The Weekend Australian
By: Cameron Cooper
Environmental awareness is the way to go in commercial buildings, writes Cameron Cooper
Green-collar jobs are shaping as one bright spot in an industry coping with issues including climate change, emissions trading and the international financial crisis. The spotlight is switching to a new breed of specialist who understands and embraces sustainable design and development.
Green buildings, once seen as marginal and expensive to construct, are in. Energy-sapping skyscrapers are out.
Australia appears to be following the lead of the US, where sustainable buildings such as the Bank of America Tower in New York and the MGM Mirage city centre project in Las Vegas have won acclaim.
In Sydney, Lend Lease headquarters at 30 The Bond in Millers Point boasts 30 per cent lower carbon dioxide emissions than a typical office building. These are among a new batch of commercial developments gaining accreditation under ratings systems such as LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) in the US ,and Green Star in Australia. They set benchmarks for sustainable site development relating to water savings, energy efficiency and materials selection.
Romilly Madew, chief executive of the Green Building Council of Australia, reports a rapid increase in applications for green accreditation of construction projects over the past 18 months. This year alone such applications have equalled the total number for the past four years. Many are seeking five- and six-star green ratings.
"So it's jumping,'' says Madew, who attributes the growth to greater government focus at federal, state and local level on sustainable policies, regulations and incentives. Major developers are also anxious to "green their portfolios''.
Such acceptance of green buildings is fostering employment opportunities for engineers, architects and development planners with sustainability credentials.
"They were a rarity in the market before,'' Madew says. "Now there are whole consultancies being established purely around ecologically sustainable development. Whereas before you'd have one person in a group, now you are getting whole teams.''
According to a joint report from the Dusseldorp Skills Forum and the Australian Conservation Foundation, more than 251,500 green-collar jobs will be created in the property and construction industry alone by 2025, representing 45 per cent of the total number of jobs to emerge overall in the same period.
The built infrastructure sector is dirty, with OECD figures painting a damning picture of its impact on the environment: it uses 32 per cent of the world's resources in construction; consumes 40 per cent of global energy; generates 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and sucks up 12 per cent of water. Such figures are prompting more businesses to opt for environmentally friendly buildings.
Janet Lewell, a partner and climate-change leader in risk services at consulting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, is seeing evidence of this among the firm's client base, with companies opting to occupy green buildings.
Fuelling the green movement, too, is Australia's looming emissions trading scheme, set for a possible launch in 2010. It is likely to have a significant impact on big business sectors such as mining, construction and infrastructure.
Lewell says many businesses are starting to get their heads around the implications of a carbon economy. "They are at varying degrees along the continuum,'' she says.
On the employment front, Lewell argues that a lot of new work will emerge around compliance, finance and auditing issues. She expects a redeployment of skills as more specialists are required to handle emissions trading and sustainability issues.
She says such demand will inevitably translate to new employment opportunities in construction-related areas such as architecture, while work prospects will also extend down the supply chain.
"As you work backwards through the whole supply chain of a green building, think about how many people are potentially touched.''
A concern in some quarters is that there simply may not be enough trained personnel to design, develop and construct green buildings. The Green Building Council has entered a submission to a Senate inquiry into the effects of climate change on training and employment needs.
It is urging greater capacity within universities and other traditional education and training institutions to meet the need for more climate change professionals.
Local government also shapes as an important piece in the green building jigsaw. At a recent Australian Council of Local Government meeting in Canberra, Madew urged councils to fast-track applications for environmentally friendly buildings and take a slower approach to the rest.
She is also calling for more training programs to re-skill local government staff to ensure they are up to speed with sustainable construction trends, particularly in booming coastal areas with sensitive ecological systems. Elsewhere, education will be crucial to ensure enough tradespeople are available to respond to the rising demand for sustainable buildings.
While there are fears the global financial crisis may stall momentum for green buildings, which typically cost more to construct, some analysts believe sustainable initiatives will be part of the solution. Nicholas Stern, author of a seminal 2006 review on climate change, has raised the prospect of a ``green bail-out'' and says governments must ensure the economy of the future is a green one.
Madew agrees that demand for green buildings will continue, despite financial ructions around the world. "It is not abating and the reason is because government policy is not abating.''