Green transitions in the built environment

About the project

The project was conducted by Colin Gleeson, Linda Clarke and Melahat Sahin-Dikmen. The study was conducted as part of the Canadian research programme Adapting Canadian Workplaces – An International Perspective (ACW), $47,000, 2016–2018.

The project seeks to: 

  • identify barriers to the successful participation of the workforce in developing pathways to low carbon construction
  • examine the current and potential role of unions in advancing the process of greening the built environment
  • analyse the workforce implications of policy tools, such as energy efficiency targets, building codes and contract procurement requirements in facilitating the transition to low carbon construction
  • research the role of workers and the organisations that represent them in implementing specific, innovative low carbon projects, which can serve as models for wider application in the building industry

The aim is to broaden and deepen the work currently underway by systematically capturing different built environment interventions, whether these take the form of practices, proposals, agreements or policy measures and to identify where ACW resources need to be focused to extend the scope of coverage. Up to seven interventions were investigated in depth, drawn European countries representative of different forms of capitalism: Denmark (Scandinavian), Italy (Mediterranean), Germany (Rhineland) and United Kingdom (Anglo-Saxon). Each of these regions differ in a variety of ways, including in terms of their industrial relations systems, energy requirements, vocational education and training (VET) systems and labour markets. 

Contact

For further information, email:

Outputs

Read the final report for Green Transitions in the Built Environment: Europe.

Read the working paper on City Building Glasgow: an inspirational model of low energy social housing and public building production.