This session is about Builders and Their Ecosystems.

Only 43% of the cells in your body are human cells, with the microbiome made up of a huge ecosystem of complex organisms, including bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses and protozoa that can weigh up to 2kg in each human. Interesting…  but what’s that got to do with me, as a builder?

Let’s see. A builder builds a beautiful home for a young family who are really happy with the outcome. They love their new house, and the builder is very pleased to receive their thanks.

But only 43% of the build was completed by the builder. The rest was done by an ecosystem of specialists – the architect or designer, the engineer, the certifier, an impressive bunch of trades, right down to the florist who created the impressive bunch of flowers you put on the kitchen bench ready for the handover.

Let’s finish off the medical story by saying that our bodies work well because all those non-human bits work so well in synergy with our human bits and pieces.

We’ll be discussing what we, as builders, can and should do to get the very best out of all the members of our ecosystem. How can we optimise our own ‘ecosystem’ to work seamlessly from initial enquiry through to that bunch of flowers?