Parts of the property industry have been in a darker mood of late and chat around town can dwell on black times, as in ‘management is the new black’, or ‘fundamentals are the new black’, or even ‘boring is the new black’.
What is common to the discussion is a back-to-basics attitude and a determination to make existing assets work harder.
There’s around 330 million sqm of existing space in Australia’s non-residential markets. Most of it is more than 20 years old.
The Property Council’s recent solutions summit for existing buildings developed a draft 10-point strategy that aims to revitalise the performance of existing assets.
We asked internationally renowned consultants Arup to research successful strategies for older buildings.
Arup scoured the globe and developed Existing Buildings Survival Strategies: a toolbox for re-energising tired assets.
Arup’s toolbox outlines a six-step program and includes more than 200 tested upgrade initiatives.
We’ve also worked with the Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation (CRC-CI), which has developed design and construction solutions for existing buildings.
The CRC-CI’s work on re-lifing buildings can be found on the www.yourbuilding.org website.
Here is a summary of the Property Council’s plan to breath new life into the sector’s tired assets:
1. Improve performance measurement:
- Identify key performance metrics that go beyond financial parameters to include productivity and consumption metrics
- Link the Property Council's Quality Grade Matrix design drivers to operational drivers/outcomes
- Re-cast the Property Council's benchmark service based on these metrics
- Introduce the IPD Occupiers service into Australia
- Agree on a model voluntary corporate responsibility reporting format for property stakeholders
- Develop a standard carbon reporting statement.
2. Publish diagnostics tools and ‘how to’ management guides:
- Publish a suite of leading practice management guidelines covering all aspects of property operations
- Develop diagnostic tools that aid management decision-making.
3. Publish insightful case studies:
- Identify and publish case studies that demonstrate innovative approaches to building design, management and retrofitting – frank descriptions of what was tried and what did/didn't work.
4. Establish a trusted portal:
- Build a portal that consolidates the best thinking in benchmarking, diagnostic tools, case studies and management trends.
5. Strengthen relationships:
- Develop strategies to improve the relationship between key stakeholders, starting with owners and occupiers
- Some potential actions include a guide to commonsense green leases, guides to green tenancies and greater certainty in 'make good' provisions.
6. Reform public policy settings:
- Advocate incentives for retrofitting buildings to higher standards, based on the Property Council priorities
- Reform national energy markets
- Harmonise regulation to a commonsense standard across the country
- Modernise OH&S rules
- Improve Regulatory Impact Statement processes
- Increase the dollars in the Green Building Fund
- Develop green chapters in the Building Code of Australia
- Launch a national building tune-up program.
7. Improve skills:
- Design a program that will address the skills shortage in the management and consulting sector, including both higher education and industry-based learning.
8. Increase practical R&D:
- Encourage applied R&D into priority targets for commercialisation.
9. Integrate rating tools:
- End the confusion in environmental rating tools.
10. Conduct foresight exercises:
- Commission long-range, strategic analysis of the factors that will shape the built environment in the future.
The Property Council's extensive strategy for existing buildings will be led by a high-level national roundtable.
We'll also engage with our international partners and local leaders, such as the Facilities Management Association and CoreNet.
Peter Verwer |
Monday, 4 August 2008 9:36 AM |
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You all know that feeling – you’ve read the brochure, checked out the speakers and decided it was a good idea to attend. Now at crunch time, you look at your diary and think, “what am I doing going to and spending days at a gabfest when I have so much work on?” Are conferences a good idea, and how effective is the networking?
Some events are a must no matter who is on the speaker list (referring to Congress of course). People go there to be seen, press the flesh, talk up their current projects and hand out business cards.
These events are often labelled ‘networking’ so you are in no doubt as to why you are really there. You will find these events at the best venues in the best towns, because they need the relaxing elements necessary to act as social oil.
Other events are all about the speakers. These people labour over their presentations, and they can be real learning opportunities. You can work out how much of an impact their presentation has made by waiting for the buzzwords to infiltrate your company.
Other speakers use conferences as covert pitches for their pet projects or simply to win work for themselves – it would be interesting to know how much impact this really has on their bottom line.
You will often see recruitment agents prowling the floor at conferences, poking around the large glass bowls which hold business cards for the door prize, cornering people as they head for the facilities, or waiting patiently in the buffet line to catch the eye or ear of a likely client.
Clearly they think the people contact is worth the effort, so there must be something in that.
So what are the most effective networking techniques to employ?
One business development manager I know carries his electronic card scanner and scans business cards into his blackberry, sending a jolly follow-up email before the welcome drinks party is even over. That is what I call hard-core networking.
Others prefer the loud party method, laughing heartily at lame witticisms, so it will look as though their little gaggle is having all the fun, and making everyone want to drift over and join them.
Name tags are handy when networking, but can be problematic. For a woman it is hard to know whether the tag or something else is being examined – men take note, we are on to you! Tags can also be unforgiving on delicate fabric, requiring ingenuity to find an appropriate spot to pin or clip them – amazing how handy those bra straps can be at times.
After the firm handshake, there is the issue of what to talk about so that your networking target doesn’t start looking over your shoulder for someone more interesting.
That’s when it pays to do your homework. By anticipating who might be there, you can mentally rehearse a few conversation starters that are relevant to that person. Things relevant to their specific roles with a touch of humour will certainly break the ice such as:
- “So have you guys managed to find any spare money out there?”
- “Did you hear about the [insert sale/transaction/lease], that was such a great/not so great deal!”
- Or if all else fails, there is nothing wrong with the ubiquitous “Hi, how’s business going for you at the moment?”
For some people this is entirely natural behaviour – it’s called social graces – but for most of us in the property industry a bit of forethought goes a long way.
There is no question that getting out and about and being seen is a worthwhile pastime. However, nobody wants to be known as a Sir or Lady Lunchalot.
So conferences turn into a balancing act of just enough party time, just enough content absorbed and making sure the right connections are made, and followed through.
Following up is the key and this requires an excellent memory. Send something relevant to your conversation and you will be well on the way to establishing a friendship. A great networker will always follow up with an email or invitation.
So who are the best networkers we know? The one’s who go to everything or the more select? Nobody wants to look like a groupie who turns up on the doorstep invited or not, but really if you’re not there, you’ll never know.
So commit the dates and make the conference as important as a project and you’ll get the most out of it.
Tina Tang |
Monday, 4 August 2008 8:34 AM |
