Teamwork is vital to deliver low energy buildings and greater collaboration is needed to achieve it, says CIBSE's new president Rob Manning.
Speaking at the AGM of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), the incoming president said: 'The time has come to really prove that we are taking carbon dioxide reduction and energy efficiency in buildings seriously.

'As engineers in society, regardless of the outcome of inter-governmental discussions such as those in Copenhagen we need to 'just do it'. Just do the real engineering required by our national governments.

'I believe we must recognise all the individuals who make up the project teams. The only way we can meet the demands of comfort, environmental and safety aims, cost and time is to have the right people with the right interests in the project teams from the beginning.

The presidential address 'Collaborate and Deliver' emphasises that the industry will be much better placed to succeed in meeting its commercial, social and environmental objectives through a team approach enabled by collaborative contracts and appointments.

Manning added: 'Furthermore as an industry we need to better communicate and incentivise the environmental objectives so that all construction professionals are recognised for their part as the key deliverers of engineering excellence.'

Manning said the industry must look at collaborating in order to improve education and training opportunities and to ensure that the industry attracts the engineers of the future.

The president concluded that CIBSE cannot achieve these aims on its own and must collaborate with other institutions, trade organisations, industrialists, educationalists, vendors and government bodies.