{"id":24358,"date":"2018-10-26T09:27:38","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T09:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/za\/press-releases\/aecom-adopts-innovation-resilient-design-ensure-sustainability\/"},"modified":"2018-10-26T05:28:08","modified_gmt":"2018-10-26T09:28:08","slug":"aecom-adopts-innovation-resilient-design-ensure-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/za\/press-releases\/aecom-adopts-innovation-resilient-design-ensure-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"AECOM adopts innovation and resilient design to ensure sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"
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15 October 2018:<\/em><\/strong> Sustainability is the preservation of natural, social, and economic resources by means of innovative construction methods and conscious decisions throughout the lifecycle of designing, constructing, and operating a project.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is according to AECOM Sustainability Practice Area Lead Candice Manning<\/strong>, who adds that while South Africa has shown positive developments in this regard over the last few years, there remains much room for growth, in addition to greater industry commitment to more sustainable technology and practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some developed countries, the construction-materials market is possibly more advanced than we are, with a greater range of available materials with sustainability certifications that can be taken into consideration,\u201d Manning comments.<\/p>\n

AECOM\u2019s extensive international and local experience in this regard means it is able to include sustainability in all of its service offerings to developers. \u201cSustainable development practice is integrated into all AECOM disciplines,\u201d Manning notes. \u201cAwareness of sustainability is very much a part of our design mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a sustainability consultant, AECOM collaborates closely with the client to understand exactly what it wants to achieve, and to establish the most effective programme to achieve these end goals. \u201cWe design efficient, sustainable building services, and manage the process up until Green Star certification through the Green Building Council of South Africa. Our Green Star offering includes detailed energy, daylight thermal comfort, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD),\u201d Manning elaborates.<\/p>\n

Whether it is reducing greenhouse gas emissions, developing new ways to conserve water, or promoting renewable energy, AECOM\u2019s commitment to sustainability drives innovation and resilience, while reducing risk for its clients, and providing an attractive return on investment (ROI) for the entire project lifecycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cA positive ROI encourages and reinforces the need for sustainability. It has been a challenge for some, and an absolute must for others \u2013 but it has generally been received positively,\u201d Manning points out. While many still see green building certification as a \u2018nice to have\u2019, this has become a critical element of sustainability, not to mention reputation management for the client itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s up to the client and project team to ensure the best sustainable technologies and designs are adopted and implemented, and not just the bare minimum required for a green building certification. This promotes better design, construction and operation, and ensures that best practices are adopted. The South African Green Star tool has influenced much change in the industry, and it is time for a new version to be released to challenge the market again,\u201d Manning notes.<\/p>\n

Importantly for South Africa, though, advances in the context of sustainable construction, consulting and planning have resulted in a trend of net zero status for new and existing developments. However, an integrated approach to achieving such an ambitious target is required upfront in the planning process, with the entire project team collaborating to achieve these stringent requirements.<\/p>\n

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has advanced exponentially over the last few years. AECOM currently has a strong BIM team that can analyse a project\u2019s carbon emissions associated with energy consumption, the thermal comfort of the occupants, and also daylight modelling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can interrogate the design of projects until they perform as required. 6D BIM is incorporated into our offering, whereby performance\/value engineering and ROI are included. We are in the process of the high-level implementation of 7D modelling in the healthcare sector,\u201d Manning reveals.<\/p>\n

Such technological initiatives are changing perceptions around sustainable building. \u201cWhen we provide our clients with sustainable development solutions that have a robust cost-benefit analysis and positive ROI, it then becomes a sound business decision that makes economic sense,\u201d Manning elaborates.<\/p>\n

The 2017 AECOM Sustainability Report concludes that last year was one of the costliest on record in terms of the damage and loss of life caused by natural disasters globally. \u201cOur designs have to be resilient as a result, while legislation and accountability must be a key driver in ensuring sustainable principles are incorporated in all projects,\u201d Manning asserts.<\/p>\n

This applies to Africa as a whole. \u201cOur designs, whether applied in South Africa or other African countries, are always in line with our core value of sustainability. We educate project teams based in African countries, and we work with local materials and practices to ensure sustainable solutions,\u201d Manning concludes.<\/p>\n

About AECOM
\n<\/strong>AECOM is built to deliver a better world. We design, build, finance and operate infrastructure assets for governments, businesses and organisations in more than 150 countries. As a fully integrated firm, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network of experts to help clients solve their most complex challenges. From high-performance buildings and infrastructure, to resilient communities and environments, to stable and secure nations, our work is transformative, differentiated and vital. A Fortune 500<\/em> firm, AECOM had revenue of approximately $18.2 billion during fiscal year 2017. See how we deliver what others can only imagine at aecom.com and @AECOM.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \u00a0\"BIM-means-that-project-designs-can-be-verified-for-optimal-building-performance\"\u00a0 \u00a0\"AECOM-manages-the-process-up-until-Green-Star-certification\"\u00a0 \u00a0\"AECOM-was-green-consultant-at-Pran-Boulevard-in-Umhlanga\"\u00a0 \u00a0\"Sustainable-development-practice-is-integrated-into-all-AECOM-discipline\"<\/p>\n

Media Contact
\n<\/strong>Rashree Maharaj
\n<\/strong>Marketing and Communications Director, AECOM South Africa
\n<\/strong>Phone: +27 11 867-7763
\n<\/strong>Rashree Maharaj<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-24358","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/24358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/24358\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aecom.com\/za\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=24358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}