Construction Management and the Environment - CME students looking up at construction site

Fast facts

  • Company: Wates Construction
  • Location: Leatherhead, Surrey
  • Industry/sector: Construction Services
  • Size: Large (4,500 employees)

KTP project

  • Project aim: to source, select and embed sustainable technologies into the Wates Group's bid propositions and to ultimately accelerate the implementation of these technologies on Wates and customer sites to support the delivery of low carbon buildings 
  • Project duration: 24 months
  • Project budget: £146,701
  • KTP funder: Innovate UK
  • Academic team: Professor Steve Goodhew, School of Architecture, Design and Environment and Professor Shaofeng Liu, Plymouth Graduate School of Management and Plymouth Business School
  • Associate: Dr Zainab Dangana
  • Degree studied: PhD Construction Management

“This initiative enables the Wates Group and its customers to accelerate the uptake of innovative sustainable solutions to delivering low carbon buildings. As a result, Wates is a pragmatic leader in this field and an innovation broker within the construction industry. This provides tangible benefits for the business, our customers and new suppliers and I'm really excited about the benefits that this project will continue to bring.”
Dr Zainab Dangana

Sustainability Research and Development Manager,
Wates Smartspace

Dr Zainab Dangana receiving her award at the London Construction Awareds 2016
Dr Zainab Dangana
Background
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is a nationwide programme that has been helping businesses succeed for the past 40 years by connecting them to the UK’s extensive pool of world-leading experts. Part-funded by government, it is a partnership between a business seeking expertise, an academic institution (such as the University) and a recently qualified graduate – known as an Associate. 
Dr Zainab Dangana, with a PhD in Construction Management from Plymouth, is using the findings of her research to implement sustainable technologies to support the delivery of low carbon buildings across the UK. 
In her role as Sustainability Research and Development Manager for Wates Smartspace, part of the Wates Group, Zainab works with colleagues and customers to facilitate the selection of innovative solutions by organising 'Green Dragons' Den' style competitions.
The selection involves a three stage screening process in which technologies are measured against robust suitability criteria. Finalists are then given the opportunity to showcase and pitch their innovative technology to a judging panel made up of key decision-makers from Wates Smartspace and representatives from its market-leading customers. 
Wates Smartspace hosted its first customer event in 2016, inviting four of its customers to join the judging panel. Six suppliers were given the opportunity to pitch and each customer is now in discussion with those suppliers that best met their unique sustainability challenges. Opportunities to trial these technologies on client sites are now being explored.
This initiative has had a positive impact on the ability of suppliers to accelerate their route to market. In addition Wates customers have benefitted from being able to identify innovative, market-ready, low carbon sustainable products or technologies that can offer direct efficiency benefits across their building portfolios. 
No other contractor has a structured and targeted framework in place to support such an initiative. As a result, in October 2016, Wates was awarded the London Build Excellence Award at the London Construction Awards. This recognises the outstanding contribution that Wates has made to the construction industry in seeking to lessen the impact of their buildings on the environment. 
Feedback from a key supplier: 
"We have found Wates to be genuinely and proactively interested in supporting innovation in the construction sector, as evidenced by the programme initiated and managed by Dr Dangana. The programme has real environmental benefits and, through our participation, we have been introduced to some meaningful opportunities which Zainab is helping us to develop further. We would encourage other suppliers to participate in future competitions."
Paul Groves, Business Development Manager, Spiralite
Wates Smartspace picked up the London Build Excellence Award at the London Construction Awards 2016 in recognition of their 'Green 'Dragons' Den' style innovation events.
“Real congratulations and thanks has to go to Zainab Dangana who has really driven this project over the last three years. Thank you also to the University, Innovate UK and Wates Giving for all their support. This is a really exciting opportunity for us, as we see uptake now from customers and suppliers for the service we are offering. This allows us to truly say that Wates Smartspace is an innovative partner to its customers. Well done again, I am delighted for Zainab and the team." 
Helen Bunch | Managing Director | Wates Smartspace
London Construction 2016 Award for Wates Smartspace 
London Construction Award
Enterprise Solutions

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