Posted 5th April 2024
Floyd Slaski Architects have successfully achieved Level 1 of the Social Value Management Certificate! To understand more about their organisation and why they chose to embrace the Principles of Social Value, we spoke to Alicia Ho, Management, Marketing and Sustainability Assistant.
Please tell us about your organisation and what you do
Floyd Slaski Architects Ltd is a RIBA Chartered Practice based in London. Established in 1952 we have a wide portfolio of healthcare types and facilities including community clinics, high tech diagnostics, emergency departments, operating theatres and intensive care units. Whilst healthcare forms the majority of our commissions, Floyd Slaski’s expertise also encompasses education, residential, commercial and community buildings. Our designs integrate sustainable practices and aim to create lasting and positive social value.
Has your organisation been measuring and valuing social value for a long time, or are you at the start of your journey?
We have been implementing Social Value initiatives and practices into our work for some time now, and it is a design consideration we are always thinking of. Working towards our Level 1 Certification has prompted us to formally record and measure our Social Value outcomes and draw up benchmarks and goals that we are able to work towards.
What prompted your organisation to apply for the Social Value Management Certificate?
We decided to apply for the Social Value Management Certificate to show our determination and commitment to Social Value. Prioritising social value aligns with our broader objectives and commitment to making a positive impact. There were also stakeholder expectations that influenced our decision to obtain Level 1 Certification as this reflects our responsiveness to stakeholder needs and interests. This certification will enhance our credibility, reputation and competitive advantage and will improve our ability to measure, manage and communicate our social impact effectively.
What are you putting in place to improve how data is collected and acted upon to create social value?
We are already contributing to social value and have these values integrated in the way we work. Moving forward we are committed to recording and calculating the social value we have provided in our past work, and for all our future projects.
We will be working on creating further community engagement, have larger efforts in our environmental sustainability impact and ensuring diversity and inclusion in our designs, to further maximise our social impact.
So that we can properly keep track and record our results, we will measure and report our progress in a way that enables us to have better specified target goals.
What has your organisation learned in achieving the Social Value Management Certificate?
The process of achieving certification has deepened our understanding of social value concepts and principles. Through this exercise, we have learnt the importance of recording data, especially quantitative data. While we were already implementing many social value initiatives in the office and in our work our understanding of social value concepts in relation to measuring and managing social value within the context of our organisation have been enhanced.
How do you see your organisation benefiting from achieving Level 1 of the Social Value Management Certificate?
Achieving Level 1 certification demonstrates our commitment to managing social value effectively. It enhances credibility in the eyes of our clients. Level 1 certification has encouraged us to establish basic processes for measuring and managing social value and by formalising these processes we have improved our efficiency in collecting data, assessing impact and implementing strategies to enhance social value creation.
We have learnt a lot through the application process. Acknowledging our strengths and assessing our weaknesses has already had a big impact in the way we work. We believe that moving forward, our actions will be further empowered because of the certificate.
What initiatives will you be working on to create social value for your stakeholders?
1. Emphasis on improved infrastructure to benefit local residents, to foster and promote positive social interactions.
2. Create a cost-effective sustainable building solutions to adapt in our future work.
3. Emphasis on preserving local biodiversity by minimalising impact to nature, or restore lost biodiversity within our designs.
4. Create a systemised action plan and maintain a record/catalogue for recording changes and any reasons for not making changes made to activities based on social value data.