Richard Woodward, a student at the University of Brighton, looked at the eco-management of the partner companies in Holleran Mouchel Parkman, a joint venture working on behalf of Southern Water.
Partnerships such as this are now common, and the problem of bringing the structures of the various companies together is relevant.
Mr Woodward’s study looked to develop a way in which the two partners could integrate their separate environmental management systems.
He won the award for Innovative Environmental Research, which recognises the growing importance of environmental issues in the construction industry.
“The work touched on several contemporary issues in the construction industry, such as sustainable construction, environmental management and issues surrounding the integration of systems in joint ventures,” said Mr Woodward.
“It is clear that, unless partnering companies think carefully about how they combine their systems, good intentions over environmental management can get lost in a muddle of mixed messages and poorly-defined responsibilities.”
Ben Meggeson