerging and increasing demand for sustainable offices in the UK, other factors such as location and availability of stock continue to remain more important than sustainability in determining occupiers' final choice of office. Occupiers who moved to a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)-rated building, and were in business sectors with strong environmental and corporate responsibility policies, placed more emphasis on sustainability than other groups in the final choice of office, but location and availability remained paramount.