Launch of the UK Green Building Council transforming the £90bn built environment into a green industry

An unprecedented coalition of the UKÕs leading built environment organisations today launched the UK Green Building Council, with the aim of dramatically improving the sustainability of the built environment within the next ten years.

Thirty-six of the most influential companies in the sector have signed up as Founding Members of the Council. They include: British Land, Lend Lease, Hanson, HBOS, Aggregate Industries, Land Securities Group, Sir Robert McAlpine, Willmott Dixon Construction and Jones Lang LaSalle.

At the launch held at Ecobuild, the international green building forum, UK GBC Chairman, Peter Rogers, Director and Co-Founder of development specialists Stanhope plc said:

"The only way to achieve a sustainable built environment is to unite what is currently a highly fragmented industry around a set of core goals ‹ this is the aim of the UK Green Building Council."

"We have the expertise and technology in the UK to become world leading in sustainable development, we must now work together to rapidly achieve this."

"We need nothing less than a radical transformation in the way we approach the creation of a sustainable built environment ‹ incremental change is a luxury we can no longer afford."

The UK GBC aims to grow its membership by encouraging SMEs across the supply chain to sign up, and the Council is currently developing a roadmap with clear targets on how to achieve a step change in sustainability across the entire built environment, including urban planning, carbon emissions, waste and water.

The UK GBC will act to ensure sustainability is Ôbuilt-inÕ to all stages of the cycle from funding and procurement to design, construction and product manufacture, to operation and maintenance.

The Council will also promote the development and application of the UKÕs world leading environmental assessment tools and provide a single, powerful, pan industry voice to Government.

At the launch Dr David Strong Managing Director of BRE Environment said: "There is a desperate need for reliable and accurate information regarding sustainable construction ‹ companies want to know what works and what doesnÕt. A key role of the UK GBC is to share best practice and knowledge."

TPeter Rogers also announced the World Wildlife Fund as the first Honorary Founding Member of the UK GBC.

Announcing their commitment to the Council, Jo Wheeler, Sustainable Homes Policy Officer said: "WWF is delighted to be a founder member of the UK Green Building Council. Our built environment plays a critical role in determining the way people will live their lives for generations. We urgently need buildings and infrastructure that make it easy, affordable and attractive for people to live within the planet's finite resources and make a major contribution to our efforts to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. The UK GBC must shout that message from the rooftops on behalf of the whole industry, and help lead the way to a better and more sustainable future."

The UK GBC is an industry led, independent, not-for-profit, membership based organisation to which the Founding Members have made a substantial, long-term commitment (www.ukgbc.org)

For further information or photography please contact Kirsten Hawes at mission21 on 0845 226 0803 / 07792 532 178. Photography for the launch can be viewed at http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q42/mission21photos/?

You can visit the UK GBC website at www.ukgbc.org or call the secretariat on 0845 362 322.

UK GBC Founding Members
Aggregate Industries UK Ltd, Arup, Atelier Ten, Barratt Homes, Battle McCarthy, Bennetts Associates, BRE, British Land Company plc, Canary Wharf Group plc, Colliers CRE, Ecobuild, Faber Maunsell, First Base, Fulcrum Consulting, Grimshaw, Hammerson UK Properties, Halcrow Yolles, Hanson PLC, HBOS plc, Johnson Controls Ltd, Jones Lang LaSalle, Kingspan, King Sturge, Laing OÕRourke, Land Securities Group, Lend Lease Europe, Monodraught Ltd, Nationwide Building Society, NG Bailey, ProLogis, PRP, Schroders, Sir Robert McAlpine, Slough Estates, Stanhope plc, Willmott Dixon Construction, World Wildlife Fund.

-ENDS-

Quotes from Founding Members:

Arup

Alistair Guthrie, a Director of founding UKGBC member Arup says, "The UK construction industry has world-class knowledge and skills to deliver greener buildings. The UKGBC represents the opportunity to get together, share and make a real difference."

Bennetts Associates

Rab Bennett, founder Director of architects practice Bennetts Associates says, ÒHaving pioneered sustainable design for many years, I am in a position to know what works and what doesnÕt, so I hope that Bennetts Associates can make a central contribution to the UK Green Buildings Council. It seems to us that much of the property and construction industry has at last accepted the need for change, so the Council is a long overdue forum for bringing all parties together, in a way that pressure groups or specialist research organisations could never do beforeÕ.

First Base

Elliot Lipton, Managing Director of First Base comments, "Sustainability is a central principle in the construction of all First Base homes. We are proud to be a founding member of the UK Green Building Council and believe that the role that it will play in shaping the future of build environments is extremely important."

Grimshaw

"Following the successes of the Green Building Council in the US, we are very pleased to have joined the UKGBC as founder members. We believe there is great potential for a group that represents all elements of the construction industry to bring about positive change." Michael Pawlyn, Associate Director.

Kingspan

John Garbutt Marketing Director at Kingspan says, "The Government is clearly starting to up the ante in demanding that the UK construction industry creates robust environmentally sustainable buildings but, unless the industry pulls together and works out how to deliver this in an integrated fashion, it will just be a pipe dream. Kingspan is a Founding Member of the UKGBC because it boasts a unique cross section from one end of the supply chain to the other and this coalition is essential for the transformation of the industry to happen."

Lend Lease

Daniel Labbad, Chief Operating Officer of Lend Lease Development in the UK says, "Our involvement as a Founding Member of the UKGBC recognises the priority that we place on sustainability as the key challenge facing the property industry. The UKGBC will enable like minded members to collectively forge a pathway to take this agenda forward."

For further information please visit www.firstbase.com