How do they go about this? Nuclear sites follow regulatory guidance from Management of radioactive waste from decommissioning of nuclear sites: Guidance on Requirements for Release from Radioactive Substances Regulations’ (the GRR)*. A feature of the GRR is that it allows disposal of suitable wastes in-situ or disposal of waste into existing below-ground structures on the site, if this represents the optimized solution and can receive all necessary regulatory approvals.

ArchTam is at the forefront on GRR consultancy for how to plan the end-states for nuclear sites. We assisted the Environment Agency (EA) in identifying the worldwide experience that exists on how below-ground structures have been used in the recent past, both in the nuclear and non-nuclear sectors. Our team translated this information into a format that readily informs its inspectors, so that they can provide advice and assess prospective applications under GRR to support permit surrender.

In-situ disposal and the disposal of wastes into existing structures are not new concepts, but have been associated with large void spaces, such as quarries or mineshafts for conventional waste disposal. The use of smaller, below-ground structures as waste repositories appears to be less common.

Our team explored the following topics (see tables below) with regulatory and nuclear site operator representatives and created two reports: one for the use of below-ground structures and one for waste emplacement considerations into these structures. These reports are now part of the EA’s toolkit for provision of advice and/or assessment of prospective applications under the GRR.

The approach to GRR implementation will evolve as UK nuclear sites work through their end-state strategy and assessments, as well as when they liaise with their environment regulators. It is crucial that those in the industry share their experiences, learning and information so that developments from one nuclear site can be applied, where appropriate, to others.

_{* Management of radioactive waste from decommissioning of nuclear sites: Guidance on Requirements for Release from Radioactive Substances Regulation, Version 1.0: July 2018}

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A good example of this is the new Structures and Buildings Allowance (SBA), introduced this year. It is the first new relief under the UK’s capital allowances (CA) regime in more than 10 years. The SBA is designed to stimulate activity in the construction sector, mitigating taxable profits through expenditure incurred on non-residential buildings and structures at a rate of 2 percent per annum over 50 years. Although I won’t seek to assess the detail or operation of the SBA – plenty has been written (refer to our Technical Briefing) – but rather address the practical challenges to be considered and make the argument that this relief doesn’t go far enough as a genuine incentive.

Unlike the CA rules for plant and machinery fixtures, SBA offers only a timing relief for building owners rather than a real cash benefit. The adjustment of base costs upon disposal means that the benefit can be clawed back when you dispose of the asset. Occupiers will be the real beneficiaries as their expenditure will be fully relieved. Undoubtedly there will be a positive impact on working capital for companies that will free up cash for further investment. In practice, there is a requirement for owners to maintain and pass records to future owners for a 50-year period. This is likely to result in future stakeholders losing interest and information with the trail going cold, resulting in a loss of relief, especially where non-taxpayers and traders form part of the ownership cycle. Management of data will be critical to ensure that the benefit is identified, preserved and transferred.

The SBA rules generally exclude all forms of residential accommodation apart from care homes. Arguably, this is a missed opportunity to mitigate the deficit in UK residential development. The legislation could potentially be refined to differentiate between private domestic dwellings – and the private rented sector at the vanguard of speculative development to stimulate and support future supply.

There are examples of where the tax system actively supports construction on real estate. We would argue that Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA), whilst imperfect and complex to administer, did a lot of good work raising the profile and use of energy and water-saving technologies in modern buildings. It was a regular point of discussion with clients and although it isn’t necessarily driving specific solutions, it did stimulate thinking within design teams. Following the withdrawal of ECA from April 2020, it will be interesting to see the detail around the replacement HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) envisages in maintaining the sustainable agenda for our built environment.

Similarly, the tax credits for research and development capturing embedded innovation in the design process are generous, but still not broadly understood or utilized by designers for operational expenditure considered part of the “day job”.

The tax legislation around property has become increasingly complex as the sector adopts more sophisticated approaches to ownership, financing and technology. This has been an anti-avoidance response to perceived revenue leakages to HMRC. However, we are on the verge of a paradigm shift in the industry as new methods and materials impact on design and construction processes. If we are truly serious about incentivizing capital investment (especially in specific sectors), the tax system, including CA, will need to keep pace and play a significant part.

SBA may be an initial dip of the toe in the water of an admirably simplistic and broader-reaching relief, but, if adapted, it could form the basis of an effective incentive for future investment. It may even be a more interesting discussion than VAR. Here’s hoping!

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The criteria in new standards like WELL and Fitwel have shifted the definition of good practice, which also means that occupants will adopt a new baseline expectation. The increasing availability of affordable monitoring equipment and wearable technology allows occupants to be aware of their internal environments and empowers them to challenge organisations on the quality of internal spaces, in addition to taking personal steps to tracking movement, diet and limiting screen time.

While many requirements in WELL align to beneficial performance outcomes and best practice, other components of the standard introduce challenges to quantify or judge criteria as being met, for example beauty and design or biophilia. Sections of the standard related to nourishment and food choice, while carrying arguable heath advantages, are intrinsically tied to cultural cues and norms.

Influencing some of these more normative issues can seem uncomfortable at first, but it does create opportunities to connect design decisions to building operational protocol and provides a feedback loop on how the building will perform and be perceived by occupants. For example, considering how the space will be cleaned and what cleaning products to use is, at first glance, not a glamorous topic, but it can inform design decisions and will ultimately have a large impact on air quality within the space. Copper finishes contain natural antimicrobial materials and will require less sanitisation in operation, which in turn decreases the chance of air pollutants entering the space from cleaning products. This exercise is also reflective at the individual level by considering purchasing decisions and the impact on the larger market. Having reviewed all the ingredients that go into a typical bathroom soap (it’s a scary list), might make you consider organic alternatives.

Being recently confronted with renovation in my apartment building — and the air quality, dust, noise and disruption that comes with it — drove home the message of wellbeing and occupant comfort. It is important to consider and integrate new criteria into how we approach green building. The trend toward people-focused design will only grow; the challenge will be to ensure that the larger wellbeing principles are embraced by the market to become standard best practice and inclusive for all, not merely a lucky few who can live and work in healthy and sustainable buildings and communities.

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Los Angeles is a global city with a brand that is iconic around the world. As a global destination city, L.A. is truly a gateway to the rest of the world, and many of our residents hail from other countries. I love the diversity this brings to our city, but it also means we have a responsibility to be open and inclusive so everyone can feel at home here.

When you decided to move to the private sector after 20 years with the City, what made you choose ArchTam?

It was important for me to be at a firm that shared my values of transforming communities and empowering employees. I initially saw ArchTam as an engineering firm, and I’m not an engineer. But the more I learned about the variety of things ArchTam does, and its vision to bring these offerings together for the benefit of clients and communities; it became clear that ArchTam was the perfect place for me to be.

How important is transportation to L.A.?

Transportation is one of the ways we are going to propel this city forward, and it’s not just about the movement of goods and cars. It’s really about how we connect this region, and how we create opportunities for businesses to grow and for communities to thrive.

When I was in the Mayor’s Office and we were recruiting companies to come to Los Angeles, one of their concerns was always, how far will my employees have to live from the office, and how long will it take them to get there? It was something we always gave a lot of thought to: how we connect communities and make sure people can work and live where they wish, and still have a balanced quality of life. Transportation infrastructure is the key to becoming the city of the future, and a city of opportunities for everyone where they’re not limited by access to a particular region or community.

What does ArchTam see as the future of transportation infrastructure in L.A.?

While not losing sight of the challenges our clients are facing today, we’re also thinking about what L.A. is going to look like in the future. With the passage of Measure M, the region actually has resources to really push the envelope and think futuristically, to dream big and not be limited by, “Oh, we don’t have the finances, so of course we can’t do it.” Our starting point is, “We can do it, so let’s figure out what we want the future to look like.”

Are we going to have roads that can charge your cars, and how will autonomous vehicles impact our urban landscape? What do the streets of tomorrow need to look like, and how do we safely accommodate more pedestrians and bicycles sharing the roads? These are the things we’re thinking about now. Bring us your impossible, and we will make it happen.

What does ArchTam’s new TV commercial represent to you as a native Angeleno?

When I was an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, I participated in a mentorship program with students who lived in a city called Richmond in the East Bay. It was maybe 30 minutes from San Francisco. I remember talking to these kids, and many of them had never been to San Francisco. It was just a train ride, a BART ride across the bay, and yet many of them had never been there. The fact that their worldview was so narrow and so limited was heartbreaking. So thinking about what Metro has done here in L.A., and what we as their partner have helped them do, is inspiring. That access to opportunity and the ability to fulfill dreams is what the commercial illustrates, and I think the story is going to resonate with viewers. I think it will really help people understand why infrastructure is critical to their lives.

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What attracted you to this ArchTam project?

Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated by moving vehicles, especially trains. I like the idea of sitting some place and watching the world move around, and for that moment you’re in another world. It would be an opportunity to tell a story about a person in motion with emotion.

What do you hope people understand after watching the commercial?

I want people to see Los Angeles in a different light, a place where no matter what background you are from, you are able to be part of the city and celebrate it.

As a storyteller, how is this different than a typical commercial piece?

These days I am directing features and now television, so working on complete narratives in less than a minute really got me excited. I didn’t have to over-complicate things with dialogue, but still gave people a feeling in that short amount of time. It was great!

What does public transportation in L.A. mean to you?

I feel public transportation is the future of Los Angeles. We spend every day in a car, not interacting with each other. The more opportunity we get to meet other people in L.A., the better!

How do you see L.A. coming together in new and unprecedented ways?

Los Angeles is a metropolis waiting to happen. It will be different than the place I knew growing up and I feel it will change almost every decade. I look forward to seeing how the new train networks will help bridge communities across the L.A. metro area.

Can you describe your approach to capturing and conveying the power of infrastructure to positively impact lives?

When I grew up, it was all about public transportation. Riding the bus to school gave me time to get to know my friends and see places in Los Angeles I never would have seen. I imagine sometimes that we can grow up in bubbles and not have an opportunity to see the world around us. Infrastructure is key to help link everyone together.

Watch the new commercial here.

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It’s been fascinating to learn the extent of ArchTam’s work, not just in LA but around the world. Our employees often say we’re the most amazing company no one has heard of. A global network of professionals coming together to help solve clients’ toughest challenges: delivering clean water and energy, creating new transportation systems, restoring natural environments, strengthening communities, shaping skylines.

In a way, we’ve found ourselves in the position of our brand needing to catch up to our business reality.

And there’s never been a more exciting time to be in the infrastructure space. The need is tremendous. Urbanization is affecting entire regions. Cities are transforming. New technologies are creating opportunity. In the face of climate change and uncertainty there’s crucial need for resilience and security.

ArchTam is in a unique position to address many of the world’s most pressing issues. We’re only limited by the magnitude of our clients’ dreams and aspirations.

We have an incredible story, and now it’s time for the world to hear it.

We’ve partnered with Oscar-nominated director John Singleton to produce ArchTam’s first television commercial. It tells the story of a young surfer from South LA who embarks on an early morning journey via the LA Metro’s Expo Line to reach Santa Monica beach by sunrise. It’s an honor to have a distinguished Angeleno, who’s been telling the story of this city his entire career, take interest in the work we’re doing with the LA Metro expansion.

ArchTam brings the best minds together to spark better ideas, connect neighborhoods and create opportunity. This innovative spirit is captured in the commercial and in our new tagline, Imagine it. Delivered. Both a call to action and a promise to our clients, the tagline says, bring us your impossible and we’re here to make it a reality.

As someone who’s had the privilege to become part of this team, I couldn’t be more proud to share the ArchTam story.

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At ArchTam, we are proud to be a leader in designing and building the 21st-century infrastructure assets on which America’s economy rests and the nation’s prosperity depends.

Our fully integrated team of architects, engineers, designers, planners, scientists and management and construction services professionals are aligned in their passion to provide our clients with innovative solutions to their most complex problems. Our global work can be experienced in every facet of infrastructure, from solar-powered sports stadiums to major greenfield ports, modern rail systems to Olympic venues that can be converted to school buildings.

Witnessing these innovations, I am optimistic about the vital role that new civil infrastructure will play in the U.S. economy. Innovations promise to transform how we travel and transport goods, while saving time and money and reducing our impacts on the natural environment.

Still, optimism must be matched by realism, and the United States faces serious challenges when it comes to the state of our infrastructure. Years of underinvestment and neglect have degraded U.S. infrastructure to a perilous degree. The nation has tumbled far down the global rankings of the quality of a country’s infrastructure, and U.S. public spending in these vital building blocks of our economy amounts to a paltry 2.4 percent of our gross domestic product, or GDP.

In recent months, acknowledgement of the problem has turned to action, with public and political support growing for infrastructure investment. Billions of dollars have been allocated at the state and local level for transportation and other projects. And we hope to learn more soon about the contours of a $1 trillion federal infrastructure investment plan that, while promising, may fall short in meeting an estimated $3.6 trillion spending need in the U.S.

In Back in Business: A Policy Blueprint for Renewing America’s Infrastructure, Business Roundtable provides a guide for policymakers to reverse this dangerous course, boosting public infrastructure resources today and encouraging investments in research and development for the future.

At ArchTam, we are working to identify the most effective responses to even the most daunting infrastructure challenges this country faces. One innovative example: To address motorists’ concerns over electric vehicle range and charging capacities, ArchTam is partnering with the Colorado Department of Transportation on roadways that allow electric vehicles to charge as they drive.

Our sights are set even higher. We engineered and built the first Hyperloop test track, and we are supporting efforts to commercialize this new form of high-speed transport — based on a network of low-pressure tubes and air-cushioned pods — that could someday transport goods and people across vast geographies at unprecedented speeds.

Still, innovation requires investment. As the U.S. rebuilds and expands the foundation of its economy, policymakers must encourage a climate that promotes investment in projects that meet the needs of the public and the demands of the marketplace. When the public and private sectors work together, the United States can unleash the promise of modern technology to build safer, more efficient and more cost-effective infrastructure that better serves the needs of the U.S. economy and the American people.

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The OBOR is based on the ancient Silk Road and officially it encompasses over 60 countries in Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe. However, OBOR means more than that — and its significance was also echoed by countries as far away as those in Latin America.

After attending the high level meeting on May 14, I found the details in President Xi Jinping’s message at the opening session particularly interesting. President Xi’s key message was that OBOR has made significant progress over the past four years, and he pledged more resources to further advance the initiative, which include an additional US$14.5 billion for the Silk Road Fund, and a total of US$55 billion in specialized loans via the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China to support infrastructure, industrial and financial cooperation in the OBOR countries. These positive messages and the specific amounts announced will boost major infrastructure projects ahead.

On May 15, the BRF had a much more exclusive roundtable summit for the state leaders and their delegations in Yanqi Lake Convention Center. This venue was used for the APEC Summit back in 2014 as well, and I also took some pride in the fact that ArchTam did the master-planning, architecture and landscape.

Most of the 29 state leaders who attended BRF are from Southeast Asia, the CIS countries and Africa, but I similarly noted the U.S., U.K. and Germany had high level delegations present at the forum. President Xi has announced that China will host the second BRF in 2019, and I think we can expect to see even more state leaders joining then as it keeps growing and becomes a summit with an increasingly wider global representation.

Also noteworthy, the U.S. elevated the level of delegation by sending Matthew Pottinger, senior advisor to President Trump, director for Asia at the White House National Security Council. Mr. Pottinger’s speech mentioned how The American OBOR Working Group (AOWG), formed as a partnership between the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and U.S. companies, will serve as one node for collaboration in the area of OBOR. I was there to represent ArchTam, in my capacity as the global head of the Chinese Overseas Investment (COI) program.

In 2014, when OBOR was first launched, ArchTam leadership — including APAC President Sean Chiao, and Global President and COO, Steve Kadenacy — instantly recognized its strategic importance and potential global implications, and supported the forming of the COI program.

Since then the COI has been steadily expanding its network and team members in strategic locations around the world, in anticipation of where our clients will be focusing, and we have taken the OBOR journey with them — literally! I have travelled to so many countries with our clients. ArchTam’s role is more than just participating in the identification of great opportunities, but also — and as importantly — ensuring that those opportunities are set up well so they become great projects.

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I was personally inspired to work in the energy profession because it continually drives the development of new technologies. Early in my career, I enjoyed transitioning new innovations from GE’s Global Research Center into power generation systems. I implemented technologies to ensure longer equipment life, improve safety and shorten customer down time. Today I believe we need to leverage new technologies to transition to lower-emitting generation sources and look for innovative ways to leverage renewable energy and storage systems while maintaining a strong workforce in the process.

ArchTam has developed the Sustainable Systems Integration Model (SSIM) to optimize city infrastructure across power systems and the built environment.

A new way to approach the problem of aging infrastructure in the power sector is to look to other utility sectors such as water, waste water, transportation and solid waste disposal and develop highly engineered systems using modern design tools. For example, we now understand how to extract usable heat from waste water to drive district energy heating and cooling systems. This lowers utility costs and decreases carbon emissions. Another example is our ability to harness transit system waste heat energy, convert that to usable traction power and reduce overall system energy requirements.

A growing trend is to refurbish facilities and infrastructure through energy savings performance contracts. This is an innovative way for customers to receive guaranteed energy savings through implementation of energy conservation measures. Our engineers audit our customer’s facilities, make recommendations that reduce their operational costs, commission new systems and continually monitor the health of the system improvements. The work is funded through long-term financing, which reduces the cost hurdles for implementation. The cost savings are guaranteed by the implementing design-build-finance-operate-and-maintain contractor.

At ArchTam, I take pride in our team’s ability to collaborate on these types of integrated projects involving power, water, transportation and industrial systems to imagine and deliver the infrastructure of the future.

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Public-private partnerships (P3s) create opportunities for innovation and cost savings across the lifecycle of a project. With renewed support for infrastructure development from the incoming administration, the use of P3s in the U.S. is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. On February 7, 2017, Congress reintroduced the Public Buildings Renewal Act (H.R. 960/S. 326), which would open the U.S. buildings market to P3 by creating a tax-exempt bond that state and local governments can pair with private financing to fund public building projects, such as schools and hospitals. I’ll be speaking at an Infrastructure Week briefing on the bill Friday May 18.

I have been involved in advancing P3 projects over the past 12 years and have seen the P3 idea transform from a nascent, controversial concept to a widely accepted, proven U.S. model. No longer do we need to point to Canada and the United Kingdom for examples, we have signature projects in the U.S. across all sectors. Nearly every governor, mayor, state transportation department and transportation agency is considering how to leverage P3s to advance their most tricky, sticky, complicated and overdue projects. Since 2008, P3s have catalyzed more than $15 billion in U.S. projects while delivering at least $5 billion in cost savings to taxpayers (according to InfraAmericas). Successful projects that otherwise would never have moved forward, such as the Port of Miami Tunnel, were made possible due to the P3 approach.

Already, P3 projects of all types are helping project owners gain much needed confidence as they look to develop new assets and improve existing ones, as the P3 approach inherently results in faster project delivery and improved long-term performance.

For example, the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse (pictured above) is the first civic building in the U.S. delivered through an availability-payment-based public-private partnership. Under this agreement, Long Beach Judicial Partners financed, designed and built the project and will operate and maintain it for a period of 35 years. The owner, the California Judicial Council’s Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), pays for the building incrementally (though they owned it upon land acquisition).

The key to the availability-payment structure is that if the building is unavailable due to maintenance issues for any significant period of time, the AOC can deduct money from their payments. As the project designer, ArchTam consequently prioritized durability along with a more convenient and less stressful experience for those on all sides of the justice system, an appropriate response to the varying heights of adjacent buildings, civic architecture that expresses the court’s purpose, and the provision of public space. The project was completed in August 2013 under budget and 11 days ahead of schedule.

As a participant in more than 650 P3 projects around the world, ArchTam is positioned to help address the nation’s pent-up demand for infrastructure project delivery. Our integrated design, build, operate and maintain capabilities are backed by a finance entity, ArchTam Capital, allowing us to provide assurance, certainty and longevity to public partners.

Our team recently received a Gold honor at the P3 Awards ceremony in the “Technical Advisor of the Year” category for helping to advance P3s in North America. Having served as a trusted advisor to government owners on the largest P3 projects in the U.S. — the LaGuardia Central Terminal Building program and the University of California Merced Campus expansion project — as well as having delivered projects on the private side brings a tremendous reservoir of experience and unique dual public and private perspective.

Accepting the Gold honor in the “Technical Advisor of the Year” category on behalf of ArchTam were (from left) Tom Kness, Samara Barend, Kent Dussom, Peter Morris, David Weeks and Jim Stankiewicz.

With many transformational P3 projects in development, we are working to create and unlock new opportunities for our clients while increasing the return on investment not only for our clients but also the taxpaying public.

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