A new information hub has been created to share the latest thinking on building for tomorrow and delivering sustainability in the construction industry today.

The ‘Build for tomorrow – Act now’ Sustainability Hub is a neutral platform to debate the current direction of sustainable construction and share forward-thinking ideas. Sustainability is a complex topic, but the motivation to create the hub was relatively simple: to start a conversation.

"Sustainability isn't about one organisation, group, or sector in our industry having 'the answer’,” said Barry Rust, Marketing Manager – Energy & Sustainability at Tata Steel. “For construction to play its part in helping the country to achieve its zero carbon goals, we need to have open and honest discussions where people can learn from one another, and share that learning for the benefit of the industry.”

The hub has been developed by Tata Steel UK, one of Europe’s largest steelmakers, in collaboration with specialist construction marketing agency Pauley Creative. It features resources including infographics, animated videos, podcasts and white papers.

Contributions are welcomed from anyone involved in any area of the construction industry and there are many ways to contribute to the conversation. From simply watching the animations, to listening to a 13 year old student interview Barry Rust of Tata Steel, or becoming an industry voice and adding your content to the hub.

As part of the hub’s commitment to showcasing a range of voices, and to being accessible to all knowledge levels, the launch content includes a podcast episode where Barry Rust from Tata Steel is interviewed by a 13 year old student. The conversation covers a range of issues relating to sustainability including the importance of adopting ‘whole life’ thinking.

Linked to that is an in-depth white paper looking at the subject of unintended consequences. A key issue that the hub’s creators want to engage on is ensuring that decisions made today are compatible with the low carbon future we’re all striving for.

“There’s a real risk that, in the rush to achieve something considered ‘low carbon’ today, we actually create the potential to increase carbon emissions several decades later, when we’ll be least able to afford those emissions,” added Barry Rust. “That’s not to criticise efforts to reduce carbon, because of course we must act in the short term as well as the long term.

“It’s absolutely critical, however, that we recognise decarbonisation as the multi-decade journey that it is – which is why we need a hub like this one, to act as a place where ideas and learning can be shared, so that we can all go on that journey together.”

To learn more and contribute your voice to the sustainability discussion, access the Sustainability Hub at www.construction-cpd.com/build-for-tomorrow-act-now