Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

In preparation for my professional review I have been reflecting on how sustainability shapes the designs my colleagues and I have delivered over the last 6 months whilst working for a temporary works design consultancy (WHP).

There are a few ‘sustainability’ quick wins we have under our belt which anyone who has worked with temporary works would be able to reel out:

1. We use proprietary equipment such a PERI pans and RMD Super Slims to reduce material usage because it can be reused.
2. Rather than paying too much attention to the solution the Client’s TWC/TWS thinks they need, we focus on reviewing the Client’s problem to ensure the design we provide is the most economical solution. We often find that whatever the TWC has designed is over-kill and a more economical design can be provided.
3. We are often able to use/re-use material that is already available on site (e.g. old ply wood used for hoarding, concrete legato blocks, scaffolding tubes etc).

However, if I’m to reflect truthfully (and cynically) I would say that the drivers for points 1 and 3 is often a matter of convenience for the Client with a sustainable side-effect. I also observed that the key driver for point 2 was more about offering value for money for the Client as a primary objective with a sustainable solution being a convenient side effect.

So why didn’t I sense that sustainability was a priority of temporary works design? I think it’s for the same reason that it isn’t whilst on military operations – the way we (or the Client) prioritises the Time/Cost/Quality triumvirate. The nature of temporary works means that it’s rarely considered sufficiently in advance for time not to be a constraint, and because cost is always a constraint then it’s quality (and consequently the solution’s sustainability) that suffers. If I reflect back to my time on HS2, the permanent works had a huge design team that had been developing our design for years and were under significant pressure to achieve sustainable goals. On the other hand our temporary works were often required yesterday in order that works weren’t delayed on site.

I’d be interested to know if any one else has identified the difference in emphasis on sustainability between permanent and temporary works?