March-April 2012

rics.org/journals

Building Surveying Journal

Incorporating the Building Conservation Journal

The social media edition

• BS experiences • links with traditional marketing •
• myths and benefits • measuring influence • legal issues •

In this edition of the Building Conservation Journal

• solar panel case study • historic pubs • conservation and social media •
For display advertising contact Lucie Inns +44 (0)20 7871 2906 or [email protected]

The BCIS Newsletter

All the latest –
straight to your desktop! GREENER HOMES COSTING LESS
Building homes to greener standards is getting cheaper each year, according to a new report published by
the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Read more...

The BCIS Newsletter delivers all the latest industry CONSULTING SUFFERS IN RECESSION
The latest report by the MCA has found that both public
BCIS ONLINE FEATURED ANALYSIS
The latest BCIS Online featured project, submitted by

news and insight straight to your desktop – and private sectors have reduced their expenditure on
consultants during the present recession.
Read more...
Pick Everard, is analysis number 25859, the recently
completed Chapel at Crownhill Crematorium.
Read more...

10 times a year.
Compiled by industry professionals it keeps you in
touch with current topics. It will introduce you to
comprehensive products and services from the UK’s
leading provider of building cost information.

Discover more – FREE – now.

You can’t lead, without the latest information
To register email: [email protected]

BCIS is the Building Cost Information Service of

N
IT IO
W ED
NE

The complete
It is packed full of easy-to-access,
comprehensive and up-to-the-minute
technical and legal guidance. It

Watts what covers all aspects of property and

construction. For 2012, it features a

of property and host of extensive new or improved

sections, including:

construction •
•
•
Insurance
Biology and bat surveys
Office relocation and fit-out
• Knowledge management and BIM
The latest, 28th edition of the So this 2012 edition completely
Watts Pocket Handbook 2012 replaces your old Watts Pocket
Handbook. Make sure you are giving
tells industry professionals your clients advice based on the
and students what’s what. latest, most accurate information
available – order your copy now.

Order today for just £27.95 Register to receive your FREE

Call +44 (0)870 333 1600 bi-monthly Watts e-bulletin - visit:
or visit www.ricsbooks.com www.watts.co.uk/publications

2 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 Contents
Building Surveying Journal – March-April 2012

5 Look in the mirror

Building surveying is hugely undervalued, says Blogging

Matthew Clare, so why are some building surveyors

still willing to cut their fees to win a job?

6 Be part of the conversation

Microblogs
Social Sharing

Jaclyn Dunstan outlines why social media is Media

important to RICS and how the institution is 8
using it to engage with members Networking Discussions

7 Digest
8 Stand out from the crowd
Don’t have the time for social media? Does it
all feel too scary? Mike Ames dispels the myths
18 A balancing act
Businesses can reap enormous benefits from
surrounding social media and offers a plan for social media, says Kate Hodgkiss, but balancing
overcoming three business challenges these with the plethora of risks requires forethought
and planning
10 A social business
Social media is working its way into many areas
of our business lives, so we asked some building
20 Connect and engage
Les Pickford talks to social media expert Thomas
surveyors how they use social media and how they Power about why surveyors should increase their
harness its power online engagement and how they can measure
their success
14 Legal briefs
Continuing her series of articles explaining 21 Why BSs are suited to managing
legal terms, Vivien King looks at what ‘electronic projects
documents’ are and the relevance placed on them The profession’s technical skills are ideal for
in the Civil Procedure Rules specialising in project management, says Daniel
Henn, and there are increasing opportunities
16 Oiling the marketing cogs out there
Cemanthe Harries and James Kelly show how to
link social media to existing marketing strategies
and how 15 minutes a day can make a difference
22 On the retrofit radar
There are increasing vacancy rates in Melbourne’s
low-grade office stock, says Sara Wilkinson, but
16 her research shows these buildings hold potential
Offer special for sustainable retrofits
deals exclusively
Sales and advertising
through your social
media channels
24 Championing the green cause
Many building products still do not have solid ‘green’
Have your social URLs credentials, says Catharine Bull, but the Alliance for
on your business cards, Sustainable Building Products aims to change this
Business stationery
brochures and
email signature
25 A defining problem
Practical completion has always been contentious
After the event, invite
people to join you on and a source of much debate. Duncan Salmon
Networking
LinkedIn, keep in delves deeper in his third article on contract
touch regularly
administration

Editor: Les Pickford T +44 (0)20 7695 1632 [email protected] Editorial Advisory Group: Gary Blackman (Malcolm Hollis), Alan Cripps (RICS), Matthew
Lown (Tuffin Ferraby Taylor), Peter Miller (William Martin & Partners), Gillian Murray (The Landmark Trust), Trevor Rushton (Watts and Partners) and Kevin
Woudman (AKD Consulting) Editorial and production manager: Toni Gill Sub-editor: Rita Som Advertising: Lucie Inns T +44 (0) 20 7871 2906
[email protected] Designed and printed by: Annodata Print Services Published by: The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Parliament
Square, London SW1P 3AD T +44 (0)870 333 1600 www.rics.org ISSN: 1750-1032 (Print) 1759-3387 (Online) Front Cover: © iStockphoto.com/Paul Bartlett
While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all content in the journal, RICS will have no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content. The views
expressed in the journal are not necessarily those of RICS. RICS cannot accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of the content and the opinions
expressed in the journal, or by any person acting or refraining to act as a result of the material included in the journal. All rights in the journal, including full copyright or publishing right,
content and design, are owned by RICS, except where otherwise described. Any dispute arising out of the journal is subject to the law and jurisdiction of England and Wales. Crown
copyright material is reproduced under the Open Government Licence v1.0 for public sector information: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence
For display advertising contact Lucie Inns +44 (0)20 7871 2906 or [email protected]

w w w . s o u t h s u r v e y . c o. u k

Guaranteed best prices

Ring now or Visit our website to see our full product range
GStar CAD is a reliable and powerful CAD
package Compatible with AutoCAD Work is
saved in DWG format. The software can be
licensed to a USB dongle for use on multiple
computers for an extra £30.00.
2D version Equivalent to CADLT…
Only £299
The Professional version equivalent to full
3D AutoCAD… at a fraction of the price…
Only £399

The recordable FLIR i3, i5 & FLIR i7 THERMAL IMAGING

CAMERAS
Wireless inspection FLIR i3, i5/i7 are the smallest, lightest and most
camera affordable thermal imaging cameras on the market.
Incredibly easy to use and needs no experience.
3.5" TFT-LCD wireless monitor It really is a matter of “Point-shoot-detect” to obtain
with rechargeable li-battery high quality thermal images that will instantly give
includes 2Gb Micro SD card you the thermal information you need.
1m flexible extendable tube FROM £895 + VAT
9mm diameter head
Only £ 185.00

Detect hidden problems, make quick damage assessments and

perform preventative inspections. Identify energy losses and poor
insulation. Spot electrical faults before it is too late. Produce instant
thermal images of your findings
Create reports analyse and document your findings with the easy to
use software

NATIONAL NEXT DAY DELIVERY

If you find any product within our range cheaper
elsewhere, we'll match the price, guaranteed!

Tel: 01200 429870

evonshires
ZVSPJP[VYZ
Construction Team

Subsidence problem?
We have the answer
Subsidence is becoming a common problem, particularly with
the increasingly dry summers in the UK. If you need to know:
t
How to remedy damage caused by subsidence
t
How to deal with claims to an insurer
t
Whether you can make a claim for damage caused to property by subsidence
t
How to defend a claim for damage caused by subsidence
Our experienced team of specialist construction solicitors can help.
Your first consultation with us is FREE.

For further information please contact either:

Kathryn Parkes Mark London
Solicitor Partner
020 7065 1842 020 7880 4271
[email protected] [email protected]

Devonshires’ Construction Team www.devonshires.com [email protected]

4 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

FromLook
theinChairman
the mirror
Building surveying is hugely undervalued, says Matthew Clare, so why are some
building surveyors still willing to cut their fees to win a job?

hope that you will enjoy this month’s BSJ which VeloPark for the Olympics. Plus, Dennis Turner

I is themed around social media and how it can be

used by building surveyors (if there was a paper
version of the “like” button available, it would be right
of HSBC will give the economic update.
Finally, may I climb onto my soap box to raise
the subject of professional fees, which I touched
here). I expect there is much that can be learned by upon at the hugely enjoyable Building Surveying
all of us. Annual Dinner in November. It is my view, which
Whatever your view on the place of social media I know many of you share, that our profession is
(within my own practice opinion is divided) it appears hugely undervalued – but we need to look in the
to be here to stay (until something new comes mirror first, before looking to our clients.
along). In the corner of our office is a rarely used
fax machine and I recall vividly when facsimile was Value ourselves
‘new technology’ and we all wondered how we I particularly dislike the notion that, rather like bees
had ever survived without it. Now, facsimile and in a hive, we work our whole young lives (school
to an extent ‘the post’ are rendered redundant by and university) to get to the point where we can
email. However, I read recently that email traffic has work for the rest of our adult lives. For many of us
peaked worldwide because the likes of Facebook in our forties and fifties, the ‘retirement’ bar seems
and Twitter are now increasingly used for business to be moving upwards with every year that we work.
and commercial communications. Until social media These are not good times, but I believe we are

Why do our is replaced by the next ‘big thing’, we should ensure

that we understand it and consider using it to our
making it worse for ourselves.
We should take pride in what we do and ensure

fees compare best advantage.

This BSJ includes articles on social media myths,
collectively that we get paid a fair price for it. Why,
though, do our fees compare so unfavourably with
business benefits, legal risks and how it links with the hourly rates that solicitors remain able to charge?
so unfavourably traditional forms of marketing. RICS is very active in Why have their fees not dropped through the current
this area (see page 6); for example, it has created a downturn? It’s because they value themselves highly,
with the hourly Building Surveying group on LinkedIn and members know their own worth and would never dream of
should join this group to exchange information, views cutting their fee levels in half to win an instruction.
rates that and ideas on items of interest. However, the same cannot be said for building
surveyors, as there always seems to be someone
solicitors remain Annual conference willing to quote fees that are less than what it surely
We are now getting close to the 2012 Building costs them to deliver work at the requisite standard.
able to charge? Surveying Annual Conference on 19 April, and I hope The only possible outcomes are that the surveyor
you will all be aware of the change in venue to the makes a loss or cuts corners in some way. Either
Grange Tower Bridge Hotel. Our speaker line-up is way, this cannot be serving the best interests of
looking very strong and we have reinstated ‘break- the customer.
out’ sessions to ensure we provide cutting-edge I implore us all to think carefully when quoting fees.
content that is of interest and relevance to as many I am all for competition, but let’s be realistic and fair
of our members as possible. The price has been to one another – otherwise we will all lose out in the
frozen too and, as well as helping with your CPD long term.
hours, we will have several gaps throughout the
day for networking.
Graham North of Anstey Horne will chair the day
for us as well as providing a break-out session on
neighbourly matters. The other confirmed speakers
Matthew Clare is the Chairman of the
include; Anthony Burd of the DCLG who will provide
Building Surveying Professional Group
a Building Regulations update; Louise Brooke-Smith,
[email protected]
RICS Vice President and Director of Brooke Smith
Planning Consultants giving an update on Planning
matters; John Simpson of Ushida Findlay will cover For more details on the 2012 Building Surveying
2012
the renovation of the St Pancras hotel; while Michael Annual Conference, visit www.rics.org/bsconf2012
Taylor of Hopkins will present his work on the

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 5

Social media – RICS actions
© iS
to c kp
ho
t o.
co
m
/C

Be part of the
hr
is
Le
m

m
en
s
conversation
Jaclyn Dunstan outlines why social media is
important to RICS and how the institution is
using it to engage with members

ocial media platforms facilitate social interactions. Just as LinkedIn

S websites were a novel concept 15 years ago, it is already

considered strange for brands to not have a social media
presence through which customers and stakeholders are freely
The RICS Group on LinkedIn is one of the organisation’s great social-
media success stories. With over 15,000 members, the Group is open
to all property professionals and provides a platform for intelligent
discussing their experiences of that brand. While the property debate and knowledge sharing among peers. Recent discussions
industry has not been the quickest to catch on to the importance include sharing advice for marketing a small practice, whether Britain’s
of social media, it is definitely gaining momentum. houses are over-priced, and if rising damp really exists. Find out more
by searching for ‘RICS’ under Groups at www.linkedin.com.
Why is social media important to RICS?
Firstly, because surveyors have always been great at networking, and
RICS has always played a role in facilitating this. And social media
applications are essentially ways to network, just on a digital platform. Brand reputation management
The more RICS can do to help members reach each other, to share
best practice and develop their businesses, the better. is no longer a luxury and social
Secondly, it’s an excellent way for RICS to connect with its members
and gain feedback. For example, Twitter is a quick way of connecting media offers easy ways for
with all our audiences and communicating everything RICS is doing
across the organisation. We’ve had several members say it’s now members to keep track of what
the main way they receive news and updates from RICS. And the
feedback is monitored – I pass on comments, both good and bad, is being said about them online
to the relevant staff and departments, and follow up on any changes
made as a result.
The platforms also allow me to keep an eye on traffic metrics so if
something sparks a lot of interest we can promote it further via our YouTube
other communication channels or see if it’s something we can provide RICS is doing increasing video work to reach all our audiences. Video
more of in the future. It is brilliant to have that real-time data on what is is such a rich media and, done well, it is unrivalled in the powerful
being clicked on and to be able to easily pass that insight on. messages it can deliver. RICS has built a healthy library of videos
Social media platforms are also an excellent way for members to covering subjects from corporate social responsibility and what
increase their exposure. Members can use them to publicise who they happened at the most recent Governing Council, to what chartered
are and what they do, and connect with potential clients and other built surveyors do and what the organisation is about for those considering
environment professionals. Brand reputation management is no longer becoming a member. We are also starting to film key conferences and
a luxury and social media offers easy ways for members to keep track events for those who are unable to attend in person. See the RICS
of what is being said about them online, good and bad, and provides videos at www.youtube.com/user/ricsmediacentre.
them the opportunity to join the conversation. Platforms such as Twitter
are probably the quickest and most efficient way of staying on top of RICS also has blogs covering everything from external affairs to dispute
breaking industry news, while LinkedIn provides amazing opportunities resolution, a Flickr account to share photos from events, a Facebook
to ask peers for advice. page, and an in-house communities platform dedicated to specific
areas of practice, such as building surveying. To find out more about
Popular platforms any of these platforms visit www.rics.org/socialmedia.
Twitter
With nearly 15,000 followers and appearing on over 400 lists,
the RICS Twitter account is a well-respected source of RICS and
industry information. An exciting recent development is the list of Jaclyn Dunstan is the RICS Corporate &
chartered surveyors – RICS members and firms can Tweet us to be Member Communications Manager
added to the ‘surveyorsontwitter’ list which is steadily growing and now [email protected]
has around 440 members. Users can subscribe to the list and see
instantly what chartered surveyors all over the world are Tweeting about.
Related competencies include: Mandatory
Find out more at www.twitter.com/RICSnews. See the list of Tweeting
surveyors at www.twitter.com/RICSnews/surveyorsontwitter.

6 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 Digest

APC – are you prepared?

The Building Surveying Professional Group has
BCIS BIM In
analysed previous APC results, which highlight that a
number of candidates, particularly those taking the
interview for the first time, are not always prepared.
survey update
In 2011, BCIS undertook a survey of UK and
brief…
APC preparation should ideally use a range of US RICS members on their use of Building The NHBC Foundation in
sources, for example: support from your organisation Information Modelling (BIM). It analysed the collaboration with the Zero
(e.g. your mentor), CPD/APC events, regional APC responses from 96 BSs and 156 QSs. Some Carbon Hub has published
support, using APC coaches, APC training courses, of its key findings for BSs include: Part F 2010 – where to start:
material on the APC (e.g. the APC pathway guide). • 15% using BIM regularly cite linking
an introduction for house
The Professional Group is also continuing the specification clauses to graphic elements builders and designers to
popular It’s your APC event in June, and future as its most common use help house builders and
editions of the BSJ will feature a series of articles • 6% actively assessing BIM tools with a view
designers understand the
specifically on preparing for the APC. to adopting BIM October 2010 Approved
• 3% said they were using BIM regularly
Document F – Ventilation.
Ewan Craig is a Building Surveying Professional Group • 1% invest regularly in BIM training.
www.nhbcfoundation.org
board member for education, accredited courses,
routes to membership and the APC
CoRE, the Centre of
[email protected]
The BCIS survey can be downloaded from Refurbishment Excellence,
bit.ly/RICSBIMsurvey
has opened in Stoke-on-Trent
APC guidance is available from www.rics.org/apc
as a new national centre for
For an overview of BIM, see the Construction sustainable building skills.
and the Building Surveying Pathway Guide from
Journal, Feb-Mar 2012, bit.ly/RICSCJ
bit.ly/RICSBSAPCPathway www.core-skills.com

The latest editions of the EU

issue monitoring documents
RICS at Ecobuild 2012 ExCeL, London, 20-22 March 2012 – stand N420 have been published by RICS
RICS is one of the lead sponsors at Ecobuild, • low-carbon retrofit of the UK housing stock and EU Public Affairs, covering
the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, how surveyors can take up the opportunities Energy and Construction.
construction and the built environment. Discover offered by the Green Deal
the business case for sustainable buildings and • the links between valuation and sustainability.
For more information, email
learn about: Zsolt Toth at [email protected]
• the drivers for improving energy efficiency from
a fiscal and business perspective
2012 For more information, visit www.rics.org/ecobuild
• sustainable retrofit of the UK existing commercial A second addendum to
building stock through the Ska rating accreditation the RICS practice statement
and guidance note Surveyors
acting as expert witnesses is

Online journal subscribers RICS National Building now available to download.

This will be available online

approach 12,000 mark Surveying Conference only and reflects the

implications of the case
19 April 2012, Grange Tower Bridge Hotel, London of Jones v Kaney 2011.
Nearly 12,000 members have
It replaces GN 22: Immunity
signed up to receive their The RICS flagship annual conference for building
of the expert witness.
journals as downloadable surveyors has an outstanding panel of speakers who
pdfs instead of paper will give an update on all aspects from the building
The addendum can be
publications. By changing surveying industry and the challenges it faces. downloaded from
your member preferences The main programme includes the ever popular www.rics.org/guidance
you will receive regular technical ‘break-out’ sessions and is packed full of
email alerts informing inspiring sessions: The Project Management
you when the latest • Ann Minogue, Partner Construction, Ashurst LLP Professional Group will
pdfs of your chosen will be providing an in-depth Legal Update publish its Managing the
journals are available to • Mark Hutchings QC, Barrister, Wilberforce design delivery guidance note
download. While helping Chambers will cover Dilapidations: the latest law in spring 2012 and is working
us to reduce our carbon and practice on guidance for Project
footprint, you will receive the • Terry Northwood, Director, Northwood Collings will funding and Project risk
same technical information but in a format to read cover the duties and responsibilities of the contract management.
online or download. administrator.
For more information,
email Lanh Te, Standards
To change your preferences, visit For the full conference programme, visit
2012 Commissioning Editor, at
www.rics.org/mydetails www.rics.org/bsconf2012
[email protected]

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 7

Social media – Myths and benefits

Stand out from the crowd

Don’t have the time for social media? Does it all feel too scary and techy? Mike Ames dispels the most popular
myths surrounding social media and offers a step-by-step plan for overcoming three business challenges

lot of people think social media is an utter waste of time and 1. make sure your profile is not just an online version of your CV. Write

A refuse to embrace it – which is hardly surprising since popular

uses appear to be publishing ‘zany’ photographs on Facebook
and babbling away on Twitter. This is a shame because although when
your summary in the first person and make sure it describes what you
do, for whom and why. Also, add some applications such as Box.net
and Slideshare to enrich your profile by sharing files, presentations,
used badly social media can burn time quicker than a Mustang in traffic blog posts, etc (look at my profile to see what I mean,
burns 4-star, when used properly it is easily the most powerful business http://uk.linkedin.com/in/mspames)
tool around today. 2. trawl through your clients and make a note of
Social media is a massive and ever-growing collection of internet the groups they are members of. Identify
programs that are easy to use and usually free, such as LinkedIn, the popular ones and apply to join them
Twitter, Wordpress, Facebook, YouTube, Cinch, Bebo, Flickr, etc. They (you will probably be accepted –
allow you to promote your interests, talents and offerings to the world; membership size is a vanity thing
find and connect with others on the same social media tools as you for most group owners)
and filter the overwhelming amount of information available over
the internet. Bloggin

Dispelling the myths

Many people fail to engage with social media because they believe the
myths that have built up around its use. The key is to give it a try and
make your own decisions. Here are the three myths I come across most.

I don’t have any spare time to spend on social media

By investing a few hours a week as described later, you will meet more
Microblogs
Soci
Med
of the right new prospects, stand out from your competitors and add
real value to your contacts in a fraction of the time it would take to
achieve using traditional methods. You probably don’t have enough
spare time not to use it; I know I don’t.

It’s dangerous
As far as people seeing your information is concerned, all the popular Networking
tools like LinkedIn and Facebook have security settings which can
restrict what is shown and to whom. Also, don’t link to your competitors 3. when accepted,
so they can see what you’re doing – a rookie mistake. look at the
Do your staff use social media? You cannot physically stop people group’s
from posting items but you can publish and enforce a robust social members list
media policy. Here’s mine in a nutshell, in case you don’t have one: don’t and invite any
put anything out there you wouldn’t want your boss, team, best client, good client
sharpest competitor or aged mother to see and you’ll be just fine. prospects to connect
based upon the fact you are both in the same group
You have to be young and technically minded 4. email those who accept your invitation thanking them and offer
My mother is 84 and uses Facebook to keep track of her grandchildren something of value such as a “How to” guide or white paper (no
(a fact they forget sometimes with awkward consequences) and she selling, though). You can then convert any that respond to your offer
doesn’t have a technical bone in her body. These tools have been in your usual way.
designed to be intuitive so you don’t need any training to get started
(the platforms usually provide information on this). If you do get stuck I find around an hour a week spent doing this grows my network by
just Google your problem – somebody out there will know what to do. about 10 good quality prospects – since approximately 15% of my
revenue comes from this source I know it works.
Common business uses
These myths also stop people from realising how much they can benefit Standing out from your competitors
from using social media and how it can help them be more efficient at Being able to differentiate yourself from your competitors gives clients a
their normal business development tasks. reason to choose you that isn’t based solely on price. One way to do
this is through your knowledge, opinions and thought-leadership, but
Finding new prospects how should you promote these?
Social media is an effective way of finding and engaging with prospective Blogs are a way of separating you from your competitors (and are
clients. Twitter and Facebook are OK but if you’re B2B then LinkedIn is much more powerful that Tweeting and joining LinkedIn debates), as well
for you. Once registered, try this: as a great way to add value to your contacts. Here are some pointers:

8 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 Social media – Myths and benefits

1. set up a blog account (Wordpress is my favourite); it’s free and easy to

do. Go for a simple name that reflects what you will be blogging about
I find around an hour a week
2. your posts should provide useful insights, information and market
intelligence that your contacts will find useful – it’s a great way to spent [on LinkedIn] grows my
add value
3. people will relate to you more if you write in a colloquial and network by about 10 good quality
friendly style. This can create an ‘e-rapport’ where people don’t
know you but feel they do because they read what you write prospects – since approximately
4. as you build up your library of posts, you can add value
to your contacts by sending them links to relevant posts. 15% of my revenue comes from
This also is a great excuse for making contact
with somebody this source I know it works
ng
2. enter ‘Twitter’ and the name of your best client into Google. If they
Tweet, click through to Twitter and press the “Follow” button. Do this
for all your clients, key contacts and fiercest competitors so you can
see what they’re doing on social media
4. organise the people you follow into lists (this easy in Twitter)

ial Sharing 5. before you contact somebody, spend a few minutes seeing what
they have Tweeted or finding something they would find useful or
interesting. When you follow the right people, you will be astonished

dia
at just how easy this is
es
e Am

6. make the call, but this time you can refer to what they have Tweeted
Mik

or use the old “saw this and thought of you....” line before offering to
©

email over a link to some interesting video, article, blog or white paper.

If you have an iPad, download the Flipboard app which will present all
Discussions this information in an easy to read magazine format.

5. create a reputation as an Summary

expert in your field through your My advice is to start small by exploring the tools and uses we have
blog content. I’ve been invited to discussed and then branch out on your own. How about this for a plan:
write magazines articles, speak at 1. create or spruce up your LinkedIn profile by adding some applications
events and even start a joint venture all and making your summary more descriptive, then join some groups
because my blog promotes me as a sales expert 2. create yourself a Wordpress blog and start writing. The more you
6. write lots of relevant and ‘value added’ posts, i.e. give write the better you’ll become and the higher profile you will have
people something for nothing. Blogs create lots of ‘Google juice’ and 3. reserve your Twitter account name, build up a list of useful people
will help raise your profile with search engines (try putting “Mike Ames” to follow and then become a lurker.
into Google – most of the first page is me, mostly because of the
amount of blog posts I have written). Even though we have only scratched the surface, I hope that you can
begin to see how a properly organised and focused use of social media
Having a reason to make contact can help you do more for less.
It’s time to give one of your contacts a call, but what is there to say?
Enquiring after their family or football team or the old “how’s business”
becomes lame after a while. Well, here’s an alternative and it stems Further information
from Twitter. To get more out of LinkedIn or Twitter, download the free guides from
www.flair.co.uk
Over 90% of people on Twitter never Tweet: they either do nothing
or are ‘lurkers’ and restrict their usage to following other people. So
Mike Ames is a Sales Consultant at Flair Coaching
I suggest you become one. Lurking is a great way to compress the
[email protected]
bewildering expanse of information out there into a manageable
amount that you can use, so follow this plan:
1. register your Twitter address and it’s yours for keeps. Unless it’s your
Related competencies include: Mandatory
own company I would restrict it to your name and possibly what you
do, e.g. Fred_Bloggs_Surveyor

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 9

Social media – Surveyor experiences

A social business
A selection of building surveyors explain why using social
media appeals to them and how they harness its power

ooking through the RICS list of surveyors on Twitter (see

L page 6) it was easy to see that building surveyors featured

highly. And what better way to understand how they are
using social media than to contact them via Twitter?
The responses highlight some common themes about
how social media is being used: to increase profile and brand
recognition, find new contacts and develop business relationships,
communicate and receive industry news, and use contacts to find

ya
solutions to problems. And all of this is at no cost other than the

to
on
om
time invested.

cc
o
While the direct benefits can sometimes be hard to quantify (isn’t this /r
c om
t o.
the case with all networking?) most surveyors felt that social media was ho
kp
oc
an ideal platform for networking that was leading to a higher profile, an iS t
©
increased circle of contacts and, ultimately, more business.

Les Pickford, Editor, Building Surveying Journal

Twitter @lespickford

Bob Thompson Andrew Waller

Twitter @remitbt Twitter @remitaw

Which social media platforms do you use? team online. Because it makes new information easier to read,
Twitter and LinkedIn are the main platforms used by Remit, it also reduces the stress of having to deal with a mountain of
but we’re always experimenting with different ones. Currently, email – many emails simply replicate the news on Twitter and
Google+ looks interesting. so can be deleted.
LinkedIn is probably the most structured and business-like – Social media also makes it easier to find answers to complex
there are many property-relevant discussion groups highlighting problems – the discussion groups on LinkedIn are particularly
lots of useful information. Twitter is a very useful way of posting useful for getting the latest thinking on property topics. By
thoughts and sending information to the team – because it links definition, the groups are also full of experts who like giving
to LinkedIn and other sites, it is a very efficient way for a message the benefit of their knowledge.
to appear in lots of places.
Any specific examples of successes?
How active are you? While it is difficult to pin down specific instructions gained as
We are pretty active as shown by our PeerIndex ratings – Bob’s a result of social media, our list of followers (Bob has 115,
is 46, Andrew’s is 37 (see page 20). That corresponds to three or Andrew has 774) is growing all the time and it is undoubtedly
four Tweets per day but we also comment on LinkedIn and other a contributing factor.
portals from time to time. When at industry events, it is becoming increasingly common
to be asked about, or applauded for, particular Tweets; and on
What are the business benefits to you? several occasions Tweets have led to more in-depth telephone
Brand recognition is a significant benefit, personally and for conversations about a subject.
the company, but it is easy to overlook the enhanced flow of
information that they provide. I estimate that around half the
useful information coming across my desk is from Twitter. LinkedIn Bob Thompson is a Director and Andrew Waller a Partner at
has such critical mass that if you need to know a contact at a Remit Consulting. They were the joint lead authors on The Role
company, it is the first port of call as you’re likely to find the whole of Social Media in Commercial Property information paper*

10 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 Social media – Surveyor experiences

David Soper
Twitter @David_Soper
Nick Rowling
Which social media platforms do you use? Twitter @harrowllp
I use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter – Facebook is a purely
social tool. I utilise LinkedIn to stay in touch with business
contacts and potential new clients. LinkedIn is useful for Which social media platforms do you use?
monitoring changes in employment and accessing group Predominately Twitter. This is well received as a business
discussions. tool in addition to being a social media platform. It’s a
Twitter’s beauty lies in its simplicity. You can decide who great way of keeping up to date with current affairs and
to follow and as each Tweet is 140 characters max it means relevant industry issues. We would suggest that Twitter is
that information is succinct, direct and timely. Also, the by far the quickest way of obtaining breaking news, industry
information you want comes to you, e.g. I can follow a trends, etc.
journalist or news organisation rather than go to a website
or buy a newspaper. The fact that Twitter is ‘open’ and How active are you?
anybody can follow you is a key draw. Pellings uses Twitter Perhaps not as active as we should be: however, work
and employees are encouraged to register with LinkedIn. commitments can often restrict access to Twitter. We
Facebook is currently not considered appropriate for encourage our staff try to review Tweets on a daily basis
our business. from the people and groups we follow.

How active are you? What are the business benefits to you?
I average 2-3 posts or Tweets a day across all platforms At the completion of each project, we engage a film
(excluding Direct Messages). Pellings Tweets about 2-3 company to produce case study videos that detail the
times per week. I have 70 followers, Pellings has over 130. project and highlight our service provision. Twitter and
It is important to maintain follower interest and those Tweeting links are a great way of enabling our films to reach
who relentlessly promote their business alone can become a wider business community. Twitter has helped increase
tiresome so another advantage of Twitter is the ability to our brand awareness, search engine optimisation and the
easily ‘unfollow’ someone. general public perception of us. We have found that
prospective clients can also find out about our company
What are the business benefits to you? through Twitter through our Tweets and third-party
The main benefit is a raised personal and business profile at ‘mentions’. The home page of our website shows the
no cost. The direct benefits are hard to quantify but indirect latest Harrow Tweet and the RSS feed from the RICS.
‘soft’ marketing benefits can be achieved; for example,
sharing industry knowledge may raise the profile of an Any specific examples of successes?
individual and their employer. We have cultivated numerous working relationships through
Keeping in the public consciousness and maintaining Twitter, whether on the service provision side for assistance
awareness with existing followers is the key to developing with our own business, or finding new clients. A number of
new followers, contacts and potential new business. Twitter clients have made contact via the Direct Message function
should be used to promote business in a social way by and we have managed to generate fee-earning work as
highlighting industry news, sponsorship activities, bid a result.
successes, projects and corporate social responsibility The Twitter community also reciprocates with referrals
activities. Perhaps more importantly, it can showcase the and praise – when we have undertaken work to a high
activities of others in a mutually beneficial way. standard and met the client’s objectives, we have received
praise posted publicly on Twitter. This can be invaluable
Any specific examples of successes? as ‘word-of-mouth’ praise is incredibly powerful for
I introduced Pellings to Twitter and there has been very any business.
positive feedback and new business avenues have arisen. Although the use of a social media platform and the
We are starting to see client feedback and ‘Retweeting’ via resultant business performance can be hard to quantify, we
Twitter and personal testimonies on LinkedIn. Using social believe that our profile and audience online has increased
media in customer satisfaction surveys and collation of key and has often resulted in business contacts we simply
performance indicators is also being explored. I wouldn’t wouldn’t have obtained through traditional sources. We
have had the opportunity to write this article if it wasn’t use Twitter in conjunction with numerous other marketing
for social media. With the eventual widespread use of strategies and find it invaluable.
smartphones and industry apps I can see the use of social
media increasing. With the use of cloud computing, the Nick Rowling is a Partner with Chartered Surveyors
years of email in its current format are numbered. Harrow LLP

David Soper is an Associate Chartered Building Surveyor

at Pellings LLP

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 11

 It would be foolish in such
tough times not to explore
James Baker every avenue available for
Twitter @james7baker gaining new business
Which social media platforms do you use? Any specific examples of successes?
I have accounts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I use Using LinkedIn over the last year has provided the opportunity
Facebook solely for personal use and Twitter is predominantly to build a relationship with a local firm of solicitors, which has
used on a personal basis. However, LinkedIn is utilised to promote resulted in opportunities for both companies. This has opened a
myself and my employer Focus Consultants, and APC Mentor (my new circle of contacts as both companies have introduced each
APC training business). other to their contacts.
While networking over the last year, it has become apparent
How active are you? that more people are using Twitter for business and have had a
Use of these sites varies depending on work commitments so number of successes and new commissions as a result. I intend
they tend to be used more outside of working hours. However, to use Twitter for marketing myself and Focus Consultants. In
it is important going forward that these are used more frequently my Matrics role, I will use all forms of social media to assist in
during the working day for business use. I am the Vice Chair of marketing our events, which I hope will result in increased
RICS Matrics Derbyshire and use Twitter and LinkedIn to advertise awareness and improved attendance.
our seminars and events. With the use of mobile phones and tablet devices, and the
ability to access social networking sites from almost anywhere,
What are the business benefits to you? I believe more people will embrace these and the potential
LinkedIn has, without any doubt, increased my network of opportunities they can present – whether it be for raising your
contacts and raised my profile, and those of Focus Consultants profile or that of a business.
and APC Mentor. This has resulted in more networking It would be foolish in such tough times not to explore every
opportunities, new working relationships with new clients and avenue available for gaining new business.
referrals from existing contacts. There seems particular interest
from APC candidates (I assume because younger surveyors James Baker is a Senior Building Surveyor at Focus Consultants
embrace social media more freely). LLP and Owner at APC Mentor Ltd

It is my way of telling anybody who

is interested that I have a fantastic
Paul Bentley job and that building surveying is
Twitter @Building_Survey a worthwhile profession
What social media platforms do you use? websites to sell their services. I also see the dangers of using just
In September 2011, I decided to micro-blog my working day 140 characters to sell yourself; indeed, I have seen instances
using Twitter. I have a personal Twitter account but didn’t feel that where users are effectively ‘spamming’ their followers to try to
my personal interests were relevant to my professional ones, so I secure business, sending multiple Tweets over a short period and
have two distinct accounts. filling up a users’ timelines.
I also have a LinkedIn account and although I work for a Local I don’t agree with this aggressive form of marketing, I see
Authority, a sector where networking is less essential for business social media as much more passive and I hope people are
purposes, some friends and former colleagues were keen for me drawn to my account out of interest rather than hoping that I
to use the platform to raise my profile at a time when job security will use their services.
was not guaranteed.
Any specific examples of successes?
How active are you? I have a small group of followers to whom I am grateful for taking
I use my professional Twitter account as a journal of my daily the time to read my Tweets; I also follow a number of other
activities, I post anonymously so not to compromise my employer surveyors and construction professionals and trade bodies.
or clients, generally I send two to three Tweets at the end of the While I don’t use Twitter to advertise a business, it is my way
working day and I Retweet any articles or web links that I find of telling anybody who is interested that I have a fantastic job and
interesting or informative. that building surveying is a worthwhile profession. I hope this
comes across in my Tweets and I hope it would encourage
What are the business benefits to you? others to pursue a career in surveying.
I don’t use my Twitter account for business purposes, although I
can see the benefits as the platform allows users to reach a wide Paul Bentley is a Senior Building Surveyor at East Riding of
audience, and more savvy companies can link to articles or Yorkshire Council
 Campbell D
Paul Carder Ferguson
Twitter @occupiers Twitter @surveyspain

Which social media platforms do you use? Which social media platforms do you use?
Let’s first kill off a myth: that social media is not about We run a LinkedIn profile, Twitter and Facebook accounts.
‘serious’ business. Business has always been a social We wanted to have other ways of communicating with our
activity – people do business with people. Social media clients who are looking to buy property in Spain and to
adds significantly to our ability to connect with others, collaborate with local business people.
join conversations, keep in touch and share knowledge. We also wanted to tell people of our achievements
It does not replace human contact, but it can very usefully such as the Survey Spain Network being awarded the
supplement it. I use LinkedIn and Twitter, and Wordpress for Association of International Property Professionals Award
blogging. I keep Facebook separate, for old friends and 2011 for Most Outstanding Example of Customer Service,
family, but I don’t use it much. My main platform has always and that I achieved the Legal Experience Training Advanced
been LinkedIn. In my sector of corporate real estate and Professional Award in Expert Witness Evidence accredited
facilities management, I have found most senior people are by the RICS.
now on LinkedIn. This makes it easy to stay in touch as, It is important for us to receive customer feedback so
when people move companies, they generally update their we also use social media for research and to share our
profile. That keeps my contacts database up to date. knowledge and information via articles posted to our blog.
People buying in a foreign country need as much honest,
How active are you? practical information and advice as they can get before
LinkedIn is daily for me, generally because I own or manage taking such an important step. Social media is an ideal way
several Groups, which are the real ‘engine-room’ of LinkedIn; to provide this.
get involved in relevant Groups and the real benefits come
through. I manage the largest Facilities Management Group, How active are you?
with 16,000 members. Our own Group, the Occupiers We only really started using the Facebook and Twitter
Journal (linkd.in/OJgroup), has around 1,400 members accounts in the last quarter of 2011 so it’s all pretty new.
and has very active discussions between experts. However, just like traditional face-to-face networking, we
Twitter is for information ‘grazing’, whenever you have realise how important it is to regularly engage our followers,
a few minutes. Never feel you have to slavishly read all so we make sure that we have a presence on a daily basis.
the Tweets you receive; just dip in and out. This is so Not only do we cover practical advice regarding property
much easier now on smartphones when you’re mobile. surveys, but also industry news, our company news, client
The best people on Twitter share useful links to articles, feedback and testimonials, and opinions on the current
which is very easy. I have shared, and benefitted from economic situation.
others sharing, links to useful articles many times. We are starting to blog once per week on a current item
and/or one that we think our actual and potential clients
What are the business benefits to you? should be aware of.
Our business is largely built off the back of relationships that
started on LinkedIn. These were picked up later on a Skype What are the business benefits to you?
call (my co-directors are in the US and Hong Kong, and we We aim to build our brand and raise awareness of the
have partners around the world) and then cemented in face- services we provide, offer our knowledge and experience
to-face meetings. We have all shared knowledge and client to a wider audience, and grow our network of business
referrals – it all oils the wheels of business! associates and partners.
I have 5,000+ direct LinkedIn connections and get invited
to events and conferences as a guest. I have also found Any specific examples of successes?
business partners in most countries, initially via LinkedIn. Our social media programme has already raised our profile,
A new business connection could be a client, an with clients and contacts mentioning it. We have also had
influencer, a referrer, or just a useful friend. You'll meet specific work-related enquiries through it and are hopeful
people via social media far more quickly and geographically that it will more than ‘earn its keep’. It’s early days so for us,
dispersed than you ever will face to face, unless you spend but it’s got us talking to the Building Surveying Journal so
your whole life at conferences! that’s another plus.

Paul Carder is the Managing Director of the Campbell D Ferguson FRICS is a Director at
Occupiers Journal Survey Spain SL

*The Role of Social Media in Commercial Property information paper is

available to download from www.rics.org/socialmediareport

R For Library reference resources go to www.rics.org/catalogue and search

for ‘Twitter’ or ‘blog
Related competencies include: Mandatory
Legal briefs

Document control
Continuing her series of articles explaining legal terms, Vivien King looks at
‘electronic documents’ and their relevance within the Civil Procedure Rules

art 31 of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) As soon as litigation is contemplated, the need to

P requires a party to litigation to disclose to the

court, and any other party to the litigation, all
documents that are or have been in its ‘control’. This
preserve disclosable documents arises. This provision
includes those that might otherwise be deleted in the
ordinary course of business, such as emails. A party’s
would usually be done by its lawyers producing a list advisors, including its building surveyors, should also
of documents: be reminded by its lawyers to retain electronic
• which are or have been in its physical possession documents.
and/or PD 31B states that when considering disclosure
• to which it has or has had a right to possession of electronic documents, the parties and their
and/or lawyers should bear in mind these general principles:
• of which it has or has had a right to inspect or • documents should be managed efficiently to
to take copies. minimise costs
• document management systems utilised should
BSs should be The documents disclosed are those: be efficient and effective
• upon which it relies within the litigation and/or • disclosure should be given in a manner which
aware of what • which adversely affects its case and/or reflects the CPR’s overriding objective, i.e. enabling
• which adversely affects the case of another and/or the courts to deal with cases justly
documents, • which supports another party’s case. • electronic disclosure should enable the receiving
party to have the same ability to access, search,
including Some documents are privileged from disclosure (e.g. review and display the documents as the party
those addressed to the party from its lawyers and making the disclosure
electronic ones, containing legal advice or documents that are • disclosure of electronic documents which are of
properly marked ‘without prejudice’). However, no relevance to the proceedings may place an
held by them documents to/from a party and its advisors, other excessive burden in time and cost on the party
than its lawyers, are not privileged and must to whom disclosure is given.
are likely to be disclosed.
For instance, a document recording that a If, at any time, the parties are unable to reach
be disclosed, landlord’s building surveyor has included items in a
schedule of dilapidations which do not fall within the
agreement regarding the disclosure of electronic
documents, they should seek the court’s directions
including those tenant’s covenant to repair is disclosable. Marking
the document ‘private and confidential’ or ‘without
at the earliest practical date.
Although it is for a party’s lawyers to advise upon

containing prejudice’ or using other such phrases, will not assist.

Part 31 states that ‘document’ means anything in
the rules relating to disclosure, building surveyors
should be aware of what documents, including
which information of any description is recorded. The electronic ones, held by them are likely to be
advice and Practice Direction which accompanies Part 31A (PD disclosed, including those containing advice and
31A) says this contains a wide definition and extends comments to their own clients.
comments to to: “…electronic documents, including e-mail and While one might give a considerable amount of
other electronic communications, word processed thought and attention to the drafting of a letter
their own clients documents and databases. In addition to documents addressed to another party to a dispute, to their
that are readily accessible from computer systems advisors or to one’s own client, it is sadly the case
and other electronic devices and media, the definition that many e-mails are dispatched in the heat of
covers those documents which are stored on servers the moment or with insufficient thought and care.
and back-up systems and electronic documents that Such communications are ‘documents’ too and
have been ‘deleted’. It also extends to additional the question that should be asked before dispatch
information stored and associated with electronic is “Would I want the other party or the judge to
documents known as metadata.” see this?” If the answer is “no”, do not push the
Practice Direction 31B (PD 31B) contains extra send button.
provisions relating to disclosure of electronic
documents. It only applies to cases that have been
allocated by the courts to the multi-track procedure. Vivien King is a consultant to Malcolm Hollis
This is normal for cases that are not allocated to [email protected]
the small claims procedure (generally, cases where
the claim does not exceed £1,000) or fast track Related competencies include: Mandatory,
procedure (generally, where the court hearing will M006, T077
not exceed one day).

14 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 March-April 2012

rics.org/journals

Building Conservation Journal

2 A sunny outlook
In the last of a series of three articles
describing the Diocese of London’s efforts
From the chairman
s social media transforms business life, conservation
to reduce its churches’ energy use and
carbon footprint, Brian Cuthbertson looks
at a solar installation in an Islington church
A professionals have been quick to exploit the trend.
Anyone who has been following the conservation
discussion threads on the RICS online forums will see what a
fantastic resource this type of social media is for specialists.
The miles between us evaporate, and no enquiry is too nerdy,

4 The trouble with pubs

too aesthetic or too obscure, it seems, for this hard core of
experts. One recent thread about galleting (a masonry detail)
Dale Ingram discusses why the traditional attracted an enormous contribution; providing foundation
British public house is fast becoming an information for a lifetime’s study in days.
endangered species Our work is mostly bespoke, intricate and subjective and our specialism is driven by
philosophies and relationships rather than volume. What matters most to us is everything
the first wave of digitisation did not deliver. You will recall that CAD drawings were, at first,

6 What’s in it for me?

clunky and mechanistic, no specialist contractors had e-mails, and key resources, such as
list descriptions and photographs, might be days away from the practitioner’s desk. Listed
Matt Atwood takes a look at the different Buildings Online and Images of England stand out for me as landmark projects which
forms of social media and offers pointers changed our ways of working forever. As a millennium project, Images of England was a
to conservation experts on how best to pioneer in crowdsourcing, and showed how the conservation sector’s strengths might really
emerge in an online world.
use them
Advantages
Initially, size was a huge advantage. The costs of early digitisation were somewhat
8 Heritage Agenda prohibitive, meaning that a seat at the digital ‘high table’ eluded the heritage sector’s
backbone: the SMEs and the not-for-profits. The most obvious advantage of the second
wave is that the costs of entry have plummeted. In fact, it is the universality of the hum-
drum backroom and processing technologies, such as electronic payment, which is the
underlying breakthrough, driving down costs to suit our sector’s positioning.
Our specialism, by definition, supports a small number of geographically diverse
practitioners. Therefore the secondary social effects of the digital revolution, globalisation
and localism, especially suit us. We now enjoy the advantage of tested legal and academic
protocols to support online functions, such as e-tendering, cloud file sharing and technical
publication. Crucially, the pioneers have provided us with exquisitely-adapted human
infrastructure; a cohort of entrants who want and expect mobile working, matched to
clients who demand nimble, high-end expertise wherever they are.
So forum members who are, like me, a bit late to the party now find the digital world
rather gorgeously outgrowing its technological origins. Social media in particular, offer an
agility and informality that allow us to form and join teams for every purpose under the
sun. Our online workplace now resembles our intellectual workplace: bespoke, intricate,
subjective and with essential relationships formed around shared philosophies. Aesthetes,
specialists and nerds, it seems our time has come!

Membership of the Building Conservation

Why the British pub is in danger of Lynda Jubb is the Chairman of the
Forum is FREE. For more information,
Building Conservation Forum email [email protected] or visit
becoming extinct (see page 4) [email protected] www.rics.org/buildingconservationforum
Churches

A sunny outlook
In the last of a series of three articles describing the Diocese of London’s efforts to reduce its churches’ energy
use and carbon footprint, Brian Cuthbertson looks at a solar installation in an Islington church

n a recent review, ‘Brighter Picture of Church Energy Use’, we

I analysed energy returns from churches since 2005, showing the effect
of annual average temperatures on energy consumption. Temperatures
in London rose from 2005 to 2007, then plunged from 2008 to 2010;
after normalisation by degree days for each year, the ranking order for
energy use (highest to lowest) was: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2007, 2008,
2010. This represents savings of 17% and at least 10.7%, in energy and
carbon respectively. (Energy is the total taken from the grid for gas and
electricity, plus oil, for all churches and associated halls in the Diocese;
only gas and oil are normalised.) If we can maintain the same trajectory,
we’ll be on course for 38% savings by 2020 and 76% savings by 2050 –
that’s tough enough. And we need to accelerate a bit more to reach our
target of 80% savings by 2050, so there’s a challenge ahead.

Knocking down assumptions

Some of our Climate Action Projects have already begun, such as boiler
replacement and re-lighting – and solar panels. Solar panels on churches
in the Diocese are all photovoltaic (PV). By generating electricity, these
reduce electricity drawn from the grid, and therefore carbon emissions.
Churches often have large south-facing roofs. It is widely assumed that
solar panels should be hidden from view, especially on listed buildings or
in conservation areas, but several schemes in the Diocese have
demonstrated this need not be so.
St Mary in Islington is the latest church in the Diocese to have had PV
panels installed. St Mary’s is Grade II listed and in a conservation area.
The mid-18th century tower by Launcelot Dowbiggin survived World War
II, but the body of the church was destroyed in the Blitz and rebuilt with
a flat roof during the 1950s. It leaked – so a new pitched slate and zinc
roof was added in the 1990s. This new roof did not contribute to the
character of the listed building enough to preclude any change. Nor
was it deemed necessary to use solar imitation slates (as at St Silas in
Pentonville [Building Conservation Journal March/April 2011]).
The appearance of PV panels was accepted, as they occupy almost
the entire slope, presenting a uniform appearance. Visible from the
south-east, they can barely be seen from Upper Street, on which
the church stands. Planning permission needed to carry out repairs,
alterations and additions was granted without undue difficulty.
The key principle under national planning policy guidance is to
weigh the benefits of micro-generation for local sustainability, and their
contribution to renewable energy nationwide, against any harm to the
building’s character. There may be no harm, but even if there is that
does not rule out approval – it depends whether the harm exceeds
the benefits. The Borough of Islington has proved favourable to PV
schemes, but all councils should assess applications in accordance
with the national guidance (which is changing, but not so as to affect
this principle).
St Mary’s installation has an area of 156m2 and a capacity of
22.015 kWp. In the three months from September 2011 when it was
© Brian Cuthbertson

commissioned, it delivered more than 3,000 kWh of energy. Typically in

London a PV array may generate up to 1,000 kWh per kWp per annum
(highest in summer, lowest in winter). This depends on any shading or
deviation from ideal pitch or orientation. St Mary’s system was estimated
to deliver 18,683 kWh pa, 31% of the church’s energy demand. The
The use of PV panels was accepted at St Mary, as they occupy almost the project’s consultants also estimated the payback time for process and
entire roof slope, presenting a uniform appearance transport energy and carbon from the manufacture of the panels –

2 Building Conservation Journal March-April 2012

 Churches

3.3 years and 4.1 years for energy and CO2 respectively. During the
estimated 25-year lifespan of the system, the net CO2 that will be saved
Quick facts:
is estimated at 170 tonnes. PV installation at St Mary, Islington
• Solar panels: 119 Sharp NU-185R1H panels; six Solarmax

The Feed-in Tariff DC/AC inverters

• Installation: Chelsfield Solar
PV panels benefit from the Feed-in Tariff (FiT), comprising a generation
• Grants: Islington Climate Change Fund (ICCF), Big Lottery
tariff (the rate depends on the capacity), plus 3.1p export tariff for each
unit not used but fed back into the grid. This is usually deemed to be Community Sustainable Energy Fund, Richard Cloudesley’s
50% of the total. If more than 50% is expected to be exported, an Charity
• Consultants to ICCF: Creative Environment Networks.
export meter can be installed separately to the generation meter. Peak
use seldom aligns with generation and even when generation is less than
consumption, a proportion will still be exported. 50% is a generous
estimate, meaning a good deal for the generator.
Current rates were to apply to systems installed and registered by 31st An example worth following
March 2012. However, the UK government’s latest review threw this into We fully concur that a church spending capital on retrofitting should
doubt, proposing a reference date of 12th December 2011. If implemented, also take other measures including low-cost efficiencies and good
schemes installed after that date would have moved to a lower tariff from management. St Mary’s Islington is a good example:
1st April 2012. (This was successfully challenged in Court, as it would • it is a member of the national Eco-congregation scheme, a tool
have been retrospective. A deadline of 3rd March 2012 is now proposed to help churches address environmental issues in all they do
and the changes as a whole remain to be confirmed.) • the church has undertaken an energy audit, and implemented
Before the FiT was instituted in April 2010, PV owners were not measures including low-energy lighting and draught proofing
rewarded for units generated, except under any deal from their utility • the church has also just replaced its boilers with new condensing
company. On the other hand, a favourable grants regime contributed boilers, also separating heating of the church from the crypt. The two
to capital cost – in particular the 50% grant from the Low Carbon spaces are used separately and at different times, thus heating them
Buildings Programme (phased out as the FiT was introduced). separately represents a major gain. Upgraded controls such as
St Mary’s scheme was conceived in 2007. Progress was inhibited thermostatic radiator valves have further improved efficiency
by subsequent changes to funding regimes (both capital and income). • funds have been raised for roof insulation (planned to follow shortly
In the end, the scheme was fully funded by grants (see box, right). – it is easier to insulate a roof after installing solar panels than before,
Increasingly, churches may need to borrow to bridge the funding gap. to avoid insulation being disturbed by the electrics).
Income from the FiT will be needed to service and repay any loan and
for any church using its own capital, say from a parish trust, payback St Mary’s points the way to a holistic reduction of environmental impact
under current FiT rates is about nine to 12 years. in general, and energy use and carbon footprints in particular, that we
The proposed reduction in the generation tariff is about half, to 21p would like to see imitated by churches everywhere.
max; the additional export tariff is to be pegged at 3.1p. Continuing
product development may help limit payback times to under 20 years.
Installed costs have already dipped to about £2,500 plus VAT per kWp
(it is customary to revise quotations downwards during procurement).
Costs are expected to fall further even if the industry shrinks – though
quality may suffer – and savings in purchased electricity from the grid
Further information
also help, at an increasing rate as prices soar. Brighter Picture of Church Energy Use can be found at
However, the government is currently proposing to further reduce bit.ly/brighterpicture
the generation tariff to 9p, for premises lacking an Energy Performance The Diocese of London’s Shrinking the Footprint microsite can be found at
Certificate (EPC) Grade C, and/or not implementing measures under bit.ly/churchenergy
the Green Deal (to be introduced in late 2012). This would pose
a problem for churches; EPCs are not designed for them (nor Brian Cuthbertson is Head of Environmental Challenge at the Diocese
most public buildings). 70% of churches are listed buildings and of London
most are pre-20th century – not well suited to the improvements [email protected]
(e.g. solid-wall insulation) recommended by EPCs and/or fundable
under the Green Deal. The previous two articles in the series by Brian Cuthbertson appeared in
Churches rely heavily on efficiency in use (not recognised by EPCs) Building Conservation, March/April 2011, page 2, and Building
Conservation, July/August 2011, page 2. www.rics.org/journals
and on renewable energy to drive down carbon footprints. We would like
the government to recognise the Diocese’s Energy-saving Benchmarking
system (see Building Conservation Journal March/April 2011, page 2) Related competencies include: M009, T012, T053
as the means of assessing measures already taken – thus justifying the
full subsidy for micro-generation.

March-April 2012 Building Conservation Journal 3

Historic pubs

The trouble with pubs

Dale Ingram discusses why the traditional British public house is fast becoming an endangered species

sk any first-time visitor to England what they are most looking Prior to the Beer Orders, they protected the brewery’s local trade,

A forward to and often they'll say something like, “your famous olde
worlde English pubs – we’ve nothing like that at home”. Some
imagine the 16th-century thatched country idyll by a village cricket green
but the effect since has been conversion of many marginal or even
successful pubs to alternate uses or outright demolition. The availability
of cheap supermarket booze is oft-quoted as a key reason for pub
like the Six Bells in Warborough, or the fulgurous magnificence of a lavish closures, and while it is true that recently retailers are practically giving
urban Victorian emporium like The Falcon at Clapham Junction, all plate it away, this is by no means as significant a factor as sellers make out.
glass, polished mahogany, brass and marble, bright and bustling with
animated noise. All will be eager to try, at least once, the singular ‘warm Planning, economic and environmental factors
brown beer’ which is as foreign and as English to them as the Queen Housing shortfalls mean that almost any pub, however profitable, like
and our preoccupation with the weather. the Wenlock Arms in Hackney, is more valuable for its land than as a
Architecturally, the British public house, unlike its country houses, going pub concern. It is unlisted and is the subject of a failed planning
say, or its town halls, has few if any direct parallels abroad. This historical application and a demolition notice, since withdrawn. However, Hackney
panoply of refreshment and bonhomie, handed down from its earliest Council’s Cabinet in December revised and extended the neighbouring
beginnings with the medieval ‘ale wife’ to the 20th-century purpose-built conservation area which now includes the Wenlock, giving it statutory
‘boozer,’ is a truly unique British building type worthy of protection. protection from demolition.
The biggest threat to our pubs is closure. At the peak, there was a net Local authority interwar housing estates invariably featured purpose-
loss of public houses in England of about one every three hours. From built pubs by highly significant architects, some remaining in local
a practical perspective, the factors that are the greatest threat to British authority ownership. Interwar estate pubs were a later refinement of
pubs can be loosely divided into two classes, and the way these factors the ‘Improved Public Houses’ movement, promoted on the ‘fewer
intertwine to reinforce each other is a fascinating subject that this article and better’ principle, and feature innovative spaces from bowling
cannot explore in depth. In short, the problems are as follows. greens and ‘Winter Garden’ conservatories to Ladies’ Rooms (no
alcohol to be served) and children’s playrooms. The spacious garden
The trade settings of many an interwar pub, a significant and intrinsic part of their
There are systemic problems with the way brewing and beer retailing is original set-piece design, make them attractive to developers. But their
organised. The 1989 Beer Orders created a two-tier industry. Brewers tucked-away locations in many instances have left them untouched
sold their pub estates which became monolithic separate enterprises, by the cosmetic makeovers of street-front pubs, increasing their
not perhaps the intention of the then government. The ‘pubco’ sector heritage value.
today is effectively an oligopoly, characterised by a dominating handful The Grade-II listed Dr Johnson, from 1938, by H Reginald Ross for
each owning thousands of premises (and between them the great Courage at Barkingside is boarded and still looking for a new owner,
majority of the country’s pub stock), and a larger number of relatively tiny while the locally listed Morden Tavern [pictured] at the St Helier Estate in
niche operators. The major operators exercise an effective monopoly on Morden, from 1932, by Sir Harry Redfern for Truman’s, has been the
the ‘tied trade’. subject of a two-year planning battle over conversion into flats and the
Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA’s) 2011 report, Tied Down, identifies development of the garden with housing. The scheme was thrown
one of the biggest threats to the real ale sector as ‘the tie’, the system out on January 12th by Merton’s planning committee, to the delight
by which pubs must buy their bar stock from the pubco at prices as of campaigners.
much as 80% higher than free houses dealing directly with breweries. Successive ‘makeovers’ of pubs, creating open plan spaces and
Combined with inflated rent on leased property, based not on open decorating them in a ‘house style’, strip them of their historic layouts,
market rents but, some would say, manipulation by pubcos of the finishes and fittings, as at the Marquis of Granby in Shaftesbury Avenue,
RICS rental assessment guidance, profitability is further reduced. In originally designed by a well-regarded firm of Victorian theatre architects.
some cases this causes real hardship and ultimately the closure of Even where the building is not demolished – because it is protected by
the business. There are numerous examples of previously tied houses listing – upper floors are converted to flats, as at Crocker’s Folly in St
returning to profitability once the tie is cut and they become free houses. John’s Wood. Developers get around planning restrictions that protect
The Parliamentary Select Committee and government have identified local amenities by claiming no threat to the public areas of the pub itself.
confusion over the interpretation of pub valuation guidance and the tied But the reality is that once consent is granted, the pub is unattractive
pub sector is in peril while valuation remains open to abuse. to would-be tenants.
However, the Minister for Competition’s failure in 2011 to adopt the Running a pub these days, even as a free house, rarely generates
recommendations of the report by the Commons Select Committee on enough income to meet the expense of living off-site, never mind the
statutory regulation of the pubcos to level the playing field more equitably implications for licensing purposes. Integrated premises are thus more
between tenants and their landlords has met with a mixture of fury and essential than ever to running an economic business. The Brewery Tap in
incredulity, not only from CAMRA but from the Select Committee itself. Wimbledon Village conservation area, a prime high street location, was
As one licensee wrote following the Minister’s appearance in front of the advertised as ‘former public house premises for alternative uses’ within
Committee, “I have already spoken to dozens of tenants who have said days of consent for conversion of its upper floors, and the Royal Oak
they are throwing the keys back after Christmas”. opposite the Town Hall in Wandsworth is struggling to find takers,
Restrictive covenants in sale contracts, whereby the purchaser agreed despite its prime location, after an upper floor conversion was given
not to operate as a licensed premises were a feature for many years. consent last year.

4 Building Conservation Journal March-April 2012

 ©
20
11
Ni
ck
Br
ic
ke
ll

Morden Tavern, Merton

The survival of pubs as licensed premises in some areas is also CAMRA has published guidance, Pub Interiors – Getting Them Right,
driven by changing social demographics. In communities where the aimed at persuading pub owners not to rush into changes but to
drinking of alcohol is not a leisure activity, they are either converted to make the best use of what they already have. It quotes examples of
other uses, often with the loss of important historic interiors as at the sympathetic renovations where the work has respected the building
listed Marlborough in Sparkbrook, or remain boarded and ‘at risk’ and also achieved commercial success.
for extended periods like the listed Leslie Arms in Croydon and the
Hare & Hounds in Tooting.
Further information
Help is at hand CAMRA’s Tied Down report can be found at scr.bi/tieddown
At a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group 2011, Pub Interiors – Getting them right can be found at bit.ly/pubinteriors
Pubs Minister Bob Neill countered CAMRA's request for a change to the
Use Classes so that A4 Public Houses would become sui generis by Dale L Ingram is Managing Director of ConservationWorks historic
suggesting that Local Authorities instead issue borough-wide Article 4 environment and planning consultants, Pubs Preservation Officer
Directions, as promoted in para. 64 of the draft National Planning Policy for SW London CAMRA and a member of CAMRA’s Pubs Heritage
Framework. The effect would be to require an application for planning and London Pubs Groups
consent for any change of use and this option is being pursued by a [email protected]
number of CAMRA branches.
More information on the conservation of historic pubs is available The new industry framework code for pubcos will specify that all rent
from CAMRA’s purpose-built website, www.heritagepubs.org.uk. The review assessments must comply with RICS guidance. For more
information visit bit.ly/ricspubguidance
site offers practical and informed advice, and contact details for the
national Pubs Heritage Group, which is happy to advise or comment
on proposals, particularly for Grade I and II listed pubs or those on Related competencies include: T012, T015
CAMRA’s own inventories of historic regionally or nationally significant
pubs and their interiors. These are also available to browse online.

March-April 2012 Building Conservation Journal 5

Social media

What’s in it for me?

Historic Scotland www.historicscotlandimages.gov.uk

© Crown Copyright reproduced courtesy of
Matt Atwood takes a look at the different forms of social
media and offers pointers on how best to use them

or as long as humans have been able to record their for the Future programme. Participants record their activities as blogs

F communications there have been instances of social interaction

through media – even cave paintings can be considered as
an early form of social media. User interaction lies at the heart of
throughout the course of their refurbishment projects. Readers can
usually submit comments, which are then ‘moderated’, before being
displayed on-page
the concept. • Tudor Stuff (tudorstuff.wordpress.com): the personal blog of Andrew
Today, the internet delivers instant interaction on a global scale, and its Walsh and Victoria Taylor about all things Tudor.
flexibility and low cost make it extremely accessible. However, the sheer
volume of content and its extreme variation in quality can make finding Content communities
anything of use near impossible. In addition, acquiring the necessary These applications are usually dedicated to sharing content produced in
skills to master the technology and the applications themselves can be one particular medium (e.g. video, photos, etc.). Well-known examples
a time-consuming and costly business. As with all tools, understanding are YouTube (video) and Flickr (photos). Broader searches are possible
the scope of what is available is key to its effective and efficient use. using automated content aggregation tools, though the quality of results
With such a vast market for interactive communication, it is not varies. Examples include:
surprising that social media applications are numerous, varied and • Images of England (www.imagesofengland.org.uk): English Heritage’s
constantly evolving – how does one start to make sense of such ‘point in time’ photographic library of England’s listed buildings
a bewildering array? Social media can be divided into six groups. • East Anglian Film Archive (www.eafa.org.uk): the first regional film
archive established in 1976 as an educational resource.
Collaborative projects
These are usually reference facilities – applications that share knowledge Social networking sites
around an area of interest. Some are completely populated with user- These applications are intended as communication tools linking
generated content and most have a degree of professional moderation. community members through mutual advice, support and networking.
Many use professional authors alongside users while some are entirely Their primary function and toolset depends on their revenue model,
populated by specialists. Examples include: consequently applications vary widely in size and degree of specialism.
• Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org): a virtual library, encouraging Examples include:
the creation and distribution of free e-books. It is a useful source • LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com): this global professional networking
of older works that are out of copyright. Its founder, Michael Hart, application that started life in 2002. You can take part in user-created
claimed in 2008 that it was “the first and largest single collection specialist profession-based discussion groups, develop business
of free electronic books” contacts or upload your CV for potential employers to browse.
• English Heritage Archives (www.englishheritagearchives.org.uk): LinkedIn now has more than 135m professional members worldwide,
an archive of drawings, photos and documentation relating to of which 8m are based in the UK
England’s buildings and historic sites • RICS Conservation Group Forum: a specialised professional group
• British History Online (www.british-history.ac.uk): a library of digitised forum that caters well to conservation professionals’ needs
core printed primary and secondary sources related to British history • Social networking features are built into other multifunctional
from medieval times to modern day. sites, such as The Victorian Society (www.victoriansociety.org.uk),
the Georgian Group (www.georgiangroup.org.uk) and
Blogs BuildingConservation.com (www.buildingconservation.com).
At its most basic, the weblog or ‘blog’ is a diary that has been opened
up to public view. It joins the ranks of other social media applications Virtual worlds
at the point where it allows contribution or comment from readers. Virtual 3D ‘worlds’ tend to be recreational, but 3D models are becoming
Examples include: ever more complex and are already beginning to take on a serious role
• Twitter (twitter.com): this 140 character ‘microblog’ is designed as archival, educational and reference tools. An example is:
to enable users to text blog entries but it has been found to be • Scottish Ten (www.scottishten.org): a high definition, immensely
an ideal publicity/news vehicle, offering immediate access to detailed 3D-laser scanning of five UNESCO world heritage sites, and
interested parties who don’t have time for anything more five other important world sites for conservational and educational
than headlines purposes (pictured above). As the 3D models are completed, they will
• Retrofit for the Future Diaries (retrofitdiaries.org): a site for diary be hosted by CyArk, a non-profit organisation with the mission of
entries from participants in the Technology Strategy Board’s Retrofit digitally preserving cultural heritage sites.

6 Building Conservation Journal March-April 2012

 Social media

Collaborative tools is still in flux. New applications and ideas come and go. People find
Professional collaboration tools for day-to-day project work designed clever new uses for, or links between, existing applications. You will
for generic professional rather than purely conservation use. Examples need to explore and sample applications
include: 5. your intellectual property: generally you should assume that you
• Google Docs (www.google.co.uk): shared ‘cloud’-hosted documents. relinquish your rights by publishing in the public domain. However,
MS Office documents can be converted and uploaded. They can then being acknowledged for professional wisdom can be a valuable
be shared, viewed and concurrently worked on by multiple users, with source of publicity. You are more likely to be acknowledged
changes being reflected in near real time if you ensure that you acknowledge your sources
• Basecamp (basecamphq.com): one of a number of online project 6. your image: consider the consequences before you contribute –
management tools. It provides a project-specific hub for all things you have no control over the medium and your contributions could
project-related that need to be recorded. A schedule can be be around for a long time. They could be visible to employers and
maintained, documents stored and shared, and email threads clients. Treat other contributors with courtesy
recorded and saved 7. archive: back up anything you don’t want to lose. Don’t rely on a
• Skype (www.skype.com): an incredibly useful network-delivered social media service to be there in six months time.
phone system with facility for free video and audio conferencing,
and instant messaging. Interaction is key
While the shifting landscape of social media may remain confusing,
Using social media applications user interaction remains its common feature. Effective applications allow
In practice, applications rarely fall cleanly into any one of the the professional individual to access specialist groups and resources
aforementioned categories. Usually social media functionality is a never before possible. What you consider useful depends entirely on
‘bolt-on’ to a more conventional site. Here are some tips to help you what you wish to achieve but one thing is certain: no business functions
get the best out of its use: in isolation and there will always be a need for social communication.
1. contribute: to gain the most benefit you have to be prepared to
take an active part. Your chosen community is only as valuable as Matt Atwood holds a PhD in Engineering and is studying towards MRICS
the quality of the interaction it generates and social groups are fickle, specialising in conservation and sustainability
so keep in regular contact with the social media environment to ensure [email protected]
that your effort is not wasted
2. set boundaries: participation takes up resources – decide what you
Membership of the Building Conservation Forum is FREE. For more
want to achieve and what you are prepared to invest information, email [email protected] or visit www.rics.org/
3. maintain quality: remain vigilant of sources and professionally critical buildingconservationforum

of quality of content and look for sites with some standard safeguards
e.g. professional moderation. Professional bodies’ forums are usually
Related competencies include: T012
a good place to start
4. allow time: the social media landscape is relatively immature and
Heritage Agenda

Localism Act 2011

National Planning The Localism Bill became law at the end of 2011, and the planning parts
Policy Framework of it will come into effect on 1 April. Part 6 of the Act relates to planning.
The final wording included protection for the settings of listed buildings
The consultation period on the draft National Planning Policy and conservation areas, an increase in the number of people required
Framework (NPPF) finished in October 2011, since when the to form a neighbourhood forum, and requirements for social and
pressure for change from the heritage and countryside lobbies environmental aspects to be taken into account where business forums
has continued unabated. The Commons Environmental Audit are set up. Some clarification of how local finance matters are handled
and Communities and Local Government Committees (CLG) as material considerations was also added. The requirement to obtain
have reported on the draft NPPF in critical terms. The listed building consent and scheduled monument consent is unchanged.
Communities and Local Government select committee has For more information on the Localism Act 2011, visit bit.ly/localismlaw
asked the government to make ‘significant changes’ to the
draft guidance. The original objective was to have the NPPF
in force by the end of 2011. An announcement from the
coalition government was expected as this issue of Building
Conservation Journal went to press.
Autumn Statement
For further information on the CLG select committee report, The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement proposed that the key
visit bit.ly/nppf_report consenting and advisory agencies (including English Heritage)
will have a remit to promote sustainable development as soon
as the NPPF is finalised. Also proposed is a 13-week maximum
Welcome to Frank Keohane, the new Building timescale for the majority of non-planning consents, to speed
Conservation Forum Board contact for the Building up the consenting process and give certainty to developers; and
Conservation Journal. As well as being responsible consultation on proposals to allow existing agricultural buildings to
for the exchange of information and ideas, Frank will be used for other business purposes such as offices, leisure and
also carry out the technical review of the journal. He retail space.
is an RICS conservation-accredited building surveyor For further information on the planning aspects of the Autumn
and senior associate at Paul Arnold Architects, a Statement, visit bit.ly/statement2011
multi-disciplinary practice in Dublin.

Penfold Review Green Deal

The original report by Adrian Penfold reviewing non-planning Heritage organisations are concerned by the possible effect of the Green
consents was published in 2010. The Department for Business Deal on traditional buildings. The main risk is that the systems approach
Innovation and Skills published an implementation plan in November by contractors may result in inappropriate works being carried out.
2011 which has wide implications for the historic environment. Some Research by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB),
measures will require legislation, which opens up the possibility of Historic Scotland and English Heritage shows that the energy efficiency
bringing in some of the key measures of the Heritage Protection Bill of traditional walls is underestimated by most industry software (further
such as: information on this research can be found in Building Conservation
• a listed building’s special interest will be legally defined, so only Journal January/February 2012 page 4).
those parts of a building that contribute to its special interest The Department for Climate Change has set up a workshop for
are protected older properties on which the RIBA, SPAB and the Institute of Historic
• developers will be able to seek a Certificate of Immunity from listing Building Conservation are represented, so there is optimism that the
or scheduling at any time, valid for five years needs of traditional buildings may be taken into account.
• owners of listed buildings and local authorities will be able to For further information on the Green Deal, visit bit.ly/greendeal12
enter into statutory management agreements and enable works
specified in such agreements to be undertaken without the need
for separate applications
Heritage Agenda is compiled by Henry Russell, who is Tutor in
• the requirement for Conservation Area Consent when demolishing
Building Conservation at the College of Estate Management and
unlisted buildings will be removed, and merged with planning
chair of The Heritage Alliance’s spatial planning advocacy group
permission
[email protected]
• the government will consult on options for introducing a system
of prior approval for specified types of works to listed buildings.
The RICS Building Conservation Winter School will take
2012 place on 25-27 March 2012. For more information, visit
For further information, visit bit.ly/penfoldreview www.rics.org/winterschool2012

Editors: Laura Barton T +44 (0)20 7695 1533 [email protected], Les Pickford T +44 (0)20 7695 1632 [email protected] Building Conservation Forum Board
contact: Frank Keohane (Paul Arnold Architects) Editorial and production manager: Toni Gill Sub-editor: Rita Som Advertising: Lucie Inns T +44 (0) 20
7871 2906 [email protected] Designed and printed by: Annodata Print Services Published by: The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors,
Parliament Square, London SW1P 3AD T +44 (0)870 333 1600 www.rics.org ISSN: ISSN 1469-5421 (Print) ISSN 1759-3379 (Online) Front Cover: © Nick
Brickell 2011
While every reasonable effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all content in the journal, RICS will have no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content. The views
expressed in the journal are not necessarily those of RICS. RICS cannot accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of the content and the opinions
expressed in the journal, or by any person acting or refraining to act as a result of the material included in the journal. All rights in the journal, including full copyright or publishing right,
content and design, are owned by RICS, except where otherwise described. Any dispute arising out of the journal is subject to the law and jurisdiction of England and Wales. Crown
copyright material is reproduced under the Open Government Licence v1.0 for public sector information: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence
 For display advertising contact Lucie Inns +44 (0)20 7871 2906 or [email protected]

Glass for J. & J. W. LONGBOTTOM LTD

Ironfounders
period windows Bridge Foundry, Holmfirth, Huddersfield HD9 7AW

Cast Iron Gutters

Ornamental Hopperheads
Rainwater and Soil Goods
Gratings, Air Bricks

The London Crown Glass Company specialises in providing

authentic glass for the windows of period buildings. Extensive Pattern Range
This glass, handblown using the traditional techniques
of the glass blowers, is specified by The National Trust,
the Crown Estates and indeed many others involved
in the conservation of Britain’s heritage.
Comprehensive Stocks
Specify authentic period glass for your restoration projects. for prompt delivery

Tel: 01484 682141 Fax: 01484 681513

THE LONDON CROWN GLASS COMPANY
21 Harpsden Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 1EE
Tel 01491 413227 Fax 01491 413228
for our fully illustrated catalogue
www.londoncrownglass.co.uk

PGDIP/MSC IN CONSERVATION
OF THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT
• Focus on the conservation of historic buildings
and landscapes
• Develop skills, understanding and sensitivity
necessary to care for architectural heritage
• Become a member of RICS and/or IHBC
• Enhance your career and develop specialist
expertise to add to your business
• Retrain in an exciting new profession

Established links with the National Trust, English

Heritage and Prince’s Foundation for Architecture and
the Built Environment.

INTERESTED IN To further your career call 0800 019 9697 (quoting ref.
RC12), email [email protected] or visit our website.
CONSERVATION AND
HERITAGE E
Fax: 0118 975 0188

MANAGEMENT?

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 15

Social media – Marketing strategies

Oiling the marketing cogs

Cemanthe Harries and James Kelly show how to link social media to existing marketing strategies and how
15 minutes a day can make a difference

he internet is becoming a more and more dominant force in it. An ongoing commentary on your industry showcases your expertise

T the way the world does business, and social media is rapidly
becoming a big part of this. “50% of business owners reported
gaining new customers through social media – most notably through
in the field, and can help differentiate you from your competitors.
A blog can also help boost your website up the list of search engine
results (this is called search engine optimisation, or SEO) and make you
Facebook and LinkedIn. 51% of Facebook users and 64% of Twitter easier to find online – enabling you to reach the coveted first page of
users are more likely to buy from the brands they follow.” (source: Google search results. You can use a blog to do this by:
www.mediabistro.com) • using keywords in your posts (e.g. ‘chartered surveyor’, ‘dilapidations’
As more and more people sign up to social networks, these in turn or ‘condition survey’), which will increase the odds of your blog post
become attractive places to be for businesses – see Figure 1 to see matching a user’s search criteria
how the UK’s top 15 construction companies currently use social media. • posting regularly and sharing your blog posts on social networks; if
Social media is low-cost and high-reward, but what role can it play in you’ve written a great blog, users will share it with others, who may
your marketing efforts? share it again, thereby spreading the link to your website.

Enhance, not replace Once you’ve started writing, make your blog prominent on your website.
You may have heard of the Rule of Seven: the idea that people must Include photographs or illustrations to increase engagement with the
have multiple encounters with a business before buying a product or post, and always have a striking, attention-grabbing headline.
service. You can use social media to engineer these encounters or
speed them up. You can use LinkedIn to connect with people you’ve Networking
met at networking events and share industry knowledge, Facebook to A tool such as Twitter allows you to network from your office. You can
showcase certificates or awards, Twitter to share company news and find potential clients and partners by searching for business terms related
YouTube to visually display aspects of a project as it progresses. Social to what you do (use search.twitter.com), following users that catch your
media can be used to complement and enhance other marketing efforts. eye and striking up a conversation with a Tweet. You can use LinkedIn
Consider it as the ‘oil in the marketing machine’. in the same way, although it also offers sector-specific groups and
Websites have long been a traditional marketing tool. But all too communities that can be searched to find professionals that could
often they are created and left alone, and they become a static online benefit, or benefit from, your business.
business card. A website that isn’t updated often misses opportunities For example, SNOW Architects (www.snowltd.com) is a small
to encourage repeat visits and any chance of earning new business. practice, so for them it’s an effective way of marketing and raising their
Updating a whole website can be time-consuming but a blog can be profile. Their Twitter account is connected to the LinkedIn profile and
used to add a dynamic and changing edge. Facebook account of their director. This way the practice can ensure
The best blog posts are brief, so they don’t take long to write, and visibility on each platform their contacts might use. Social media allows
you can write about anything: an ongoing project, practical ‘How to...’ them to build relationships with contacts prior to meeting them face to
advice, insights on running a surveying business or an opinion column face, and they use their followers to find potential referrals (illustrated by
on an industry issue. You have a voice and a blog makes it easy to use their Tweet: “We are looking for introductions to small developers and

Construction companies Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Presence Tweeting Engaging Page Groups Page Likes Updates
Balfour Beatty ✓ ✓ x ✓ ✓ ✓ 244 ✓
Carillion ✓ ✓ x ✓ ✓ ✓ 771 x
Laing O’Rourke UK ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ x ✓ 846 x
Babcock International Group x x x ✓ ✓ ✓ 476 x
Morgan Sindall ✓ ✓ x ✓ x ✓ 90 ✓
Kier ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ x ✓ 105 x
Mitie ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 839 x
Interserve ✓ x x ✓ x ✓ 405 x
Skanska UK ✓ ✓ x ✓ ✓ ✓ 611 ✓
Galliford Try ✓ x x ✓ x ✓ 93 x
Enterprise x x x x x ✓ 100 x
Keller ✓ x x x x ✓ 34 x
BAM (Construct) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ x ✓ 8 x
Vinci ✓ x x ✓ ✓ ✓ 32 x
Costain ✓ ✓ x ✓ ✓ ✓ 120 x
Figure 1 – Use of social media by UK’s top 15 construction companies (source: www.pauleycreative.co.uk)

16 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 Social media – Marketing strategies

Offer special Social media can be used to

deals exclusively
Sales and advertising
through your social
media channels
complement and enhance other
marketing efforts. Consider it as
Have your social URLs
on your business cards,
the ‘oil in the marketing machine’
Business stationery
brochures and
email signature

Where to start
The first step is to listen. Search social networks for mentions of your
After the event, invite business and industry terms. See what people have to say and use their
people to join you on comments to improve your services.
Networking
LinkedIn, keep in For example, you can use LinkedIn Questions and Answers to find out
touch regularly
what questions people are asking relating to your industry. For example,
“Does anyone have any advice; I had a building inspection done pre-
purchase and it didn’t identify any major problems. Since moving in we
Have links to your social have found a number of issues?” (see tinyurl.com/ctum3wg). These are
media on your site, giving prime opportunities to answer a query and showcase your expertise.
Website
a reason why people Then decide what you want social media to do for you. Like all
should follow you marketing strategies, you have to have a plan going in: you can’t
measure success without first deciding what success means. Do you
want to build a network of online contacts, raise awareness of your
Include links to various business, or simply monitor online conversations surrounding your
social media platforms surveying? You also need to decide where it can fit into, and enhance,
Direct marketing
where people can go to your existing marketing strategy.
get more information Blogging, Twitter and LinkedIn are perhaps the most useful social
media tools for your business and they are all free to set up and take
Figure 2 – Traditional marketing channels and how social media can be used little time to maintain. Put aside 15 minutes a day and decide on specific
either in integration or follow-up activities for each day. This is enough to upload a blog entry, search for
new connections on Twitter, or read and respond to new group and
community postings on LinkedIn. However, social media is about ‘return
property investors who want a great service with a bit of design flair... on involvement’, i.e. the more time you put in answering questions or
Know any?”) searching for leads, the more chance you have of being there when an
Social networking can also help with traditional, face-to-face opportunity for business presents itself.
networking. If you meet someone new face-to-face, you can connect Social media can bring people and contracts to your business, but
with them on a social network, most likely LinkedIn, once you get back remember that it acts as any other marketing tool and so you should
to the office. Once connected, they, and others, will see any update set your expectations to appropriate levels. If you expect a six-figure
you post. Even though this update is not personal, it is still an instance deal from a networking event straight away, you might be disappointed.
of your potential client or partner interacting with, and seeing, your But if you expect to make new contacts and earn a referral or two,
business. These updates should also be providing content that is useful, and develop the relationship over time, the time spent will have
informative or just entertaining (and usually contain links to sources and been worthwhile.
where to get more information).
For example, Lea Hough Chartered Surveyors in Lancashire (Twitter
@Lea_Hough) use their Twitter account to share industry news (e.g.
Planning Portal – Significant changes to the listed building regime have
been highlighted as a priority), related local property news (e.g. ‘Witch’s Further information
cottage’ unearthed near Pendle Hill, Lancashire BBC News) and connect 7 Steps for a Successful Social Media Strategy can be found at
bit.ly/SM7steps
with potential business partners (e.g. Welcome to Twitter our friends at
@WRSolicitors… We are pleased to be your first follower!).
Cemanthe Harries is the Founder and James Kelly
If your new contact is not on a social network, you can still direct them
is the Wordsmith Angel at New Media Angels
to one of your blog posts that relates to your initial conversation. If you
[email protected]
haven’t a relevant blog post, write one and thank them for inspiring it.
If they enjoy your blog, they’re likely to read more; and as they do, your
blog will be building trust in your new contact while you’re working
Related competencies include: Mandatory
elsewhere. Include links to all your social media in your email signature
to direct others to where else they might contact/connect with you.

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 17

Social media – Legal issues

A balancing act
Businesses can reap enormous benefits from social media, says Kate Hodgkiss, but balancing these with the
plethora of risks requires forethought and planning

ocial media has become integral to the way we live but it also Drawing the boundaries

S increasingly affects the way we work, echoing how email and

the internet changed the workplace in the 1990s. Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networking sites link millions of people
One of the biggest issues is that the line between business and personal
use can often be a fine one. Employees admit to posting information
directly relating to their work and connecting to or befriending colleagues
across the world every day and have become an important way to or contacts in a personal capacity. 14% have posted a status update
communicate. The next few years are likely to see major growth in the or Tweeted about work, 22% have posted a status update or Tweeted
use of social media in the workplace, both to communicate with a about a work colleague, 39% have befriended a colleague or business
geographically diverse workforce, and to allow teams to collaborate. contact on Facebook and/or LinkedIn and 1% admit to having posted
confidential business information.
Risks to employers However, only 14% of employers have social media policies which
Social networking has had a major impact on the way we interact, regulate usage outside the workplace. This will be relevant to an
particularly for the generation now entering the workplace. Unfortunately, employer if an employee's use of social media outside work is
the impact is not always positive. Employee use of social media can connected with an employee’s work, or a work
expose employers to serious liabilities, including damage to reputation colleague, or if it affects the reputation of the
and brand caused by: business. Factors influencing whether an
• derogatory comments posted about the organisation employer should be concerned
• association with controversial opinions include:
• employees who might, from the organisation’s perspective, be • how public the employee’s
considered to act inappropriately in their private life conduct on a social media
• association with defamatory comments posted about a third party. site is and the potential
readership
• whether the employer
Employee use of social media is readily identifiable
from the information the
can expose employers to serious employee has posted
• the nature of the
liabilities, including damage to employee’s role and the
level of trust it requires
reputation and brand • the degree of
inconsistency between
©

the employee’s actions

iS
to
ck

Other potential problems include: and their role.

ph
ot

• breaches of security and confidentiality co

o.

m
ro /
• liability for ‘cyber bullying’ or harassment by employees and/or a The study reveals the cc
om
on
third party percentage of employers to y
a
• liability in negligence in respect of ‘recommendations’ posted by that have taken disciplinary
an employee’s colleagues (i.e. the system on LinkedIn whereby proceedings because of:
‘connections’ can provide recommendations, or references, for other • information an employee has
members of LinkedIn, endorsing their work and validating their claims) displayed on a social media site
• loss of productivity because of time spent on social media sites while about another individual – 21%
at work. • information an employee has
displayed on a social media site
Social media in the workplace about their activities at work – 25%
In June 2011, DLA Piper commissioned Coleman Parkes Research • information an employee has displayed on a social media site
to carry out an in-depth study into social media in the workplace*. about the organisation – 31%
This revealed a spectrum of engagement ranging from businesses • the level of an employee’s social media usage at work – 30%.
actively using social media (internally and externally) as a tool to improve
business outcomes, to those that simply have employees making Employee misbehaviour on social media sites can be a significant issue
personal use of social media and are tentatively exploring the marketing for employers. Surprisingly, however, the research reveals that just 25%
possibilities. Only a minority of organisations have no involvement with of employers have a stand alone policy governing the use of social
social media. media sites. If employers want to be able to take disciplinary action over
Yet the study highlights that many businesses are failing to protect social media usage, comprehensive and well-communicated policies are
themselves against the risks of social media. The overriding message essential – these are crucial to a successful defence of unfair dismissal
is that the pace at which social networking is developing means that claims, as highlighted by a number of cases which have made their way
organisations’ policies and procedures are struggling to keep up. to employment tribunals.

18 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 Social media – Legal issues

Preece v JD Wetherspoon Plc ET/2104806/10

Wetherspoon’s clear rule that a failure to comply with its internet policy
If employers want to be able to
amounted to gross misconduct was central to an employment tribunal’s
finding that its dismissal of an employee, who had published information take disciplinary action over social
on Facebook about an incident at work, was fair.
media usage, comprehensive
Lerwill v Aston Villa Football Club ET/1304758/10
In contrast, Aston Villa was found to have unfairly dismissed an and well-communicated policies
employee who published inappropriate information on an unofficial
fan forum website. Key to the tribunal’s decision was the fact that the are essential
employee had never been given any indication of the severity with which
Aston Villa would view such activity, nor was there any guidance in its
policies or procedures or the employee’s contract.
Key actions for employers
Another significant risk is the challenge that social media presents to an Organisations who wish to strike a good social media balance should:
employer’s ability to control its confidential information, • send a clear signal about company expectations for employee use
particularly as the casual nature of social media of social media by adopting a stand alone social media policy
communications can lead employees to • train employees on the content of the social media policy and
post information which they would on effective and compliant use of social media
never disclose in a more formal • ensure the social media policy is consistent with other policies,
business context. such as the anti-harassment and bullying policy
Traditionally, employers • protect the company’s corporate image and reputation, and
have protected confidential preserve good business relationships by amending policies to
information through ensure employees understand that social media messages may
contractual provisions reflect on their employer
spelling out the • educate employees about the consequences of disclosing or misusing
categories of information the company’s confidential information or intellectual property
that are secret, and • train management on effective employee monitoring and on complying
prohibit and set out with employees’ privacy rights when enforcing company policies,
the consequences restrictions, guidelines and contract provisions on social media
of disclosure. These • require employees to confirm in writing that they have received,
clauses remain key to read and understood a copy of the social media policy
safeguarding information • provide and promote alternative mechanisms for employees to
but they should be reviewed raise concerns or vent frustration about the working environment
to ensure they properly or colleagues.
address the enhanced risks
posed by social media. A social There seems little doubt that the social media phenomenon is here to
media policy should also prohibit the stay and employers must face the challenges this presents head on.
use or disclosure of confidential information The biggest hurdle is likely to be striking the delicate balance between
belonging to the employer or to any third party retaining control of the way in which it is used, while encouraging
and spell out the consequences of a breach. the levels of trust and collaboration which are at the heart of social
Social media sites also raise important questions about the networking. Employers who achieve this will have extremely effective
ownership of business contacts. The legal position in relation to sites tools for external and internal communication at their disposal.
such as LinkedIn is currently unclear. LinkedIn users often maintain their
profile when they move jobs and may feel that this is personal and not
relevant to their employer. However, businesses should include specific
provisions in employment contracts and a social media policy to
protect the information held on the site to avoid employees using
it inappropriately outside work or after their employment ends.
Further information
Finding a balance * Knowing your tweet from your trend: Keeping pace with social media in
the workplace, can be downloaded from bit.ly/DLAPipersocialmedia
While it is important to understand the potential pitfalls, failing to engage
with social media will deprive a business of the benefits it can offer.
Kate Hodgkiss is a Partner with law firm DLA Piper
Further, restricting social media usage disproportionately is likely to be
[email protected]
resented by employees and may be subject to challenge. It is better
to accept that the use of social media for business purposes is on
the increase and adopt an approach of active regulated engagement.
Related competencies include: Mandatory
A mantra which should stand businesses in good stead is Contract,
Policy, Enforcement, Training.

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 19

© iStockphoto.com/VOLODYMYR GRINKO

Connect and engage

Les Pickford talks to social media expert Thomas Power about why surveyors should increase their online
engagement and how online performance measurement systems can assess their success

o, you are ‘online’. You probably have a growing contact list

“Don’t just broadcast but engage
S on LinkedIn, you might Tweet regularly and even have a blog –
but how well are you engaging compared with your peers and
competitors? This is where online performance measurement systems and whenever anyone makes a
can play a role.
“They’re a measure of the amount of effort someone puts into comment, always engage back”
engaging online,” explains Thomas Power of the business-networking
website ecademy, “and are primarily aimed at business people and But blogging remains the main way to influence online, he says. “I don’t
anyone who wants to illustrate their online reputation.” Various systems mean pitch your products and services, I mean tell stories about the kind
exist but Klout and PeerIndex are two of the leaders. These typically of things you’ve done for clients, the laws coming in, the effect of
measure how much you post online and how much this is shared, regulations on surveying, etc.”
i.e. your influence. The key is then to share those stories through Tweets and reply to
Power knows the social media business. He was one of Alan Sugar's those who comment. “Don’t just broadcast but engage,” Power says,
original apprentices in the 1980s and then moved onto various online “and whenever anyone makes a comment, always engage back.”
ventures including co-founding ecademy (www.ecademy.com). One way of raising your online profile is to dominate a Twitter
He has a Klout score of 65 and a PeerIndex of 72, but what do these hashtag (or #tag, used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet and
scores say about him? “They say I’m engaged but I’m not in the big make them easier to find). “If your niche is geographical then focus
league, which is when your score is in the 80s. In percentage terms, on #Wirral or wherever. If it’s building planning then that #tag should
these say that I am engaged online for 60-70% of my time.” be your focus. These #tags should appear throughout your blogs
So how can these scores be used? “I’ve used them for organising and videos.”
lunches where you can only attend if you have a certain score and for The scoring systems are currently “fairly primitive” Power warns,
conferences where the higher the score the closer you are to the front and should only be used as a guide, but he thinks “they will become
of the theatre.” mainstream by 2015/16 when they will start affecting your income”.
He adds they are also useful when recruiting staff that need to With internet companies, he thinks someone could expect to earn
engage online – and for today’s professionals, this should be almost an extra £50-100K a year if they have a score in the 70s/80s. So while
everyone – and that measuring your score is important as “the higher surveying firms are clearly in a different league to this, the need to
your score, the more money you’re probably making online.” This even measure someone’s level of online engagement will be more important
applies to surveyors, he says. “They may not be transacting online as business on the internet grows.
but they will be generating leads online and a conversation on a So what are your scores? Don’t know them? It could be because you
Tweet or a blog or YouTube could lead to the provision of your didn’t know about the measures or you thought the internet was just for
professional service.” kids. “These reasons are fine if you’re 55 and you have a nice pension
But he advises caution about believing there’s a direct link between but if you’re 25 you’re dead if you don’t [get on board]. Roll forward a
posting content and earning money. “Thinking ‘if I write this kind of few years when everything is on the web,” Power says. “If you’re not
article I might get this kind of lead’ means you won’t publish objectively. there, you’re invisible.”
It has to be a true information exchange. I might get a call from Australia
because they read this article – but there is no relationship between us; Les Pickford, Editor, Building Surveying Journal
they just liked what they read.” [email protected]
The best way to improve scores appears to be a combined approach. Twitter @lespickford
“I would Tweet daily, blog weekly and post a video monthly and try to
make these a habit. This will get you a score of 50 within six months,”
Related competencies include: Mandatory
he says, but you have to publish content that people want to share
and you should measure your performance over time.

20 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 Project management

Why BSs are suited

to managing projects
The profession’s technical skills are ideal for specialising in project management,
says Daniel Henn, and there are increasing opportunities out there

hen building surveyors are asked why they embarked on

The inherent skills of a PM from
W a surveying career many will reply it was because of the
variety. After all, what other vocation can offer everything
from negotiating a schedule of dilapidations for a major city centre a BS background are beneficial
office building to specifying sympathetic repairs to a listed church.
It is this broad base of knowledge and experience that allows building across the whole project life cycle
surveyors to adapt so well in a project environment. ‘Core’ building
surveying project work is delivered well by all-round building surveyors • understand what goes wrong with buildings, how long components
but larger value and complex projects might, at first glance, require a last, the institutionally expected norms (e.g. floor to ceiling heights,
specialist project manager. However, with the harsh economic conditions floor loadings and design criteria)
the opportunities for building surveyors for this type of work have • have an appreciation of historic buildings and where sympathetic
significantly increased. Investors have switched their focus, from new repairs should be used
build to adding value to existing assets or acquiring sites with asset • can identify when neighbourly matters may apply and what the
management potential, fuelled by: implications are
• record numbers of long leases expiring over the next two years
• the UK government’s major space rationalisation programme Procurement and construction
• the unprecedented demand for residential and student accommodation. • have a breadth of training in tort, contract and English law relative to
our discipline, which makes us naturally adept at understanding and
Asset enhancement projects are frequently very complex, often requiring applying building contracts
works in a live environment, construction in a building with lots of • (coming from a qualitative background) can recognise poor
unknowns (e.g. asbestos), significant constraints (e.g. poor floor to workmanship and snagging items
ceiling heights) and landlord and tenant issues. • are pragmatic and able to resolve disputes
To maximise their investment, developers/investors must navigate • have knowledge of technical due diligence and so can empathise
their way through this minefield and need a project manager who is a what future purchasers, tenants or funders want to see in terms of
specialist in the area but also has a good understanding of a building’s contract amendments, warranties and appointments
technical issues. This is not to take away the duties of the other • know how important it is to third parties for operation and
specialist members of the team (e.g. architects, engineers or cost maintenance manuals, record information and health and safety files
consultants) but to add value to them, highlight issues and risks, and to be available at practical completion, which might trigger a lease
deliver a better project. It is this need for the application of technical or purchase.
knowledge and skills that makes building surveyors good project
managers. In fact, the inherent skills of a project manager from a This is only a snapshot of how the building surveyor can add value
building surveying background are beneficial across the whole project to the project manager role. The various RICS Scopes of Services for
life cycle from briefing through to project completion. For example, this Appointment documents for a project manager, lead consultant and
is because building surveyors regularly fit the following skills profile: employer’s agent provide detail of what is included in the various roles
and are a good source of reference for building surveyors interested
Briefing in specialising in project management. Additionally, the Contract
• are inquisitive and willing to interrogate what the client really wants. Administration guidance note provides an excellent reference point
Understanding the business need and our ability to communicate and a useful toolkit for administering contracts.
this to the team helps get the project off to the best possible start Great opportunities exist for commercially minded building surveyors
who wish to specialise in project management on larger, more complex
Feasibility projects. These often involve extension to, or refurbishment of, existing
• naturally have good logic and can apply this to weigh up the pros buildings and naturally lend themselves to the project manager who can
and cons of each option and understand the risks and issues involved apply the technical skills, and inherent logic and pragmatism, typically
• understand costs and are well placed to interrogate and challenge offered by building surveyors.
those produced by the cost consultant
• empathise with the CDM Co-ordinator role and the need to consider Daniel Henn is a Partner with Tuffin Ferraby Taylor
the relevant issues at the outset [email protected]

Detailed design
Related competencies include: T016, T017, T024
• have a good knowledge of planning and building regulations and
their application

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 21

Refurbishments – Low-grade stock

On the retrofit radar

There are increasing vacancy rates in Melbourne’s low-grade office stock, says Sara Wilkinson, but her research
shows these buildings hold potential for sustainable retrofits

he City of Melbourne aims to be carbon neutral by 2020 through

There is evidence of a ‘flight to
T retrofitting 1200 buildings and delivering a 38% reduction in
building-related greenhouse gas emissions. The strategy is called
the 1200 Buildings Program and it is a proactive attempt to encourage quality’ in the CBD office market
owners and users to integrate sustainability measures into retrofit
projects. There is financial assistance via the Sustainable Melbourne with higher vacancy rates in low-
Fund (SMF), which is currently worth AUD$6.4m, to help overcome any
economic barriers to uptake. To date, the SMF has invested $7.7m grade stock which compounds
in energy generation, energy efficiency business ventures and
related technologies. a growing environmental
Typically, historical retrofit case study exemplars can be examined to
see what can be achieved in later adaptations; this latest research takes performance gap
a different tack. It asks what are we doing now and what is the scope
for capitalising on current practices? The answers to these questions 70 retrofits per annum, offering potential for sustainable enhancements
may help UK surveyors identify potential business opportunities. and for adopting the 1200 Buildings Program.
C-grade buildings are retrofitted three times more often than those
Quality measures graded D (as the return on investment makes it financially viable) and the
The Property Council of Australia (PCA) uses a matrix to determine an D-grade stock is decreasing in quality at a faster rate, i.e. the quality gap
office building grade as per its Guide to Office Building Quality. Premium is widening. When the PCA’s Guide to Office Building Quality is reviewed
is the highest – with the fastest lifts and services, and the best quality in future, if the standards are increased to reflect changes in the market
finishes to common areas and entrances lobbies – followed by A, B, specification for office buildings, many D-grade buildings may fail to meet
C and D grades. There are unclassified buildings that fall below D. the minimum standards and become unclassified. These will achieve
There is evidence of a ‘flight to quality’ in the central business district lower rental levels, have higher vacancy rates and are less likely to be
(CBD) office market with higher vacancy rates in low-grade stock, which managed by property professionals. It is vital the entire stock grade is
compounds a growing environmental performance gap. increased, especially with regard to sustainability.
I assembled a database containing information on every retrofit
requiring a building permit from 1998 to 2008 (since then, retrofit activity Age profile
has remained consistent across the different grades of stock). 18% of Nearly three out of every five C- and D-grade buildings adapted were
the total stock is C and D grade, some 649,486m2 (Savills 2010). It is a built between 1970 and 1990, and the focus should be on these
significant minority, offering excellent potential for sustainability upgrades buildings and their characteristics for sustainable retrofit. 16% were
and typically comprises older commercial buildings, of low- to medium- constructed in 1970, followed by 6.3% in 1990. These buildings,
rise height, with small- to medium-sized floor plates and older services which are aged between 18 to 38 years, are in the lifecycle stage where
and plant. physical wear and tear, especially to services, plant and equipment,
Around 15% of all retrofits occurred to C and D grades showing the means retrofitting is necessary (particularly for the 1970 buildings, see
sector slightly underperforms in terms of total market share. However, Figure 2).
the overall trend to 2008 was for increasing amounts of retrofit to this
stock (see Figure 1). During the period, 929 retrofits occurred, at least Occupancy profiles
With single tenants or occupiers, there is less negotiation to manage and
120 the retrofit is more straightforward. This proposition is confirmed in stock
graded C and D, where single or sole occupiers account for 93% of
100 retrofits. Just over 1% of retrofits were to vacant properties and this low
figure reflects the high occupancy rates throughout the period for the
80
CBD office market generally. Most retrofits (54%) occur to buildings with
10 tenants or less, i.e. buildings that do not accommodate large
numbers of tenants.
60

Owner type
40
Another question is which owner types engage in retrofit? Private
individuals are less likely to access professional advice and employ
20 qualified property/facility managers. With 60% of the retrofits undertaken
by private owners, there may be a need to educate and target incentives
0 at this group who are committed but who may not retrofit sustainability
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 measures. Comparable figures for UK activity are more difficult to find,
Figure 1 – Number of adaptations to C and D grade office stock but it’s reasonable to conclude that there may be a business opportunity
All graphs © S Wilkinson here for building surveyors.

22 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 Refurbishments – Low-grade stock

160
• owners of listed stock are less likely to adapt and authorities need
to consider programmes to incentivise this group
140
• buildings with ‘office land’-use only, undergo more frequent
adaptations with future implications as more mixed-use
120
buildings appear
100
• incentives could be targeted at stock in fringe locations where
there is less activity and scope to improve performance.
80

Relevance for the UK

60 Policy makers and surveyors should ensure that low-grade stock does
not fall off the sustainable retrofit radar and that opportunities are taken
40 to prevent a widening of the environmental performance gap between
high and low grades. There is potential for building surveyors to develop
20
markets in this area, particularly considering the effects of the Energy Act
and the forthcoming restrictions of letting property with low EPC grades.
0
Another barrier in this market is that lower grade stock tends not
58

72

83

89

90

08

13

17

22

25

28

32

38

41

55

59

64

69

73

76

84

87

90

94
to be owned by institutional funds or managed by qualified property
18

18

18

18

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

19

Figure 2 – Number of adaptations to C and D grade office stock in Melbourne’s professionals – so a large sector of the stock may not be suitably
CBD by year built upgraded and opportunities for carbon emission reductions may be
missed. Arguably, the wide distribution of ownership creates more
opportunities for surveyors that aren’t fortunate enough to enjoy an
Construction type institutional client base.
Analysing the retrofitted stock by construction type showed 90% Looking ahead, with the proactive assistance and encouragement of
occurred to concrete-framed buildings rather than load-bearing masonry forward-thinking and innovative public bodies like the City of Melbourne,
structures, so incentives could target sustainability measures to this it is possible to increase sustainable retrofit rates on a city-wide basis
building type. Furthermore, retrofits largely occurred to buildings with to meet community carbon emission reduction targets. A scheme of
irregular plans, multiple service cores, classed as ‘office land’ only, Environmental Upgrade Agreements was launched in 2011 to provide
without heritage listing or overlay issues, aged between 26 and 50 financial assistance to building owners and facilitate sustainable retrofit
years, attached on two sides or detached, and in private ownership. within their 1200 Buildings Program. RICS should press the UK
The PCA publishes data about median gross income, operating costs, government to embark on programmes that are targeted at the
and energy and water consumption based on grade1. Gross income is lower-quality sector of the market.
correlated to quality with C-grade stock grossing $274.01/m2 compared In 2011, the RICS Education Trust funded an update of this study
with $300.95/m2 for B-grade and $395.92/m2 for Premium/A-grade into the Melbourne CBD’s retrofit activity and an investigation into the
stock. No data is available for D-grade buildings. The gap between progress of the 1200 Buildings Program. This research is ongoing and
income for C and B grades is narrow compared with the gap between will be reported in RICS COBRA conference proceedings and other
B and A/Premium stock and this may deter owners of C-grade stock RICS forums during 2012.
from high expenditure on improvements that might not result in
substantial increases in gross income.

Operating expenses
With operating expenses, C-grade stock is more expensive per m2 than
Premium, A and B grades, and so retrofitted energy efficiency measures
could reduce operating costs. Any retrofit replacing old services will Further information
1
Benchmark Survey of Property Operating Costs and is published annually
result in significant energy savings because the quality of replacement by the Property Council of Australia, www.propertyoz.com.au
fittings far exceeds that of existing ones2. Electricity costs are highest 2
Kincaid, D. (2002) Adapting buildings for changing uses: guidelines for
in C-grade buildings, even though the quality of building services is change of use refurbishment. London, Spon Press
lower than for buildings graded A and B. This results from the age,
condition and efficiency of existing installations and there is an Sara Wilkinson FRICS is an Associate Professor at the School of the
opportunity to reduce consumption levels. The situation is similar Built Environment at the University of Technology Sydney, and a member
for gas and water consumption. of the RICS Oceania Sustainability Steering Group
[email protected]
Additional points
The research also highlighted that: For an article about the property attributes in Melbourne’s building
• overclad brick façades and envelopes can improve thermal refurbishments, see Physical education, page 12, BSJ, Jan-Feb 2012,
www.rics.org/journals
performance (although with good-condition stock owners will
need encouragement)
• over a quarter of retrofits could support vertical extension (planning
Related competencies include: T012, T022, T024
permission permitted) to increase total area while retaining existing
embodied energy

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 23

Sustainable products

Championing the green cause

Many building products still do not have solid ‘green’ credentials, says Catharine Bull, but the Alliance for
Sustainable Building Products aims to change this

he 20th century experienced a dramatic increase in the materials The ASBP will combine the promotion of high-level standards through

T available for constructing and maintaining buildings. Combined

with technological developments in the processing and
manufacturing of building materials, a plethora of choice is now open
the principles of transparency, integrity and rigour. It will use an
extensive communication programme to deliver the leading-edge
research necessary to fill knowledge gaps, as well as lobbying for
to specifiers and construction professionals. But we now face a new effective and appropriate policy.
challenge – sustainability in buildings. This should focus on everything Despite the many well-intentioned existing schemes and standards,
from durability and the use of minimally processed, plentiful or renewable the ASBP believes that the building products industry is a long way
resources to using recycled or salvaged materials, producing healthy from being sustainable. The ASBP offers the chance for UK designers,
living environments and improving indoor air quality. specifiers and builders to bring clarity and rigour to selecting and using
Unfortunately, there is confusion surrounding the sustainability of sustainable building products.
building products – illustrated by the prevalence of unsubstantiated For more details, visit www.asbp.org.uk and www.natureplus.org
green claims – that hampers the delivery of sustainable buildings. There
is an urgent need to widen the debate beyond carbon to take a more With thanks to Graham Hilton, renewable energy/sustainability advisor
comprehensive view of sustainability that includes resource efficiency and and a director of the ASBP, and Gary Newman, materials expert and
availability, health and wellbeing, durability and technical performance. the CEO of the ASBP, for their help with this article.
The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) has been
established to champion the understanding and use of building products Catharine Bull is a Lethaby Scholar and Historic Building Consultant
that meet demonstrably high standards of sustainability. Founding [email protected]
organisations include the University of Bath, The BioComposites
Centre, Burdens, Ecobond Cymru, Foamglas, Incrops, Natural Building
Technologies, Pavatex, Thermafleece, TRADA and Wienerberger.
A major activity for the ASBP is to promote the natureplus eco-label
R For Library reference resources go to www.rics.org/catalogue and search
for ‘sustainable materials’

that takes a holistic approach requiring manufacturers to demonstrate

sector-leading standards of technical and environmental performance.
Related competencies include: M009, T013
Only products manufactured from sustainable raw materials (e.g.
renewable, secondary, widely available minerals) are eligible for certification.

A development of the former English Heritage Programme Department of the Built Environment
BUILDING CONSERVATION MASTERCLASSES
Qualifications to build a career
CONSERVATION AND REPAIR We offer high quality professionally accredited
OF MASONRY RUINS programmes in a caring and friendly environment.
Graham Abrey 8-11 May
Undergraduate
CONSERVATION AND REPAIR 


BSc (Hons) Building Surveying
OF BRICK, TERRACOTTA AND 


BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying
FLINT MASONRY 


BSc (Hons) Real Estate Management
These can be studied full or part-time.
Peter Minter 14-17 May
Postgraduate
MANAGING WILDLIFE ON 


MSc Project Management
HISTORIC MONUMENTS 


MSc Construction Management
Alan Cathersides 11-14 June 


MSc Sustainable Construction



MSc Conservation of Buildings
MASONRY CLEANING Professional Doctorate and PhD research programmes
David Odgers 18-21 June These can be studied full or part-time, with intakes in
September and January.
BURSARIES ARE AVAILABLE
T: 01243 818219 E: [email protected] For further Click: www.anglia.ac.uk/rics
information: Email: [email protected]
West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0QZ Call: 0845 271 3333
www.westdean.org.uk
 Contract administration – Common pitfalls

A defining problem
Practical completion has always been contentious and a source of much debate. Duncan Salmon delves
deeper in his third article on contract administration

he term ‘practical completion’ has existed for Patent or latent?

T a long time but, remarkably, still has no firm

legally defined meaning. One reason is that
most building contracts refer to the concept, but
The distinction between patent and latent defects
is relevant to when practical completion can be
certified. Jarvis v Westminster City Council [1970] All
make no attempt to define it. ER 943 is the authority for the two key propositions:
JCT 2011 refers to “when practical completion” • that practical completion can occur, and should be
is achieved, which is “in the opinion” of the certified, despite the presence of latent defects
architect/contract administrator (CA). The CA • where there are patent defects (other than those
inspects and decides if the building is acceptable that are minor or trivial), then practical completion
and certifies practical completion. So the CA has should not be certified.
some discretion – the key issue is how it is exercised.
Courts have struggled with the concept of practical Accordingly, the CA must consider whether there are
completion. The conclusion in one case (Menolly any patent defects detectable at practical completion
Investments v Cerap (2009) EWHC 516) unhelpfully and, if so, refuse to certify the works as practically
stated: “Practical completion is perhaps easier to complete. The CA may consider certifying practical
recognise than to define. No clear answer emerges completion by including trivial patent defects in a
from the authorities as to the meaning of the term.” ‘snagging list’ but a large number of such trivial
However, case law suggests: defects would be unacceptable.
• it means completion in the sense that all the The courts have held that the test for whether
construction work which has to be done has a defect is detectable is objective, rather than
been completed. But: subjective: “A patent defect is not latent when there
• when determining this, the CA has discretion to is none to observe it. The natural meaning of the
certify practical completion if there are trivial or word ‘patent’ is objective, not subjective. It means
minor defects or omissions in the works, and ‘observable’, not ‘observed’. A patent defect must
• irrespective of that discretion, works will not be be apparent on inspection, but it is not dependant
practically complete if there are patent defects, on the eye of the observer; it can blush unseen. In
i.e. substantial defective works or items of this case, although the defect was in darkness, it
incomplete works. was patent. Had the plaintiff or his mate shone their
• once a Practical Completion Certificate has lamps on it at the relevant moment, they would have
been issued, it will not be invalidated despite seen it.” (Sanderson v National Coal Board [1961]
the presence of latent defects that later 2 QB 244).
manifest themselves. So what may appear to be a latent defect to a
casual observer may be a patent defect to the CA.
Whether or not works are A defect is patent if it is reasonably discoverable
practically complete depends with the benefit of such skilled third-party advice.
on the judgment of the CA In contrast, a latent defect is concealed and may
and how trivial/minor they not manifest itself for a number of years. In Baxall
consider the defective or Securities Ltd v Sheard Walshaw Partnership [2002]
outstanding works to be. When EWCA Civ 9, the court said: “The concept of a latent
exercising that discretion a key issue defect is not a difficult one. It means a concealed
is the existence of patent defects. flaw. What is a flaw? It is the actual defect in the
workmanship or design, not the danger presented
by the defect… To what extent must it be hidden?
In my judgment, it must be a defect that would not
be discovered following the nature of inspection that
the defendant might reasonably anticipate the article
would be subjected to.”

Practical completion and the defects

© iS
toc
liability period
k pho
to.c
om
The defects liability period is provided so that defects
/br
ow
ndo
gst
which become apparent after the date of practical
udi
os completion can be rectified. Most standard forms
contain ‘defects liability clauses’ or ‘rectification
periods’. The contractor still has an obligation to

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 25

Contract administration – Common pitfalls

do snagging or to rectify any defects that appear relevant period (usually one month). From the
within the defects liability period, but must do so at Gross Valuation, there is then deducted the
their own cost. amounts previously paid to the contractor and
Ordinarily, the defects liability clause confers on a further amount by way of retention.
the contractor the right to return to site to correct any This retention is the accumulated sum that the
defects arising within a certain period after practical employer holds from what would be payable to the
completion (normally six to 12 months). Clause 2.38 contractor, against a failure by the contractor to
of the JCT Standard Building Contract 2011 allows compete the works free from defects. The retention
the CA to instruct the rectification of defects, and amount is specified in the contract – commonly, this
then requires these to be made good by the is 5% or 3% on larger projects. Normally, one half
contractor “within a reasonable time”. of the retention is released following practical
Only if the contactor fails to respond can the completion, with the remainder due for release
employer engage others and contra-charge the following the end of the defects liability period. Clause
costs to the contractor. 4.20 of JCT Standard Building Contract 2011 states:
“half the retention Percentage may be deducted from Whether or
Defects after the issue of the Defects so much of the total amount as relates to work where
Liability Certificate the Works… have reached practical completion but in not works
By this time the CA’s role is concluded. The respect of which a Certificate of Making Good… has
contractor remains liable for latent defects; not been issued”. are practically
however, he has neither the right to rectify defects,
nor the obligation to do so – his liability is limited to The end game complete
compensating the employer for the costs of rectifying The CA’s role is central to the proper completion of
latent defects. Here, the employer will seek to be put the contact and he must: depends on
in the position they would have been in had the • consider whether the works are free from patent
contractual duties been properly carried out. defects and if they are sufficiently complete to the judgment
This is worth remembering in case the CA is justify the issue of the Certificate of Practical
consulted after contract completion. A well-advised Completion? of the CA and
employer may consider permitting the contractor to • once the works have achieved practical
attend site to remedy defects to avoid any suggestion
of failing to mitigate loss but, contrary to common
completion, confirm that all defects that have
been the subject of an instruction from him have
how trivial/minor
belief, the contractor has no right to do so. been made good. Only then can the Certificate of
Making Good be issued and the second half of the
they consider
Failing to achieve practical completion
The obvious issue is the application of liquidated and
retention released.
the defective
ascertained damages. The CA should be aware of
specific procedures to be followed as a condition
Dealing with practical completion can be the most
challenging aspect of the CA’s role. The employer and
or outstanding
precedent to the valid exercise of the power to contractor will both want the certificate to be issued
deduct liquidated damages. Such procedures must but have different, often competing, interests. The CA works to be
be complied with; otherwise it may be that the who focuses on ensuring the certificate is only issued
liquidated damages cannot be properly deducted. when there are no patent defects and following the
Clause 2.32 of the JCT Standard Building Contract objective exercise of his discretion over trivial or minor
2011 gives two conditions before the employer may defects or omissions should be able to make the
deduct liquidated damages: process a success.
• a certificate of non-completion must have been
issued The final article in this series will consider disputes
• they must have notified the contractor in writing and the advantages/disadvantages of litigation and
that it may require payment of, or may withhold arbitration.
or deduct, liquidated damages.

Release of the retention

Duncan Salmon is a Partner in the construction
Assuming the CA has satisfied himself that there
and engineering department of solicitors Speechly
are no patent defects and the works have reached
Bircham LLP and was a member of the working party
a state of completion where he can exercise his
for the Contract administration guidance note
discretion to issue the Certificate of Practical
[email protected]
Completion, then the first half of the retention
must be released.
Most construction contracts provide for a ‘Gross Related competencies include: Mandatory, T016,
Valuation’ to identify the amount payable by the T017, T077

employer to the contractor for the work in the

26 Building Surveying Journal March-April 2012

 For display advertising contact Lucie Inns +44 (0)20 7871 2906 or [email protected]

Building value 
from knowledge

Put yourself at the centre of the UK’s largest

network of expert, surveying information

The right information is your destination. isurv contains:

isurv takes you there via the fastest possible route. t


3*$4
TUBOEBSET
BOE
HVJEBODF
OPUFT
XJUI
JOTJHIUGVM
BEWJDF

on their implementation
Designed to specifically meet the information needs of t


&YQFSU
DPOUSJCVUJPO
BOE
HVJEBODF
PO
LFZ
JOEVTUSZ
JTTVFT


the surveying and property industry, isurv is your one- including dilapidations, whole life performance, EPCs,
stop destination for RICS official guidance, expert insight pathology, town planning and environmental matters
and clear best practice advice. isurv is an online resource t


EPXOMPBEBCMF
DIFDLMJTUT
MFUUFST
BOE
GPSNT

allowing you to access impartial and comprehensive t


3FHVMBSMZ
VQEBUFE
UP
JODMVEFE
UIF
MBUFTU
MFHJTMBUJWF
VQEBUFT

knowledge at the click of a button. and industry news.

isurv covers t building surveying t valuation t construction t commercial and residential property t planning t environmental and sustainability

To view the isurv map and for more information as well as a FREE TRIAL,
call 024 7686 8433 or visit isurvinfo.com 

Ska Rating
The flexible assessment method for green fit-out projects

A specialist rating system for promoting and managing best practice,

Ska Rating helps organisations achieve more sustainable fit outs.
Anyone who is interested in fitting out an office “ I would like to thank
in a more sustainable way can use the method. all concerned for a David Churchill

fantastic educational
Only Ska accredited assessors are two days on the Ska
able to formally certificate projects. assessors training.
The venue, lecturer
Want to become a Ska Assessor? and content were
Successful completion of this two day training course all top class.”
will enable you to; September 2010.
• obtain an in-depth understanding of the philosophy
and method For more information, contact
• learn how to apply the system in the context
RICS Training;
of the design and construction process
• understand the sustainability issues relevant t 02476 868 584 e [email protected]
to the office fit-out process.

rics.org/ska

March-April 2012 Building Surveying Journal 27

 COULD YOU BE EB UOY DLUOC
SEEING DOUBLE? ?ELBUOD GNIEES
Win more business with two authoritative reports focussing on twice as many homebuyers.
80% of homebuyers rely on their mortgage lenders’ valuations. Apply for a RICS Home Surveys Licence now and you could break into that market by offering
two highly authoritative but cost effective and easy-to-understand alternatives.

RICS Condition Report (CR) RICS HomeBuyer Report (HBR) –

Designed for newer and smaller properties the UK’s No1 property report
A recent consumer trial proved that, of mortgage HBR is designed for average homes that are not
customers 30% opted for the new RICS Condition new. So it is widely regarded as the most popular
Report. It: property report currently available.
• is written in jargon-free English A recent consumer trial proved that, of mortgage
• features energy performance and colour-coded condition ratings customers, 60% opted for a RICS HomeBuyer Report. It:
• includes a summary of risks to the condition of the property • is written in jargon-free English
• advice for legal advisors. • features energy performance and colour-coded condition ratings
CR is only available to AssocRICS, MRICS or FRICS – giving you a • contains a valuation element, reinstatement figure and gives advice
competitive advantage over non-RICS surveyors. on maintenance and the steps needed before exchange of contracts.
HBR is only available to AssocRICS, MRICS or FRICS who belong to
the RICS Valuer Registration Scheme.

Increase your instructions – purchase your RICS Home Survey Licence now. Visit www.rics.org/homesurveys
for an application form, alternatively contact 0870 333 1600 or email [email protected]

RICS National Building

Surveying Conference 2012
19 April 2012
Grange Tower Bridge Hotel,
45 Prescot Street, London E1 8GB

Delegate fee frozen since 2010

Following the success of last year’s conference, this

key industry event will take place again in London on
19 April 2012.

RICS flagship conference for building surveyors, will feature a programme packed
full of inspiring presentations on Building Regulations, Dilapidations, Contract
Administration, Planning, Neighbourly Disputes, Sustainable Buildings,
Building Conservation and The Olympic Park Velodrome, providing the ideal
opportunity to keep up with the latest market developments and network with building
surveyors across the industry.

BOOK YOUR PLACE TODAY

Online: rics.org/bsconf2012 | Tel: +44(0) 20 7695 1600 | Email: [email protected]