I gave two presentations at the Canadian Impact Infrastructure Exchange (CIIX) Symposium last week in Ottawa:

The Sustainable Infrastructure and Canadian Impact Infrastructure Exchange (CIIX) Symposium was held on November 18th 2014 at Carleton University. This successful event brought together high-level stakeholders with a deep interest in sustainable infrastructure for an in-depth day-long discussion on how to integrate environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) into this asset class, with long-term positive impacts for communities. See below for presentation PowerPoints, as well as an in-depth Case Study of the West Coast Exchange and a White Paper on Sustainable Infrastructure that underpinned the discussion.

The first presentation – CIIX – Standardized Input, Methodology & Output introduced the concept os how there are standards in valuation. Standardization engenders trust, allows for people to design to standard, automation, lowers transaction cost, and enables bundling. This is critical for the CIIX because the CIIX proposes to deliver:

• a common set of metrics to value the economic, social and environmental benefits;
• a means of understanding the risk involved; and,
• a forum for investors and project sponsors to exchange information and find investment and funding opportunities.

The second presentation – Unleashing the Capital for a More Sustainable World – made the case that project managers, engineers & architects are first in and last out of infrastructure projects. These architecture, engineering and consulting (AEC) professionals are the ones who know the project, its risks and benefits. They are generating and storing information in the feasibility, planning and design stages and the throughout the building life cycle. The information generated is supporting cost and risk management, construction, and facility operation. They are using a sustainability rating system and valuation framework to design-in and make the case for sustainable infrastructure. The tools that are being used now that can inform the CIIX and build trust for ESG investors are:

• Building Information Modeling (BIM)
• Envision Rating System
• AutoCASE

You can see all of the presentations from the symposium here.