Integrating systems and society for a sustainable legacy

The resurgence of sustainable design has intensified in recent years. There has been a rise in societal expectation of how the world’s environmental challenges might be addressed.

The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry has a huge role to play in mitigating these challenges by responding in a proactive and sustainable way.

As a leader in engineering and strategic planning, I feel a huge sense of responsibility to ensure Buro Happold leaves a sustainable legacy across our global portfolio of projects. This can be achieved through an integrated approach to systems and society.

We leave a sustainable legacy for our clients, communities and planet

Our technical teams examine how we can generate the biggest impact on both our projects and communities. This is achieved by working across various neighbourhood, district, city and regional scales. We work with architects, urban planners, cost consultants, and real estate advisors to define what is possible on our projects.

This is executed through continually testing the original brief. As a result, we identify how we can deliver greater impact and realise within the project, within the confines of budget limitations.

We create a holistic planning framework on projects

Our approach to systems and society is unique and ever-changing. We constantly refine and improve our methodology to respond to new and emerging trends. We work with our clients and collaborators to shape a holistic project framework that enables us to deliver the following on projects:

• An effective, resilient approach that aims to deliver low and net zero carbon aspirations to mitigate the impact of climate change and the threats to our environmental assets
• Recognising the positive impact that technology can have for end users through digital systems and services, but being aware of the importance of data privacy and security.
• Recognising that we need to develop integrated, agile, and flexible systems (both infrastructure and environmental) that can adapt to changing needs in the future
• Shaping the development of sustainable places, spaces, and neighbourhoods that respond to the needs of the community and enhance social value
• Understanding new and emerging business and procurement models to support systems and building delivery
• Supporting and engaging the market to attract and retain the right strategic partners.

We are experts in systems design

Clear system design is at the heart of our technical engineering expertise. At Buro Happold, our systems experience is broad, covering environmental, infrastructure, mobility, and digital technology systems, as well as the buildings and spaces that support them.

Our team of experts work across vertical specialisms looking for opportunities to develop circular system strategies and enable their procurement. This process:

• Drives operational efficiency
• Limits reliance on overstretched supply networks
• Creates sustainable and renewable opportunities
• Delivers better services for the end user.

We challenge current service models and look for ways to deliver innovative alternatives within the built environment.

Robert Moyser, Partner, Buro Happold

We use technology to automate our planning process

Technology is an area that is becoming an important consideration to our engineering solutions on projects. Currently, our technical specialists are using geographic information systems (GIS) and digital twins to automate our engineering planning processes to enable more refined simulation and scenario testing of options.

Our smart building and systems experts develop holistic digital masterplanning strategies, design and roadmaps for our clients. This enables them to balance the operational needs of the present, with the exploration of new value models through the responsible collection of data via the assets they own.

For example, we achieved the world’s first smart building certification for our client, Commercial Estate Group’s (CEG), EQ development in Bristol, UK.

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for urban development. Society at large is demanding a more sustainable response. At Buro Happold. we are embracing this challenge.

Robert Moyser, Partner, Buro Happold

Not only is it reshaping our existing strategic planning, design and consultancy offer, it is enabling us to pivot our research and development investment into new services. This will help us respond more effectively as a global practice to solve both today and tomorrow’s problems.