The greenest building is the one that is already standing. Glasgow's tenements have sheltered families for well over a century, and keeping them wind and watertight for the next century is the most useful thing a property factor can do for the environment. Around that, we try to run our own business with as light a footprint as we can.
Every tonne of stone, slate and timber in a tenement represents carbon that was spent long ago. Demolition and rebuilding spends it again. Our approach to maintenance is built on the opposite principle: inspect early, repair promptly, and plan ahead.
A factor generates a great deal of paperwork: monthly invoices, letters about repairs, insurance schedules, minutes of meetings. We would rather it travelled by email than by van.
Our contractors are, wherever possible, Glasgow and central-belt trades who know the buildings they work on and do not travel far to reach them. Where several small repairs are needed at one property we try to group them into a single visit rather than a series of call-outs. Our own office is in the city centre, on the doorstep of the bus, rail and subway networks that most of our staff use to get to work.
The common parts of a building use energy too — stair lighting, door entry systems, lifts and, in some blocks, communal heating. Where owners want it, we can obtain quotations for measures that cut running costs and consumption alike, such as LED stair lighting, timers and sensors, and draught-proofing of close doors and stair windows. Decisions rest with the owners; our job is to put the options and the costs in front of you clearly.
We are a small Glasgow business, not a multinational with a sustainability department, and we would rather tell you what we actually do than make grand claims. The commitments on this page are ones we can keep. If you have a suggestion for how we could do better — at your building or in our own office — we would genuinely like to hear it.