The European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP), which
aims to raise the construction sector to a higher world-beating level of
performance and competitiveness to allow it to better respond to the challenges
of the overall improvement of the quality of the built environment in Europe,
held its first High Level Group meeting in Brussels on the 1st March
2005. In a clear sign of the importance
that the EU Commission attaches to this industry-led initiative, the EU
Commissioner for Research, Mr. Janez Potocnik, Chaired this first meeting of
the High Level Group. The Group itself
is composed of high level representatives from all stakeholders in construction
– contractors, architects, engineers, material suppliers, research institutes
and operators – and from other sectors directly affected by the success of the
sector – national governments, Members of the European Parliament, Cities,
financial institutes and user groups as well as the NGO sector.
The Architects Council of Europe (ACE) has had a leading involvement in the establishment of this important European initiative and it will ensure that the concerns of the architectural profession and the skills that it can contribute are fully incorporated into the work of the ECTP. In particular it has taken the lead in the development of a “Vision 2030” and of a Strategic Research Agenda for the questions raised by the topic of “Urban Issues”. This topic goes to the heart of the ambitions of the ECTP to deliver, not only a more efficient and competitive Construction Sector, but also to deliver a better quality of life to the citizens of Europe. It is expected that the ECTP will largely influence the content of the 7th EU Framework Programme for Research in this area.
In securing these interests the ACE has nominated the UK based architect, Ian Ritchie, as the representative of the profession in the High Level Group. Ian Ritchie is a world-renowned architect whose influence on the development of the adoption of a sustainable approach to architecture and construction has brought him to the forefront of the profession and has given him a strong public profile in several EU Member States. He is also an Emeritus Commissioner in the UK Government’s body, the Commission on Architecture in the Built Environment (CABE).
To further reinforce the representation of the profession in the structures of the ECTP, the ACE also nominated Vesa Peltonen, Managing Director of the largest architectural practice in Finland, EVATA, to represent the profession in the Support group of the Platform. This group co-ordinates the work of the ECTP and meets regularly to ensure that the objectives of the initiative are being met.
The ACE has also ensured that there is representation from the profession in many of the various Work Groups and Focus Areas of the Platform. Principal among these is involvement in the Focus Areas “Cities and Buildings”, “Quality of Life” and “Cultural Heritage”.
Note to editors:
Founded
in 1990, ACE has its headquarters in Brussels.
It has more that 40 Members who are the representative and regulatory
architectural organisations from all of the EU Member States, the Acceding
States and Norway and Switzerland. It
Members therefore represent more than 450,000 architects across Europe.
The ECTP aims to achieve its objectives by analysing the major challenges that the construction sector faces in terms of society, sustainability and technological development. Research and innovation strategies will be developed to meet these challenges engaging with and mobilising the wide range of leading skills, expertise and talent available within the construction sector over the coming decades, in order to meet the needs of the Society.
The ECTP will seek to overcome key challenges of the 21st Century including the following:
• The industrialisation of the construction process to significantly reduce construction costs and increase quality;
• The creation of safe and healthy working and living environments for European citizens;
• Participation in the work to streamline national and European legislation to create a truly common market for construction products and services;
• Action to reduce the use of energy, materials, and other resources in construction and in the built environment;
• Enhancing the competitiveness of the European construction sector with respect to the USA and low cost economies;
• Create an understanding that the construction sector is innovative and research driven;
• Contribute to the improvement of the quality of the built environment to ensure, among other objectives, that it will be accessible for all;
• Address the needs of the ageing and less-able population whose mobility and independence are reduced by the absence of accessible transport systems and built environments;
• Make construction, and its associated fields of intervention, an advanced knowledge based economic sector at all levels of the supply chain;
• Support integrated and sustainable development and maintenance of the European urban and rural environments diminishing conflicts of parties involved in interventions in immovable cultural heritage;
• Ensure that our cultural and architectural heritage is preserved for the benefit of society and the wealth of our cities;
• Strengthen relationships through the supply and procurement chains particularly with clients, citizens and the end- users of construction sector outputs;
• Shift the focus of the sector away from a product centred view to supply a services centred view.
For
further information on the ECTP see www.ectp.org
For
further information on the ACE see: www.ace-cae.org
or
Contact
Alain Sagne, Secretary General of the ACE, e-mail: info@ace-cae.org
Brussels,
1/03/2005