Listen, Guide, and Deliver

(Post by Director Cristina Lanz Azcarate)

"Listen, Guide, and Deliver" was the call to action at the "Improving Engagement in Sustainability – A Client Focus,” event organised by NAWIC London & South East and hosted by Nowy Styl and Kusch+Co . 

I want to thank those who made it possible: 

Event lead Chloe Xidhas, hosts Luciana Tavares MCIM and Jeffrey Owusu, and speakers Penelope Mccallum and Maria Russo, Sustainability Director and Head of Customer Experience for EMEA at Unispace respectively.

The talk and the discussion that followed were brilliant and reassuringly in line with the way we operate at our own studio. 

My takeaways:

1. Rethinking the Focus of Discussions:

• Much of the sustainability conversation is misdirected.

• Buildings are responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions and the average person spends 80 to 90% of their lives indoors (Harvard) .

• Yet aviation, accounting for 2.5% gets the attention

2. The Scale of the Challenge & Opportunity:

• The average property undergoes 12 fit-outs during its lifetime.

• 70% of commercial properties are now below EPC C. Soon B will be minimum, risking asset stranding.

• By 2060, the global B.E. is expected to double in size and the non-domestic retrofit market is projected to reach £500 billion in the next decade.

3. Bridging the Gap: 

• The industry has the tools and expertise to drive improvement, but we are not using the right language to engage clients.

• Understanding and aligning with client values is essential. 

• We must move beyond fulfilling immediate needs and encourage clients to consider the building's lifetime to deliver future-proof solutions. . i.e. Future uses of space or capacity changes.

4. Enhancing Client Experience for Sustainable Outcomes

• By understanding our clients we can anticipate their needs, personalize projects and build deeper connections.

• Creating emotional bonds and trust is key, especially when encouraging clients to prioritize social impact and sustainability in commercial projects. 

5. Listening, Guiding, and Delivering

The industry must shift from telling clients what they need, to actively listening, guiding, and delivering solutions that reflect their priorities. Ignoring where clients get lost in the process, or overloading them with technical detail, risks losing business to competitors.

6. Seamless Integration of Sustainability

• Connecting design strategies to client values makes sustainability a natural part of the project.

• The loss of continuity in teams moving from stage 3 to 4, can impact i the way sustainability is perceived.

The event reinforced that by bridging the gap between sustainability and client experience, we can deliver projects that are both high-performing and truly valued by those who use them.

Also thanks to my fellow committee members Annie Clift Beatrice Ronchetti Lucia Luo Karen Rothwell Marianna Bia Rosemary Silver Marion Ellis Tegan Johnson for the on going work