Engineering Climate Action module - A collaborative effort

Beca has collaborated with Engineering New Zealand, gifting our Circular Design Framework to support climate change action. This framework now features in Engineering New Zealand self-led online course, "Engineering Climate Action," where two Beca climate specialists contributed to writing the module which aims to set new standards for sustainable practices within workplaces.

Beca’s Circular Design Framework provides guidance on how to integrate the three circular economy principles in the delivery of projects: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. The use of the Circular Design Framework allows organisations and individuals to shift focus from simply reducing waste, to looking at how to actively eliminate it at the earliest stage.

Tania Hyde, Beca Technical Director and Circular Design Lead (Transport & Infrastructure) says, "As our global challenges escalate, the need for radical collaboration is increasing. Our traditional way of keeping intellectual knowledge needs to change, and it is with this consideration that we gifted the Circular Design Framework to Te Ao Rangahau Engineering New Zealand. We worked with other partners including Pattle Delamore Partners, Lumen, Tonkin & Taylor, NIWA and Schema Consulting to build on the foundation we created. This framework asks different questions to challenge our status quo to create innovative solutions for our rapidly changing world."

The Engineering Climate Action module released on 21 February, is designed by Engineering New Zealand to provide knowledge on climate change and offer a comprehensive guidance on effective climate strategies, such as mitigation, transition, and adaptation methodologies. By integrating Beca’s Circular Design Framework into the module, participants gain access to a practical toolkit that not only answers pressing questions about climate change but also prepares them to champion sustainability within their fields.

The module is suitable for to both private and public sectors and the wide variety of professionals within engineering, including surveyors, planners, urban designers, landscape architects, contractors, and project managers.

"It has been our privilege to work alongside other specialists to set the direction for our next generations. This framework will continue to evolve, and we hope people will engage and build on what we've started," Tania adds.

For more information on the module, please visit Engineering New Zealand’s website.