By starting with the exact purpose of each building and getting everyone to the table early, we can better tailor design around the outcomes needed for the best possible masterplans. Bringing Intelligent Solutions to developments is also vital to creating better buildings.
Taking time enables us to overcome development and economic cycles, avoid market tensions, undertake proper consultation and work with authorities to unlock the challenges they face. If we are building a community, we must remember that it is a living organism which changes over time.
Investors are looking increasingly towards Net Zero and sustainable developments – but projects can still suffer from the age-old Capex v Opex conundrum. The industry must get better at sharing experiences, learnings and data as it is the evidence upon which trust is built.
Our biggest challenge is stepping back and asking ourselves what occupiers want: “Do we understand what communities want? How can we engage them deeply to ensure we deliver the things that will make a real difference from both an amenity and necessity level. Is a 20-minute walk too much to ask? Can spaces be multi-use? How will this place work for you now, but also in later-living?”
Close collaboration between private and public sectors is key in accessing the funding streams that can unlock development. The Government’s Levelling Up fund is a great example of how we can give the opportunity for local authorities to support aspects of development that might not stack up initially. We must learn from other success in how working together rather than on siloed funding streams delivers a better outcome.
