Built Environment

Ffitch Solutions offers assistance with:

• Building Design
• Building Performance, including waste disposal
• NABERS and Green Star ratings
• Project Management
• Green Lease preparation
• Litigation Assistance
• Urban Design and Consultation

NABERS & Green Star

Increasingly, NABERS and Green Star are being stipulated in design briefs, client needs briefs and leases. Government tenancies require minimum NABERS ratings (often 4.5 Stars) and it is therefore in the best interests of developers to build to this higher and expected standard to ensure long term investment returns.

Please refer to 'NABERS & Green Star'. Click here for more information.

Project Management

Ffitch Solutions offer project management assistance delivering project goals and objectives on time and on budget.

The process of planning, organising and managing resources is integral to successfully achieving efficient business operations. Identifying the right team to participate in a project and leading them through the process removes risks of missed deadlines or poor implementation.

Ffitch Solutions has extensive experience in project management with law firms, not for profit organisations, building and construction, and government.

Green Lease Guide

Ffitch Solutions can assist landlords and tenants establish green leases for mutual benefit. A green lease is usually agreed between the developer or landlord of a green building and a tenant. Ffitch Solutions can help clarify the benefits to each party and negotiate a lease with clear targets and benefits.

Green buildings are designed, constructed and operated to achieve economic, environmental and social outcomes for landlords and tenants. Green buildings support a sustainable approach to property development and maintenance. Specifically, green buildings have improved water and energy efficiency, use resources more sustainably and achieve indoor environmental quality goals.

Ffitch Solutions uses experience in law and sustainable development to achieve the best result for clients. Tenants frequently ask landlords for buildings that achieve certain Green Star (link) or NABERS (link) standards. Achieving the required standard often requires the involvement of both landlord and tenant and therefore the green lease attributes responsibilities and clarifies who pays for which costs.

Download a copy of the green lease guide for commercial tenants here.

The Australian Government’s Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) has established guidelines for government tenants. DEWHA developed green lease schedules

Litigation Assistance

With more than 10 years experience in litigation, including building and construction disputes, Ffitch Solutions has the knowledge and expertise to assist with dispute resolution. Litigation is a costly and stressful experience that can often be avoided with careful risk management and detailed project management.

Where disputes do arise, communicating at an early stage and resolving disputes is in the best interests of all parties. With a detailed understanding of building and construction, combined with tertiary level qualifications and formal accreditations, Ffitch Solutions offers a value-for-money solution to handle potential litigious disputes for the building and property management industries.

NABERS

NABERS is the National Australian Built Environment Rating System, managed on behalf of the Australian Government by the NSW Department of the Environment, Climate Change & Water.

NABERS is a performance-based rating system for existing buildings. NABERS rates a building on the basis of its measured operational impacts on the environment, and provides a simple indication of how well you are managing these environmental impacts compared with your peers and neighbours.

Ffitch Solutions can undertake NABERS ratings of your portfolio and provide you with assistance to improve these ratings.

NABERS is a performance-based rating system for existing buildings. NABERS rates a building on the basis of its measured operational impacts on the environment, and provides a simple indication of how well you are managing these environmental impacts compared with your peers and neighbours.

NABERS ratings are now available for:

• Offices
• Homes
• Hotels, and
• Retail

The NABERS ratings generally cover energy, water, waste and indoor environment.

Mandatory Disclosure

Mandatory disclosure of the energy efficiency performance of office space greater than 2.00sq.m is soon to be required. The mandatory disclosure is being required as part of the National Buildings Framework.

The framework is the result of a commitment by Australian, state and territory governments under the National Strategy on Energy Efficiency.

It is expected that mandatory disclosure will lead to energy savings of 20-40% on commercial buildings.

The scheme will be implemented in the second half of 2010. It is therefore necessary for landlords to start collecting data right now to be in a position to obtain a NABERS rating quickly.

More information is available here

NABERS Ratings

NABERS ratings are now available for:

• Offices –buildings (covering the environmental impacts of the activities and services traditionally supplied by, or within the control of, the landlords/operators of office buildings)
• Offices – tenancy (covers the environmental impacts of the activities that are under the control of office occupants)
• Homes (designed for occupants of homes, covering all situations where the home carries all of its own services and land as a single identifiable package)
• Hotels (available for AAA-rated business hotels), and
• Retail (launched in late 2009)

Green Star

Green star is a comprehensive, national, voluntary environmental rating system that evaluates the environmental design and construction of buildings. The rating system is managed by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and was created to fill a need by the property industry to have a consistent rating tool.

The benefits of obtaining a Green Star rating include:

• Lower operating costs
• Higher return on investment
• Greater tenant attraction
• Enhanced marketability
• Productivity benefits
• Reduced liability and risk
• A healthier place to live and work
• Demonstration of Corporate Social Responsibility
• Future proofed assets
• Competitive advantage

Ffitch Solutions can assist you with obtaining a Green Star rating. Green Star offers points from 9 categories (Management, Indoor Environment Quality, Energy, Transport, Water, Materials, Land Use & Ecology, Emissions & Innovation). Ffitch Solutions can help you identify points to target.

Sustainability

In the 1980’s a focus on increasing consumption of the world’s resources brought sustainability into the mainstream. In 1983, the United Nations convened a conference chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland to review the consequences of increasing human development and the effect on natural resources and the environment. The commission published a report in 1987 entitled ‘Our Common Future’ which included a definition of sustainability:

sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Sustainability continues to grow in acceptance and importance. Companies understand that a sustainable business can be more profitable.

Ffitch Solutions helps businesses to understand sustainability and take advantage of the opportunities that a thorough business review provides.

Energy

Ffitch Solutions has experience developing and implementing energy assessments for small to medium sized business. This broad experience has generated significant insight into the key savings available to business and shown real savings on energy bills.

For example, installing a simple sensor switch on toilets switches off the lights when they are not in use. Zonal lighting enables areas that are not in use to have their lights turned off when not in use rather than lighting areas people are not using.

Waste

Our community is becoming increasingly urbanised and is creating more waste per capita. Pressures on our landfill sites are of concern to governments and the community. The response from government includes increasing the price paid to dispose of waste in landfill.

Ffitch Solutions works with businesses to analyse their waste and look for resource recovery opportunities. A simple review can often convert expensive waste into a potential source of income.

Ffitch Solutions has developed WREX.biz, a resource exchange marketplace that helps businesses find buyers for their waste at market prices. Businesses can readily determine the value of waste and change their processes to suit.

Water

In one of the driest continents on Earth, Australian businesses can save money by saving water.

Ffitch Solutions work with businesses to

• Analyse water use,
• Identify and fix water leaks,
• Review existing water fixtures and identify alternative water efficient fixtures, which can frequently be installed in areas such as amenities, kitchens and irrigation systems without disruption to your business operations.

A Ffitch Solutions consultation is focussed on saving you money and finding suitable solutions. Benefits of working with Ffitch Solutions include:

• Developing cost effective solutions to reduce your water use;
• Saving your business money;
• Growing your business reputation with customers and staff.

Supply Chain

An increasing awareness of the need for sustainability within business, now involves businesses understanding how they fit into a broader supply chain. Governments and corporations frequently ask questions about environmental standards and businesses sustainability practices.

Supply chain analysis helps your business engage with suppliers and customers and communicate with them about your sustainability practice. Having an environmental management plan (EMP) is less about regulations and more about opportunity. Many government tenders cannot be satisfied without an EMP. Large corporations are increasingly reviewing the environmental performance of their businesses and the performance of their trading partners.

Ffitch Solutions can help you:

• Reveal how your supply chain affects your business, including identifying risks
• Understand your environmental performance
• Engage with suppliers and customers
• Develop appropriate procurement policies, including establishing supplier selection criteria and processes.
• Review product environmental performance and undertake a process of improvement.

Transport

Sustainable transport solutions offer significant opportunities for businesses that help productivity, grow your reputation and save money.

Sustainable transport solutions help to reduce fuel costs, save money, reduce air pollution, and can have health benefits. Solutions include:

• Walking;
• Using public transport; and
• Cycling.

Regular maintenance of fleet vehicles including keeping tyres at the correct pressure and driving at a moderate and steady speed has been shown to save businesses money.

Increasingly, businesses are seeking offices that are close to public transport, have achieved points under the GBCA’s Green Star tool, or provide cycling facilities and make for a happier workplace. Ffitch Solutions can help you review your current transport policy, and develop a sustainable transport plan that offers real value.

Community

Ffitch Solutions believe that the community involves staff, your immediate neighbouring community, supply chain (including those who supply you goods, and purchase your goods and services), and other interested parties.

Andrew Lloyd was instrumental in establishing Best Buddies Australia Ltd, a not for profit organisation assisting young people with intellectual disabilities develop relationships with their peers. Andrew has also sat on the board of Down Syndrome NSW.

A businesses sense of community should be embodied in its core values and objectives. In many ways, a sustainable business is one that undertakes responsible business practices.

The Elements of responsible business practice include:

• Environmental- the environmental impact, direct or indirect, of an organisation's operations, products or services including those of its suppliers.
• Community/Social- the impact of an organisation's projects, products, services or investments on the community at a local or global level.
• Workplace Practices - including respectful, treatment of employees in matters related to recruitment and selection, diversity and equal opportunity, work/life balance, professional development and progression, managing redundancies and full entitlement to employment rights.
• Marketplace & Business Conduct- responsible behaviour in developing, purchasing, selling and marketing products and services
• Ethical Governance- from board level and throughout an organisation: transparency; risk management; due diligence; effective codes of conduct and ethics.

Ffitch Solutions work with Peter Bowden from the St James Ethics Centre to deliver a tailored analysis of your business.

Industrial Ecology

Industrial ecology involves reshaping industrial processes so that waste becomes a resource and is used at the start of a new process. Increasing pressures on the environment combined with a growing population make disposing of waste in landfill sites unattractive; failing to fully utilise waste is not smart business.

Ffitch Solutions believes that considerable value can be found in waste, and by converting this waste from an expense to a source of income (revenue) is smart business. Minor modifications to industrial processes can reduce waste, or reuse it in the industrial process. Recycling waste offers potential value to businesses with an eye on sustainability.

WREX.biz – The Waste and Resource Exchange

Ffitch Solutions have developed a market-based resource exchange called WREX.biz that assists government, business and the community by diverting waste from landfill. WREX.biz facilitates the exchange of resources and materials.

As well as facilitating exchanges of resources, WREX.biz also:

• provides a new market for resources that would ordinarily go to landfill;
• generates a true market price for waste, generally converting an expense into revenue;
• brings together buyers and sellers of resources across various industry types;
• educates manufacturers about the value of their waste, and helps them identify opportunities to change waste to make a valuable resource; and
• assists government and industry associations gather data and understand the real market value of waste, thereby focussing attention in the areas that will respond to market-based incentives or helping to drive changes in regulations to correct market failures.

Other Services

Ffitch Solutions assists organisations in relation to the Built Environment, Sustainability and Industrial Ecology, In addition, Ffitch Solutions has the expertise to help organisations understand the need for , and the value in, implementing environmental and carbon management systems.

Efficient operations save resources and save money. A solid review of your organisations operations will on most occasions lead to financial gains in the first year.

Implementing change is best done when staff participate in the planning process, and assist in project implementation. Ffitch Solutions has experience managing teams of more than 100 people and are well suited to assist you address important change.

Environmental Management

In the business sense, environmental management refers to the interaction between business and the environment, and the impact upon the environment. Proper environmental management practices reduce the risk of prosecution by government, protect business reputation and save resources.

Increasingly, businesses are implementing an environmental management system because it expands the number of commercial opportunities available. For example, most government tenders now require information about environmental performance when tendering for work.

Environmental management requires the use of effective management tools, standards and systems. The ISO 14001 standard is generally the most appropriate and recognised EMS framework.

Ffitch Solutions can work with your business to develop an EMS for your business, and help you tender for work.

Carbon Management

This page is under construction