Introducing Social Value Reporting Tools
Social Return on Design Investment
Social Return on Design Investment is a unique tool that will help you discover the social value of your investments in the built environment.
TheFulcrum.Agency has launched a kit of evidence-based tools to measure the financial value of a project’s social impact. Our Social Return on Design Investment (SRODI) tools draw on global best-practice and can be used to inform and evaluate the design and construction of built environment projects. Inspired by the work of social impact researchers operating in the social services sector, SRODI is based on established Social Return on Investment methodologies and allows you to place a financial value on previously intangible outcomes of building projects. Our SRODI toolkit will allow you to understand the impact of your investment on the communities you serve.
srodi calculation outcomes
H LT EA H
C O N N EC TI O N
SRODI is an innovative tool to measure the myriad of social benefits that emerge from projects within the built environment.
SAFETY
RE C RE
Social Value is the importance we place on community cohesion, participation, inclusion and wellbeing. It might be measured by school attendance or hospital presentations, or crowds at a footy match. Those who are most affected by building projects must be the ones to determine what is important and what is not. Design Value is the contribution design makes to community wellbeing and is greatest when communities have a say in how their environment is shaped. Design Value is enhanced when Social Value is given equal weight to economic and environmental considerations, completing the ‘triple bottom line’ in project sustainability. Social Return on Design Investment (SRODI) measures the social consequences of our design decisions and processes. It is a tool that enables organisations to quantify the human value of their building projects.
SECURITY
RE U LT U C
AT IO N
EDUCATION
BENEFITS OF EMBEDDING SOCIAL VALUE IN A DESIGN PROJECT
defining terms
Theory of Change is a kind of road map for the changes we wish to achieve and how we intend to get there. You may want to know, for example, how many new houses will help to relieve crowding and what maintenance regimes will be necessary to ensure the well being of the residents.
Social Return on Design Investment: Inform
Forecast Tool
Planning for Impact
Outcome Mapping
Project Definition Plan
Outcome-Based Design
__Create stakeholders’ matrix __Identify key social value drivers __Map project outcomes __Formulate Theory of Change __Monetise Impact
__Define Project Scope __Refine Stakeholders’ Matrix __Embed social values into the plan __Review social outcomes against spatial planning
__Champion Theory of Change __Enable co-design and participatory planning __Empower stakeholders __Oversee an iterative design process __Embed social values in design
TYPICAL PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY PROCESS A: Discover
B: Define
C: Design
From the outset, we ensure that social values are embedded in the project. We do this by capturing what is important to all stakeholders, from investors through to potential tenants.
This is where we help you define the project using a variety of inputs including your business case, stakeholder ambitions and estimated financial gains from an investment in social value.
Our role is to translate the things that your community has told us into a project proposal. We work with you to ensure that your priorities of people, place and culture remain at the forefront.
SRODI is a new method of measuring the true impact of a project. In addition to the more conventional metrics related to finance and the environment, SRODI allows you to calculate the social value of your investment as well; that is, the positive (or negative) social consequences of design decisions and their impact upon the community.
ENVIRONMENTAL VALUE
COMMUNITY TRUE VALUE
ECONOMIC VALUE
SOCIAL VALUE
ming the Process and Assessing the Outcomes Design of the built environment affects our experience of the world and investment in building projects can be substantial, so we want to be sure our dollars are wisely spent. Social Return on Design Investment can be used as a forecasting tool, before your project begins, helping you to make decisions about where to spend and how best to support your funding requests. SRODI can also be used as an evaluation tool, when your project is underway, nearing completion or already occupied. Here it will help you assess the actual impacts of your project, supporting the case for further investment to achieve important social changes.
Evaluation Tool
Project Impact Evaluation
C: Design
D: Deliver
E: Discuss
This is where we determine what social outcomes are embedded in the design. We do this by talking to people impacted by the project and by examining the process that lead to the design.
During evaluation, the design stage is where we work with you to verify the social outcomes or your project. We do this by speaking with your community and by reviewing the process that led to the built form.
This is the phase where we quantify the value of design and the process behind it. We celebrate the successes of the project and learn from its shortfalls.
Design Assessment
Design Management
Project Evaluation
__Review social outcomes __Measure impact of design process __Measure social values __Embed lessons learned
__Provide a peer review of the project __Facilitate project delivery
__Identify affected communities __Gather data through consultation __Review and measure project outcomes __Assess and adjust Theory of Change __Measure and apply a value to impacts
CASE STUDY
AHAC PROJECT IMPACT EVALUATION
For more than five years, the Anindilyakwa Housing Aboriginal Corporation has been delivering a range of highly collaborative programmes designed to address housing issues within their communities. TF.A was engaged to measure the success of these programmes using our Social Return on Design Investment toolkit.
ANINDILYAKWA HOUSING ABORIGINAL CORPORATION (AHAC) PROJECT IMPACT EVALUATION
LOCAL DECISION MAKING TF.A Principal, Nick Juniper, in conversation with representatives from the local community.
_____ What was the problem? The Anindilyakwa Housing Aboriginal Corporation (AHAC) was established in 2018 in response to a Local Decision-Making Agreement made between the NT Government and the Anindilyakwa People of the Groote Eylandt Archipelago. One of their first tasks was to address overcrowding in their community by building a series of new houses. The Groote Archipelago Housing Programme (GAHP) was unique
in that it involved a high level of community involvement in the design of these new houses. The community determined many of the key design decisions, from site and functional planning through to the selection of colours. A SRODI Project Impact Evaluation was implemented to demonstrate the success of the GAHP project, and to assist AHAC in their application to be a registered Community Housing Provider.
CASE STUDY
These illustrations, drawn by TF.A Career Trackers intern Alan Pigram, reveal the highly collaborative process behind the Groote Archipelago Housing Project. From the outset the community determined all design decisions - from the location and orientation of their homes through to the selection of colours and materials. Our job was to determine the success of this approach using the Design/Deliver/Discuss process.
_____ What did we do? TF.A was engaged by AHAC to deliver a Social Return on Design Investment analysis of the GAHP project, which would give AHAC the information they needed to complete their registration.
SCOPE We began with a presentation to AHAC’s Board of Directors, outlining the benefits of a SRODI analysis and ensuring they were supportive of the process. Some of the key questions we addressed were: • What is involved in the study? • Why is this study important to AHAC? • Who should we talk to in the community? • What are the best ways to talk to community members? From this conversation we formulated an engagement strategy and compiled a map of the programme’s tangible outcomes. These two tasks helped to highlight the connections between the stakeholder inputs and program outcomes. We then developed with AHAC a Theory of Change that described these connections in detail.
“
The architects came and sat together with us. It’s the first time for us, choosing our house the way we want. Cherelle Wurrawilya Anindilyakwa Land Council Board Member
ANINDILYAKWA HOUSING ABORIGINAL CORPORATION (AHAC) PROJECT IMPACT EVALUATION
COLLECT We then formulated a series of questions for the community. A social researcher ensured that our questions were appropriately framed and would gather an authentic response. Eg. ‘how does having a say in the design of your house make you feel?’ Our next task is to meet with community members to build an understanding of how the programme has affected their lives. We will conduct one-on-one interviews, run focus groups and distribute questionnaires. We will host BBQs and chat informally with the community wherever possible. These conversations and interactions will give us the critical data we need to complete the next stage of our work.
MEASURE This is where things will get exciting! Based on preliminary feedback, we anticipate that the evidence we collect on the effectiveness of the housing programme will suggest a range of positive results. For instance, Johnny was allocated a new house through the programme and has been given lots of choice around its location and design. He tells us that this makes him feel strong, happy and proud. Johnny’s increased confidence meant that he felt comfortable picking up the phone and letting AHAC know about maintenance issues before they
became major problems. As a result, there were cost savings from an overall decrease in repairs and maintenance. Likewise, Brenda was consulted about her new house and requested that it be orientated to face her relatives next door. Brenda tells us this makes her, and her children feel safe and better connected to family. Strong family relationships build better futures and reduce the potential for social unrest or needless service interventions. The value of this outcome can be equated to the cost of these interventions. Using the principles of social accounting, we will then be able to monetise the social value and provide evidence of the project’s success. For example, we estimate, that for every $1.00 spent, a social return value of $5.75 is generated. In other words, the AHAC Housing Design and Consultation Programme will deliver a Social Return on Design Investment of 1:5.75.
SUCCESS! AHAC will be able to use the results of the SRODI assessment to strengthen their case for registration as a Community Housing Provider. The assessment also demonstrates to the Board that their investment in an inclusive, community focussed design process delivered real and valuable returns.
DEEP LISTENING & LEARNING Using our Stategy of Engagement as a base, we met with community to get a good understanding of how the GAHP programme had impact people’s lives.
TheFulcrum.Agency is a creative consultancy that leverages community and social outcomes through evidencebased design thinking. We work between design, advocacy, research and action to address inequality, create impact and find opportunity across Australia. Founded by Emma Williamson and Kieran Wong, TheFulcrum.Agency is borne from decades in practice delivering public and social housing, education and community infrastructure, urban design and planning guidance. We have recently broadened our capabilities to include the delivery of social impact assessments on built environment and capital works projects. This expertise complements our existing work and aligns with our belief in a user centric approach to design. Our social impact team is led by Nick Juniper, TF.A Principal and an accredited assessment practitioner. The measuring of social value represents the progressive next step in project assessment. Using a methodology established by Social Ventures International and our own bespoke toolkit, TF.A are equipped to assist organisations place social impact at the heart of their projects. By giving social value equal status to finance and the environment, we can better understand the true value of a project and the role design plays in its formation.
nick Juniper
Principal — Perth
I am interested in how, as design thinkers and problem solvers working in the built environment, we can measure the social value that our projects create. Nick is a Principal at The Fulcrum Agency and a Registered Architect with twenty-five years’ experience delivering projects in Australia and Asia. Nick is focussed on strengthening the relationship between project delivery, profitability and social impact, creating long-term benefits for our clients, communities and practice. He has studied the principles of social impact assessment and has been awarded Level 1 Associate Practitioner status by Social Ventures International. Nick’s project experience includes health and community facilities, schools and aged care facilities across Western Australia and the Northern Territory. He particularly enjoys the opportunities and challenges that come with working in remote communities. Nick holds an Honours degree in Architecture from the University of Western Australia and is an active member of SIMNA, Social Impact Measurement Network Australia.
emma williamson Co-Founder & Partner The opportunity of architecture is not just in the creation of buildings. We want to seize this to leverage a new way of practicing that knowingly maximizes impact. Emma is a co-founder and Partner at TheFulcrum.Agency and has nearly thirty years’ experience working in design practice. Emma is renowned for her progressive approach to business and her skills and experience in project critique. She Chairs the Design Review Panel for the City of Canning and the City of Belmont, is Deputy Chair at the City of Stirling Design Review Panel and sits on the Design Review Panel for the City of Rockingham. She is also a member of Western Australia’s State Design Review Panel. Emma holds Degrees in both Architecture and Interior Design and is able to contribute to a project at all scales, from the detail through to the big picture. She is passionate about the value of good design and the role that it can play in shaping our cities and communities for the better. Emma is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Monash University.
www.TheFulcrum.Agency 11 Suffolk Street Fremantle, WA 6160 Level 6, 155 Clarence Street Sydney, NSW 2000 +61 (0)8 6111 0949 nick@TheFulcrum.Agency