Page 20 - Spaces Magazine Volume 1

· 20 · Vol 0ne ® The success of any business or organisation is critically dependent on its ability to be perceived as fair and appropriate in its dealings with all individuals it affects. This perception of fairness is essential for garnering the support and trust of stakeholders, which include consumers, employees, and community neighbours, on local, national, and global scales. The ‘S’ in ESG refers to these social commitments, which effectively endow an organisation with the social license it needs to operate. The World Green Building Council has split this segment further into 4 scopes that better explain the relationships a business has with its surrounding environment. These scopes range from internal practices to community impacts and supply chain considerations. The framework aims to integrate social considerations with environmental goals, providing an action plan to enhance social impact at all stages of the building lifecycle. Scope 0: Entity & internal practices This examines the social value from within, such as internal processes, controls and management systems. Are these optimised to reduce inequities? Prioritising health, safety and wellbeing of all employees is how a company meets this need. An example is longevity in the workplace becoming far more common. With later retirements and an aging workforce, having systems in place that improve accessibility and reduce barriers is key. From a smart building perspective, having the connectivity to monitor occupancy data, book desks and a range of spaces for meetings helps promote inclusive working. Scope 1: Building users & site Environments impact peoples mental and physical health. Smart buildings integrate sensors and state of the art construction to enhance aspects of the building environment including indoor air quality, acoustics, lighting and ergonomics. These all play a critical role in safeguarding user and workers’ health and wellbeing. Scope 2: Community & surroundings Neighbourhoods sharing proximity to buildings are the most impacted. Redevelopment of the local area is not always a net positive. It can lead to land dispossession and the displacement of long standing communities. Historically, little consideration was given to this strata, leading to real housing insecurity in inner cities across the world. With the transition to green energy, there are real world implications to people working in non-renewable sectors. Buildings must take into account the wider impact their decisions are going to have and ensure delivering an equitable outcome. Engagement is key from the earliest opportunity to facilitate these transitions with minimal disturbance. Smart Spaces ESG in smart buildings; what the S? By Omer Sharif Smart Spaces Trillion dollar projects carving lines into sand and intelligent buildings warping to your needs... In this space, it’s easy to get lost in the headlines. Underneath the surface there are systemic risk factors spanning every sector, that if left unaddressed, have been marked as serious threats to entire pipelines. Efforts to abate these risks has led to investors demanding ESG adoption. To that end, almost all publicly traded companies now put out ESG reports. Simultaneously, there is a burgeoning understanding that environmental actions and social outcomes are profoundly interconnected. Whilst environmental and governance components can be clearly understood when it comes to the built environment, understanding and reporting on the ‘S’ taxonomy remains a challenge. Inequality is increasingly recognised as a fundamental risk to the resilience of business models, operational frameworks, and value chains.