‘This is a wonderful book that should be on the desk of every architect and planner. It shows how

Partnering tools [Chapter 2]
Each sector has its own universe of agendas, values and frameworks. Partnering (where parties work 
collaboratively and share responsibility for innovations and errors) can help bridge the public–private, 
community–government and sectional divides. There are many books and websites that provide 
workshop tools and guidance on participatory planning processes and cooperative enterprises, so 
these are not canvassed here. Instead, the focus should 
not
be on ‘What if?’ or ‘Yes, but’. It should be 
on ‘Why not?’ Partnerships should consider the life-cycle of the project and:
•
Help to avoid an adversarial culture of development versus conservation. Partnering 
agreements should be written (or contractual) so that parties cannot change the agenda, or
charge extra where another has made mistakes. 
• 
Build in commissioning and ongoing facilities management practices from the outset to
ensure ontinuous improvement in health standards and ongoing ecological modernization.
This requires the involvement of biologists in facilities management. 
• 
Consider qualification-based selection of a design team (wherein the fee is negotiated after
the designer is chosen). This facilitates collaboration between designers and clients and can
promote mutual education on sustainable design issues.
• 
Specify a sustainability standard in the architectural brief and contracts. That is, require
designs to be net positive and improve off-site systems (social, psychological and biological)
health. Where this is not achieved, the process should allow others to challenge the design.
• 
Establish a design reporting process to ensure that eco-logical solutions are considered from
the outset, and that the partnering process leads to mutual education (below), not just
another administrative process.

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The SmartMode Process