FOOTPRINT+ podcasts

Thirty High sets an example for the retrofit of office buildings found in city centre locations across the UK and further afield. By retaining the primary structure and core and refurbishing the existing facades, the team have sought to maximise the building's energy efficiency, achieving a target operational energy use that is comparable to that of modern commercial buildings Targeting WELL Core...

The growth of the UK's research and innovation sector continues to be a key contributor to the economy. Increased investment in life sciences real estate has led to a growing pipeline of speculative laboratories under construction in cities like London, Cambridge, and Oxford. As these projects come to market, the ability to attract occupiers by achieving the right fit for the space becomes crucial...

There are many innovative low-carbon concretes in development but, even when they are proven in laboratory or small-scale trials, the investment to develop the supply chain remains complex and uncertain. The Advance Market Commitment (AMC) for low-carbon concrete and cement products intends to overcome these barriers by being explicit about the quantity and price of the next generation of low-carb...

There are a growing number of low and lower carbon concretes available on the market, with the potential for cutting the embodied carbon of new development. This session explores new product development and initiatives to help facilitate their specification and use at scale. An expert panel from across the design, construction and supply chain will present discuss examples, projects, technologies...

Meaningful participation involves engaging local communities, workers, and stakeholders in decision-making processes, ensuring their voices are heard in shaping policies and investments. This participatory approach enhances social equity and strengthens the long-term sustainability plans by aligning them with local priorities.  Place-based impact investing directs financial resources towards local...

Timber-framed housing: Growing sector Large housebuilders are partnering with or investing in timber frame manufacturing capacity to develop their own supply chain. With larger numbers of timber-framed houses being built in England than ever before our expert panel will explore what we can expect to see in the sector: How quickly can we expect the proportion of timber-framed houses in England to i...

Designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and completed in 1983, the IBM Building is a bold presence in the buzzing cultural playground of the South Bank. Developer Stanhope is sensitively refurbishing and extending this Grade II listed Brutalist treasure to update it for contemporary office occupiers and give it a longterm,  energy-efficient future. Retaining 80% of the original structure’s concrete has minim...

Circular Economy in practice is about sequentially looking at what to retain, reuse on site, reuse within a portfolio or reuse elsewhere through trade partners, together with close collaboration between deconstruction and construction contractor and clients. Circularity requires a collaborative, can-do attitude supported by technology built around the industry’s workflows.  General Demolition have...

The UK’s non-domestic building stock is responsible for 23% of operational carbon emissions, posing a significant challenge to net zero targets. Energy efficiency in commercial buildings is essential, with optimisation being a key step before broader retrofits. To support the industry, UKGBC has collaborated with leading experts to share their insights, to encourage and support optimisation action...

Pierre Bidaud of the Stonemasonry Company will discuss how new ways of thinking aligned to new technologies are changing the way we build in stone. From augmented stone, to using stone structurally, stone is set to play an increasingly important part in building a low carbon future.  Amin Taha’s Groupwork have designed a 10-storey block of flats in Finchley Road, north London, built with load-bear...

The integration of a just transition into public procurement is a crucial step toward achieving both environmental sustainability and social equity. This session will present how Newham Council is embedding just transition principles into its procurement processes, with insights from Dan Hill of Dark Matter Labs on the role of design and innovation in this transformation. Newham Council has made s...

When we’re thinking about emissions in the construction sector, it’s important to address not just what you build, but also how you build it. The drive towards emission-free sites is delivering operational efficiency across the industry, while simultaneously reducing air and noise pollution on construction sites. At 25 Baker Street, a mixed-use development for Derwent London, a combination of dies...

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards are intended to require incremental improvements to building fabric and services installations in leased accommodation. In preparing revised proposals the team at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero have taken a wide variety of views into consideration. In this session the team will present a review of the objectives of MEES and what they are intende...

Flexible workspace is an effective solution for growing businesses as their needs evolve, but frequent tenant turnover can lead to increased construction waste. The koba @ 100 Barbirolli Square team tackled this challenge directly by pioneering sustainable, circular materials, ensuring business growth aligns with environmental priorities. Circularity was embedded at every stage, from establishing...

Join us for an insightful panel discussion where experts will explore how they are translating net zero carbon and retrofit ambitions into actionable roadmaps--and linking these to green economic growth opportunities. This event will review exciting recent cases in regional efforts to upscale the pace of delivery of retrofit, net zero and local green skills investments. Building partnerships, fund...

CLT buildings up to 18m offer many benefits to developers and end users with extremely low embodied carbon. What factors affect successful outcomes so developers and occupiers to take advantage of these opportunities. This expert panel includes manufacturer, insurer, fire engineer and client and explores: early engagement with contractor addressing information exchange with the insurance broker fa...

Holborn Viaduct is a 14-storey, cutting edge workspace development currently under construction for  Royal London Asset Management  . An open approach between the entire steel supply chain resulted in new solutions, with some aspects already being used on other projects. Multiplex and BHC, Heyne Tillett Steel worked collaboratively on the column designs to suit steel grade S460, which is 30% stron...

The concept of a "just transition" in the UK Built Environment is crucial to ensuring that the shift towards sustainability and net-zero carbon emissions is equitable, inclusive, and fair. As the UK government accelerates its efforts to address climate change, the built environment—comprising housing, infrastructure, and commercial properties—must undergo significant transformations to reduce ener...

When awarding the PACER initiative funding the UKRI declared that ’the majority of the UK’s national emissions budget will be used in the Built Environment’. Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are increasingly the only gatekeepers to lower whole life carbon in the built environment with the ability to set targets and decide which projects are permitted. PACER is a software tool designed to be opera...

With the goal to achieve carbon neutrality across their UK portfolio of projects by 2045, Skanska have developed practical data driven tools that allow for timely interventions both in construction projects and within their facilities management activities. The carbon impact of a building from design to operation relies heavily on the plant and equipment installed and maintained as part of a proje...

The reuse focused strip out has been successfully delivered by KpH, which by the time of conference will have been followed by comprehensive deconstruction and enabling works phase with the main works commencing this summer. Utilising Orms’ materials passports research, the team have developed a reuse methodology for the development which has led to immense success in recovering materials for reus...

District East is an ambitious, nature-led life sciences development in Cambridge. The mission is to attract world-class innovation by designing a masterplan that inspires researchers and entrepreneurs, while ensuring that it remains open to the surrounding community. This contaminated brownfield site will be healed using regenerative landscapes designed as places for human interaction. The vision...

Developed as a platform for experimentation and industry collaboration, Hilson Moran's Living Lab in Hays Galleria has been testing new innovations in the industry for nearly a year, one of which is the Artus AR75 unit.  Find the balance between carbon efficiency and performance in this interactive discussion based on test results and real experiences in a live environment.    The expert panel sha...

Implementing material reuse requires the construction industry to learn new ways of collaborating, pushing boundaries of the traditional project structures. Effective collaboration, following practical steps, is essential to identify and implement reuse opportunities. Resolving onsite reuse strategies should be the first objective for project teams, but when reuse on-site isn’t feasible, how do we...

Developers face numerous uphill challenges when faced with retrofit. In order to create the conditions that encourage the reuse of buildings, rather than demolish and build new, it needs to be simpler and more profitable. The reuse of existing buildings has the potential to stimulate economic growth, meet our housing targets, create jobs, improve public health, reduce waste, all whilst working tow...