Lean practices

The thing about approaching business problems when you're experienced in thinking the problem through a particular way, is that your own mental model of how you approach a problem is restricting. Creative problem solving requires approaching a problem from many different ways of thinking about it, in order to arrive at new levels of innovation. We've been impressed by what we've seen so far in Lean Thinking approaches from the Lean Enterprise Institute, as they fit very nicely with our ethos of stripping away layers of complexity and unnecessary waste.  Whilst thinking lean is a practical methodology, there are examples of lean practice without needing to look for the "Lean" approach.

Lean thinking evident in building practice

A recent refurbishment of  a Canberra office space demonstrates what is achievable with a waste-minimisation focus, with the building becoming Australia's third six star rated building and winning the Keep Australia Beautiful 2007 ACT Sustainable Cities Awards - 'Overall Winner' category. In reading through the accompanying Executive Directors commentary, whilst there is no mention of Lean methodology, it's abundantly clear in the outcome, with <80% waste re-used in the refurbishment, taking it much closer to a closed-loop building approach than normal practice.

Australian Ethical Investment was awarded ‘Overall Winner’ in the Keep Australia Beautiful 2007 ACT Sustainable Cities Awards. The award recognises the sustainable refurbishment of our Trevor Pearcey House premises.Anne O’Donnell, Chief Executive Officer of Australian Ethical said ‘its wonderful a refurbished building won. We’re delighted with its low energy and water use but most importantly it’s a great place to work in’...Trevor Pearcey House now proceeds to the national Keep Australian Beautiful Awards in October 2007.

In describing one of the surprising outcomes of the project, their focus on waste management and re-use was clear:

One of the most interesting features of the refurbishment has been the level of recycling and re-use of materials...as many materials as possible were reused in the construction..these included:

• Electrical wiring ducted skirting, power point and switch face plates;
• Partition studs, plasterboard and frames for windows and doors;
• Internal doors, door handles, door stops and internal glass blocks;
• Carpet tiles were re-used and supplemented with more recycled carpet tiles;
• Steel hanging frames and mesh found in the ceiling space were reused to make a bike cupboard;
• 90% of the joinery cupboards were made from old cupboards found in the building
• Recycled timber was used for feature floors and walls

The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but seeing with new eyes.. Marcel Proust