MODUS 07-08/19

DATA DISRUPTORS 10 / BRISTOL: CITY OF THE FUTURE 28 / WHO OWNS INFORMATION? 32

®

07-08/19THE PRECISION ISSUE

Terms and conditions apply. For full terms and conditions see www.hiscox.co.uk/rics. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Hiscox Underwriting Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. For UK residents only. 20065 06/19

A Hiscox Home Insurance policy also covers items you take with you for up to 60 days worldwide. So you and your family can travel without worry.

As an RICS professional you get our award-winning home insurance with a 12.5% saving too. So why accept less? Get your quote now.

Call 0808 278 8195or visit hiscox.co.uk/modus

Advances in how we collect, use and analyse data are revealing

– with increasing accuracy – how people interact with their

built and natural environments, and the impacts of their

behaviours. These deeper insights are driving the surveying

profession up the value chain, and helping to shape public policy.

Even before the digital era, data has played an essential role in

placemaking. Take Singapore, home to one of the world’s most efficient

urban transport systems. A popular view is that its success began in

1975 with an unpopular decision, when the government introduced

a congestion charge to encourage a more efficient use of transport.

The charge drove commuters to search for other ways to travel,

and Singapore’s built environment professionals measured these

behavioural changes to gain insights into how people used public

services. This enhanced the city’s planning capacity, influencing

decisions from where to build new metro stations, to optimum

locations for new commercial and residential development.

For Singapore in 1975, see Bristol today (p28). The UK city is at the

forefront of mining the additional insights that come from the digitising

of data. By using it to measure life in real-time to improve services and

inform decision making, it is unlocking greater value for its residents.

In this digital age, our profession has never been better placed to

harness the transformative power of data in developing and protecting

our built and natural environments. Working closer than ever with

governments and major clients, we can improve the quality of life for

all the world’s citizens, helping them to realise their full potential.

Views expressed in Modus are those of the named author and are not necessarily those of RICS or the publisher. The contents of this magazine are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the publisher. All information correct at time of going to press. All rights reserved. The publisher cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. RICS does not accept responsibility for loss, injury or damage or costs that result from, or are connected in any way to, the use of products or services advertised. All editions of Modus are printed on paper sourced from sustainable, properly managed forests. This magazine can be recycled for use in newspapers and packaging. Please dispose of it at your local collection point. The polythene and paper in this pack are recyclable. The polythene wrap can be recycled at carrier bag recycling points.

FOR RICS Stephanie Bentley RICS, Parliament Square, London SW1P 3AD

FOR SUNDAY Editor Oliver ParsonsArt Director Sam Walker Deputy Editor Andy Plowman Designer Katie Wilkinson Creative Director Matt Beaven Account Director Karen Jenner Head of Recruitment Sales Sam Gilbert Senior Account Manager James Cannon Production Manager Michael Wood Managing Director Toby Smeeton Repro F1 Colour Printer Walstead SouthernPrint Cover Image Michitres

Published by Sunday, 207 Union Street, London SE1 0LN wearesunday.com

Editorial enquiries editor@ricsmodus.comAdvertising enquiries James Cannon jamesc@wearesunday.com, or +44 (0)20 7101 2777

82,175 average net circulation 1 July 2017 - 30 June 2018

RICS CONTACTS Contact centre For enquiries, APC guidance, subscriptions, passwords, library and bookshop:+44 (0)24 7686 8555 Regulation helpline +44 (0)20 7695 1670 Dispute Resolution Services +44 (0)20 7334 3806 Lionheart +44 (0)24 7646 6696

CHRIS BROOKE FRICSRICS PRESIDENT

“ EVEN BEFORE THE DIGITAL ERA, DATA HAS PLAYED AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN PLACEMAKING”

t: 0800 112 3878

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON OUR SERVICE VISIT www.sika.co.uk/roofing

WE ARE SIKA

WE ADVISE WE SUPPORT WE CARE

n Expert technical support and advice throughout your project

n Dedicated on-site support throughout your project

n Aftercare support following project completion

n Nationwide network of highly trained and monitored contractors

n Industry leading guarantees - covering both products and workmanship

n Fully tested and independently accredited roof and balcony systems

Sika-Trocal®

Sika #WeAreSika

INTELLIGENCE

EXPERIENCE

FEATURES

Deconstructed / Could we ever grow enough food in cities to support their populations?

Way to go / Copronet co-founder and COO Emma Stapleton FRICS

Opinion / Mandy St John Davey on tackling unconscious bias in the workplace

News, events and notices /

Chartered territory / How can we regulate the proptech sector without stifling innovation?

What if / Is blockchain the future of real estate transactions?

06

08

09

36

41-42

50

28

10

32The big data 20 / Built environment meets big data in our special feature profiling 20 of the hottest prospects in proptech

Welcome to the city of the future / Bristol is democratising data to enable its residents to contribute to its future. What could others learn from its approach?

Whose data is it anyway? / Collaboration is key if the industry is to fully exploit the vast quantities of data now at our fingertips. But are we ready to share?

I N T E L L I G E N C E

Urban agriculture / Diversity in the profession /

Data standards /

INTE

RVIE

WS

BY J

ONN

ELLE

DGE;

IMAG

E BY

ALA

MY

Could urban agriculture be a viable way to improve resilience and lower emissions, or are the challenges of growing enough crops to support our cities too great?

B E T T I N G T H E I N N E R - C I T Y F A R M

D E C O N S T R U C T E D

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 7

INTE

RVIE

WS

BY J

ONN

ELLE

DGE;

IMAG

E BY

ALA

MY

That would give people the freshest food possible, reducing the need for transport and packaging. Plus, growing indoors isolates agriculture from the effects of the climate. But there are open questions about energy requirements: you’ve got to ask where the power comes from.

There are three elements to what we do: we’re an education company, teaching children about organic agriculture; we carry out research to explore the best way of using these systems in cities; and obviously we grow crops. This last element is the one we currently do the least, but we’re ramping up to do small-scale commercial growing. Jens Thomas is co-founder of Liverpool-based social enterprise Farm Urban

Beyond supplying food, there are also educational and wellbeing benefitsGreensgrow is a non-profit farm and garden centre, located in a very dense, depressed part of Philadelphia’s urban core. It started in the late 1990s on a brownfield site, and today we have one full city block; part of the site is also set up for animals.

We grow about half of what we offer on the farm stand ourselves. The other half comes from regional farms. Urban farms won’t be able to feed an entire city, but they can support a huge system of local farms, and help fill in the gaps. The limitations of the site include a lack of space and light, as well as just dealing with waste and pests.

One of the main purposes of urban agriculture is education: explaining the relationship between our food and the environment. The other big thing is wellness: farms attract birds, butterflies, caterpillars and more. There’s a sense of smell and sensuality in that landscape that is hard to find in an urban park.Meg DeBrito, executive director, Greensgrow, Philadelphia, US

RICS has been looking to the future of land use and new opportunities for our sector. Read our paper, Value of Natural Capital, to find out more: rics.org/valuenaturalcapital

It will ease the disruption wrought by climate change on crop growingUrban agriculture is an umbrella term that covers everything from allotments and community gardens, to more high- tech solutions such as hydroponics or underground farming. The gap between the urban population and the food system has been growing. With the world facing a climate emergency, that gap is now being looked at seriously: it can reduce emissions, have huge benefits for urban environment, and provide social benefits, too.

Furthermore, it could add huge value to the rural sector. Climate change is going to have significant negative impacts on yields in the global south: urban agriculture can prop up that system. So I can see a lot of potential, and businesses are starting to get involved and looking to invest. Michael Hardman is co-founder of the Food Geographies Research Group at the Royal Geographical Society, and a senior lecturer in geography at the University of Salford

You won’t be able to feed whole cities, but it can help ease the burdenBy 2030, there will be 9 billion people on the planet, and researchers suggest we need to increase food production by 60% to feed them. Meanwhile, the number of pollinating insects is falling – 40% of insect species are in decline. So if the food system doesn’t work, we need to find one that does.

One possibility is hydroponics: systems in which the roots are not in soil, and plants are watered with nutrients. Artificial light enables hydroponic farmers to grow crops indoors all year round, and you can also grow vertically, so you can get much higher yields per square metre.

There are downsides. Although they’re space efficient, these systems may not be energy efficient. And to grow at the scale required to feed the population you would need an enormous amount of infrastructure.

I’m not saying cities will become self- sufficient. But plenty of urban agriculture is already happening in Africa, where rough estimates suggest that one-third of the food needed is produced in cities or on the urban fringe. And reducing the pressure we put on the environment is only good.Silvio Caputo is a senior lecturer at Kent School of Architecture and Planning

Growing crops close to population centres helps to reduce food milesMy business partner and I realised there are huge problems with the way we currently produce food – so if we wanted to have a positive impact in the world, food was the place to do it. We decided aquaponics might be a sustainable way of growing in cities. It’s a type of hydroponics, which uses fertiliser from fish, but it has the potential to grow food in cities, right next to where consumers live.

ILLU

STRA

TION

BY

DANI

LO A

GUTO

LI

for those organisations with more women on their boards and with greater gender, ethnic and cultural diversity. Encouraging a diverse workforce is inextricably linked with tackling unconscious bias, so more and more businesses are training their staff, at all levels, to understand it.

Women in Property has been running workshops to help companies understand this for some years, combining business understanding, neuroscience and humour to create awareness of the thinking and behaviours that impact on unconscious bias and decision-making. Based on theory and science, it looks at how we make choices, form social rules and create structures that can unconsciously block development.

This is related to culture change, which is never a swift task, so be realistic. Start by recognising and managing your biases, for example in appraisals and interviews. Look for the facts, be open to seeing and hearing what’s there. Recognise how you’re thinking about a situation: is your decision based on rationale or feelings? Work with colleagues to define role requirements, ensuring equity above difference. Consider the alienating language used in some job descriptions. Implement a mentoring programme – particularly for under- represented groups – and consider reverse mentoring for senior staff members who are set in their ways. Instead of relying on the usual suspects, give opportunities to others to present ideas or speak at events.

And steer clear of those hurricanes.

It is our responsibility to tackle barriers to entry and encourage a more diverse profession. Find out more at rics.org/diversity and womeninproperty.org.uk

A few years ago, research staff at the University of Illinois found that people subconsciously assume that hurricanes with female names are less dangerous than the male variety, so they take fewer precautions. The result? Higher death rates.

Consider, then, the following scenario – a routine occurrence for many women in the workplace. A male colleague, equally as well qualified as his female counterpart, is selected to take the podium at a conference, or the lead on a major new project, or a place on the panel for an industry debate. Professionally they are equals, so why isn’t she receiving the same opportunities? It is unlikely that any of these situations are premeditated; in fact, they probably haven’t been given a second thought. Which, being simplistic, summarises unconscious bias.

Unconscious bias is widely regarded as one of the biggest stumbling blocks to redressing gender, ethnicity and cultural imbalances. It can be found in all of us to varying degrees, so it is not surprising that it is one of the most important issues for business to recognise and manage, not least in the property and construction industry.

Psychologists tell us that our unconscious biases are simply down to our natural people preferences. Biologically we are hard-wired to prefer people who look like us, sound like us and share our interests. This is known as social categorisation: a process in which we sort people into groups, a gravitation towards the “safe”or familiar. This behaviour can lead to a tendency to appoint people in our own image, rather than those who are more diverse. The result can be seen in the “pale, male and stale” syndrome that is all too familiar in senior management.

The unconscious bias undercurrent also has an impact on visibility in the workplace, particularly for women, who are less likely to be selected to take that podium place, or the seat on the industry panel.

Yet it is widely understood that a diverse workforce is better for business. The 2018 McKinsey & Co report, Delivering through diversity, again cites greater profitability

“ADDRESSING UNCONSCIOUS BIAS IS THE FIRST STEP TO BUILDING A BETTER WORKFORCE”

O P I N I O N : W O R K P L A C E D I V E R S I T Y

I N T E L L I G E N C E

MANDY ST JOHN DAVEYNATIONAL CHAIRMAN, WOMEN IN PROPERTY, UK

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 9

C H A R T E R E D T E R R I T O R Y

#RICSMODUS ON TWITTER

The proptech sector is growing rapidly, but is, as yet, unregulated. To coincide with an RICS- curated panel discussion on this subject held at MIPIM PropTech Europe on 2 July, we asked Twitter how we best ensure confidence and transparency without stifling innovation.

P R O P T E C H : H O W D O W E R E G U L A T E A N D S T I L L I N N O V A T E ?

@AILSALANDERSON4 JuneSmall request to @RICSnews to follow the example of other professional bodies such as the RTPI and ditch the plastic! Although polythene is stated as being “recyclable” not everyone will and this bag will take hundreds of years to breakdown in landfill! #plasticfreeplea #modus

@OAKLEYCRE3JuneCould [someone] have a word with whoever comes up with the increasingly unintelligible and idiotic infographics in #Modus?! Flicked through the latest, came across the giant washers and tuning forks and gave up.

@THISISMANNAH29 AprilTravel time not wasted this morning with the latest #RICSmodus. Well- written articles on modern slavery, anti-money laundering and homelessness have given me something to consider. IL

LUST

RATI

ON B

Y DA

NILO

AGU

TOLI

57%PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

6%THE FREE MARKET DECIDES

20%GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION

17%INDUSTRY SELF-REGULATION

Data is meat and drink to the surveyor, but the nature of that data is changing as it becomes possible to gather gigantic quantities of unstructured information, crunch it into accurate insights via cloud-based computing, and connect the dots using a plethora of mobile apps. Where is it all headed … and who is ahead of the game? Find out here

The big data 20WORDS BY

BRENDON HOOPER

DAVID HATCHER

DEBIKA RAY

AND STEPHEN COUSINS

ILLUSTRATIONS BY

GIACOMO BAGNARA

01: Energy efficiency

Centre for Energy Epidemiology takes stockPreviously, assumptions about energy use were based on imprecise averages and estimates, but our growing ability to gather huge amounts of data, as well as developments in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and smart meters offers an opportunity to analyse energy demands on a more granular level, and make more effective policy as a result.

For the past six years, University College London’s Centre for Energy Epidemiology (CEE) has been at the forefront of this data-driven approach, which has enabled it to find, for example, that dwellings are leakier than their regulated design targets, and that electricity use is 2.5 times greater in offices of more than 20 storeys than in low-rise buildings. As well as developing tools to gather and analyse data, it has created 3DStock, which uses digital maps and commercial rating data to generate 3D energy models of entire cities.

In June, the centre started working with the Greater London Authority to develop the London Building Stock Model, which will contain data including dimensions, purpose and construction on every building within the M25 orbital motorway in an effort to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency. A four-year collaboration with universities in India will involve creating a 3D Building Stock Model in India, using an existing city and a planned one as examples.

cee.ac.uk

02: Building scanning

Matterport breaks 3D modelling mouldMatterport isn’t the first company to sell cameras that enable its customers to create a 3D model of their properties. Where its strategy differs is to integrate that hardware with software, via a subscription to its online platform.

Customers download the Matterport app and scan the property using their camera. They upload the data into their account where the model can be edited, customised and refined. The model can then be shared privately via a link or distributed by uploading to Google Street View and on social media.

Landlords and occupiers can drive more traffic to their businesses’ websites by providing potential customers with a clearer understanding of what their experience will be if and when they travel to the places captured.

Matterport has uploaded 1.5 million spaces in 100 countries but aims to expand to 100 million spaces and create an open-source “digital twin” for all spaces on earth. To aid this expansion, new chief executive, RJ Pittmann, former chief product officer at eBay, presided over a $48m fundraising in March, which valued the company at $325m. matterport.com

THE BIG DATA 20

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 13

“It’s now possible to view a whole city’s worth of mobile mapping data in real time”

What impact have recent advances in 3D laser scanning had on the profession?There is a huge variety of scanning options available. For the surveyor, it’s just a matter of picking the right tool for the project. Advances in software have made things really exciting. It’s now possible to view a whole city’s worth of mobile mapping data in real time. A client with limited technical skills can simply click on a link to view 360º panoramas of buildings, take measurements, and start building up a database of useful information.

What prevents projects from accessing the benefits?Procurement is stuck 20 years in the past and there’s a big issue with the level of knowledge in construction teams. The client might procure a drone image of the site for archaeology or a ground investigation, then at a later stage ask a surveyor to scan everything using tripod-based laser scanners.

But a much faster and cheaper solution would be to initially use a high-accuracy drone to map and mesh 70% of the project, then do a single day of tripod fieldwork to infill the remaining detail. That mesh and related engineering data can then be used to create visualisations for stakeholder engagement, master planning, health and safety briefings and marketing.

Seeable develops bespoke 3D visualisation apps for various end users. Why did you set it up?Projects invest huge sums of money in 3D or BIM for use in design, but then the data is simply shelved and the value lost. We are able to recycle that data into apps for use in safety briefings, marketing or tender information to enable others to understand your site or asset. We aim to democratise access to data and exploit the fact that many consumer-grade mobiles and tablets now have built-in firmware and software to deliver augmented reality [AR] and virtual reality [VR] interactive 3D. For example, yesterday we carried out a scan survey of a major asset for Historic England. By this morning, the model was processed in the cloud and the client could view it on their mobile over a 4G connection.

Where is geomatic surveying technology headed over the next five years?Visualisation and 3D data are increasingly merging together. US company Matterport [see opposite]recently released a “cortex engine” that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to convert 360º panoramic images into relatively accurate 3D. If a 360º image can generate 3D content through AI and machine learning, then we could soon have algorithms able to convert 360º video to point-clouds and scan without direct measurement.

The spread of AR and VR as commercial, off-the- shelf tools will also hopefully embed “immersive visualisation” as a category on the procurement portals of construction companies.

seeable.co.uk

Veteran geomatic land surveyor Nick Blenkarn MRICS, director at Severn Partnership and MD of Seeable, explains recent advances in laser-scanning technology and democratising access to 3D data.

03: Data visualisation

PORT

RAIT

BY

GARE

TH IW

AN J

ONES

04: Mapping

Colouring London’s online collaborationLaunching this year, Colouring London – a project by the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London – aims to collate an open, visually accessible database of information on every building in London through a massive exercise in online crowdsourcing from citizens, public and research bodies and businesses.

It comprises a website – developed in conjunction with Ordnance Survey, the Greater London Authority and Historic England – which asks people to plug in historical and current information about a building, centred around 12 categories, ranging from its age and material to whether people like it.

The data will be visible to all in the form of an eye-catching interactive website that recalls the detailed, colourful maps that were made in the 19th century by social researcher and reformer Charles Booth.

The idea is to make information about London’s built environment more transparent for both policy-makers and the general public, thereby helping with all manner of urban challenges, such as the heavy contribution that the built environment makes to global energy consumption, with which data about the age and construction of buildings can help.

Information about specific construction systems and materials could allow developers to better target retrofitting and plan repairs. Demolition data and a “like me” facility could empower community groups to identify their favoured local assets to help ensure they are protected or considered in any future development plans.

colouringlondon.org

THE BIG DATA 20

06: Flood defence

Arup futureproofs Leeds flood riskIn 2017, engineering consultant Arup completed the first part of a large-scale project to reduce flood risk in Leeds, West Yorkshire, with an urgency exacerbated by a storm that hit the city two years before, causing £37m of damage. The immediate interventions to tackle this problem were targeted at the River Aire, and involved the removal of an island that was creating a bottleneck, the introduction of mechanical weirs and 3m-high walls along the riverbank – measures designed to combat the effects of the water overflowing, and to provide protection against a once-in-100-year storm until the year 2069.

But the city was also at risk of surface water flooding, in part owing to intense local rainfall – levels average 1,025mm per year and it rains 152 days out of 365. Tackling this risk involved understanding and changing the way water flowed through the city. Arup developed a 275 km² (106 square mile) integrated urban drainage model for Leeds City Council – one of the largest such systems in Europe to date. This holistic approach to city water systems has been made possible by recent advances in computer technology, which allow better data gathering and analysis, and enables easier prediction of city-wide flooding.

In this instance, Arup brought together past and present records of the Yorkshire Water network of sewers, five watercourses, laser survey data from across the city, and a detailed ground model and building outlines. The model that emerged painted an accurate portrait of the city and how it reacts to surface water and heavy rainfall in the areas that were most likely to flood. This was combined with information about the dynamic conditions of the river flow to create detailed assessment of overland water paths through the city centre.

The engineer modelled three different scenarios: a situation in which the river levels were very high but there was a low level of rainfall, one where river levels were lower but rainfall was severe, and a middle option. As well as the water levels being lowered by the mechanical weirs, which would respond to predictions about the city as a whole rather than just the river, the model will allow local councils to better target focused, low-cost measures to resolve water accumulation at the eight key flooding hotspots Arup identified. It will also allow for a greater understanding of the impact of further architectural and public realm development on surface water levels, ensuring that the city is resilient for the future.

arup.com

05: Valuation

Cloud-based RockportVAL speeds up valuations

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 15

Helping valuation professionals analyse deals more efficiently and make informed decisions faster, RockportVAL’s cashflow modelling and valuation platform is based entirely online and in the cloud, eliminating the need for costly IT infrastructure requirements or support.

“Being cloud based, it is a more user-friendly, affordable and powerful alternative to the antiquated ‘norm’ in real estate modelling

software,” says Stu Sleppin, managing director of RockportVAL. Furthermore, it can model real-time scenarios on multiple market leasing assumptions without creating separate models, and easily integrate with other industry technologies. “It was built with collaboration in mind,” adds Sleppin.

rockportval.com

07: Proptech

Oxford University’s Saïd Business School is one of the leading institutions on property technology and its evolution. Its PropTech 3.0: the Future of Real Estate report has been groundbreaking in its analysis of how property technology should be defined and categorised, how it will facilitate the sharing economy and how the industry can and will start using blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI).

Modus spoke to Andrew Saull, a research assistant at the school’s Future of Real Estate Initiative, to gauge how effectively the industry is harnessing the power of technology and data.

Do you think real estate is “behind” compared with other industries in adopting technology and using data?Behind, no. Younger, yes. We recognise

around 7,000 proptech companies, which is not [even] a 10th of those that refer to themselves as fintech. However, the velocity of transactions within financial services has enabled a wealth of digital data to be compiled, seemingly supporting a bold fintech ecosystem. This is not the case in real estate. The transaction velocity is significantly lower, because of the enormous legal hurdles in place.

Looking at the use of technology compared with the availability of data, as opposed to the size of the market, real estate is not behind, only younger in experimenting with what can be achieved through the use of novel technologies.

The proptech market relies on the prerequisites of established legaltech and fintech markets to support it, and only now are we beginning to achieve this.

What uses of technology within real estate have most surprised or impressed you in recent years?You cannot be dismissive of the use of machine learning opening up completely new investment analysis pathways. For numerous social and regulatory reasons, the industry needs to be careful not to hold opaque algorithms as blindly true, no matter how accurate they become. But the resulting business models, such as the iBuyers in the US [Offerpad and Opendoor], driven by automated valuation models, derived from machine learning algorithms and alternative datasets of urban big data, are a possible glimpse into the future of commercial real estate, where every asset will have a fair valuation, openly discoverable in real time.

Do you think real estate could become a more liquid (and investable) asset class as a result of advancements in technology within the next few years?Yes, without a doubt. Liquidity is a multi- dimensional concept. It encompasses time to sale, probability of sale and, critically, the costs associated with transacting. Seemingly, proptech, legaltech and fintech have the ability to reduce or potentially eliminate the inefficiencies in these illiquidity criteria for real estate transactions.

Both the preparation and marketing periods of transactions will reduce in the near term, while any increase in time to sale will require a revolution in the due-diligence period, which is not likely in the near term, despite all the claims surrounding blockchain and smart contracts.

What areas of the industry will undergo the most dramatic changes as a result of technology over the next five years?The rise of digital media, virtual reality, augmented reality, drones, satellite imaging and digital replicas of buildings will reduce the physical need to inspect properties prior to purchase and offer unrivalled marketing opportunities.

At the same time as more digital data becomes available, automated valuation models will begin to consolidate all required risk characteristics within a trade, not only offering an unnegotiable price, but also determining the correct amount of finance and insurance available. This will make any acquisition decision significantly sharper.

sbs.ox.ac.uk

What’s next? Automation

THE BIG DATA 20

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 17

08: Valuation

CoreLogic’s AI boosts accuracyAlthough automated valuation models (AVMs) have been around for some time as a means to estimate the value of residential property, CoreLogic’s latest AVM, named IntelliVal, is one of the first in the world to incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve accuracy.

The firm’s valuation databases encompass a mind-blowing 4.5 billion records. With such a vast amount of information, AI is crucial to help find out what the data means to their clients.

“The aim is not to replace the work of valuers with a machine, but to enhance the role of both in performing the task in a more efficient and effective way,” says Kevin Brogan FRICS, principal in valuation at CoreLogic. “We want to enlighten both man and machine as to what is driving the market, so we can better estimate property value, and ultimately better manage the collateral risks for the financial institutions lending against the property.”

corelogic.com

09: Facility management

Czech start-up Spaceti was set up in Prague in 2016, and now has offices in London and, since the start of the year, New York. It began with the aim of safeguarding the occupiers of buildings by alerting them to emergency situations via sensors and a mobile app. It was able to inform them instantly of the situation – such as a fire or an attack on the building – and guide them to the nearest safe place in the quickest way possible.

The company’s founder and chief executive, former IBM executive Max Verteletskyi, realised that the technology had created a more extensive digital solution to monitor and enhance

the performance of buildings. The data Spaceti now collects includes physical occupancy, humidity, carbon output and temperature that allows facilities managers to reduce operational costs, owners to determine where investment is most needed and occupiers to understand whether they are leasing too much space. Its app can be used to analyse the use of hot desks, shows car park users the best place to park, has guides and maps to get around buildings and allows tenants to change lighting and heating levels.

spaceti.com

Czech start-up Spaceti digitalises buildings

10: Aerial survey

Percepto drones use AI to solve challenges from aboveDrones are now a common feature on many construction sites. Percepto’s units push the envelope by integrating artificial intelligence (AI), machine vision and autonomous 24/7 operation.

The Israeli firm honed its technology as a defence industry supplier and, thanks to financial backing from US billionaire Mark Cuban, Chinese angel investor Xu Xiaping and others, made its first move into commercial markets with the launch of the Sparrow I drone in November 2017.

The weatherproof drone is fitted with ultra-high-definition and thermal cameras and takes off from a base station used for intermittent recharging and uploading data. UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) can be deployed standalone, or in groups, depending on the coverage required.

The system is able to provide round-the-clock, real-time visibility of various site conditions and collect data related to safety and security, operations and maintenance and regulatory compliance, without the need for human operators.

In the field of operations and maintenance, drones can carry out pre-planned, fully autonomous aerial inspections, taking high accuracy linear, area and volume calculations. Machine vision enables them to automatically identify anomalies.

In the field of security, the drone can use its machine vision to spot potential threats, such as a human or vehicle, then autonomously follow them to maintain awareness of their location.

percepto.co

THE BIG DATA 20

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 19

“We were really taken aback at how inefficient and antiquated the appraisal process was”New York valuer Bowery provides an end-to-end software solution for commercial real estate appraisals, using public record integration, a mobile inspection app, exhaustive databasing and natural language generation with the aim of creating less expensive, more accurate reports twice as fast as the industry average. Modus spoke to chief executive Noah Isaacs to get his view on the future of valuation.

What was the genesis of Bowery?My co-founder John Meadows and I were working at a large independent appraisal firm in New York for a number of years and were really taken aback at how inefficient and antiquated the appraisal process was.

Appraisers were using the same websites for research every single time, writing reports by rewriting old Excel files linked to a Word document, and generally spending 40%-50% of their time on manual “busy work”, instead of focusing their time on the true art of thoughtfully valuing a property.

As appraisers ourselves, we set out to build our dream toolkit to help appraisers focus their time on thoughtful valuation

and client service, remove silly formatting and copy/paste errors from reports, and remove friction from the appraisal process.

Do you think traditional valuation practices will become obsolete?Not anytime soon. There are so many nuances within commercial valuation, and we haven’t seen anyone that’s been able to codify or structure all of the required knowledge to appraise accurately. Among our appraisal team, we have hundreds of years’ of appraisal knowledge and that’s hard to recreate with automated valuation.

That being said, it starts with data, and we spend a lot of time making sure we confirm the information and keep our databases up to date with clean information. Our focus right now is simply to provide our appraisers with the best tools in the world to do their job more efficiently and remove the friction and “busy work” they experience today.

What is the next big step in the evolution of the world of valuation?API [application programming interface]/data integration. Today, we send 100-page

PDFs to our clients and they have to take all of the information in the report and manually enter it into their own systems. Our software provides the potential for our clients to not just receive a file where all the valuable data is stuck in a long PDF, but the opportunity to get all of that data in whatever format works best for them.

We’re already working with some clients on building a fully-fledged integration to help eliminate all the manual work they have to do once they receive the appraisal.

How should “traditional” valuers make sure that they are staying up to date?Traditional appraisers and individuals in the valuation profession shouldn’t fear “being replaced” by technology, but should be open to integrating technology into their business to help with the ancillary tasks that go into producing high-quality appraisal reports and valuation.

No one needs “tech for tech’s sake”. However, there is a tonne of value-add and efficiency to be had, without sacrificing the human element or valuation methodology.

boweryres.com

11: Valuation

PORT

RAIT

BY

MAR

TIN

ADOL

FSSO

N

13: Site inspections

GoReport transforms onsite data captureLaunched in 2011, GoReport is the brainchild of Belfast engineer Conor Moran, who came up with the idea of collecting survey data digitally and directly on site, helping him and his team create and collate surveys far quicker than performing the same manual, paper-based tasks. The smartphone- and tablet-based app records data, photos and voice recordings, which can later be automatically transcribed for client reports and analytics, and backed up in the cloud. Surveyors reported time savings of up to 70% compared with traditional methods.

“While the app’s functionality has evolved over the years, it remains today at its core an innovative technology that helps property professionals capture data on site, in a structured way to review and publish,” says GoReport’s CEO, Anthony Walker FRICS. “This in turn enables them to deliver added value to their clients, and improve productivity.”

Passionate about all things proptech, Walker is a surveyor with more than 30 years’ experience in the sector. For 10 years before joining GoReport he led the UK Department for Education’s tech-driven Property Data Survey Programme, the largest single building surveying programme in Europe. He believes the construction industry is still in its infancy in terms of digital technology adoption, and lags behind manufacturing or the medical profession, for example. “But there are huge jumps of growth to come,” Walker adds.

goreport.com

THE BIG DATA 20

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 21

12: Commercial property

Clarity from CompStak

Former commercial broker Michael Mandel co-founded CompStak in 2011 to help fix the inefficiencies of data sharing in New York’s commercial real estate industry, because, he says, “accurate and transparent data leads to better, faster deals for everyone”.

The company is using crowdsourcing to gather enormous amounts of verified rental and sales data from professionals at commercial brokerages and appraisal firms across the US. Covering more than 600,000 properties, CompStak handles millions of data points each week to create a comprehensive and robust data set, which is free to access for industry professionals upon sign up.

Earlier this year, the company partnered with Wiredscore, which will enable users to instantly compare a property’s digital connectivity to its peers, as well as gain an insight into whether a building’s owners have taken steps to invest in digital connectivity. compstak.com

14: Asset monitoring

‘Building passport’ platform to enhance assessment

15: Air pollution

Airlabs pioneers air-cleaning solutions to tackle pollutionWith the World Health Organization claiming that one in eight deaths are linked to air pollution, Airlabs is a start-up on a mission to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution in cities, by analysing and cleaning our air.

“The air in cities features a complex mix of toxic emissions from cars, buses, planes, trains and industry, which gets trapped between infrastructure creating pollution hotspots,” says CEO Marc Ottolini. “For example, London regularly breaches its annual pollution limit, while breathing the air in Delhi can be as bad as smoking 20 cigarettes a day.”

As well as using airflow and pollutant sensors to model local environments, which are then used to optimise directional flows of clean air within buildings, the company has developed a range of air- cleaning products, such as the Air Bench – street furniture that actively sucks in and traps any gas pollutants around it.

airlabs.com

During a building’s lifecycle, landlords and users gather an immense amount of data. While much of the data gets used, a lot is also discarded, not updated, or only generated in paper format. But what if every single piece of data could be retained and organised to help decision-making for investments, insurance, planning, design and maintenance?

RICS is leading on a project within the Global Alliance of Buildings and Construction to develop a framework for a “building passport” – a data platform that could host all building-related data, from

design and planning through to demolition. It would provide market stakeholders, among them financing institutions, investors, insurers, policymakers, owners and operators, with access to information to help them assess the many factors affecting the overall quality and performance of buildings.

A draft Building Passport Handbook is due to be discussed at the 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) climate summit in Santiago, Chile, this December.

globalabc.org

THE BIG DATA 20

16: Construction

Avvir BIM tool prevents rework by catching mistakes as they happenAutomated construction verification is an emerging field that offers huge potential to bridge the gap between design and as-built reality. US-based start-up Avvir is piloting advanced BIM software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms to automatically spot defects during construction.

The “end-to-end monitoring service” compares 3D laser-scan data, captured progressively during the build phase, against the BIM model to highlight any elements that are missing or that deviate from the design.

The tool is aimed at building owners, developers or main contractors that need to keep tabs on quality assurance and quality control issues. Given that rework is responsible for an average of around 10% of total construction costs, the software aims to make it simpler to catch mistakes early on and monitor the progress of different packages against the programme.

Although some main contractors scan sites regularly to compare against BIM, Avvir claims that using algorithms instead of people to analyse the data is much faster and more reliable.

The software is being trialled on several live sites in the US. Subscribers have the option to either scan the site themselves as work progresses, regularly submitting the 3D scan data to Avvir to align with BIM, or Avvir can complete the scanning itself at an additional cost.

The results are displayed in an online portal, says Raffi Holzer, CEO of Avvir: “After X number of hours, clients receive an augmented BIM model that shows, for example, how many columns are out of alignment compared to BIM.”

Each deviated element is shown twice: once in solid red to show where it should be built; once in a translucent red to show where it is actually built. Measurements show how far each deviated element is out of tolerance.

Users have the option to either retain the defective element, in which case the BIM is updated to reflect that, or notify the contractor to rectify the problem on site. Once the issue is fixed, the area must be re-scanned and the portal updates to display the element as green.

Avvir’s algorithms are accurate but unable to detect 100% of anomalies. Human operators are still required to identify smaller items, such as pipes and electrical conduits.

At present, construction managers spend large amounts of time updating schedules. Avvir can help automate that process by tracking when elements of each package, such as the facade or the steel frame, have been completed and updating the schedule to reflect that. If a particular package is running behind, it can suggest a new completion date, which, if accepted, will automatically update the schedule.

avvir.io

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 23

18: Commercial property

Reonomy’s algorithms supercharge search

17: Site inspections

Quantum sensing finds underground hazardsHidden underground obstacles can be a major headache for construction companies because they can take time to find before work takes place. Imagine if we could find such hazards 10 times faster than with current equipment? Quantum sensing is said to be a beyond-the-cutting-edge technology, which could revolutionise how we perform surveys.

Professor Kai Bongs, director at the UK National Quantum Technology Hub for Sensors and Metrology, is part of a team developing the sensors. Measuring at the sub-atomic level, the sensors are so sensitive they can detect the tiny fluctuations in gravity that result from even small underground structures, helping to speed up survey times.

“Quantum gravity sensors will mean we are able to see below the ground deeper and more accurately than ever before,” says Bongs. “This will greatly help civil engineers to detect hidden objects, such as pipes, mines, tunnels and sinkholes, helping them to build efficiently and safely on hazard-free land.”

quantumsensors.org

Searching for exactly the right type of commercial property can sometimes be a painfully slow process, involving scrolling through seemingly endless and mostly irrelevant listings. Instead, Reonomy’s search engine aims to prioritise quality over quantity – it sifts through more than 50 million commercial properties in the US to eventually display a tailored selection of properties, all featuring up-to-the-minute specifications, while validation algorithms

are continually run across public data to make sure users are receiving trustworthy information.

“Until recently, commercial real estate has been this elusive, gated industry that’s been difficult to break into,” says Reonomy’s CEO, Rich Sarkis. “With algorithms and machine learning, we can unlock insights and opportunities for everyone.”

reonomy.com

THE BIG DATA 20

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 25

Dr Jennifer Schooling was awarded an OBE for services to engineering and digital construction in January. The director of Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC) and director of Applied Research at the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) talks all things BIM, “digital twins” and asset monitoring.

Is BIM adoption in the UK progressing?The government mandate [for all public projects to be built to Level 2 BIM] only came in in 2016. The industry started from a largely paper-based information background and now we’re asking everyone to convert to not just digital data capture, but object-based data capture, which is a philosophical change people need time to come to terms with.

What is the biggest challenge for a nationwide roll-out?Everyone needs to understand that data about an asset, throughout design, construction and ongoing operation, is as

important as the asset itself. The biggest benefits of data come when it is used throughout the lifecycle of the asset, so BIM requires the engagement of those who will own and operate the asset to ensure that project teams have the right information requirements to respond to.

Is all the digital twin hype justified?Digital twins are digital replicas of physical assets that contain all the information captured during design and construction, plus live data generated in operation. This will bring benefits in terms of the ability to make the right operational decisions about the individual asset and to feed learning back when we come to build another asset of a similar type.

CSIC’s experiments with sensors have improved the understanding of how assets perform. What is its most exciting recent project?Sir Christopher Wren’s St Mary Abchurch Church in the City of London was in danger of being damaged during construction of a

tunnel as part of Transport for London’s capacity upgrade at Bank Underground Station. We kitted it out with a range of instrumentation techniques, including fibre optics and photogrammetry, alongside the contracting company’s more traditional surveying techniques, to monitor for any movement during tunnelling in real time.

The only negligible impact was expected as a result of tunnel construction, so the information provided by monitoring was used to justify not doing prior remedial works to the church, such as additional grouting. If any movement of concern were detected, action would have been taken, but thankfully nothing was and the technique saved the project a lot of time and money.

In future, this approach could support better-informed decision making around the management of existing assets. It would mean that we can move to a regime where maintenance is carried out when it is needed, which is more cost-effective.

centreforsmartinfrastructure.com; cdbb.cam.ac.uk

“Everyone needs to understand that data about an asset is as important as the asset itself”

19: Asset monitoring

PORT

RAIT

BY

DAVI

D VI

NTI

NER

20: Tokenisation

Elea turns property data into digital assetElea.labs has developed Property DNA, a platform that captures a data profile of a building using a vast variety of inputs. In March the company utilised the system to “tokenise” a property using blockchain technology - the Hello World building in Zug, Switzerland. Michael Trübestein MRICS, real estate adviser to Elea, explains how it was done.

Property DNA allows owners and other actors in the real estate industry to store data in an easy and reliable way, creating a unique DNA for every building. The DNA is structured in a decentralised way and is filled with both publicly available data and private data such as Land Registry, rental contracts, tenants, size of a building and floor plans. The owner of the DNA decides if data shall be published or not. As more and more data is added and the lifecycle of the property continues, the DNA continues to grow. The aim of Elea Labs is to push the development of the Property DNA on an international level and make it the basis for benchmarking assets.

During the tokenisation of a building, a defined number of tokens is issued. These tokens represent a part of a building, similar to a share of a listed company. The token issued can be structured in a cost-efficient, individual way and can be used for financing or investments in a building.

The tokenisation of a property needs three elements: a reliable data structure so investors know about the buildings they are investing in – proven data is the foundation of every transaction; a transaction platform, as a token has to be created and traded as well as dividends paid out; and a stable digital currency, as many crypto currencies, such as bitcoin and ethereum, are highly volatile and therefore do not fit in the investment portfolios of investors. There are several solutions for this conversion, where for example one US dollar, euro or Swiss franc can be transferred 1:1 into a digital currency. With this – non-volatile – currency, a token of a property can be bought.

RICS has introduced several data standards, and will introduce more, to facilitate cooperation across the real estate industry to allow for buildings to be tokenised more easily. A common data standard by a global institution with a strong reputation, one which looks at the whole lifecycle of real assets, is the key to a better real estate industry, bringing together the traditional real estate companies and disruptive start-ups. RICS’ data standards may serve as the foundation of Property DNA and are therefore of high importance. The institution can also serve as a catalyst and encourage meetings, discussions and an international exchange of ideas. Furthermore, the introduction of real estate standards, such as the data standard, will be an important part of a global approach. n

elea.io

To find out more about RICS’ work on data standards, visit rics.org/datastandards, or email aknight@rics.org

AD PAGE

Save up to 35% when you buy a new vehicle for business or personal use through RICS Benefits Plus and TysonCooper. Call 01473 873000 or email rics@tysoncooper.com for details of the attractive membership discounts available on a range of makes and models.

BUY | FINANCE | LEASE

spend less

Up to 35% discount savings relate to outright and funded business or personal purchases. Discounts may vary. Vehicles featured are for illustration only and may feature colours and options not available in the UK, Audi Q8 available with dealer

discount + additional 3.5% RICS member discount. All discounts correct at time of going to press.

Audi | Alfa Romeo | Ford | Land Rover | Mercedes-Benz Mitsubishi | Nissan | Renault | Seat | Skoda | Volkswagen | Volvo

get more

W E L C O M E T O T H E C I T Y O F T H E F U T U R E

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 29

SMART CITIES

Bristol’s waterways claimed the lives of 31 people between 2012 and 2017. A quarter of the accidental deaths took place on the city’s harbourside, where revellers often emerge drunk

from nightclubs and bars in the early hours.In an effort to prevent further casualties,

the city council worked with the University of Bristol on an innovative test pilot to install heat-sensitive cameras along the waterfront that detect if a person has fallen in. The perimeter system exploits a highly advanced 5G test network, the first of its kind in Europe, to capture high resolution images and record changes to water temperature that might indicate the presence of a person. If anything unusual is spotted, an alert is triggered to emergency services. Two lives have been saved using the cameras in the six months since they were installed, prompting other university cities to consider similar deployments.

The cameras are among a range of intelligent systems being rolled out in Bristol as part of a drive to become an “open, programmable city”, able to provide better services and improve citizens’ quality of life.

Modus: “There is a swathe of innovations in Bristol and a push on several levels. The city is making the bridge into scalable solutions that have a measurable impact, which shows that this initiative isn’t out on a limb, as in other cities where a pilot or a project isn’t tied into a broader strategy.”

Data gateway Global interest in smart cities is being driven by factors such as urbanisation and population growth, the need to reduce emissions, better manage resource consumption, and respond to economic, financial, and environmental pressures. The roll-out of powerful communications infrastructure, internet of things (IoT) technologies and related sensors and connectivity are enriching the data available to cities to manage these factors.

Bristol’s powerful data capability is underpinned by a fibre optic test network that functions as a springboard for IoT sensors mounted on 2,400 smart street lamps and a city-wide wireless zone.

Julie Snell, CEO of Bristol is Open, a joint venture between the University of Bristol and Bristol City Council set up to run the testbed, explains: “We’re unique among cities in that the council had its own network of underground ducting from an old cable TV network, which removed significant infrastructure installation costs related to digging up roads to install services.” The network is closed and secure and exploits “massive computing power” to enable suppliers to trial new products and services without the risk of causing disruption or suffering data breaches.

Huawei was particularly impressed by a Smart City Operations Centre that connects with the council’s Emergency Control Centre, Traffic Control Centre and Community Safety Control rooms, plus services for telecare, alarm and security monitoring and lone-worker support. The ultimate aim is to create a single place to monitor and control city functions. However, such tight data integration requires strict protocols around data sharing and security – a topic that Huawei itself has been forced to confront following concerns raised by the UK and US over its planned roll-out of 5G.

Cities generate huge amounts of data, but limiting the number of people able to access it necessarily limits the number of problems to which it can be applied. The council’s Open Data Bristol website allows

Bristol was chosen as Britain’s smartest city in the UK Smart Cities Index, published by Huawei and Navigant Consulting in October 2017, based on its pioneering approach to open data, energy innovation and community engagement.

Key initiatives include a high-speed fibre optic network that connects smart traffic lights and police and emergency services to improve response times and safety. The city’s big data is available on a free, open- data website and analysed and visualised on a giant screen in a converted planetarium. A commitment to cut emissions by 40% by 2040 led the council to set up its own energy company and pump significant investment into renewable power. And “citizen sensing” projects have highlighted the benefits and drawbacks of data and sparked the development of new apps.

After a four-year pilot phase, many experiments are starting to make the transition to real-world projects, while authorities and researchers grapple with challenges related to economic viability, data privacy and interoperability.

Eric Woods, Navigant’s research director and author of the Smart City Index, told

* Y E S , I T ’ S B R I S T O L

Whether it’s rescuing revellers from watery

hazards, or detecting damp in public housing, the

UK city is embracing the power of data to improve

the lives of its citizens. What can other city leaders

learn from this forward-thinking approach?

WORDS BY STEPHEN COUSINS

businesses and developers to access and export stats ranging from council salaries, to ethnic diversity and obesity for use in applications or research (infographic, p31). Immersive visualisations of real-time sensor data are displayed in the city’s former planetarium, which has been rebranded as the “Data Dome” , and used for purposes such as public consultations.

Data can be transformative, but some insights could be lost as a result of the EU’s tighter data protection and privacy laws. Snell warns: “GDPR is making it very difficult for us to do this. We can’t be as creative as we have been in the past because we’re having to spend as much time on the social and legal science as we are on the technology. It’s slowing down development, but rightly so. Taking cities towards a ‘big brother’ scenario would be wrong.”

Energy leaps Bristol was European Green Capital in 2015, and it wants to become carbon neutral by 2050. The council set up its own energy company, Bristol Energy, in 2015, and was the first UK local authority to develop its own wind farm, with two turbines running at Avonmouth. Carbon-cutting installations have included energy-efficient street lighting, biomass boilers and 8MW of solar panels on or around council-owned buildings. A heat network of underground pipes is being installed in central Bristol to provide low-carbon heat and energy, and there are plans to expand it to other areas.

The Bristol Community Energy Fund was established, with seed-funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change, to offer grants and loans to support the development of community energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. So far, 39 projects have benefitted.

It’s inspiring stuff, but not all sustainable ambitions have gone to plan. Even though subscribers are increasing, Bristol Energy posted a £11.2m loss for the last financial year, despite receiving an estimated £27m in local authority funding since it launched.

The council is now looking for partners to fund City Leap, a programme that aims to generate £1bn to invest in sustainable energy infrastructure over the next decade. Around £300m will be directed towards energy efficiency measures needed to help households cut energy bills and reduce fuel poverty. A first-of-its-kind battery energy storage system will be developed to connect the city’s energy network with local and national transmission systems.

The programme raises significant data collation challenges, says Snell. “Think about the data generated by the vast amount of technology and infrastructure, including the heat network, renewables, and perhaps batteries in electric cars and homes feeding back into the grid. We need to work out how to make those multiple sources of data interoperate.”

Dweller dynamicsCommunity engagement is recognised as an inclusive and effective method of smart city building. Bristol is one of three cities – along with Florence and San Sebastian – participating in the European Replicate project set up to explore how “citizen sensing” can enhance lives in areas of energy and air-quality management, increased engagement, and more. The objective is to develop projects that can be replicated in other cities.

Citizen sensing projects encourage people to build, use, or act as sensors to tackle issues that are important to them. Those in Bristol are being spearheaded by arts organisation Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC), which has worked with locals to develop applications to tackle food waste, air pollution and mental health issues. A “Damp Busters” project helped citizens develop a sensor installed in rented accommodation that monitors damp and humidity levels to help residents and the council better manage the risks. One playful upcoming project will explore an observed gender bias in AI through the development of a feminist chatbot.

According to Carolyn Hassan, director of KWMC, engaging local people in the design process helps make products more fit for purpose. It is also vital for gauging citizens’ understanding of, and attitudes to, data. “Data is not the most interesting subject for ordinary people, so we need to look at how we increase data literacy skills, particularly among young people, and engage them with big and small data,” she says.

Bristol’s economy is forecast to grow by 2.3% in 2019, but this prosperity is not enjoyed by everyone. People in the most affluent areas of the city can, on average, expect to live almost 10 years longer than those in the poorest areas. Bristol Is Open believes that new technology can help redress the balance, and has secured funding to extend its fibre optic network into more deprived areas of the city. Faster digital connectivity is expected to improve education in schools with poor broadband, and potentially address health problems related to the growing ageing population.

“The digital divide is widening because telecoms companies can’t afford to move into more deprived areas where their business case doesn’t stand up,” says Snell. “We want to use the network as a platform to find other business models and other ways of connecting with people to prove to the industry that there is a business case to get out and support these people.”

As cities such as Bristol ride the wave of technological progress, and embrace applications for sensors, connected cars, next-generation communication and AI, such strategic thinking will be critical to inform decision-making that delivers long-term social and economic benefits. n

Creating cities that are resilient, worthwhile places for people to live in is a key focus of RICS’ next WBEF Summit. Register your interest at rics.org/wbef

Bristol’s innovative use of data includes opening a “Data Dome”, which displays visualisations of city statistics that can be used during, for instance, public consultations (top); and installing high-resolution, heat-sensitive cameras that can detect the presence of drunken revellers who have fallen into Bristol’s Floating Harbour (above)

IMAG

ES B

Y AL

AMY

SOUR

CE: O

PEN

DATA

BRI

STOL

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

IMAG

ES B

Y AL

AMY

DRIVING CHANGEOpen Data Bristol’s online portal allows anyone to view and export statistics such as,

for example, the amount of car club parking bays in the city and the numbers of cars

per household. Developers can use such information to, in this instance, identify the

areas of the city with low car ownership that are underserved by car sharing schemes.

No. of cars per household

No. of car club bays

SMART CITIES

Location (council wards)1. Ashley2. Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston3. Bedminster4. Bishopston & Ashley Down5. Bishopsworth6. Brislington East7. Brislington West 8. Central9. Clifton10. Clifton Down

Cars0.811.06

1.021.2

1.241.171.140.551.061.11

Bays120 2 2 001

22109

750 00000

05 71

70208001000

2

11. Cotham12. Easton13. Eastville14. Filwood15. Frome Vale16. Hartcliffe & Withywood17. Henbury & Brentry18. Hengrove & Whitchurch Park19. Hillfields20. Horfield21. Hotwells & Harbourside22. Knowle

23. Lawrence Hill24. Lockleaze25. Redland26. Southmead27. Southville28. St George Central29. St George Troopers Hill30. St George West 31. Stockwood32. Stoke Bishop33. Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze34. Windmill Hill

1.040.831.040.881.070.811.091.27

1.141.12

0.861.1

0.531.011.290.950.881.111.350.881.3

1.471.42

0.96

1

25

8

34

22

145

16

18

31

7

6

29

30

19

15

13

24

4

20

26

33

17

2

32

1110

9

21

12

23

28

3

27

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 31

SOUR

CE: O

PEN

DATA

BRI

STOL

1

3

5

2

4

6

0

8

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

2

0

4

6

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

1

4

5

1

3

5

2

4

6

0

8

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

4

0

4

6

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

6

1

4

1

3

5

2

4

6

0

1

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

2

0

4

6

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

0

1

4

1

3

5

2

4

6

0

0

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

2

0

4

6

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

0

1

4

1

3

5

0

4

6

0

8

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

2

0

4

6

4

1

6

8

0

1

9

3

2

1

4

1

3

5

4

4

6

0

0

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

2

0

4

6

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

4

1

4

1

3

5

2

1

6

0

8

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

2

0

4

6

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

7

1

4

1

3

5

2

4

6

0

8

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

2

0

4

6

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

1

2

4

1

3

5

2

0

6

0

8

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

0

0

2

6

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

1

4

1

1

3

5

2

4

6

0

8

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

1

0

3

7

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

8

1

4

1

3

5

2

4

6

0

0

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

2

0

4

0

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

9

1

4

1

3

5

2

4

6

0

8

6

3

1

0

1

9

4

6

2

0

4

6

2

1

6

8

0

9

3

2

1

5

4

7

8

2

6

7

8

9

0

2

3

5

6

8

9

9

1

2

3

4

6

7

8

0

2

3

5

9

0

1

3

8

7

8

2

6

7

8

9

0

2

3

5

6

8

9

0

1

2

3

9

6

7

8

0

2

3

5

9

0

3

1

3

7

8

2

6

7

8

9

0

2

3

5

6

8

9

0

1

2

3

4

6

7

8

0

2

3

5

9

0

4

1

3

7

8

2

6

7

8

9

0

2

3

5

6

8

9

0

1

2

3

4

6

7

8

0

2

3

5

9

0

3

1

3

0

4

3

2

7

8

9

1

9

1

4

5

6

0

3

2

5

6

0

1

2

3

5

7

8

3

2

4

5

6

7

0

4

3

2

0

8

9

8

9

1

4

5

6

0

3

2

5

6

0

1

3

3

5

7

8

3

2

4

2

5

6

0

4

3

2

0

8

9

8

9

1

4

5

6

0

3

2

5

6

0

1

0

3

5

7

8

3

2

4

1

5

6

0

4

3

2

0

8

9

8

9

1

4

5

6

0

3

2

5

6

0

1

2

3

5

6

7

8

3

2

4

5

6

0

4

3

2

7

8

9

8

9

1

4

5

6

0

3

2

5

6

0

1

2

3

5

7

8

3

2

4

1

5

6

0

4

3

2

7

8

9

8

9

1

4

5

6

0

3

2

5

6

0

1

2

3

5

7

8

3

2

4

1

5

6

0

4

3

0

7

8

9

8

9

1

4

5

6

0

3

2

5

6

0

1

2

3

5

7

8

3

2

4

9

5

6

0

4

3

2

7

8

9

8

9

1

4

5

6

0

3

2

5

6

0

1

2

3

5

7

8

3

2

4

5

1

6

COLLABORATION

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 33

CHARLES BOUDET CEO, FRANCE, AND EMEA DIGITAL AGENDA LEAD, JLL, PARIS

ULRIK BRANNER BOARD EXECUTIVE, PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT PLATFORM LETSBUILD, COPENHAGEN

MARK ENZER CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER, MOTT MACDONALD, LONDON

PAUL WILKINSON CONSULTANT ON CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, LONDON

The accumulation, interpretation and industrialisation of data has become the currency of our age. But while some sectors have been quick to embrace this fourth industrial revolution, the built environment professions have lagged behind. The problem is that data as we understand it today – continually

forming in real time, and in gigantic quantities – can only really reach its true potential if it is shared, facilitating collaboration and fluid decision making. And although professionals are very good at collecting data, there hasn’t really been a culture of sharing it. How must we respond to the challenges that this new world presents?

Who owns asset data – and does it matter? Ulrik Branner / Construction is an industry that creates the second highest amount of data in the world, bested only by financial services, but 95% of it is thrown away. At the core of LetsBuild is a drive to generate comparable data. The client has the responsibility to make this happen, particularly those in the public sector. They are the custodians of taxpayers’ money, and some of our biggest builders. They have an obligation to start gathering that information and lead change in the industry. The UK government mandating Level 2 BIM is a good example of what can be done. Mark Enzer / Ownership of data is an important issue, but perhaps more important still is the curation of the data: looking after it and making sure it’s of the right quality and in the right place. It makes sense for the data relating to assets to be curated and owned by the people who own the physical asset. However, the picture gets complicated when data is aggregated from different sources to produce something of greater value. In those instances, you may have different curators or different data sets, and when it is combined there are more questions to answer about who owns it.Charles Boudet / I don’t think data is going to be owned by any one category of player within the real estate industry. It’s going to become a commodity for anyone who is interested in developing a digital approach, digital tools or basically a digital way of working.

No one in real estate should feel immune from the need to transform their traditional business into one being driven by technology. If you consider data as the raw material to fuel any digital product, and agree with the statement that everyone has to move towards that, then it becomes an asset that is critical to everyone. Paul Wilkinson / The gradual adoption of BIM over the last decade has seen us shift from being mainly document-centric to being more data-centric. We now talk about digital twins – realistic representations of assets, processes or systems that are connected to the physical structure. Asset data, therefore, now covers data created during the BIM process, plus historic and real-time information captured from systems and sensors embedded in the physical asset.

If we are to collectively improve the performance of our built assets, we need to continue to collaborate and to share such asset operation data. Not only will this help the industry deliver better-performing assets, it will also help identify – and reward – the suppliers who help deliver better whole life value.

What skills will professionals need to handle all this data and make sense of it? PW / Data is being created at an ever-increasing rate. Think of it as five “Vs”: higher volumes, at increasing velocity, with more variety (sources and data types), greater veracity (accuracy and integrity), and higher potential value. The industry professionals of tomorrow will therefore need to be adept at using analytical tools that can collate and interrogate that data, and to extract timely and valuable

PANEL /

With BIM bedding in and

an increasing number

of sensors collecting

information on the

condition of construction

sites and built assets,

we’ve never had so much

data on our hands. But are

we culturally ready to

make the most of this

golden opportunity?

business insights from it. Data literacy will be important, as will the industry’s ability to apply machine learning and artificial intelligence to identify patterns or anomalies in data.ME / We certainly need people who are adept at collecting data, collating it, managing it and so on – all the basic data-related skills. Then there are a whole load of other roles for people who can make sense of the data, run the big data analytics and collate data from a number of sources. We see lots of people busily recruiting data scientists, and that’s good. It’s about adding value to data to provide insight. You also need people who work on the visualisation of data – it’s no good doing the analysis if the insights can’t be communicated effectively. And finally, you’ve got to recruit people who use the insights to make decisions. CB / To set up good digital products you need to have a number of competencies to be able to identify, develop and then sell them. In order to do that, at an early stage we try to identify technologies that can improve the way we work with our clients. We have launched a large global venture fund focused on proptech, called Spark. Data plays a very important part in that approach. It’s about understanding technologies, mastering the data and creating frictionless experiences for our clients.

We’re having to invest in more infrastructure because we now capture more data than ever before. We also use more open-source or external data. For that, we need data scientists and product experts who come from the digital world, not the real estate world. In JLL France, for example, we have a team of more than 12 data scientists.

Are we ready to embrace a culture of collaboration between architects, engineers, cost controllers and clients?PW / The idea of greater collaboration across a project team has been repeatedly proposed in report after report. [Most recently], in 2016, construction consultant Mark Farmer [MRICS]’s Modernise or die highlighted the continuing lack of a collaborative industry culture as one of the reasons behind the sector’s continued low productivity, low margins and inefficiency in the UK. However, [change] will take a concerted effort. Farmer highlighted how industry fragmentation has prevented change. Traditional design and construction barriers need to be broken down, as do industry data silos.UB / I think people are ready for change. When I meet clients that are driving behaviour change, I see an immediate reduction in friction between professions. The municipality of Copenhagen actually said that for four years they were going to work with one contractor, one architect and one adviser, and they are going to build a huge volume of projects. They guaranteed their margins and worked with completely open-book accounting. So, all of those organisations moved into a single office with 150 people for four years.

It’s got to be client driven. It’s like a Mexican standoff. Nobody can lay down their guns for fear of exposing themselves. Someone has to say “guns down”, and the only person who can do that is the client.ME / I don’t think we’re there yet on collaboration. I do think that we work in quite a collaborative industry – other sectors can be far more dog-eat-dog. Across infrastructure, I think that we have a collaborative culture. However, it’s not an industry in which data is shared. I think a culture of data sharing is slightly different to more general collaboration in the industry.

We need to move towards enabling and facilitating effective information sharing where it is appropriate. I’m not saying everyone should share everything with everyone, but there does need to be a bit of a shift in culture to enable secure, resilient information sharing across institutional boundaries where it makes sense.

If we don’t make a success of it today, what will be the consequences tomorrow – for all professions?ME / I prefer to think about this the other way around, because the implications [for construction] if we get it right could be fantastic. The indications are that it could be worth £7bn a year, or 30% in cost savings. That’s backed up by what has already been seen in other industries. This isn’t something that is completely new to humanity – it’s just new to our industry. So, the opportunity is enormous. PW / [Calling your report] Modernise or die suggests that the consequences of failure could be extreme. In other industries, many inflexible, low-margin businesses persisting with outdated models have crashed – sometimes being replaced by larger, more agile, international competitors or new market entrants. In an increasingly connected and fast-moving world economy, construction cannot remain parochial or silo-based. Seamless multi-disciplinary thinking facilitated by instant sharing of accurate, timely data is going to be critical to business success.UB / I’m convinced that the industry will come out of this stronger, but it will be with a completely different guard. I hate to cry wolf all the time, but construction firms are vulnerable to disruption. Unity, which is a gaming platform working in a very high-revenue and high-margin industry, has established an architecture, engineering and contracting arm. It’s done it because it’s seen a massive opportunity. You see companies such as WeWork moving into the industry. Amazon bought a prefab housing company. CB / More data is available to more people and in a more transparent way. People who don’t embrace that principle, and think they create a competitive advantage by building walls around their data, are bound to disappear in the coming decade. The revolution that is going on really only happens once every 100 years. I am confident in the fact that embracing change will be positive for our business. n

RICS is producing a data handling professional statement to help support our professionals in this rapidly expanding field. Consultation on the statement begins in September, get involved at rics.org/datahandling

ULRIK BRANNERLETSBUILD

“ IT’S LIKE A MEXICAN STANDOFF. SOMEONE HAS TO SAY ‘GUNS DOWN’, AND THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN DO THAT IS THE CLIENT”

Expert users love our software. And we love expert users. Mojo, however, is for the other 99%

That’s the problem with making the

UK’s most powerful, most reliable

property management software.

It takes an expert to get the most

out of it.

So when we were adding an online

interface to our system, we didn’t just

stuff the whole of our desktop package

into the Cloud.

(Unlike some we could mention).

Instead, we created Mojo: an ever-

growing family of web apps, each of

which performs a single business process

just perfectly.

Mojo allows all sorts of people to

interact productively with core systems, in

a way that’s never been possible before.

So if you want smarter workflows,

perfect data, and reports that show the

big picture instantly, it’s Trace’s software

you should turn to.

Because only Trace has added Mojo.

224-232 St John Street, London EC1V 4QR | +44 (0)20 7825 1299 | www.tracesolutions.co.uk | sales@tracesolutions.co.uk

Putting the Mojo back into property management

Boffin-PJ.Modus-265x20.indd 1 07/06/2019 09:59

INTE

RVIE

WS

BY A

DAM

BRA

NSON

Expert users love our software. And we love expert users. Mojo, however, is for the other 99%

That’s the problem with making the

UK’s most powerful, most reliable

property management software.

It takes an expert to get the most

out of it.

So when we were adding an online

interface to our system, we didn’t just

stuff the whole of our desktop package

into the Cloud.

(Unlike some we could mention).

Instead, we created Mojo: an ever-

growing family of web apps, each of

which performs a single business process

just perfectly.

Mojo allows all sorts of people to

interact productively with core systems, in

a way that’s never been possible before.

So if you want smarter workflows,

perfect data, and reports that show the

big picture instantly, it’s Trace’s software

you should turn to.

Because only Trace has added Mojo.

224-232 St John Street, London EC1V 4QR | +44 (0)20 7825 1299 | www.tracesolutions.co.uk | sales@tracesolutions.co.uk

Putting the Mojo back into property management

Boffin-PJ.Modus-265x20.indd 1 07/06/2019 09:59

INTE

RVIE

WS

BY A

DAM

BRA

NSON

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 37

W A Y T O G O

E X P E R I E N C E

“The industry has finally woken up to the fact that if we all work together, rather than in silos, then everyone benefits ”

INTE

RVIE

W B

Y BR

ENDO

N HO

OPER

; POR

TRAI

T BY

DAV

ID V

INTI

NER

everyone put their hand up. While that’s fine, surely our industry professionals shouldn’t just be using a very generalised social network to communicate, collaborate and find talent?

What do the main social media platforms we use get wrong? They are too social, which increasingly means far too much noise. Who really needs endless photos of cats, trite motivational quotes or bland self-promotional posts? I’ve always felt we needed a way for people and businesses to clearly showcase their best projects, skills and talent, without anything irrelevant clogging up the space.

You recently renamed the collaboration platform you co-founded from TenderSpace to Copronet – why was that?We felt we had lost sight of our vision of helping to connect people across the building industry. Hopefully our new name Copronet – the construction professional’s network – gets this across a bit better. The platform looks and feels similar to more established social media networks such as LinkedIn or Facebook, which is deliberate, because people are already familiar with them. Whether you are a contractor or a client, with our network you can discreetly find people who would be ideal for your project. We also provide our members with productivity tools such as construction project management software, a free-to-access database of UK planning leads public sector projects and a business credit check tool.

Who is using the platform?We’ve now got nearly half a million projects and leads on the network, including one of the UK’s largest developers, which is using the platform to communicate better with its existing supply chain. At my previous firm, I was always concerned that, probably for the sake of convenience, we kept using the same people for our projects, rather than seeking out new talent perhaps more suited to the task. Among other things, our users are using the platform to find new talent in their supply chains by “fishing” for people with the exact skills they need in a much wider pool.

How do you see online networks evolving?Our profession still needs to do more to innovate and adapt to new online technologies. Even though one in 10 jobs are in construction, it is still the second least digitised industry in the world. The best way to improve this is to increase collaboration – the industry has finally woken up to the fact that if we all work together, rather than in silos, everyone can benefit. Networking technology can help us do so much more – if it’s user friendly, embracing it can only lead to more productivity and increased transparency.

Copronet is part of the RICS Data and Tech Community. Find out more at rics.org/tap

After being frustrated about the limited pool of professionals and contractors that her firm would always end up using, Emma Stapleton FRICS co-founded TenderSpace in 2017. The LinkedIn- style networking platform showcases the skills and experience of construction professionals together in one place. It was relaunched earlier this year as Copronet.

Don’t people already have enough social media platforms? The problem is they’re not specific enough. At an RICS conference last year, we asked how many people use some form of collaborative tool on a regular basis and about a quarter of the audience put their hand up. We then asked how many had a LinkedIn account, and

EMMA STAPLETON FRICSCO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, COPRONET

M E M B E R R E W A R D S

Benefits Plus is the member rewards programme from RICS, with a range of exciting special offers, discounts and other incentives for RICS professionals. How much could you save? For the full line-up of benefits, visit rics.org/benefits

TYSONCOOPER

TYSONCOOPER

TYSONCOOPER

EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS FOR RICS PROFESSIONALS

RICS professionals can enjoy exclusive savings across the Volvo car range, plus a host of unique benefits – each one designed to help you get the most from your Volvo car.

Call +44 (0)1473 873000 or visit rics.org/benefits for details

STAY AHEAD OF THE RISK WITH HOWDEN

Do you know how recent changes implemented by the UK Financial Ombudsman Service on 1 April might affect you?

Howden explains the key changes and what to watch out for at bit.ly/howdenfos, or call +44 (0)371 454 3526 to talk to an expert

CHANGING YOUR CAR THIS SEPTEMBER?

Save thousands through vehicle partner Tyson Cooper. Join hundreds of fellow RICS professionals who have made big savings on key brands such as Audi, Ford, Nissan and VW.

Call +44 (0)1473 873000 or email rics@tysoncooper.com

SAVE 10% ON HEALTH INSURANCE FROM BUPA

Get fast access to treatment and specialist support, so you’ll soon be back to business as usual. Plus, as an RICS professional, you could save 10%* on Bupa By You health insurance.

To get a quote, call Bupa on +44 (0)808 271 4232

38 / MODUS / JUL-AUG 2019

*TER

MS

AND

COND

ITIO

NS A

PPLY

*TER

MS

AND

COND

ITIO

NS A

PPLY

RICS compliant PI coverImmediate telephone quotes Immediate cover and documentsExpert friendly service Run Off cover available

Call us on 01837 55777www.anchormaninsurance.co.ukinfo@anchormaninsurance.co.uk

Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Proud members of Purple Partnership: A leading Independent Insurance Broker Network

Anchorman advert half 1802_Layout 1 27/02/2018 13:34 Page 1

We’re the block management

experts and we’re looking for surveying fi rms

to join our franchise network…

If you want to expand your property services, get in touch today on:

0333 666 3111 info@sdlpropertypartners.co.ukwww.sdlpropertypartners.co.uk

Extra income

Support network

Personalised training

FREE PRIZE DRAWENTER ONLINE WITHTHIS MONTHS CODE:‘WCI COMP 7’

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN £250 JOHN LEWIS VOUCHER*

DISCUSS YOUR FUTURE PROJECTSCONTACT US NOW

Unit 13 West Place, West Road, Harlow, Essex, CM20 2GY

t 01279 426555e sales@wcil.co.ukw wcil.co.uk

*Subject to terms and conditions.

PUTTINGTHE PIECES OF YOURPROJECT TOGETHER

WCIL.CO.UK/COMPETITION

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 41

N E W S I N B R I E F

E X P E R I E N C E

JOIN RICS’ GLOBAL DATA AND TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY

The built environment is rapidly becoming a data-driven sector, and although this presents us with vast opportunities, much of the existing data on real estate is unstructured and often difficult to find and share. To address this issue, RICS has produced a suite of data standards that complement our written standards to support the capture, verification and sharing of data to a common format.

Now, RICS is launching the “Tech Partner” scheme for organisations seeking accreditation for implementing our data

standards. The aim is to provide assurance to the marketplace that data used to drive decisions for our clients can be trusted, and to showcase those third-party software solutions that comply with RICS standards.

The Tech Partner programme sits alongside our Tech Affiliate Programme to form the wider Data and Tech Community. Find out more at rics.org/tap.

SHENZHEN 2020 DATE FOR THE WORLD BUILT ENVIRONMENT FORUM SUMMIT

Following two days of cutting-edge debate and discussion at our New York summit, the World Built Environment Forum now

moves to China for the fifth summit on 11-12 May 2020 in Shenzhen, with the theme of: “Successful city clusters: wealth creation, resilience and great places to live.”

At the heart of China’s Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen is the powerhouse for innovation in the world’s fastest-growing extended urban region, making it the ideal backdrop for our continued discussion on topics most relevant to the future of the built environment. Register your interest at rics.org/uk/wbef/the-summit.

BE BETTER PREPARED WITH BCIS’ CIVIL ENGINEERING TRENDS AND FORECASTS

BCIS has introduced new Civil Engineering Trends and Forecasts designed to help professionals better understand the inflationary pressures on their business and projects. With access to consistent measures of inflation in civil engineering, it will enable users to manage and mitigate the impact of inflation and apply the most appropriate inflation measures in contracts. More details at rics.org/bciscivilengineering.

RICS GOES ON THE ROAD TO PROMOTE PROFESSIONALISM

In light of recent changes to RICS’ Client Money Protection scheme, and ahead of our countering bribery and corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing professional statement becoming mandatory on 1 September, we’ve launched a new half-day roadshow. Taking place in London and Manchester, the event will cover ethics, competence, anti-money-laundering, conflicts of interest, client money, data handling and cybercrime. It aims to ensure that RICS professionals and member firms have the right tools to remain compliant, uphold standards and build trust with their clients. RICS’ Standards and Regulation team will also be on hand to take questions and assist with queries.

To find out more about the roadshow, or about any of the recent changes to our standards, go to rics.org/professionalism.

HELP RICS LEAD THE PROFESSION INTO A BRIGHT FUTURE

RICS has celebrated 150 years of leading in the built and natural environment, and now we’re looking to the future. Our world is rapidly changing. Population growth, urbanisation, climate change, and the digital revolution are all having profound impacts on our profession. That’s why we need you to stand up and help guide us through this exciting period by running for our Governing Council.

With recent changes to modernise our governance structure, we’re looking for RICS-qualified professionals to fill the new 15 market seats. As a global organisation, these seats help ensure we have a diverse range of voices setting the strategic direction of RICS. If you, or a someone you know, have the governance experience, knowledge and commitment needed to help lead our profession, please nominate yourself or put someone forward. Nominations close on 29 July.

Our changing world needs RICS’ commitment to standards, trust, and technical excellence. This is your chance to keep our profession at the heart of the built and natural environment. To submit a nomination, please visit ersvotes.com/rics19, or contact governance@rics.org for further information.

O B I T U A R I E S

E X P E R I E N C E

Please email obituary notifications to contactrics@rics.org or call +44 (0)247 686 8555

rics.org/regulatorysupport

R E G U L A T I O N

EASTERN Frederick Thomas Arnold FRICS, 1925-2018, Herts John P Leamy MRICS 1930-2019, Ware John Robert Laxton FRICS 1928-2019, StowmarketMajor John Albert Lilley FRICS, 1923-2019 Colchester

EAST MIDLANDS George Albert Sleigh FRICS 1934-2019, Coalville

LONDON Andrew Donald Blythe MRICS, 1956-2019 London Terence Haines MRICS 1952-2019, London Robert Jackson MRICS 1949-2019, London

NORTH WEST Alan Griffin FRICS 1936-2019, Liverpool

Charles David Phillips MRICS, 1967-2018, Cheshire Ian Jeremy Sutcliffe MRICS 1951-2019, Northwich

SOUTH EAST Geoffrey Reginald Mindham Codd FRICS, 1929-2019 Lightwater David Walgrave Danson MRICS, 1957-2018 Southampton John Patrick Fry FRICS 1927-2019, PortsmouthRaymond Peter Manning-Coe FRICS 1926-2019, Broadstairs Anthony J Vincent FRICS 1943-2019, Oxon

SOUTH WEST Harry Bostock FRICS 1926-2019, Bournemouth Peter William Butler FRICS 1928-2018, Warminster Bryan Philip Colston FRICS 1921-2019, Ilminster

David Geoffred Ruth MRICS 1933-2019, Exeter Mark Ian Tennie MRICS 1972-2019, Saltcoats

YORKSHIRE & HUMBER John Michael Bailey FRICS 1929-2019, NorthallertonDavid John Smith MRICS 1950-2019, SheffieldDavid John Woodhouse MRICS 1962-2019, Sheffield

WALES Ronald Eli Jones MRICS 1921-2019, Carmarthen

If you are facing hardship after the loss of a family member, or considering leaving a legacy, contact LionHeart, the charity for RICS members and their families. Call +44 (0)24 7646 6696, email info@ lionheart.org.uk, or visit lionheart.org.uk.

MR PETER WILLIAMS, BRISTOL, BS49DISCIPLINARY PANEL – 18.04.19A Disciplinary panel heard one charge against Mr Williams. The Panel found the charge proved and expelled Mr Williams from membership of RICS. The Panel made no award for costs.

DISCIPLINARY PANEL HEARINGS IN RELATION TO CPD NON-COMPLIANCEBetween July 2018 and May 2019 a Disciplinary Panel considered cases concerning Members for a failure to comply with RICS’ requirements in respect of continuing professional development (CPD) in that they had not completed and recorded, or caused to be recorded at least 20 hours of CPD on the RICS CPD portal, contrary to Rule 6 of the Rules of Conduct for Members 2007 version 6.

A full list of the members and the relevant decisions can be found at rics.org.

MR PHILIP ANTINO [0840777] ESSEX, CM2APPEAL PANEL – 07-10.05.19On 4-11 June 2018, 13-18 June 2018, 12-16 and 23 November and 12 December 2018, a Disciplinary Panel heard 10 charges against Mr Antino, finding five of the 10 charges proved.

The Panel expelled Mr Antino from membership of RICS with immediate effect and ordered him to contribute towards RICS’ costs.

Mr Antino appealed the decision of the Disciplinary Panel, which was heard by an Appeal Panel on 7-10 May 2019. The Panel upheld the appeal in respect of three charges and rejected the appeal in respect of two charges, meaning two of the original charges remain proved.

The Panel concluded that expulsion remained the most appropriate and proportionate sanction in the circumstances and awarded costs in favour of RICS.

CONFERENCES

RICS Hong Kong BIM Conference 201923 July, Hong KongCPD: 7 hours rics.org/bimconfhk

Valuation for Non-Valuers31 July, Edinburgh; 26 September, London CPD: 6 hours £315rics.org/valuationnonval

Building Confidence Conference1 August, Sofitel Wentworth, SydneyCPD: 8 hoursrics.org/buildingconfidence

TRAINING COURSES

Certificate in BIM18 July, online training CPD: 83 hours £1,139rics.org/certinbim

Certificate in Property Finance and InvestmentOn-demand online trainingCPD: 56 hours £1,270rics.org/certpfi

For details of conferences, training sessions and CPD seminars near you, go to rics.org/events

T R A I N I N G & E V E N T S

All prices exclusive of VAT or local taxes

JUL-AUG 2019 / MODUS / 43

enquiries@streetdots.co.uk

R I G H T T I M E R I G H T P L A C E R I G H T O F F E R

The world’s first placemaking booking platformpowered by independent brands

CONVENIENCE

RETAIL

FOOD

MUSIC

BEVERAGES

SEASONAL

WELL BEING

ALCOHOL

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENTAL, CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING, AND MATERIALS CONSULTANTS WITH ALLIED UKAS ACCREDITED TESTING FACILITIES

• Concrete specialists• Civil/structural engineering & building surveying expertise• Structural investigation & load capacity assessment• Pre-acquisition surveys for deleterious materials• Leak detection for roofs, walls & windows• Building envelope investigations• Instrumented testing & movement monitoring• Difficult access (industrial rope access) building surveys• In house laboratories for physical & chemical inspection & testing of materials• A complete professional evaluation & advice service

Email: info2@rsk.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1442 416668 Visit us at www.rsk.co.uk

Co-op Insurance Services introduces you to Miles Smith A specialist insurance broker to help you find the right cover at the right price.

Do you need business insurance?

*0% APR monthly instalments only applies to the following types of business insurance: Residential Property Owners, Commercial Property Owners, Shop and Salon, Office and Surgery, and Self-employed.Co-op Insurance Services acts as an Introducer for Business Insurance. Co-op Insurance Services is a trading name of Co-op Insurance Services Limited; registered in England and Wales with registration number 4390. Registered office: CIS Building, Miller Street, Manchester M60 0AL. Calls may be monitored or recorded for security and training purposes. Calls to 0800 numbers are free from both UK landlines and mobile phones. Lines open: 9am-6pm Mon-Fri.

Interest free instalments

available on selected

policies*

To get a quote call 0800 056 6511 or visit coop.co.uk/business

R I C S R E C R U I T R I C S R E C R U I T . C O M / T O A D V E R T I S E , E M A I L S A M G @ W E A R E S U N D A Y . C O M O R C A L L + 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 7 1 0 1 2 7 7 9

If you are interested in working for us then we would love to hear from you. Please contact:

Neale Smith Head of Recruitment on

07393 797350or send your CV to svcareers@connells.co.uk

Connells Survey & Valuation are seeking Residential Surveyors.

LOOKING FOR A FRESH

We are looking to recruit RESIDENTIAL SURVEYORS in the following locations

BournemouthBristolBurnleyBury St EdmundsCardiffChichester

CorbyDarlingtonEast NorfolkEastbourneGlasgowHereford

IlfordIpswichKingstonLeedsLeicesterMedway

Transparent Commission &

Bonuses

Latest Technology

Career Progression

Working with new diverse markets

NEW START?

North NorfolkNorth WalesNottinghamPortsmouthScarboroughSheffield

South East LondonSwanseaSwindonWatfordWisbech / Kings Lynn

TO BOOK, PLEASE EMAIL SAMG@WEARESUNDAY.COM

The next issue of Modus will be published on 7 September 2019 RECRUITMENT COPY DEADLINE: 14 August

All the best jobs

RESIDENTIAL SURVEYORS & VALUERSAll the best jobs with premier employers, including

lenders, financial organisations, large corporate and smaller non-corp surveying firms. Full and part time, employed & self employed opportunities. If you are AssocRICS/MRICS/FRICS and a registered valuer, ideally with relevant experience then call us first.

Immediate positions throughout London/M25, Avon, Beds, Berks, Birmingham, Bucks, Cambs, Cheshire, Derbys, Devon S, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Hants, Herts, Kent, Lancs, Leics, Lincs, Gtr Manch, Mersey, Middx, Norfolk, Northants, Notts,

Somerset, Staffs, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex E, Teesside, Tyneside, Wales S&N, Warks, Wilts, Worcs, W.Mids, Yorks. Also, Staff Surveyor positions (many areas of UK), Senior

Desk Top Valuer (based S.Yorks), Senior Compliance and Private Survey Only opportunities. Call for latest

locations and package details.Email your CV in confidence to apply@mlarecruit.com

or speak to the industry’s most experienced recruitment team, Graham Johnson 07821 708131 or Jeff Johnson

07940 594093

JUL-AUG 2019 / RICSRECRUIT.COM / 45

Unrivaled Property Recruitment Expertise.

For well over 20 years now, we’ve been placing surveying professionals in positions across the country, at some of the most prestigious companies around.

Whether you’re a Chartered Surveyor or AssocRICS, a Commercial Valuer or Building Surveyor – we’ve got your next job.We are happy to discuss and potentially offer contrast to your current situation, or provide advice on the best move to maximise your career path.

We currently have numerous and immediate vaccancies for experienced surveyors and those seeking cross-training across the UK. Some current locations include: Residential Surveying:London & Counties / Midlands / The North (East & West)Staff Valuer:North & East London / South West LondonCross-training:WR / CV / B / DY / NG / NR / PL / EX / LBuilding Surveyor:London / Leeds / Newcastle

Andy Welham 0208 514 9177 Andyw@BBLproperty.co.uk

For our full range of opportunities alongside helpful career & CV advice please visit www.bblproperty.co.uk

With many more vaccancies available please do call should you be interested in having an informat chat about the opportunities in your own location.

Contact us first: Andy Welham 0208 514 9177 Andyw@BBLproperty.co.uk

James Irving 0208 514 9120 Jamesi@BBLproperty.co.uk

Opportunities for experienced Residential Surveyors – UK Wide

Opportunities within corporate environments:Remuneration includes

a basic salary of £45-60k

(depending on location), bonuses

(based on fee income), a car (or

allowance), healthcare and pension.

B / BB / BD / BH / BS / CA / CB / CF /

CH / CM / CV / DA / DE / DT / BA / E /

EX / GL / GU / HU / KT / LE / MK / NG /

NN / NP / NR / PO / RG / SL / RH / S /

SA / SN / SO / PO / ST / SW2 / TN / TW

Opportunities within non-corporate, practice-based environments: Offering the same security

and market presence of corporate

employment without the focus on

volume / points or impossible

turnaround; five jobs/points per day

is the norm! Basic salary of £45-60k

plus generous package.

B / BB / BD / BL / CB / CF / DL / DY /

EX / IP / KT / KT / L / LE / LL / LN /

M / ME / MK / MK / NG / S / SA / SG /

TA / TW

Consultant / Freelance Surveyors:Surveyors required to undertake

both valuation and surveys on a

freelance / consultancy basis for

both panel derived and privately

instructed workload.

Fee values vary depending on client

but would certainly be considered

reasonable in the current market.

Payment based on up to 60/40 split

payable to the individual consultant

on a self employed / limited

company basis. PII is provided in

all circumstances. Please call for

our latest locations of interest.

Cross training opportunities:Opportunities for Surveyors of

other faculties to cross train into

Residential Surveying (subject to

location and experience).

Training can be provided to

AssocRICS / MRICS Surveyors (with

VRS eligibility) from most surveying

backgrounds so previous direct

experience is not essential. Salary

available is circa £50k with car

allowance and bonuses on top.

B / BH / BL / CF / CH / CV / CW / DE /

DT / EX / HG / HR / IP / L / LA / LS / M /

NG / OL / PE / PR / S / SP / TQ / WF

As one of the few independent recruitment agencies operating exclusively within the property sector, we have a unique overview of roles across all major and minor firms. Why shop around talking to each and every company when you can speak to us, in confidence and with no obligation, and get a clear view of the whole market.

Find out more at: www.bblproperty.co.uk

For further information please contact:

Stephen Wilson DipPropInv MRICS Managing Director, Professional Services

T 01932 736501 E recruitment@tgsurveyors.co.uk

Recruiting for MRICS or AssocRICS Chartered Surveyors for 4 or 5 day week employed roles

Career development

and progression opportunities

Central support team

Market leading commission

structure

Cutting edge technology

Competitive basic salary and benefits

package

Progressive and growing organisation

Key locations:

Manchester, Kent, Teesside, Peterborough, Hull, West Midlands, South West England

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced residential surveyor to join a young, dynamic, forward-thinking company.

If you are ready to take your career in a more positive direction and step off the corporate treadmill, then a career at London and County may be just what you are looking for.

The position is offered on a freelance basis, although we are happy to discuss the possibility of a fully employed position. Covering a specific geographical location within London you will be expected to undertake HomeBuyer Reports, Private Valuations and Building Surveys.

RESIDENTIAL SURVEYORS - LONDON £72,000 pa (pro-rata)

READY TO TAKE YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

Send your CV to info@londonandcounty.com and we will arrange an informal chat. Or call 0800 197 8820 (ask for Deborah).

Residential Valuation SurveyorAbout us: London’s Surveyors and Valuers opened its doors in April 2009 and they have remained wide open ever since.Managing Director Simon White has 40 years experience in valuing and surveying residential property in our Capital City. The team now comprises nine Chartered Surveyors, all of whom are Registered Valuers and know London inside out. The company strives to deliver a bespoke valuation service to clients worldwide. Our clients include Private Banks, Lending Institutions, Solicitors, Accountants, Hedge Funds, Mortgage Brokers and Private Clients.

About the role: We are looking for an RICS-qualified surveyor to immediately join our residential valuation team. The ability to value commercial properties and to undertake Building Surveys and Homebuyer Reports would be an advantage but is not essential.

If this appeals to you then please get in touch with Simon White for a confidential chat on 07775 794 215 or send your CV to simon@lcsv.co.uk

Salary: £80,000 - £100,000

Benefits: Car allowance, pension and private health care. Our office is in Mayfair W1 and the position will be part office part home based dependent upon work load.

JUL-AUG 2019 / RICSRECRUIT.COM / 47

Welcome to e.surv

If you're interested in exploring options for the future,  please contact our Recruitment Team for an informal chat or to arrange a coffee with one of our Area Managers:                                         Email: matthew.siddons@esurv.co.uk                                        Tel: 07794 392 858

As the largest residential surveying company in the UK, e.surv can offer you fantastic career prospects, along with flexible working and compact postcode coverage to ensure the best work-life balance. We provide a unique benefits package, including a competitive salary, generous incentives, private medical care, attractive pension, a company car or car allowance, and more. That's why we're the winner of the UK Employee Benefits Award 2019!  Our bespoke range of in-house training and mentoring offers you the support you need from day one, whether you're joining us from a large or small surveying firm.  

Your future starts here

Currently recruiting nationwide

PROPERTY SURVEYOR NORWICH, NORFOLK

BULLEN DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED £35,000 - £45,000

Exciting and unique opportunity to join Bullen Developments Ltd in a beautiful office setting in

Norwich. The Property Surveyor will work closely with a small team of professionals providing general practice

surveying services including estate management of property portfolio, forward planning of existing sites, site acquisitions and disposals. An understanding of the development process would be beneficial; from

site identification, feasibility, acquisition and planning protocol through to build completion.

MRICS qualified would be beneficial but not required.

For more information on the position available, the competitive package on offer and our company values, please submit your CV to

Eleanor.Schader@rgcarter.co.uk

Your future is bright with Miller Metcalfe Surveyors As a Residential Chartered Surveyor you are more than just a number to us!

Nationwide locations consideredParticularly; Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Sheffield

Full-Time, Part-Time & Consultancy opportunites considered

Miller Metcalfe Surveyors are a leading national supplier of Surveys and Valuations. Due to our continued growth we have opportunities available for home based, highly motivated MRICS/FRICS Residential Chartered Surveyors, who meet VRS registration requirements, have experience of producing RICS HomeSurveys and want to work across a mixture of both private and lender clients.

Join us and reap the benefits;

• Competitive OTE in the region of £50 - £70k pa• Uncapped bonus scheme - paid monthly • Company vehicle choice or allowance• Pension contributions• Death in service• Flexible working• Home working• Full Administration / Technical support• Fantastic inclusive culture• Supportive team

And much, much more...

If you want to join a team where you are valued and your voice is always heard, there has never been a better time.

We believe in investing in our people and ensuring Miller Metcalfe Surveyors is a great place to work.

We want to hear from you whatever your location or work preference.

We are fully committed to developing our people and further enhancing their career.

Contact Us:Nicki Henderson, HR Director

Tel: 01204 525252 (Opt. 4)

Email: nicki.henderson@millermetcalfe.co.uk

(All applications are dealt with in the strictest confidence)

Want to know more?Visit our careers page here;

www.millermetcalfesurveyors.co.uk

OTE £50k - £70kper annum

JUL-AUG 2019 / RICSRECRUIT.COM / 49

HARGREAVES JONES RECRUITMENT 2019

Talented Quantity Surveyors (at all levels up to Director level) are sought with solid track record/experience in onshore/offshore windfarm projects

Location: Scotland Base Location with Excellent Salaries + Car/Car Allowance + Generous Pension + PHI

Hargreaves Jones is a commercial and Project Management Services Consultancy serving the Oil, Gas, Nuclear,

Utilities, including overhead Transmission Lines, Pharmaceuticals, Fast Moving Consumer Goods sectors (FMCG) and Commercial and Traditional Building sectors. We pride ourselves on delivering commercial and project services to

clients engaged in capital construction and engineering activities on both large and small infrastructure projects for Blue Chip clients, or their respective design and project management service providers.

The continued expansion and success of our growing business is reliant upon finding enthusiastic and motivated professionals. We provide APC training and support & opportunities to grow in an exciting professional environment.

Please send a copy of your CV and covering email to kim@hargreavesjones.comFor further deatils please contact www.hargreavesjones.com

SDL Surveying is an equal opportunities employer and encourages a diverse range of talent to apply.*Based on available lender league tables - 01/01/2019–31/03/2019

**According to our employee satisfaction surveys - 04/2019

Join our successful team today:07881 008594

careers@sdlsurveying.co.uk

The place to be for the future.

Fastest growing market share in

the industry

Top of every leaderboard for

service*

of our surveyors

are satisfi ed working at SDL**

50 / MODUS / JUL-AUG 2019

Using a distributed ledger will make real estate deals more secure and more streamlined, argues Bob Duncan

W H A T I F…

… b l o c k c h a i n t o o k o v e r p r o p e r t y t r a n s a c t i o n s?

E X P E R I E N C E

“Surveyors will no longer need to pay someone to check records or dig through dusty tomes”

what is happening in property markets, thereby improving the quality of analysis that real estate professionals provide.

Once a streamlined blockchain-based land registry is in place, the opportunity to trade tokenised real estate securities will follow, opening up the property investment market for smaller investors. That could take five to 10 years, but there are factors that might slow progress: secure trading applications will need to be developed, regulators will pay increasing attention to the area, and you need a critical mass of interested buyers and sellers.

Distributed ledger won’t put surveyors out of business, they will just be doing different things – sometimes much more efficiently – allowing them to take on more business and improve profitability. By using technology to do things quickly and cheaply you can serve far more customers.

Dr Bob Duncan is a lecturer in accounting and data technology at the University of Aberdeen

Blockchain allows us to create an extremely robust new form of database. It makes a multiplicity of copies of the audit trail for each transaction, so that you can know whether the information is correct because each copy checks all of the others. With so many copies it is computationally far too expensive for an attacker to hack more than half the nodes – the threshold at which consensus is reached on whether the data is correct – making the system far more secure than a conventional database.

The fundamental strength of blockchain is that it is totally transparent. A hacker could modify traditional records to falsely show that they are the new owner of a property, but with a distributed ledger you can’t change the fundamental record; you can only add a note to the audit trail saying, for example: “We became the new owner by transferring money on this date.” There is clear provenance on all that has transpired in a transaction, from its inception right up until the current point in time.

Land registries around the world are examining how blockchain can be used to carry out the basic elements of a property transaction more efficiently and cheaply. If governments take the lead, and issues around privacy and security are resolved, the technology has the potential within the next five years to yield huge savings in the time and cost of administration associated with buying and selling property.

Surveyors and lawyers will no longer need to pay someone to check records or dig through dusty tomes; they will be able to get an instant report on a property knowing that it will be 100% accurate. Meanwhile, greater transparency will make it easier to get up-to-date information on IN

TERV

IEW

BY

STUA

RT W

ATSO

N; IL

LUST

RATI

ON B

Y SA

LLY

CAUL

WEL

L –

FOLI

O AR

T

PERFORMANCE YOU’LL FALL IN LOVE WITH.

Created and crafted in Italy, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Alfa Romeo Giulia are true masterpieces. They couple the most exciting driving dynamics with elegant Italian design. The technology behind Alfa Romeo is created to enhance performance and to give great driving sensations. Both models feature all the latest cutting-edge technology in safety and infotainment including Alfa™ D.N.A. driving mode selector, Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) and 8.8" Connect 3D Nav with DAB radio. All this combined with exceptional fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

For more information, call our Business Centre free on 0800 652 5973 or email alfaromeo.fleet@fcagroup.com

Official fuel consumption figures for the Alfa Romeo range mpg (l/100km) combined: 53.3 (5.3) to 24.5 (11.5). CO2 emissions: 227 – 123 g/km. Fuel consumption figures determined on the basis of the new WLTP test procedure as per Regulation (EU) 2017/1347. CO2 figures, based on the outgoing test cycle (NEDC), will be used to calculate vehicle tax on first registration. Only compare fuel consumption and CO2 figures with other cars tested to the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fitted (post-registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load.

ALFA ROMEO STELVIO BIK from 35%

P11D from £36,920 CO2 from 139g/km

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA BIK from 33%

P11D from £32,620 CO2 from 129g/km

37983-Q2 FCA Modas-Alfa-FP-265x200-1.indd 1 07/06/2019 16:33