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building a sustainable future 16/10/2008 Renowned architect and Founding Partner of Make, Ken Shuttleworth, was the latest high-profile speaker to inspire the invited guests at the Birmingham offices of law firm Martineau. Ken is a strong advocate of low energy buildings, designed as much to delight as they do function and is passionate in his dislike of the modern propensity for 'glass boxes'. Glass covered buildings are not only a problem for the environment with the increased energy they require to heat and cool them, and contribute significantly to increased CO2 emissions but they also deliver privacy issues for the occupants; as a consequence the window blind is more popular than ever.
Sustainability was a common thread throughout the presentation and Ken believes it must be on the drawing board from the start and not added as a 'greenwash' at the end of the process. When asked about the acceptance by developers of the increased cost of sustainable building, Ken was quick to respond; "it isn't a question of whether the extra cost can be afforded, it is simpler than that; for the future of our planet we can not afford, not to design and construct sustainable buildings."
Martineau partner, Paul Mountain, head of the Construction Team said of the event, "we are pleased to be able to attract speakers of Ken's stature, it is an endorsement of the quality of work we are involved in; he is a champion for sustainable building and it's something we understand very clearly here at Martineau. On a personal note, it's good to see a Birmingham born man responsible for designing such an iconic building as the Cube in his home town."
For further information please contact Paul Mountain on
paul.mountain@martineau-uk.com
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