Gardiner and Theobald’s Partner Kerry Gibbs was recently involved in our event focused on the net zero agenda, brought to you by Waterman Group. Following the event we’ve been catching up with Kerry to discuss the firms focus on the climate emergency…

Q. What are the core services Gardiner & Theobald offers to the industry and how have they developed in recent years?

Gardiner & Theobald is an independent construction and property consultancy delivering Cost Management, Project Management and Specialist Consultancy for the built environment. We are passionate about three things: delivering a truly world class service for our clients, investing in the best people to deliver that service and remaining financially strong and independent. These are the pillars of our success and what sets us apart from the rest.

Q. How has Gardiner & Theobald consultancy work enabled major carbon savings and how have you supported the net zero carbon agenda?

Although zero carbon is currently a hot topic, it is not new — and we are not new to it. Gardiner & Theobald (“G&T”) have been working on low and zero carbon buildings since 2007. That is when we were asked by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) to be the main cost consultant to evaluate the Government’s low and zero carbon non-domestic buildings programme.

As a service provider, the biggest impact that we can have is helping our clients meet their net zero carbon aspirations. At the same time, however, we know the business benefits of low carbon policies for ourselves — in the form of reduced operating expenses, enhanced corporate reputation, the attraction and retention of colleagues, and so on. That is why, while evaluating the Government’s carbon policies, we started to form our own. In many respects, G&T has been moving towards lower carbon for quite some time – we have already made substantial reductions in our carbon emissions. Nevertheless, G&T are committed to reducing carbon as far as possible and continuing our leadership, both for our clients and our colleagues.

Ultimately, and in steps, we aim to be net zero carbon as a firm by 2030. We believe that our first successes will come in our buildings, but we aim to drive down travel emissions as much as possible while still being able to provide our high level of service. Naturally, we will never be able to completely eliminate carbon as long as we operate, but through efficiency, better procurement decisions and, when needed, the purchase of high-grade carbon “Gold Standard” allowances, we expect to be a net zero carbon firm by the end of this decade

Q. To what extent is it a balance when minimising cost and risk whilst delivering carbon savings or can a development philosophy encapsulate both?

There is undoubtedly a relationship between low carbon building design and, cost and risk.  It is however more nuanced than just saying low carbon design costs more and increases risk.   In our experience, to manage the implications you must define your low carbon strategy as early as possible in the design process – the longer you leave it the more it will cost and the higher risk you introduce.   That means setting targets for operational and embodied carbon as early as possible and ideally at brief stage.  Secondly you must engage a design team that understands the carbon implications of material selection, building height and depth, building orientation and, building services systems. This and of course appointing a cost and project manager that understands the complexity of the subject matter and how to navigate a way through will give you the best opportunity to balance the cost and risk implications of your low carbon strategy.      

Q. You’ve worked on some of the most significant projects in the works, including the Canada Water Masterplan, the first phase of HS2 and the new Everton Stadium how do you maximise value on such major schemes?

We see the key factors to maximising value as follows:-

  • Understanding the brief
  • Understanding the clients appraisal and where the value play is for them in the site
  • Setting and establishing realistic budgets very early in the design process
  • Having a collaborative relationship with the architect and designers to help them maximise what they can do on the site for the budget
  • Actively managing costs
  • Market knowledge
  • Proactive cost management – Understanding and clearly communicating what we can and can’t afford
  • Owning the outcome commercially

The Canada Water Masterplan consists of 35 buildings and 50+ elements of public realm and infrastructure. In this instance we are providing a much greater strategic role which ensures a level of consistency across each of the work streams. This delivers its own value as we control the whole financial position for the masterplan which links intrinsically into the client’s appraisal.

Q. G&T prides itself on being one of the most ethical firms within the built environment, how do you express your social commitments through concrete action?

We have a Community Engagement and Social Impact programme which allows us to support the communities in which we work and to make a positive social impact through action. This encompasses many different things, from supporting charities to schools outreach.

For instance, in 2020, we became a Patron of CRASH a unique charity that assists homelessness and hospice charities with construction related projects to support vulnerable people. CRASH supports charities with practical elements of their building projects to improve the experience of the construction process and create better places for people to live and work. Through our patronage we are given the opportunity to contribute with our professional skills to assist with a number of construction projects as well as to help with fundraising. During 2020, CRASH helped 40 charities to improve and develop their buildings. We are proud to have renewed our patronage of CRASH for 2021 so we can continue supporting them in helping others.

We also run a New Generation (NewGen) programme which aims to address the skills gap in construction and improve opportunities for social mobility in young people by delivering vocational skills workshops to school and college-age children in areas where this opportunity might not usually be available. We have partnered with East London charity, 15 BillionEBP, to deliver workshops which help to build confidence and key skills in young people and prepare them for the working world.

Q. How was the experience of Gardiner & Theobald speaking at the Fireside Chat – More Bang for Your Buck in Tomorrow’s Carbon Currency?

It was great to have the opportunity to collaborate with like minded individuals from other built environment disceplines on a subject that is at the forefront of our industry and a key focus for us at Gardiner & Theobald. The support we received from the BEN team was excellent and provided us with an extremely professional platform to facilitate our discussions and allow us to deliver our thoughts on Net Zero Carbon. Overall it was a really positive experience.