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Sustainable Fund Australia is a profit for purpose company helping Australian business fund sustainability initiatives utilizing their council rates as a payment gateway. In just a few short years they have funded the removal of over 630000 tonnes of carbon, and provided over $112,000,000 in efficiency savings. From tenant to property managers, landlords to portfolio owners, Sustainable Fund Australia are providing businesses support to transition towards net zero sustainably, both for the environment and for their business. Listen as Georgette Godbolt shares their story of success across the Australian Built Environment landscape. Click here to listen now

The population across India is growing at a rapid pace, and with this comes an appreciation for the shortage of precious resources. Ashish Rakheja, Managing Partner for AEON Consultants joins the Think.Future podcast to share how this shortage in resources is driving a green building movement equivalent to 10 billion square feet for the India Built Environment. This appetite for energy and water conservation is driving adoption of both sustainable and responsible building practices and Ashish is passionate about leading the charge. Click here to listen now

Hassell are calling for a new state of togetherness centred around reconnecting people, reviving culture, and reinventing cities for a more sustainable and inclusive future. Join in the conversation as Samantha Peart, Global Head of Sustainability, takes us through the Hassell approach to deep stakeholder engagement with a focus on systems thinking, centred around having the right people at the right time throughout the design build process. From project-to-project Hassell are celebrating their sustainability and efficiency wins. Whether it is minimizing up front waste, leading in adaptive reuse or designing for disassembly, the aim is to deliver a built environment in a more circular and systematic way that looks after all stakeholders, even the non-human ones such as the blue banded bee! Click here to listen now

The 2022 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report states that Australia’s 5-year infrastructure investment pipeline has grown by $15 billion in value compared to the previous 12 months. This is a record investment pipeline in the sector and there is a huge demand for skills and materials to meet these levels. The 2019 Australian Infrastructure audit published before the pandemic disruption, said that the future is uncertain and is one that brings both challenges and opportunities. The Infrastructure Market Capacity report identified a roadmap to a more productive and resilient future and focused on delivering outcomes via seven focus areas needed for a step change. We are more than halfway into 2023 and still no significant step change. Outcomes for people and places – Infrastructure investment is driven by delivering economic, social and environmental outcomes to enable people and places to flourish and prosper. Systems – Managing and planning infrastructure as a system drives more informed decision-making, leading to higher quality, faster, and cheaper infrastructure solutions that better align to the needs of people and places. Digital – Digital transformation will drive productivity and innovation in infrastructure delivery. Collaboration – Collaboration and integration across the ecosystem will drive a financially sustainable and high performing infrastructure industry. Commercial – Commercial alignment and optimization drives industry financial sustainability and enables innovation. Innovation – Delivery integration and innovative techniques enable increased productivity. People – People wellbeing and resilience Building UK claimed in July 2023 that the global trend in construction insolvencies is increasing. Despite stabilizing cost of materials, the cost of materials is still higher than three to four years ago. The most expensive driver today however is labor, and finding enough skilled engineers to build the pipeline remains a big challenge. Romilly Madew, AO FTSE HonFIEAustis and CEO of Engineers Australia joined the VinZero Think Future Podcast recently to share her perspective on engineering the future and the challenges facing the industry. According to Romilly, ''the impact for the engineering community in Australia is multifaceted. The infrastructure pipeline alone is estimated to be worth $237 billion over the next 5 years so the impact covers across a few things. When you build these projects, you need the use of technology and materials. There are also supply and logistics constraints and therefore the project is going to go over time and over budget''. ''We don't have enough engineers to be involved in all those projects. More than 50,000 skilled engineers are estimated to be needed in that timeframe. There is an 80% vacancy rate in engineers nationally, so there is a big disconnect between the pipeline and the number of engineers available to build that pipeline''. -Romilly Madew, AO FTSE HonFIEAustis and CEO of Engineers Australia. The impact of infrastructure development on the environment The Infrastructure and Construction sectors have the biggest impact on the environment in terms of emissions, construction waste and the change of land use for roads and rail, putting huge pressure on the planetary boundaries. In the 2022 National Waste Report, construction and demolition contributed to 28 million Tonnes of waste per year. Waste reuse and recycling are increasing, and the drive towards circularity is being accelerated for the construction industry, thanks to the work of the World Green Building Council and its recently released Circularity Playbook for the Built Environment. This is progress in the right direction, but is it enough, and what more can these sectors do to be more effective and efficient? Even though 64% of Australians believe that climate change is the most significant threat we face, Australia’s response to climate change and environmental management is currently lagging behind to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 when compared with international progress. Trends show that while Australians are early adopters of consumer technologies, they struggle to commercialize their own innovation and expertise. Only 42% of Australians have trust in the government to lead us in the right direction. Siloed thinking and a lack of competent leadership are taking us on the road to nowhere. Many people in the sector are wondering what the road ahead might look like if we steered in a new policy direction. The fork in the road Major infrastructure projects in Australia have one thing in common, they are not designed with a vision to satisfy the needs of the 21st Century. We expect that the infrastructure built today will last for about 100 years, but it is likely that infrastructure we have invested in today could be obsolete within 20 years’ time because it may not meet the objectives of a sustainable society in the future. The current modus operandi is used to doing business as usual. The sector should read the warning signs, take a rest break and seriously consider what the future of sustainable infrastructure looks like. Is now the time for the step change? There is a lot of incremental change happening for sure, but it is still not the significant step change that we need. Government agencies such as EcologiQ are encouraging acceptance of more sustainable materials, but according to some, these changes are not having a big enough impact. Frustration is high. Bureaucracy in large organizations and in particular with government agencies is typically very slow and it can take years to go through the approval process to make significant changes in time to allow new technologies to be exchanged for outdated materials in infrastructure. Trials on new materials are limited and expensive so there's a disincentive to do something new and innovative. The Energy Minister Chris Bowen recently criticized Australia's current Net Zero 2050 plan calling it a 'fantasy' because ''it assumes future technologies will do the heavy lifting without any effort or investment to bring them about''. The Net Zero 2050 plan has not resulted in much action and needs a major overhaul. The revised plan will be fed by six key economic sectors: 1) electricity and energy, 2) industry, 3) the built environment, 4) agriculture and land, 5) transport, and 6) resources. A step change in policy in the six economic sectors is necessary if we are to be successful. New information on innovations must be woven into decision making and used collaboratively. What's more, knowledge needs to be shared in a way that is accessible to those who need it in a timely manner. Competitors need to find ways to work together, to share knowledge through lessons learned, and make these resources readily available in the spirit of collaboration. ‘’Why are we still using concrete for everything? Why haven't we started looking at other products and using those other products in a lot of circumstances?'' -Ross Brookshaw, Sustainability Manager, Infrastructure Sector. The yellow brick road The road ahead is a challenging one and Infrastructure needs to navigate towards net zero and achieve the SDGs in less than 82 months. There is an urgency for coordination towards significant step change in the design and governance of large infrastructure projects if we are to achieve our vision of success together. A balance of performance-based targets, clear KPIs that allow back casting from a long-term vision of success is also important. KPIs must be flexible enough to adjust for new technologies on the road towards success. Specifications are important for obvious reasons, but innovation for better performance is important too. A revaluation of performance-based targets should be considered in Australia. In stark comparison, targets based on performance in commercial buildings are widely used in the UK. So why not here? A shift in mindset ''Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expect different results''. -Einstein If we are willing to change our mindset, share the knowledge and also share the risk of new technologies between all the stakeholders, it is possible to perhaps even take a quantum leap. People who are financially invested in the old ways of thinking and building infrastructure are being challenged to change. Change is uncomfortable but it's time to be courageous, focus on innovative solutions and choose the road less travelled. Investment in new technologies is critical and therefore innovation should flexible enough to keep the sector moving forward. Leaders need to consider the trade-offs and make the approval process more forgiving so we can move faster even if that means taking risks. There is also value in learning by failing fast and risks can be calculated by scientific methods with high degrees of agility and confidence. Is there a compass? How will the sector navigate across so much complexity and get different results? Where is the compass and who knows how to use it? One area Minister Bowen did not mention as part of the Net Zero 2050 plan overhaul is investment in education. Investment in education in sustainable development and design via a whole system thinking approach to decision making at all levels of the system is one of the keys. Making sure the right people are in the room early in the design phase is critical. Notice who is not in the room and make sure they have a voice. Having enough educated and skilled engineers is the biggest challenge. Engineering universities in Australia need to rebrand engineering to attract leaders, of all genders, cultures, experience and ages into the engineering profession and welcome them as valuable multidisciplinary systems thinkers and designers. Under Romilly Madew's leadership, Engineers Australia is focusing on rebranding engineering and aggressively promoting gender equality and diverse engineering roles for women. They are actively promoting the science subjects of STEM, such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics for boys and girls as early as possible at school, as the interest in engineering needs to start there. ''There is just so many different areas of engineering and we know the younger generation want to make a difference. We know that that's what's really a burning platform for them''. -Romilly Madew, AO FTSE HonFIEAustis, CEO of Engineers Australia When bright people are inspired, have the education and freedom to think they will naturally make different decisions that are strategically matched to the performance expectations suitable for the infrastructure of 21st century. Then we will know we have taken the right road and have the compass to guide us on an exciting journey. One we all want to be on together. Authored by Johanne Gallagher, VinZero Sustainability Development Advisor ANZ. More information about how VinZero can help https://youtu.be/INdtcEx8bWA VinZero and its partners support the delivery of energy efficiency for the Built Environment. Contact VinZero For technical support and further information please contact our global team here. About VinZero For over 20 years the brands under VinZero have been providing software solutions and professional services to Architectural, Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing industries helping them to understand the role of digitalization for the built environment. Businesses both large and small utilize VinZero’s dedicated industry experts to help navigate technologies as they emerge, driving efficiency and improving workflows. With a global focus on reducing emissions and increased focus directed towards industry, VinZero are now turning their attention to providing the linkages between using technology to digitize, and at the same time leveraging the valuable data insights it brings to build more sustainably. VinZero are passionate about helping their customers understand how the technologies they use today can help them to step towards net zero in the future, to build a better world.

Anne Kovachevich is a Foresight Practitioner and seasoned Sustainability Practitioner and leads the sustainable development of buildings and precincts at Mott MacDonald. Combining an engineering background with 25 years in sustainable building design, Anne is passionate about Futures Thinking which has evolved past setting a Vision for sustainability to guiding the process of navigating strategically towards that vision through all possible uncertainties. Anne discusses a Futures Thinking framework for how the various systems can strategically evolve together in the built environment at precinct scale. The Futures Thinking framework integrates design for efficiency in the built environment of energy, water, food, and transport to suit different community needs in precincts. To hear more about how the application of the framework can accelerate sustainable design into the future. Click here to listen now

The transition to a sustainable real asset investment sector is imperative. GRESB are driving this transition by providing the industry, property companies, fund managers and infrastructure companies with the data insight and tools needed to make better decisions for their investors and shareholders. Join in the conversation with Ruben Langbroek, head of GRESB Asia Pacific shares how data is being used to drive improvements, positive behaviour, and proactive engagement towards a better Built Environment. Click here to listen now

Acquisition of Pointscene by ARKANCE July 3 2023 On July 3rd, 2023, ARKANCE - subsidiary of MONNOYEUR - acquired Pointscene, a Helsinki-based software development company, specialized in providing digital tools addressing the critical challenges associated with the constant change of construction projects. By leveraging Pointscene’s advanced technology, ARKANCE expands it solution portfolio to empower construction professionals with tools that help them seamlessly adapt to project changes and react to situations with confidence. Partner to Build Smarter "Our Ambition is to be the trusted parner in our customers' digital tranformation by enabling them to balance results and profitability"Gregoire Arranz, CEO, ARKANCE. This acquisition aligns with the ARKANCE strategy to provide the best-fit solutions to support its clients on their digitalization journey. ARKANCE delivers innovative, data driven solutions (products, and services) to support profitable, sustainable, and quality project outcomes for its clients including Building and Earthmoving Contractors, Design Offices, Infrastructure Owners, and Mine and Quarry Operators. Expanding our software production business Gregoire ARRANZ, CEO of ARKANCE says: “I am very excited to welcome the team of Pointscene into our ARKANCE Group to join our software development team. By acquiring Pointscene, we extend our data management capabilities with solutions, adding pointclouds calculation and analysis functions to our publication and viewer tools. With these expanded capabilities, we will enable our customers running infrastructure construction projects to simplify the data exchange between engineers and site operators, facilitating confident interpretation, communication and data-driven decision-making.” Transforming the landscape of digital construction Lauri HARTIKAINEN of Pointscene says: "We are thrilled to announce that Pointscene is now extending its reach globally as a part of the ARKANCE Group. With our proven track record in the Nordics enabling construction projects to finish ahead of schedule and with improved financial outcomes, our solutions are now set to supercharge construction projects on a multinational scale. Now we will accelerate the achieved results with a shared vision and strategy. By integrating our technology with the ARKANCE valued product and service portfolio, we’re able to offer a unique solution to improve productivity and sustainability goals in any construction project. Through the network of ARKANCE clients worldwide can now leverage our innovative tools to streamline progress monitoring, drive overall efficiency and reduce carbon footprints in their projects. This global expansion marks a truly exciting new chapter in Pointscene’s journey.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About POINTSCENE Pointscene is a Finnish technology company, established in 2014, providing digital tools for infrastructure construction. Pointscene helps its customers to increase productivity and sustainability of their worksites and projects. Pointscene provides intelligent, yet simple tools for construction site managers and employees to interact with relevant data for everyday work planning, earthworks progress monitoring and in communication with project stakeholders. www.pointscene.com About ARKANCE ARKANCE has a mission to lead the Manufacturing and Construction industries in digital transformation. By partnering with global technology leaders and developing complementary IP solutions, ARKANCE optimizes its customers projects through all phases of the life cycle. Its 1200 strong network of experts across 18 countries have a deep knowledge of the challenges faced by industry and a passion to develop and deliver solutions responsibly and economically.www.arkance.net About VinZero With offices across USA, UK, EMEA, ANZ and India VinZero, an ARKANCE company, inspire the Architectural, Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing industries to design, build and solve more effectively using data insights. Providing software solutions and professional services globally. VinZero helps organizations achieve both profitability and purpose. VinZero’s dedicated industry experts provide modular or full end to end consulting to drive best in class project, product utilization and workflow collaboration outcomes. VinZero’s solution discovery process applies a ‘Think Future’ methodology to digitalization and central data environments, enabling customers to integrate seamlessly, onboard easily, and maintain project momentum and profitability as they do so. VinZero believes data is the new currency for achieving net zero and is committed to helping industry reduce waste, improve efficiency, and deliver sustainable building, and design practices through data insights to build a better world. www.vinzero.com

NYC architect, Esther Sperber founded Studio ST Architects in 2003 to focus on sustainable, innovative and responsible design. Combining leading technologies with evolving environmentally friendly design and production methods to revitalise our Built Environment. As clients drive demand for open spaces, communal spaces for collaboration and celebration, and spaces for green enjoyment, ST Studio are responding with functional designs making everything old new again. With a trend for simplicity in both design and material choices, ST Studio are leading the way combining exceptional designs with responsible material choices as their clients seek to return to more nature-based settings that provide a sense of health and wellness for mind and body. Click here to listen now

Romilly Madew AO FTSE HonFIEAustis Engineers Australia Chief Executive Officer and has a remarkable track record in shaping the Built Environment landscape. Notably, Romilly was previously CEO for the Green Building Council of Australia for an impressive 13 years and in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Australia's sustainable building movement, she was honoured with an Order of Australia award. Today, Romilly is spearheading a rebranding revolution for Australia's Engineering profession as it faces the largest ever pipeline of work amidst skill shortages. Join in the conversation as we explore this critical rebrand initiative and its ability to address the challenges whilst capitalizing on the opportunities that lie ahead for one of the most in-demand professions in our Built Environment future. Click here to listen now

Dr Florian Graichen is an Honorary Professor at the University of Waikato in the School of Engineering and is General Manager for Scion a crown research Institute in New Zealand where he specilaizes in Bioproducts and Biomanufacturing Areas including the portfolios covering high value Biorefineries, Distributed and Circular Manufacturing, Bioproducts and packaging and Integrated Bioenergy. Join in the conversation as we discuss how these activities are directed at solving new product and process challenges and opportunities that arise through transition to a Circular Bioeconomy. Click here to listen now

Karen Chovan is a tailings risk and impact management specialist, and CEO of Enviro Integration Strategies Inc. A geological engineer with 25 years of experience in mine waste management, Karen is deeply passionate about fostering collaboration between mine operators, their suppliers, and the communities in which they operate. Karens objective is to help mines optimize the value of the minerals extracted, mitigate and reduce waste throughout the process, and regenerate and reinvent sites at end of life to maintain the economic progress for the impacted communities. Karen's company Enviro Integration Strategies is sparking a mine waste revolution, aimed at reducing the risk of costly and hazardous mining waste failures. Click here to listen now

In 1994 Interface founded its mission zero initiative with a goal to reduce the company's environmental impacts to 0 by 2020 over the last 29 years achieving a 76% reduction in carbon footprint for its products. Today the goal is to move beyond mission zero to becoming a restorative enterprise and to be carbon negative by 2040. Join the conversation as Aiden Mullen shares the journey so far and the focus for what’s next. Click here to listen now