Material - Centre for Green Shift in the Built Environment
Material
Here you will find a short Centre description, Minutes from meetings as well as Notes and documents regarding Green2050.
Green2050 Kick Off Presentations and Videos
Centre Presentation
GREEN 2050 - Centre for Green shift in the built environment
The Centre for Green shift in the built environment will contribute to fulfilling NTNUs social mission and sustainable development goals, in addition to the Rector’s vision of one NTNU.
The centre will have a clear voice externally. It is a goal to create added value for NTNU's overall activities through cooperation and interaction, nationally and internationally, externally, and internally.
Background
The construction sector is responsible for more than 40% of the world's energy consumption today. The built environment is crucial if one is to achieve national and international goals related to more sustainable roads, infrastructure, and cities.
The importance of the built environment for the environment, standard of living and quality of life is indisputable. The construction sector accounts for 1/2 of the EU's consumption of materials and energy, for 1/3 of waste to permanent landfill and 1/3 of water consumption.
Aiming for the climate-neutral "green" economy by 2050, following the ambitions of the European Commission, and is supported in the Norwegian climate plan for 2021–2030, it is not enough to just be energy efficient in the operational phase. We must be resource efficient throughout the life cycle, where our limited resources, including materials, land, water, time, human beings, as well as energy, are used in a sustainable way while minimizing impacts on the environment. We need to shift from the ongoing "linear economic model" with "use and throw" to a "resource-efficient circular model". Within a green shift, resources can be shared, and waste reused. Beyond that, people can enjoy better lives with less cost, disruptions, and emissions.
The concept of green shift in the built environment is a key in the roadmap to a resource-efficient Europe (COM (2011) 571) which outlines how we can transform Europe's economy into a sustainable economy by 2050.
This program will address how complex projects are planned, delivered, and renewed so that we reach the UN Climate Panel +1.5 C target before 2040.
Using resources for the "right projects" in the "right way" is necessary for achieving this long-term goal. We need project owners and project managers with the knowledge and skills required to develop and implement these projects, so that in the future we can live safely in our cities and use the infrastructure we have invested so much in. Sustainable management of our built environment is a major challenge, needing to be taken care of both holistically and technically. This is a task reaching beyond what a faculty or department at NTNU can solve alone.
The centre's mission is to be a strong national contributor within the green transformation of the built environment. World-class research results will be delivered with a real contribution to the global challenges facing the world. The centre will operate closely with the leading environments in the world addressing the green shift and sustainability. By this, it will contribute to strengthening and raising research within the theme Green built environment on a global level. The centre will contribute to the development of new knowledge and increased focus on topics that are relevant to the necessary restructuring of the BAE industry, making a significant contribution to the national and international climate goals.
Figure 1: The organization of the Centre for Green shift in the built environment.
Participation in the Centre for green shift in the built environment
The centre will be closely linked to industry and external actors through active participation in the project activity and through binding participation in the centre's leading bodies. This latter includes participation in the International Advisory Board, in the Executive Board, and in the National Advisory Board. Actors who do not have a permanent place in the centre's leading bodies or who have not participated in project activity in the centre will be invited to 1-2 open green shift seminars a year, where research and results from the centre's activities will be presented. The center will seek active collaboration with other research communities to strengthen and promote research that has been carried out and actively build on knowledge that has been developed.
The International Advisory Board
The climate challenge is perhaps the single issue most nations and businesses are affected by in the world today. On the one hand, whilst the climate challenge involves tremendous challenges, it also offers great opportunities. International cooperation must be strengthened to deliver on climate and sustainability goals. The centre has an ambition to be an important contributor to climate work and will cooperate closely with leading actors in the EU and other nations in the world. The centre will work actively to attract the best international leaders, researchers, and professionals.
The Executive Board
The main task of the "Executive Board" is to approve strategies for the centre's activities. The head of the Executive Board will be the dean or vice dean of research at the host faculty. It is further proposed that the vice dean research, Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, and the vice dean research, Faculty of Economics and Management, be included in the Executive Board. In addition, businesses, and administrative entities with project activity in the centre will be included. Total number can be 8-10.
The National Advisory Board
The National Advisory Board consists of professional contact points at NTNU. The relevant ongoing projects such as SFI, FME and others are invited to the National Advisory Board. The purpose of the National Advisory Board is to provide input to new project activity and to connect professionals looked-for when generating new activity. A selection of professionals/managers from the industry are wanted in the centre and will be offered a place on this Board. The total number can be 10-15.
Multidisciplinary Task forces
Challenges related to reducing environmental emissions and finding solutions to the consequences of a changing climate require multidisciplinary collaboration. NTNU with a main science- and technological profile and a large academic breadth has a good potential for establishing multidisciplinary teams that together can bring forward new innovative solutions.
Such multidisciplinary teams have been established, constituting "Task force resilience", "Task force resources" and "Task force mobility". The leaders for these will be part of the centre's management group. The task forces typically involve the collaboration of actors from 3-4 faculties at NTNU.
Centre management and financing
In the first year of the Centre, the costs associated with operations will be covered by NTNU. The long-term financing will be activity-based. This means that financing of the common costs associated with management activities will be covered through project activity with external and public actors. The centre is managed by a centre manager along with a coordinator. For each area, team leaders with special responsibility for their subject areas will be associated, including the above-mentioned multidisciplinary Task Force.
Reporting
The centre manager reports in the line, to the host institute manager and host dean. Budgets, positions, etc. are adopted by the line. Exercise of this function will be taken care of by the line by entering as the head of the Executive Board. This means that the dean/vice dean will be the centre's owner and chair the centre's Executive Board.