SSRIA

4 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 8 work together towards known and agreed upon common goals. The building owner’s commitment is integral to the successful implementation of low carbon solutions in buildings (particularly where regulation and standards lag behind). Demonstration Projects Lab testing of technology or new building materials are typically insufficient to appease the risk aversion of the building industry. Demonstrations help validate innovation in an operational setting and most importantly in a local context. Demonstrations also have the incredible benefit of providing hands-on experience for staff. In one of the demonstration projects that SSRIA supported, which included the use of machine learning to automate the operation of a building ventilation system, the entire local engineering team of the technology supplier was able to have hands- on experience with the system and learn how to work with building maintenance to optimize it. The demonstrations have also helped to identify further barriers that can now be addressed such as working with and educating permitting officers on new building processes and materials. Aside from selecting demonstration projects for their potential to reduce carbon in buildings, another key criteria is the ability to replicate the project at a large scale. The end-game is not an endless number of demonstration projects but rather market driven wide scale adoption based on the results of successful demonstration projects. Business growth Those who we refer to as the ‘solution makers’, are the entrepreneurs, manufacturers, suppliers etc. who have developed materials or technology that have the potential to reduce energy use and the carbon impact of buildings. These are companies that are either brand new or have been working at a small scale in a niche market for years. In either case, they benefit from customized business services that prepare them for accelerated market demand or to help them overcome barriers such as specific testing and certifications. Some of the impacts reported after businesses