LEADERS
Willmott Dixon
Sustainability playing cards, ecotube biotechnology, attention to biodiversity...
Focused on its environmental responsibilities, construction business Willmott Dixon
is not letting the downturn impact on its green ambitions. Tom Idle is impressed
DEVELOPING THE
FUTURE
T
his latest recession has grabbed a hold of practice during the construction phase. Every
industry like a Boa constrictor, refusing card in the pack relates to actions that can be
to let go. Those in the construction and achieved on each project to enhance sustainabil-
property sectors will be all too familiar with its ity. Cards are assigned a score according to how
grasp. And with cash drying up for develop- difficult they are to achieve and each suit is
ment projects and public sector money likely to allocated a sustainability topic: diamonds =
fall away if the Conservatives form a new gov- energy and carbon emissions; spades =
ernment this summer, one might have predicted resources and waste; hearts = community; and
that corporate sustainability strategies would clubs = other general sustainability issues.
have fallen by the wayside. Some fit into this Projects are then scored separately at pre-
bracket; you will have read last month about the construction for developing documents and
UK’s largest property firm, Grainger, accused processes, or including costs for cards to be
by its former head of sustainability of creating achieved, and on site where environmental man-
green policies that have no substance and effec- agers assess evidence that the necessary activities
tively abandoning its low-carbon agenda. are undertaken. A large post on site clearly
Willmott Dixon does not fall into that displays what has been achieved and what
bracket. As chief executive of the UK Green remains to be done. Scores are entered into a
Building Council (UKGBC) notes in the league table to encourage competition across the
company’s latest Sustainable Development company, with six-monthly awards given to the
Review, it is the “kind of company that takes best performing teams.
sustainability seriously and doesn’t shy away The buildings that Willmott Dixon con-
Together with fellow members of the UKGBC,
from a vision of a sustainable built environment structs represent the biggest element (61%) of
Willmott Dixon is developing ways to meet the
that meets our social, economic and environ- the firm’s carbon footprint. Together with Code for Sustainable Buildings
mental imperatives”. industry players and fellow members of the
Recognising the need to tackle the “climate, UKGBC, the firm is developing ways to meet oped in line with BREEAM ‘excellent’ stan-
carbon and credit crunches”, as head of sustain- the Code for Sustainable Buildings, seen as a dards, which is increasingly becoming a manda-
able development, George Martin, puts it, critical tool in delivering zero-carbon homes tory requirement for new-build projects.
Willmott Dixon was last year voted as the best and offices to the UK. By carrying out post- Clients also appreciate the attention that
construction business in The Sunday Times Best occupancy evaluations on all recently complet- Willmott Dixon’s team pays to biodiversity on
Green Companies index, coming third overall. ed buildings, the business is getting a good their sites. When the firm was working on John
Key performance indicators show that, understanding of end-user energy consump- Ferneley High School in Leicestershire, a fork-
compared with 2007 figures, carbon emissions tion, used to inform future design and build lift truck driver unearthed four newborn hedge-
are down 28% across all construction sites, projects. Many buildings, including the new hogs nesting in some polythene behind a pack
emissions from business travel are down 11% Ipswich Waterfront Development as part of the of timber wall panels. Work immediately
relative to turnover and office emissions have University Campus Suffolk, have been devel- stopped and the creatures were re-housed in a
fallen 15%. The use of ecotube biotechnology hedgerow in a neighbouring field.
in on-site urinal facilities – which avoids the While the sector gets back on its feet, it is
need for water to flush the toilets – is saving
6.3M litres of water a year.
Since the beginning of last year, the company
has used a ‘Sustainability Playing Cards’ com-
‘
Carbon emissions are down 28%
companies such as Willmott Dixon that will gain
across all construction sites,
the competitive edge once the UK’s housebuild-
emissions from business travel ing programme kicks off once again. And the
are down 11% and office
industry needs players like it to promote sus-
petition to get results – encouraging better envi- tainability and to come up with innovative solu-
ronmental performance, innovation and best
’
emissions have fallen 15% tions for zero-carbon buildings of the future.
Sustainable Business ❘ February 2010 23
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36