Let's Think Bigger: A City-Wide Approach to Roads Innovation

Talk about any challenge in construction and one word will keep cropping up: collaboration. Used so often, it can start to lose some of its meaning, but at a recent sustainability event FM Conway held at London’s beautiful Guildhall, the importance and real-world implications of ‘collaboration’ couldn’t have been any clearer.

We brought together a mix of our infrastructure clients, partners and peers to talk about how we can meet sustainability goals, all while grappling with squeezed budgets and growing pressures on our roads and public spaces. The conversation focused on how developing a shared understanding of net zero via a common framework or standard could help.

Looking across the term maintenance contracts we support in London, the potential benefits of something like this are easy to see. We have forward-thinking clients who are keen to explore how they can meet carbon reduction goals while balancing other commitments. This open-mindedness has given us the scope to test and trial new ways of doing things. The trouble is that sometimes this innovation happens in isolation.

Take public realm maintenance. We’ve been looking with some clients at how we can re-use more materials, like kerbs. The recycling machinery needed for this is relatively costly and the business case just isn’t there to invest in the equipment for one borough. If there was a shared approach across London, however, then the numbers start to stack up.  

Recycling street materials is one, specific example, but it illustrates the bigger opportunity well. If we can apply a joined-up approach across infrastructure, sharing knowledge and working together to achieve common goals, then the results could be significant. 

There’s certainly a willingness in the industry to change how we work, and our Guildhall event gave me an immense amount of optimism about the desire to collaborate, properly. When given the opportunity to test, learn and achieve together, we can invest to innovate. We’ve been fortunate to work with fantastic clients who have encouraged this, and I look forward to strengthening these connections as we all target a sustainable future.