A Sustainable Knowledge Quarter: a contractor’s insight
Presentation | 12:20 – 13:00 | Auditorium 1
Main Themes
Innovation | Sustainability
The Session
With buildings accounting for around 39% of global carbon emissions, there is an urgent and pressing need for real estate to fulfil its pivotal role in combating climate change. Development in London is beginning to step up, making headway in key areas such as steel reuse. Implementation of sustainability strategies for projects is now the norm, however, delivery of these strategies in practice is often constrained by varying factors, including risk, cost, competence, accountability and ownership.
Having reviewed development opportunities and associated sustainability strategies for projects within the Knowledge Quarter and around London, ISG are developing a broad understanding of what leads to a sustainable building, not just in design, but also in practice, using net zero carbon, circularity and biodiversity as key enablers. This session will also address factors to take into account when designing and implementing sustainability strategies as developers and what leads to a truly sustainable building that also delivers for its occupants.
The Speaker
EMILY SAMOLUK, Sustainability Manager, ISG
Emily is the sustainability lead for ISG’s London construction projects. Emily has close links to the Knowledge Quarter, having been the sustainability and social value project manager on the UCL Institute of Neurology and Dementia Research Institute on Gray’s Inn Road for two years. In this time, she supported the achievement of BREEAM outstanding at design stage, worked with the subcontractors to drive down embodied carbon and conducted extensive community engagement.
At ISG, Emily now focuses on implementing the sustainability strategy to drive the business’s carbon, circularity and environmental management performance.
In addition, Emily has experience working with clients, design consultants and the ISG supply chain to understand the innovation opportunities available for the continual improvement of the construction sector. She has also recently turned her attention to training and competence within the ISG teams to continue delivering sustainability excellence.
The Organisation
