Ashley Wheaton HonRICS, UCEM Vice Chancellor

[edit] Introducing our Guest Editor Ashley Wheaton, Vice Chancellor of UCEM

Our guest editor, Ashley Wheaton, was principal at UCEM for 10 years and is now its first vice chancellor. He is passionate about the transformative power of education and proud to lead the University College of Estate Management, the University for the Built Environment. He has a particular focus on sustainability and has put this at the heart of UCEM’s core purpose and aims. Setting out ambitious aspirations to embed its principles across the whole institution as it strives to become the Centre of Excellence for Built Environment Education and the world’s most sustainable university.

Ashley spent six years as a non-executive director of BRE Group and four years as a trustee at Jisc, where he was also Deputy Chair. He is currently a member of the GuildHE Executive and was appointed Chair of Young Citizens in 2023. He was awarded Honorary RICS membership in 2023, holds a BA (Hons) in Economics from the University of London,and previously held senior roles as Director of Global Learning Services for Microsoft and Chief Executive Officer of InfoBasis Ltd, a global talent management software company.

[edit] Articles from the site

[edit] Sustainability in Building Design and Construction This article draws my attention due to its alignment with UCEM’s commitment to promoting sustainability within the built environment. Our dedication to educating the next generation of construction professionals includes a strong emphasis on sustainable practices, understanding the impact of construction on the environment and exploring innovative solutions to mitigate this. The principles discussed in this article are integral to our curriculum and research efforts, reflecting our ambition to lead by example in the push for a more sustainable future by becoming the most sustainable university in the world.

[edit] Digital Twin As someone who has a career background in IT, I have always had an interest in how technology can improve the sector. The concept of digital twins represents a transformative shift in how we design, construct and manage built assets. This technology's potential to enhance operational efficiency, improve building performance and reduce environmental footprint is particularly compelling. I recently had the pleasure of conferring an Honorary MBA from UCEM to Bola Abisogun OBE and I know Bola is very much an advocate for the use of Digital Twins. This article offers a clear and concise introduction to the underlying concept.

[edit] Breaking the path to appropriate, sustainable interventions. Relevant to some of the governments recent announcements in the webnews section and recent press pieces. My colleague at UCEM, Dr James Ritson has looked at how we should be encouraging owners of these types of buildings to undertake benign, simple changes that have a big impact on energy performance. Solutions like updating the hot water and heating system, loft insulation, door draught proofing and the gap filling of floors etc. These low intervention measures could achieve 30% - 60% energy efficiency improvements for a cost of around £5,000 per house, whilst conserving the heritage of these buildings.

[edit] Web news

[edit] A guide to retrofitting (and how it could help us reach net zero) This article is clear and simple on the possibilities of retrofit, again relevant to the government review above and the work of my colleague at UCEM, Dr James Ritson. Low intervention measures could achieve significant efficiency improvements for low costs, whilst conserving the heritage of many buildings.

[edit] Background, activities and interest in buildings

I have been in education almost my entire career and have a long-standing passion for the use of technology to enable a better approach to learning. Technology features heavily in many industries and yet education has (in my opinion) been slow to adopt its use. This was notable during the global pandemic when most of the education sector was caught significantly off-guard by the need to deploy technology solutions at very short notice – and largely unsuccessfully as a result.

I’m passionate now about how technology enables greater access to education and helps improve social mobility for those who have no other way of studying. It’s a huge asset in driving the much-needed Equity, Diversity and Inclusion agenda forward for the built environment, through widening participation and access to professionally accredited programmes of study - albeit this is only part of the overall solution.

I am equally passionate about sustainability in its widest sense and try to play my part as an individual in many facets of my personal life, as well as in my role at UCEM. I have been a very keen cyclist for over 25 years, cycling several thousand miles a year. I can see the urgent need for more widely adopted sustainable modes of transport and wish that we could move more quickly in ending our dependence on personal motor vehicle ownership.

[edit] Specific areas of knowledge that are lacking across the industry currently

Despite growing awareness, the industry currently faces knowledge and leadership gaps in how to integrate sustainable practices into routine operations across the entire built environment lifecycle whilst maintaining economic viability. This is why UCEM introduced a new Masters course called ‘Innovation in Sustainable Built Environments’, which was designed as a response to the complex challenges faced by the built environment, an industry known for its fragmentation and slow adaptation. That’s why collaboration and interdisciplinary partnerships are emphasised in the programme, demonstrating that collective efforts across the sector are the only way to address sustainability challenges effectively.

Across both this new Masters and indeed all of UCEM’s courses, another gap we are looking to fill is ensuring those working in the industry understand how it sits within its wider global, socio-economic context. Therefore, we go beyond the technical concepts of net-zero and carbon emissions and extend our curricula to encompass all facets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

[edit] The value in sharing knowledge across disciplines and institutions, why?

Very much so – indeed, as part of realising UCEM’s strategic vision of becoming the centre of excellence for built environment education, we are always keen to demonstrate our commitment to collaboration. This allows our institutional expertise to positively impact both the built environment and higher education sectors. In turn, this also ensures we are kept updated with the latest developments, enriching the student learning experience.

For example, as part of our work with the Construction Industry Council (CIC), UCEM leads the Education &Qualification work stream of the CIC’s Carbon Zero: the professional institutions’ climate action plan, where we can utilise our over 100 years’ experience in built environment education to advise various professional institutions how they can embed sustainability and climate literacy in their schemes of education and professional qualification, as well as to ensure this learning is aligned across the different professions.

[edit] The main barriers and possible solutions to sharing and applying knowledge

I think there are three main barriers.

[edit] Specialist resources

Firstly, insufficient specialist resources are the main barrier, lots of organisations talk about the need for knowledge sharing, cooperation etc but to actualise this you do need to fund and staff it appropriately. Therefore, at UCEM I was keen to introduce a senior role dedicated to ‘Innovation & Partnerships’, ably undertaken by my colleague Aled Williams, which gives us the capacity to engage with a wide range of coalitions, professional bodies, campaign groups etc, across both the built environment and higher education sectors.

[edit] Neutral forums

Secondly, there is a lack of neutral forums, hubs or convening bodies (i.e. those not being seen to be led by one particular sectoral profession or interest group) to bring together those from across the built environment. This is a role that could be played by ‘third sector’ organisations. At UCEM, we strive to provide these opportunities via activities such as our INSPIRE events where we, free of charge, offer chances for sectoral discussion and collaboration so that the best thoughts and ideas on topical issues can be aggregated. So far we have held events on enabling effective apprenticeships, sustainability leadership and making the sector more inclusive.

It was great to see the Designing Buildings Wiki also give Guest Editor opportunities to others performing this role for the sector, Robin Nicholson from the Edge, an interdisciplinary construction industry think tank and Rebecca Lovelace from Building People, a social enterprise on a mission to improve representation across the built environment by enabling and empowering a collaborative movement for inclusive change

[edit] Professional transitions

Thirdly, there are traditional models of education and training. These must transition away from merely instilling deep competency in a single, very narrow subject matter or professional area and instead should provide multi-disciplinary and academic learning integrated with real-world insights.

For tertiary education institutions, we can help this shift by doing things like offering more courses as degree apprenticeships (approx. half of UCEM’s students now take these). Degree apprentices are in work and so can begin applying their cutting-edge theoretical learning, including the learnings from other built environment specialisms, ‘at the coalface’ immediately. Unlike historic models, this is not about creating a funnel or pipeline of people who one day may have an influence, our degree apprentices don’t have to wait until they’ve graduated and then find a job, they can change the industry now, from within.

[edit] Sharing lessons in research and practice

Similarly, universities should be seeking to spread their expert insights on contemporary research and practice to those already established in built environment careers. Indeed, UCEM, in response to an industry need for high-quality short courses to address sustainability education, worked collaboratively with professional bodies to develop a 25-hour short CPD course called ‘Energy and Carbon in the Built Environment’. The course itself explored how net zero carbon can be achieved through optimised building design, sustainable material selections and efficient construction. During the first year of the course, free access was open to all, with over 2,700 professionals registering and we have now divided the course into bite-sized modules, enabling wider uptake and access for busy practitioners

Professional bodies can help by making their initial assessment criteria, ongoing certification of competence and lifelong learning standards more rounded. A welcome example is the Royal Institute of British Architects now mandating CPD in specific core curriculum topics such as sustainable architecture, health, safety and well-being.

[edit] How did you first discover Designing Buildings?

I first discovered the Designing Buildings forum through colleagues who recommended it as a valuable resource for the latest insights, research and discussions in the built environment sector. It immediately struck me as a comprehensive platform for sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration and staying abreast of industry trends and innovations.

[edit] General impressions of the Designing Buildings site and microsites?

My impressions of the Designing Buildings are overwhelmingly positive and the specialised insights offered by the microsites make them a go-to resource for professionals seeking to expand their understanding.

The platform's commitment to democratising access to knowledge and fostering a sense of community across the built environment is commendable. The breadth and depth of content available, coupled with the familiar ‘wiki’ interface, mean it has become a key reference for the students, professionals and academics at UCEM.

[edit] Any favourite themes relating to buildings and construction, eras of construction, styles, technical areas or any favourite building that springs to mind?

My favourite theme is community-based residential development. Having seen, studied and researched the ‘Value of Community’, I have a very clear view of the human and societal benefits which come from mixed- use, walkable, community-based residential development. It mystifies and frustrates me, as to why we still allow so much unsuitable, mono-cultural, high-density residential development to take place! I love the mid-century in terms of building design. The 1960s-1970s we unique in terms of architecture and design – with experimentation, and yet a clear commonality between the new styles of designs. I live in a 1970s house which I carefully renovated and extended to retain its original character – although sadly many of the neighbouring properties have succumbed to being ‘modernised’ in the current vernacular ‘du jour’ - with non-descript dark grey replacement windows and pale grey renderings – hideous!

[edit] A little feedback and nomination for a potential future candidate

Serving as a guest editor has been a thought-provoking experience, as I write this, it occurs to me that the Wiki and UCEM have some commonalities, namely that we have a ‘by design’ focus on serving this sector and that we have similar core purposes, to provide accessible and relevant information to contribute to a better built environment.

In that vein, I would like to nominate Prof Peter Bonfield OBE, Vice Chancellor and President of the University of Westminster and former Chief Executive Officer of the BRE Group as a potential future guest editor.