Built environment

Today, I'm joined by one of my colleagues, Darren Morrow.

We are going to discuss the very snappily titled British Standard, BS 99001, which is the specification for the application of ISO 9001 in the built environment sector.

It's a bit wizard all that, isn't it, Darren? Welcome.

[laughs]

Yes.

But let's go back to basics.

What do we mean, the built environment sector? Who is this for? What does built environment mean? So it basically covers the entire human-made environment, doesn't it?

Yeah.

Great question.

So in general, it looks at seven scenarios for the future of the built environment in general.

And then what it allows you to do is to see, okay, here is how ready the industry is to face those seven futures.

So I created a rubric that allowed me to grade the industry based off of the data that we had.

So because we are at this kind of intersection of research and health and finance and philanthropy, We are always thinking about these cross-sector collaborations and solutions to improve human health.

And so last year, we were really excited when the Peterson Foundation came to us and they wanted to partner with us to really help them identify how philanthropy can catalyze more of this cross-sector investment in this area that you were just talking about of how can we make buildings and spaces and the built environment healthier for people and society.

And so our normal process is really rooted in rigorous science and due diligence.

And so we spent the last year doing that due diligence.

There are buildings everywhere and they touch and affect every facet of our lives.

You've probably been in a building or space that made you feel calm and focused or alternatively anxious or tired.

And so I think most people are intuitively aware that the built environment can impact how we feel and think and behave.

And what we found and what's really interesting is that there's this growing body of evidence that's beginning to show that specific design and architecture features can actually shape and influence our physical health, our brain health, our cognition and overall well-being.

Transmission, Kathy Spindler sent me an article.

And this was the article, Heterogeneity of Airborne Virus Transmission in the Built Environment, a Narrative Review Published in Pathogens and Immunity.

I like the title.

I like the in the built environment, right? Because a lot of us spend so much of our life indoors.

And maybe 100 years ago when they were talking, maybe people spent more of their life outdoors.

But so this was published in Pathogens and Immunity.

First, you'll hear from Professor Priya Rajagopalan of RMIT University.

She is the Director of the Post-Carbon Research Centre for Infrastructure and the Built Environment, and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the School of Property, Construction and Project Management.

Following, you'll hear a short interview with Dr Thomas Nan, CEO of Allegro Energy, and a globally recognised expert on long-duration energy storage.

And finally, I speak with Brittany Henderson, Greens candidate for the Western Metropolitan Region in Victoria's upcoming state election, and a vocal opponent to the major data centre expansion proposed for NAM Melbourne's West.

But whether they have real decision-making power, we don't know.

So how we can actually empower and equip local governments to and how can universities proactively address any skill shortage is something because most of the traditional master plans have historically focused on expected population growth, but the AI infrastructure is really outgrowing traditional planning system.

So we need to really revisit how we can plan for the next generation built environment.

So we are working very closely with the local governments and see how we can support in really making that evidence-based decisions.