Joining up the links – Julie Hirigoyen
Julie Hirigoyen has had to move fast. Within a few weeks of taking up her position as chief executive of the UK Green Building Council along came the general election and the whole landscape for sustainability has taken a very different turn. Out have gone subsidies for renewals and environmental commitments dropped. “I wasn’t aware of how much the landscape would change in the time since I joined a month before the general election,” she said. It’s been quite a trip in the first six months. The UK-GBC was founded on the theory of top-down policy making that drives the industry to change. Now we have to recognise we may not be in that environment for a while.”
Despite the changing landscape Hirigoyen has no regrets about taking up the reins at the UK-GBC. Having spent eight years at property and investment company Jones Lang Lasalle promoting sustainability. “I was very familiar with the UK-GBC and as its remit covers the entire spectrum of the building industry I was keen to understand how you bring sustainability to the entire supply chain. My experience over the last 20 years has convinced me that buildings and cities are at the heart of what we need to change if we are to achieve sustainable development.”
One of the first tasks she undertook was to champion a call for energy efficiency to be recognised as a national infrastructure priority. “It should be a same priority as HS2 and Crossrail,” she stated. “Over £100bn has already ben allocated to infrastructure projects. If you added 3 per cent to include energy efficiency then your could achieve substantial economic progress. I do think that the government does recognise the benefits of energy efficiency. But with the Chancellor’s concerns to reduce the budget deficit the drive for energy efficiency does need to be industry led.”
Hirigoyen believes the property and construction industries are waking up to the benefits of energy-efficient buildings. “We are moving into an era when it will not be acceptable to have carbon intense buildings. In other industries, it’s called stranded assets. There is little investment appetite for a portfolio of low-performing buildings.”
“People will spot the arbitrage opportunities long before buildings become wasted. Although some will go to waste most will be refurbishable. It’s cheaper than starting again and bringing a building up to current standards will allow higher rents to be charged.”
One of the major obstacles to a quicker awakening has been the silo mentality of the construction industry. “It is fragmented and it’s difficult to reach a consensus on what represents a sustainable outcome,” says Hirigoyen.
To read the full article see the latest November/December edition of EiBI.
