We once believed that fossils fuels were a wonderful thing for the human race and over the last 2-300 years, we indulged ourselves by drawing down the reserves that nature had laid down over millions of years before we, as a species, arrived. We call it coal, oil and gas ‘production’ but it has of

In 2022 alone we have had the return of war to Europe, an ongoing pandemic, floods, drought, record breaking temperatures exposing the inadequacy of our buildings and the fragility of our urban environments as places in which people can be expected to live and thrive. It was a year in which energy shortages, rising energy

Over the years there have been many warnings about the increasing threats and consequences of climate and ecological breakdown, but the rate at which we have responded to these challenges has been slower than is needed. A recent UN report states that “there is “no credible pathway to 1.5C in place”, the UN’s environment agency

“The core purpose of planning should be to create places that enable people to live happy and healthy lives within the natural limits of the planet, leaving sufficient space for nature.” The increase in major disruptions have exposed the fragility of many of our critical systems and shown how unprepared we are for future shocks.

Our preferred option is habitually to clear the site and start again, but carbon calculations too often advise that this is not appropriate. An alternative has been to retain the facade leaving it looking out of place, but why not retain the building? Adaptive reuse of, and where appropriate extensions to, existing buildings can be

Architecture Today are delighted to present 4 finalists from the 2023 Awards for buildings that have stood the test of time. How do you design buildings that are fit for purpose but able to accommodate changes in behaviour and use for decades, even centuries, to come? How do you balance the often conflicting demands of

The Retrofit Academy Awards were born to recognise excellence in retrofitting across the market; from Retrofit Coordinators to Installers, Social Housing and Local Authority delivery programmes, to individual projects – recognising the rising stars in this exciting, vibrant market, at a crucially important time for our industry! Finalists and judging panel to be announced soon.

Brussels is considered to be Europe’s laboratory for sustainable construction. For over a decade, passive construction standards have been mandatory in Brussels, and circularity is becoming the new normal. In fact, policymakers and real estate developers are working hand in hand in setting the bar in sustainable standards towards a new international level. Brussels State

Our main challenge in responding positively to the impacts of climate and ecological breakdown is social and not technical. As the recent report from the House of Lord’s Environmental and Climate Change Committee (In our hands: behaviour change for climate and environmental goals) explained – “32% of emissions reduction up to 2024 requires individuals and

The aim of ‘change management’ is to implement strategies for effecting change and enabling adaptation for change. This involves identifying goals and processes for making the transition. FUTUREBUILD PROPOSITION No 6: We will have to change the way that we do things to achieve net zero carbon at scale Chair: David Partridge, Chairman Related Argent

In November 2023 George Monbiot wrote: “Nothing can now be achieved without mass protest, whose aim…is to reach the critical mass that triggers a social tipping point. But…this is only part of the challenge. We also need to translate our demands into action, which requires political, economic, cultural and technological change. All are necessary, none are

This is not a new discussion – we have had at least 15 sessions at Futurebuild (ecobuild) on the topic over the last 15 years. What is different is that the timescale has dramatically shortened. Jonathon Porritt warns “Who knows what lies beyond this decade? But if we haven’t dramatically changed our ways by then,

It is generally agreed that electoral cycles with regular changes of policy and direction are not an intelligent approach to dealing with the polycrises with which we are faced. We must rethink our approach if we, nature and the planet are to benefit from an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable future. To reduce short termism,

This session will see six shortlisted innovators battle it out in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitch, to become winner of the Big Innovation Pitch 2023. Chair: Dr Oliver Jones, Research Director, Ryder Architecture Introduction: Eloise Francis, Director of Innovation, BRE Judges: Eloise Francis, Director of Innovation, BRE Shane Hussain, Founder and CEO, SNRG Emmanuel Malfeyt, Coordinator,

Ministerial Keynote Trudy Harrison, Government post of Parliamentary Under-Secretary. Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature can survive very well without us and would embark on a ‘restoration programme’ with surprising speed and ease. Unfortunately, we cannot survive without nature. We cannot continue to extract nature’s freely given reserves at the current rate and not suffer unintended consequences. The already apparent evidence of those consequences has led to a global

This year’s Futurebuild conference has been looking forwards to ensure lessons are learned, so that changing and taking action become second nature. We are ready to take a stand for a better built and natural environment and take the action that is needed in the critically short window of time that we have to take

A clear understanding of both the climate and ecological crisis is the critical first step for taking action. This should start in the earliest years and continue throughout our formal education and into lifelong learning. It could be argued that these are the two most important issues on which we all need clarity so that

One of the major challenges to which the industry has to respond effectively is decarbonising the built environment, given that buildings are the second largest source of climate emissions after surface transport. The recognised gaps in government policy will need to be addressed but this session is about industry action. Businesses across the whole built

The challenges that we face are closely interrelated and it is important that we do not focus so much on one – reaching ‘net zero’ for example – that we overlook the others. How are we doing in tackling the multiplicity of challenges relating to climate and ecological breakdown both in the UK and taking