Fully decarbonising the electricity system by 2035 is central to delivering Net Zero in the UK. With buildings responsible for over 60% of the UK’s national electricity demand, the built environment industry has a critical role to play in achieving this target, and the way electricity is procured for our buildings can accelerate our transition to a reliable, resilient, and zero carbon grid.  

This guidance from UKGBC on Renewable Energy Procurement seeks to empower stakeholders tasked with procuring energy in the built environment to do so in a way that enables them to realise their climate ambition, while supporting the continued decarbonisation of the electricity supply sector. Across a suite of guidance documents, UKGBC’s series of reports gives industry the tools to make more informed procurement decisions.

As part of UKGBC’s ongoing project on Biodiversity Net Gain, these infographics examine the intrinsic value of nature while demonstrating the impact of the built environment as an industry on the UK’s biodiversity. They also map the links between biodiversity and other socio-economic priorities to tell a broader story about how we should view nature as a foundational element of our economy and society.

The infographics also explain the differences between BNG, which focuses primarily on habitats, and other key concepts like Environmental Net Gain (ENG), which focuses on systems and outcomes, and the Environmental Impact Assessments.

Understanding these concepts and their relative importance for different areas of design and construction in the built environment will enable and encourage businesses to – independently of Government action or legislation – implement solutions that enrich the natural world in early design and strategy stages.

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.

As homes, buildings, infrastructure, and physical assets around the world face increasing risk from more frequent and severe climate-based threats, UKGBC has today published a landmark review of the strategies and processes that asset-owners can use to adapt and enhance their climate resilience.

The Physical Risk Assessment Labs, convened under UKGBC’s Resilience & Nature Programme and with support from our Programme Partners, has compiled a series of case studies, reflections, and critical insights that will enable asset-owners to more effectively measure, report, and adapt to climate-based risks to their physical assets.

The project has also produced a Compendium of Experience that couches the framework in real-world examples of climate-based risks provided by UKGBC members, to ensure that the industry can undertake their own assessments based on insights into real-world case studies.