While the question in the past has been around the cost of sustainability, today, the bigger question is: What is the cost of continuing as we are?
In May 2019, a number of key individuals from the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) sector were brought together at a round table event, hosted by Red Brick Research, in order to understand the unique issues faced by developers and operators with regards to sustainability. The opinions and viewpoints expressed at the event have been collected along with extensive research in order to form the recommendations presented in this report.
In the PBSA sector, investment in sustainability has traditionally been hindered by the pressures of having to demonstrate short payback periods and the perceptions around cost uplift. While there are exceptions, it is clear that emerging challenges facing the PBSA sector could soon force a re-think in the way the sector approaches sustainability.
Building for Tomorrow, Today was commissioned by ASK4 and amber energy, and reviews evidence around the costs and benefits of sustainable or ‘green’ buildings, as well as advances in Internet of Things technology and building data analytics to assess the opportunities, keeping in mind the unique challenges experienced by the PBSA sector. This has been undertaken with the awareness that demonstrating a return on investment within the sector is just as important as mitigating the environmental impacts of a building.