Morgan Lovell is a pioneer in the design and build of cost-effective, sustainable office interiors. It employs a team of expert BREEAM [Building Research Establishment Assessment Method] and LEED [Leadership in Environmental Energy and Design] qualified designers who work from the company's Birmingham, London and Thames Valley offices - along with dedicated in-house sustainability experts - to deliver an innovative approach to green office interiors.

Lara Conaway is the sustainability manager at Morgan Lovell - a role that involves "blending science with design" to deliver sustainable workplaces for now and the future. She has been closely involved in the refurbishment of Morgan Lovell's own headquarters in Noel Street, London, which has achieved the highest BREEAM fit out rating in the UK and was pivotal to the company being named in this year's inaugural Sunday Times Green List.

What are the biggest low-carbon challenges facing major commercial and retail property developers?

"The cost of upgrading high energy use plant, such as air conditioning units. It is a minefield at present and there are mixed messages emerging too. We are told we should all be upgrading in one corner, then we are told to think about the carbon produced by removing and disposing of plant and the carbon produced by manufacturing the new plant in another.

"Government and legislative pressure - in areas including energy requirements and waste management - is also causing confusion and even concern among a lot of people, as they consider the best options. We need to set practical but challenging targets and recognise there needs to be a balance between the introduction of new plant and educating building users to get the best out of existing equipment."

Can existing buildings be adapted for a green environment or are new-builds the best way forward for environmentally-friendly premises?

"Existing buildings have to be adapted! It is totally unrealistic to consider knocking down our existing stock and replace them. There has to be an acceptance that existing buildings have limitations - and ensure they are adapted in the most practical and cost effective manner.

"Current structures need to be more efficient and innovative methods of fit out and refurbishment introduced - all buildings can have elements of 'green' and we need to stop thinking this only means a wind turbine strapped on the wall or a roof of photovoltaic cells.

"Our own 6,000 sq ft multi-tenanted office space in London has been developed, with sensible, cost effective solutions, to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating - so it shows it can be done even in the type of building that would normally be considered an environmental write-off."

Is Government doing enough to encourage developers and investors to be environmentally friendly, for example with tax or VAT breaks for refurbishment?

"The government are now giving tax breaks when you install certain energy saving plant and machinery into your office via the Enhanced Capital Allowances scheme. "If you are a public sector organisation, the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, a £50 million scheme, offers grants of up to 50% towards the cost of installing renewable technologies in public buildings."

What new technologies are emerging to aid greener buildings?

"Often it is not technology that is needed, but a well-implemented education programme aimed at the occupants of the building. It costs nothing to make sure all the lights are turned off and phones left on chargers all day can consume a great deal of energy. Often the cheap, easy option can have an immediate impact - timers cost about £10 for standalone equipment like TV's and copiers.

"There needs to be more clarity on what is meant by a 'greener' building. Yes, clearly a more energy efficient building fits the bill - but there are less obvious issues. If staff are happier, healthier and more productive as a result of improvements to their working environment - such as using products low in volatile organic compounds, which improves the air they are breathing - then surely that is also making the building greener?"

How do you ensure contractors and the supply chain in general adhere to low-carbon guidelines?

"From Morgan Lovell's perspective, we are actively involving our key sub contractors in the sustainable journey we are taking. We select sub contractors who have proven environmental credentials and our site inductions include clear guidelines on our approach to reducing energy use. They are scored on their environmental performance at the end of every project and we hold workshops to discuss the initiatives we are putting into place. At every stage of the project, our suppliers are with us. They know what we are doing and are very keen to learn and implement the new knowledge they have gained.

"An example includes encouraging our suppliers to take back their own packaging, such as pallets, and reuse them the next time they supply products to site. This is just one way we can reduce the carbon footprint of a fit out."

Is 'greenwash' a problem in your industry in particular and industry in general?

"Greenwash is pretty rampant across all sectors. It is our job to protect clients from gimmicky green products.

"One of our key aims is to ensure our sustainable message is backed by positive, tangible evidence and actions. When researching new products, we dig deep to check that the sales spin is supported. We are keen to use products in our own offices to test them out. It means we can give our clients honest and practical advice on the sustainable options that are right for them."

What has been your most successful low-carbon drive and what made it so?

"We have not approached this as a one-off drive. We constantly look at ways to reduce our energy consumption. Our footprint is already reduced by purchasing 100% renewable energy for our head office in Noel Street and we are working with the Carbon Trust to reduce our footprint further.

"The remaining carbon produced by our operations is offset with The CarbonNeutral Company. We make sure staff are fully informed in what we do and they get involved by voting for the offset projects we invest in.

"The high level of engagement regarding sustainability in the workplace and our staff saw Morgan Lovell achieve seventh place in the employer engagement category of the Sunday Times Best Green Companies 2008."

How has the business of office development changed since your formation in 1977?

"As far as office design and fit out is concerned, the industry has come a long way. Now when you hire a sector leader to design and build your office interior, you are very likely to complete on time and to budget. It wasn't always like that in our business. In addition, companies like Morgan Lovell are including added value services, like sustainability.

"I cannot speak for trends in the 1970s. However, in general terms what we are seeing now is that a number of bright, talented staff, particular younger ones on the recruitment run, are starting to look for evidence they are going to work for companies with genuine green credentials. That is starting to influence office development.

"In today's office, staff comfort is key and advances in technology - from adjustable chairs and desks, to advanced lighting - is helping to achieve that."

Please tell us what you are working on at present

"There is so much going on with sustainability in the fit out market that it is hard to know where to start. "We have some fantastic sustainable client projects on site at present and it's very interesting to work with clients from the beginning to see how they can achieve a more sustainable and energy efficient workplace, which benefits the bottom line and staff. We are finding the appetite for wanting to 'go green' is huge, but clients want to have reassurance they are not being sold the unrealistic 'greenwash' approach.

"BREEAM is being talked about a lot, with some clients taking the step forward to achieve an 'Excellent' rating on their fit out. Others are taking the early steps towards understanding what a sustainable or low carbon office can be and the benefits it brings. Others are preferring us to design and build a space that is in the 'spirit' of BREEAM."

What advice would you give to someone taking on a role similar to yours?

"Be enthusiastic and practical. Always remember that it is often the simple things that can make a difference and don't expect everyone to want to 'save the planet'. Make the initial steps easy, affordable and understandable and the rest will follow naturally."

Your Feets Too Big - Data Centre Emissions

Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) have a central role to play in adapting to a low carbon economy. In the most extreme scenarios, technology could turn out to be either “hero” or “villain”, helping us to make the transition to new and leaner ways of working, or making us ever greedier for fossil fuels.

Today, the benefits delivered by ICTs are in danger of being outrun by the damage caused by their emissions. While the efficiency of most devices is improving, our gross energy demands are still rising, according to the industry body Intellect.

The Market Transformation Programme (MTP) – run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – estimates that electricity use by ICT equipment more than doubled between 2000 and 2005, while our growing enthusiasm for consumer electronics means that by 2020, 45% of domestic electricity will be consumed by technology products, according to research by the Energy Saving Trust.

Counting the cost of cool hardware

For companies, hosting and storage of data makes a significant contribution to the carbon footprint of its ICT operations. Indeed, according to MTP, data centres are estimated to use between 2.2 and 3.3% of the UK’s total electricity, with annual energy bills for large data centres running into millions of pounds. It is important for IT directors to know where and how savings can be made, whether their companies use third party providers or operate their own data centres.

As is widely known, a large proportion of the energy consumed by data centres – as much as 50% according to some estimates – isn’t used by server hardware at all, but for temperature control. But much of this is unnecessary, according to Ted Shann of BT Global Services. Some problems are quite easy to fix too. “There are some obvious ways to improve the efficiency of cooling systems. If you have an underfloor cooling system you can check that the ducts aren’t blocked by cables, for example,” he says.

The layout of positioning of cold air inlets and server racks can also affect efficiency. “If you have a cold aisle, make sure the cold air inlets are all facing the same way. Also, a classic mistake is to place racks too close to a fan unit, restricting the flow of cold air,” he says. More innovative approaches to cooling data centres include the use of filtered fresh air, or liquids such as a glycol which is cooled at night and piped through the building during the day.

In many cases data centres are kept cooler than they actually need to be, Shann suggests. “Enormous savings can be made by raising the temperature! Obviously it’s important that this is squared off with customers and suppliers first, but in many cases equipment that is working at 20 degrees centigrade will work just as well at 25 or 26 degrees,” he says. “Before you do anything like this first you must make sure you do some analysis, to identify hot spots, for example. You can do this with a thermal camera. When we do our own [BT’s] data centres we use these,” he says.

Work harder but smarter

An issue that has a direct bearing on company policy – and hence the responsibility of IT directors – is more efficient procurement and use of data centre resources, says Shann. So-called virtualisation of servers is an option that is much discussed at the moment, he says. Put simply this involves running several instances of storage or server software on the same piece of hardware, ensuring greater efficiency.

“Most servers are allocated on a per project or per application basis, with something like 10 to 15 per cent utilisation of hardware as a result. With virtualisation this can be improved to 60 or 70 per cent,” he says. “An interesting spin-off is the very quick turnaround that can be achieved. Instead of going to buy a new box – which can take a few weeks – turnaround times of a couple of hours are achievable,” says Shann. Virtualisation requires a cautious approach however, particularly for critical applications that must be resilient, or are subject to large spikes in demand.

“Many IT directors will have come across virtualisation,” says Kate Craig-Wood, a member of the British Computer Society Data Centre Specialist Group. It’s also worth bearing in mind the improved performance of new equipment, she suggests. “In the last few years we’ve seen a doubling of performance and halving of the power consumption.” Over a lifetime of three years, older technology can cost as much as in terms of energy consumption as the price of the original machine, she says.

The need for accurate data

New hardware plus virtualisation is no guarantee of optimal efficiency, says Craig-Wood. Companies tend to procure energy on the basis of the maximum capacity of their equipment, rather than what it actually needs, she suggests. “I would encourage people to measure power consumption themselves. It’s not that difficult – there are clamp-meters that go round a cable and tell you how hard a device is working.” Equipment rated at 400W may only be drawing 150W, meaning that significant amounts of energy may be wasted elsewhere that wouldn’t come to light otherwise. More generally, collecting such data can be a useful springboard for action. “If you get people to measure things, you get changes,” she says. Independent data centres are responding quite well to the challenges, partly because electricity has always been one of their largest costs, and has a visible and obvious impact on their profitability, she says.

“Problems can often arise in corporate data centres, particularly if the company is not IT-focused. There can easily be a dissociation between the IT department not talking to the mechanical and electrical department. The bill for power may not be seen by the IT guys,” she says.

Policies to make people think

“The M&E [mechanical and electrical] department will tend to look at equipment as large resistors, and make provision for three times the power actually needed,” she says. Greater transparency about usage of IT resources is clearly needed. “The technical director could consider a policy that makes users accountable. This could involve internal billing, with a carbon bill at the bottom – maybe that would make people think twice,” she says.

“The important actions are clear,” says Intellect. “We need to understand the energy implications of our products and processes better, we need to spread best practice through our own supply chain, we need to stimulate behavioural change, and we need to identify the best low-carbon technologies and accelerate their development and implementation. The first two actions are up to us. The last two actions have to be shared with everybody.”

Key Questions:

• What is the carbon footprint of our IT use?
• Do we know how much hardware we really need?
• Do our IT policies encourage efficient use of energy?