As part of UKGBC’s Resilience and Nature Programme, we are launching a project with the built environment industry to co-create a sector roadmap for climate resilience in the built environment. By developing science-driven, industry-wide targets to be achieved in the short, medium and longer term, this project could help to fill the urgent and critical gap identified by the CCC – investing in and optimising our built environment for a climate resilient future. This project will follow a similar path of UKGBC’s Whole Life Carbon Roadmap project which provided both the industry and government a common vision and agreed actions for achieving net zero carbon in the built environment.

At this in-person event, UKGBC’s newly appointed CEO, Smith Mordak, will introduce the scope, objectives and aims of this project and chair a panel discussion with experts on topic of climate resilience, followed by audience Q&A.

Who should attend? 

Built environment professionals with an interest in climate resilience and adaptation. Technical knowledge of climate resilience is not a requirement. 

Find out more about UKGBC’s work on Climate Adaptation here.

As the climate crisis intensifies and extreme weather events become more common, the UK’s buildings, cities and critical infrastructure, and the communities that use and occupy these, are in increasing danger. It’s vital to address how our buildings and infrastructure can be adapted to remain fit for the future.

View more

Resilience & Nature Partners

Our climate change adaptation work is supported by our Resilience & Nature Partners.

The post Building Climate Resilience in the UK Built Environment appeared first on UKGBC.

This event will discuss how built environment professionals can meet this challenge head-on, from the practical steps available to protect physical assets to optimising design for more frequent and severe weather.

UKGBC’s CEO, Smith Mordak, will chair a discussion of a senior expert panel to examine the localised context of climate resilience for Birmingham. Smith will also take the opportunity to introduce UKGBC’s ground-breaking project to co-create a Roadmap for greater climate resilience in the UK’s built environment.

Audience members will have the unique opportunity to hear expert perspectives on climate resilience, with a focus on local risks and solutions. After the panel discussion, the event will open out to questions from the audience, followed by networking.

Who should attend?

Built environment professionals based in Birmingham and West Midlands. Technical knowledge of climate resilience is not a requirement. 

Find out more about UKGBC’s work on Climate Adaptation here.

As the climate crisis intensifies and extreme weather events become more common, the UK’s buildings, cities and critical infrastructure, and the communities that use and occupy these, are in increasing danger. It’s vital to address how our buildings and infrastructure can be adapted to remain fit for the future.

View more

Resilience & Nature Partners

Our climate change adaptation work is supported by our Resilience & Nature Partners.

The post Building Climate Resilience in Birmingham appeared first on UKGBC.

This event will discuss how built environment professionals can meet this challenge head-on, from the practical steps available to protect physical assets to optimising design for more frequent and severe weather.

UKGBC’s CEO, Smith Mordak, will chair a discussion of a senior expert panel to examine the localised context of climate resilience for Manchester. Smith will also take the opportunity to introduce UKGBC’s ground-breaking project to co-create a Roadmap for greater climate resilience in the UK’s built environment.

Audience members will have the unique opportunity to hear expert perspectives on climate resilience, with a focus on local risks and solutions. After the panel discussion, the event will open out to questions from the audience, followed by networking.

Who should attend?

Built environment professionals based in Manchester. Technical knowledge of climate resilience is not a requirement. 

Find out more about UKGBC’s work on Climate Adaptation here.

As the climate crisis intensifies and extreme weather events become more common, the UK’s buildings, cities and critical infrastructure, and the communities that use and occupy these, are in increasing danger. It’s vital to address how our buildings and infrastructure can be adapted to remain fit for the future.

View more

Resilience & Nature Partners

Our climate change adaptation work is supported by our Resilience & Nature Partners.

The post Building Climate Resilience in Manchester appeared first on UKGBC.

Simon McWhirter, UKGBC Deputy Chief Executive said: 

“The Government is right to focus on building more homes in urban areas but unblocking the planning system shouldn’t mean cutting environmental corners.  

“Instead, the Government should seize this moment to bring the planning system into line with our Climate Change and Environment Acts so that communities and developers alike can have confidence that only high-quality green homes get the go-ahead in the right places. We need to end the planning barriers that are blocking the solar panels, heat pumps and insulation urgently needed to modernise our homes, which the Government can achieve by amending the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill after the summer.  

“The forthcoming Future Homes Standard is another critical opportunity to ensure the tens of thousands of homes set to be built are super-insulated and fit for our low-carbon economy. The next generation of homes must not repeat the mistakes of the past by saddling households with unaffordable energy bills, high retrofit costs, or landing us all with the cost of unnecessarily large electricity grid upgrades.  

“Renters in cold damp homes have long been waiting for stronger minimum energy efficiency standards, so the Government must urgently bring this forward.  

“We will need to convert unused commercial buildings on our high streets into homes, but only where they can meet basic standards of space and natural light. 

“With climate breakdown at our door, every housing development and planning decision must help us cut carbon emissions, adapt to high temperatures, floods and drought, and restore biodiversity, or we risk a backwards step for households and our planet.” 

Planning

UKGBC works extensively – both locally and nationally – to promote reform of the planning system to align with our net zero future by putting climate mitigation, resilience, and nature restoration at its heart.

Learn more

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UKGBC’s Impact Report 22-23 documents the transformational impact our network had over a financial year with collaboration at its heart. Its the first of our Impact Reports to track our activities in line with our 2025 strategy and goals, with the aims pushing for climate action further and faster.

This financial year saw the launch of new opportunities for radical collaboration between our members, like the Collaboration Cafés and Local Authority Retrofit Forum, providing spaces and networks for knowledge sharing and problem solving. Circular Economy was central in this year’s Advancing Net Zero programme, with the release of two industry leading reports and a record number of individuals being involved in ANZ work. This financial year also saw us hit the milestone of 700 members, with over 9,000 active member contacts.

As the final year of Julie Hirigoyen’s leadership, it was a year where our industry and society at large grappled with the climate and ecological crises; epitomised by the reaction to the extreme heat of summer 2022. Progress is being made across the built environment, but we must take the impact from this year and accelerate it in both business and government if we are to avert climate and ecological breakdown.

The post Impact Report 22-23 appeared first on UKGBC.

At our latest Innovative Start-Up Forum, UKGBC convened industry experts from its multidisciplinary consultancy membership to share their insights on how they identify, evaluate, and implement new solutions. We welcomed:

• Johnathan Munkley, Technical Director – Digital Services Lead, WSP
• Sarah Griffiths, Senior Sustainability Consultant – Circular Economy, Mott MacDonald
• Emily Walport, Senior Engineer – Materials Consulting, Arup 
• Olivia Hough, Associate Sustainable Materials Lead, Atkins

Jade Cohen, CPO and Co-founder at Qflow, and a member of the UKGBC Innovative Start-Up Forum’s Advisory Group, reflects on some of the key discussion points.

Finding Innovative Start-ups

Organisations look for innovative start-ups and solutions through various channels. The industry experts identified several methods, including personal and professional networks, attending events, using industry publications, and working with research institutes. Emily described a range of ways in which Arup identify innovations, from pro-actively searching for new solutions, collaborating alongside research institutes and start-ups in the development of new technologies, to reading about ideas in industry forums like the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining’s “Materials World”. Additionally, they reflected on social media and sustainability awards as key methods for identifying start-ups.

 ‘Crucially, the panellist kept referring to the importance of personal relationships and networking for not only finding solutions, but also the likelihood of their organisations using their products or services in the long term.

One of the biggest challenges in procuring innovative solutions is navigating the contradiction between wanting to try something new and the need for a solution to be tried and tested.

Overcoming Challenges

One of the biggest challenges in procuring innovative solutions is navigating the contradiction between wanting to try something new and the need for a solution to be tried and tested. Sarah suggests trialling innovations in their venture arm to take some of the risk out of the equation. Emily emphasises the importance of early communication and collaboration between start-ups and organisations to identify lower-hanging-fruit solutions that can build confidence and lead to successful scaling.

Johnathan stresses the importance of start-ups understanding the business problems that organisations are trying to solve. He suggests building a business case from a strategically imperative problem and then finding technology to solve it. Olivia cautions that architects can get excited about new products that may not be practical to implement, and therefore, it’s essential to be responsive when engaging with start-ups and to ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of what is possible.

The experts also mentioned other challenges, such as the lack of case studies and return on investment data, the need for data such as EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations) and questionnaires to implement new solutions. Whilst there may be no ‘silver bullet’ for overcoming these challenges, early communication with the right stakeholders was a common pathway highlighted to ease these burdens, alongside a clear narrative about value-add of the products/services being offered.

Examples of good practice

Despite considering the challenges, it was clear the consultants were excited about working with start-ups and could share examples of successful collaboration. Emily talked about the “People’s Pavilion” in Amsterdam where products were returned to manufacturers after deconstruction to explore circular design. Sarah discussed Mott MacDonald’s partnership with Holcim, that connects with start-ups and brings products to market (for example Lower Carbon Materials). Jonathan commented on the effectiveness of start-ups understanding the business problem they are trying to solve, and guiding an organisation to the right type of solutions. In general, it was felt that sustainable material databases are being used widely (for example Firstplanit and 2050 Materials) and for start-ups, being responsive when engaging with companies is important.

Opportunities for Improvement

To improve the collaboration between the start-ups and consultancy firms it was agreed the following steps should be taken:

• Larger organisations often need materials data to implement something, so if start-ups put in effort to properly complete these questionnaires that is viewed on favourably.
• Solution providers should share case studies with demonstrable return on investment, or outline how they will produce these over time if they don’t already exist.
• Clear and open communication is crucial and all parties need to be aware of the potential limitations of any new product or service. This doesn’t mean something is a non-starter, but an honest approach on this will ensure expectations are set in the right way.

The Next Big Challenge

Finally, when asked about the next big challenge in their respective fields, the panel had different but complementary responses. Sarah’s felt the move to the circular economy will be vital, and Olivia and Emily both mentioned the need to put more effort into material reuse. Johnathan highlighted the challenges of dealing with the Building Safety Bill and the growing issue of greenwashing in ‘vanity projects’. Emily warned of the risk of “burden shifting” if we don’t take a holistic approach to our materials selection and design and simply focus on single impact measures for example carbon or waste.

In conclusion, procuring innovative solutions is a complex process that requires clear communication, collaboration, and a willingness to experiment. Larger organisations should also open and responsive when engaging with start-ups and ensure everyone has a clear understanding of what is possible, and start-ups can help themselves by understanding the challenges organisations are trying to solve.

The post Innovative Start-Up Forum: What did we learn from the Consultants? appeared first on UKGBC.

To make the most of these opportunities we highlight the importance of homes and buildings as a platform for solar – especially for new build where appropriate design can integrate solar as part of a clean whole house/building energy system. Such energy systems can provide the home owner with wholly renewable energy with which to run their home (for heating and power), and while the degree of energy supplied will vary by location, orientation and building type, the integration of storage technologies will allow the building to maximise the benefits of ‘its’ energy day to day and week to week.

While most buildings can deploy solar, the regulatory regime – neither the planning nor energy regulatory regimes, are aligned to smart energy capable homes and buildings as the norm. Yet the BEIS/Ofgem Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan (2021) highlights the fundamental importance of ensuring energy demand, and the infrastructures of demand, are as flexible as the variability of renewable supply. Without out the match of demand flexibility with supply variability there are significant additional costs of extra generation and network costs for the now higher peaks of demand.

Homes and buildings are the most important energy demand infrastructure, an importance that will only grow as EV numbers increase and more and more EV charging happens at home, the work place or other built environment settings. The right approach to new build and retrofit (upgrade) standards AND energy system regulation will enable home and building owners to play their part in providing a lower cost, more consumer-friendly net zero energy system.

In UKGBC’s recent Heat and Building scorecard we highlight progress against the Heat and Building Strategy and identify key measures that could speed the arrival of a net zero built environment. A major opportunity this year is to set a Standard for new build that prompts design and build of smart energy capable homes
and buildings AND facilitate greater renewable solar deployment.

You can download the full consultation response below.

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On the 10^th January 2023, UKGBC’s Innovative Start-Up members were joined by four of our local authority members, and key learnings from this discussion are detailed in this deep dive below. The panellists were:

• Alastair Mumford – Corporate Energy Manager, Devon County Council
• Gillian Dick – Spatial Planning Manager, Glasgow City Council
• Hannah Smith – Sustainability Programme Manager, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
• George Simms – SMART Hub Lead, West Midlands Combined Authority

The conversation was chaired by Gilbert Lennox-King, Founder & CEO of Construction Carbon and member of the UKGBC Innovative Start-Up Forum Advisory Group. Questions came from a variety of our Innovative Start-Up members in attendance., Natasha Boulding another member of the UKGBC Innovative Start-Up Forum’s Advisory Group, reflects on some of the key discussion points:

What legislative changes do you see impacting the authorities and start up members over the next 24 months?

The panel explained that there are four separate legislative frameworks over the United Kingdom, however, Scotland is trying to align with Europe and the UNSDGs. The new planning framework that went through Scottish parliament on the 11th of January, which was approved, focuses on looking more innovatively at retrofit and reuse of buildings. They are also starting to look at how the construction of new buildings is changing to make them better designed for reuse in the future. Other trends in legislation include better heating of buildings and reducing those costs. Gillian mentioned that in Scotland building regulations are running behind planning regulations which promote more innovation or sets a higher standard.

How do innovators start actually accessing opportunities to supply?

Our panellists agreed that the best way to access opportunities is to research how to get into frameworks as local authorities rarely work with individual suppliers for products. This is because   local authorities will buy an outcome (which could for example be a warmer home that costs less to run) and that outcome is going to require a wide range of technologies or products. George Simms highlighted that integration of these elements would make start-up innovations more desirable. Innovators would need to prove they are unique and under a single supplier route for local authorities to want to work with them directly. When it comes to trialling new things, local authorities can be quite conservative as they have to think about resident interests. Trials are therefore often likely to be small scale but it’s something that might be introduced through a framework provider or an existing contract which is therefore the best place for start-ups to target if they want to get involved with local authorities.

Hannah agreed that getting into the supply chain of businesses that local authorities are already using is a good approach.. Knowing where innovation is happening and having an understanding of areas that are more open to piloting on a smaller scale is also useful.

Alastair also added that it’s important you talk to the supply chain from contractor to designers to make them aware of your products/services.

Who is ultimately responsible for net zero strategy across different buildings in local authorities?

Gillian noted that there is not one single person that is responsible for net zero within a local authority. There are multiple different teams working on net zero in different sustainability areas and for different building types. The chief executive along with the political and professional lead of the council are ultimately responsible but there will be different individuals responsible for certain things.

Hannah mentioned that they have an overarching green plan for the council and under that there is for example a climate change action plan, biodiversity action plan, circular economy action plan etc. These are all set within different areas of the local authority and will have their respective net zero plans.

What are frameworks and how can a start-up get into frameworks?

A framework is a tool to streamline procurement which supports the buyers with evaluation etc. It’s a group of suppliers that have been chosen through a tender process.  There are  dynamic purchasing systems in which organisations can continually join, others are locked for a period of generally 4-7 years . Exemption requests can be submitted if the team want to use a product that’s not in a framework, however these vary depending on the local authority.

Alastair Mumford mentioned that every council’s procurement policy should be on their website and if it is not you can request it.

Have any of you experienced modern methods of construction (MMC) and how do you speed up MMC adoption?

The panellists identified that modern methods of construction (MMC) are not being widely used, however, the Government is investigating this. Hannah Smith noted that across the UK, retrofit will need to scale up as it is increasingly going to become more important. MMC will also help with reducing waste from sites as well as reducing the disruption to residents.

Gillian Dick added that the legislation mentioned previously will make developers look into circular economy and the carbon footprint of the works being carried out. Gillian also mentioned that Scotland will start to look at the lifecycle and carbon footprint of wood as there is a push to use this as an alternative sustainable material. 

Would accreditations help start-ups get onto a framework?

Our panel mutually agreed that an EPC rating is important to have to progress with key authorities. Although, they also went on to explain that making connections with organisations within the supply chains within the frameworks is what will be the most beneficial. 

George Simms said that if the West Midlands are successful with their SHDF (Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund) Wave 2 bid, they have a consortium of 15 housing providers they are working with and are looking to have a “meet the buyer” event where the more innovative start-ups could attend. This will be an opportunity to showcase products and speak to social landlords. This will also give people a flavour of what is out there and what is possible in the market. Although this may not result in a buy from any housing association it shows them what they can put in specifications. George also added that it will make sense for start-ups and SMEs who target a small corner of the market to collaborate on how they engage with local authorities. Local authorities tend to target outcomes rather than specific products, so it’s about showing how a product or service can help achieve those outcomes. If the burden of engagement and raising awareness is shared between multiple start-ups then it might start to find its way into those specifications more easily.

Hannah added that potential partnerships can help to meet the objectives of any live funding opportunities. She mentioned Innovate UK who tend to have a lot of funds that encourage partnership work between local authorities and businesses.

Gillian Dick also noted there is a community hub called Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform with various companies for green building, health and wellbeing, water management, sustainable forestry, smart tech, councils etc. In this community, opportunities and competitions are being posted and helpful webinars are hosted as well.

UKGBC is continuing to run our Innovative Start-Up Forums throughout 2023, if you are interested in finding out more about these and UKGBC’s wider work on Solutions & Innovation, please get in touch.  

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It’s informed by the 2025 Strategy and the seven strategic goals within this, as well as insight and feedback from members, and captures UKGBC’s key priorities for this financial year.

The post UKGBC’s Annual Operating Plan 2023/24 appeared first on UKGBC.

This Collaboration Cafés series will bring together groups of UKGBC members across our Local Area Networks, with the view to hear from the wider geographical scope of members within the UK, while convening a diverse multidisciplinary group.

Collaboration Cafés will be held bi-monthly and are open to UKGBC’s members only. For more information on becoming a UKGBC member, please see this page.

Upcoming Collaboration Cafés:

• Wednesday 6th September 2023 – Manchester. Register here
• Wednesday 8th November 2023 – Birmingham. Register here
• Wednesday 21st February 2024 – Scotland (city tbc). Register here

What is a Collaboration Café?

Collaboration Cafés will follow the World Café Method , a global movement creating collaborative dialogue around questions that matter. They offer an informal and uncompetitive space for UKGBC members to share insights, synthesise lessons and tackle shared challenges they face at the organisational level.

See how previous Collaboration Cafes looked like in this UKGBC post.

Who should attend?

This event is for UKGBC members based in respective regions only – up to two attendees are invited to register per organisation, with places limited on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. If you are not a member within the region, UKGBC reserves the right to politely decline your registration. All levels of knowledge and experience on the topic of resilience are welcome to attend.

If you have doubts with regards to the best café to attend, contact events@ukgbc.org.

Why are we focusing on Resilience for the built environment?

The climatic and environmental crises are the largest and interlinked threat to modern human existence, caused by our activities and actions. The impact inflicted is resulting in widespread and rapid and extreme weather events and global climatic changes in every region across the globe. For the built environment, this will have a consequential impact on our buildings, infrastructure, environment and way of life.

Climate action failure, extreme weather events and biodiversity loss rank as the three most potentially severe risks for humankind for the next decade. It is of the essence that built environment organisations take a proactive approach towards creating a resilient world, tapping into the leading role already demonstrated to support the climatic crises.

Therefore, we are calling all our members to support our ambition that “by 2030, all buildings and infrastructure will, throughout their lifetime, be climate-resilient and maximise environmental net gains, through the prioritisation of Nature-based Solutions”, and join us to this collaborative discussion and swift action.

How do the Collaboration Cafes fit in the bigger picture within the industry?

The actions needed to build a resilient world start by raising awareness and knowledge on this aspect among organisations and individuals within the built environment. Sharing knowledge and tapping into the large diversity of experiences and expertise will ultimately enable finding the required collaborative solutions and interlinked pathways to establish the best next steps. The Collaboration Cafes will support just that, besides collaboratively finding the best descriptions to how resilience looks like for the built environment, it will facilitate raising awareness, sharing knowledge, and open the door to possibilities.

Moreover, this series of Collaboration Café on Resilience is part of the principal piece of research and engagement work that falls within UKGBC’s Climate Resilience and Nature Programme. We will use the learnings from the Collaboration Cafes as the baseline of knowledge, interest, challenges and gaps to progress the industry’s work. The learnings and insights collected from the Collaboration Cafes will be used to shape key content for UKGBC’s upcoming Resilience Roadmap project.

More about the Resilience Roadmap:

This project aims to ramp up climate adaptation action in the UK built environment by developing science-driven, industry-wide targets for climate resilience, alongside key policies for Government and actions for built environment stakeholders. More details on this project to come.

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