ABSTRACT
Having considered the problems, I would now like to look at some possible solutions – practical recommendations for the real world. How can we set up a project to identify the carbon cost, and possibly to make a better attempt at addressing general whole life issues? What elements are needed? This may sound obvious, but in surprisingly few
instances is time taken to work out to a reasonable level of detail the main elements and drivers of a project from the beginning. As a minimum, the following are needed.
To get this right, you need a road map that works and that everyone will work to. This is made all the more difficult because it has to work for years and years, not just during construction. Many will claim to have a project plan, although often it may be very thin in the area of whole life issues. A project plan is need that is measurable, testable and usable as the framework from
which to develop everything else – it is the foundation and the route map from which everything else derives. It must be clear, measurable, practical, and must anticipate the entire life of the building. This is the key – so much of what we plan and do is based on short-termism, this has to be the first philosophical change. The plan needs to include the whole picture: design, procurement, use, upkeep and
future versatility. It must satisfy not just the initial brief and client, but also future clients and owners. We will now examine these in more detail.
