Deep retrofit of commercial buildings often aims to increase useable floor area whilst maintain the existing structure. Timber is a lightweight structural material whose additional load can frequently be added to existing buildings without the need to upgrade existing structure especially the foundations. Key protagonists of such projects give an introduction to what you need to know drawing from their wide experience.

The UK Green Taxonomy is intended to provide a common framework for investments that can be defined as environmentally sustainable. It is an opportunity for the UK to set a high bar globally with a rigorous, science-based taxonomy that helps accelerate green finance and support the UK’s transition to a net zero economy. The Green Taxonomy Advisory Group provide an update on progress since last year and answer all your questions about its’ implications once implemented.

Mass timber structure is being used for larger and more ambitious commercial buildings than ever before. In this session we ask what has changed to enable the use of timber in these buildings and chart a possible trajectory for the growth of timber as a carbon-negative structural material in the commercial sector.

Developers seeking to adopt timber on increasingly large and complex schemes are joining forces with architects devising inventive methods of biobased construction. This Breakfast Briefing will spotlight projects by three Built by Nature Frontrunners, using timber and biobased materials for low-carbon health, housing and commercial development. Built by Nature is a network and grant fund with a mission for our built environment to work in closer unity with nature through the increased use of timber and biobased materials. Our frontrunner network brings together organisations that are leading the way, adopting these low-carbon materials on developments and collaborating to create an unstoppable movement that is transforming the way that buildings are constructed. Anna-Lisa McSweeney from White Arkitekter will speak about the practice’s proposed design for the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, which aims to be the UK’s “most sustainable hospital” when completed. Turning to commercial buildings, Alexia Laird will present Landsec’s Timber Square in Southwark, central London; a 14-storey partial retrofit and vertical extension that looks set to create a new precedent for urban commercial development in the UK. Kelly Harrison from Whitby Wood will show us how we can build on top of our cities with timber, retrofitting existing buildings and vertically extending them, creating additional floor space and storing carbon on top of our existing built environment. Finally, Andy Tugby from Human Nature will talk about the developer’s plans for the Phoenix industrial estate in Lewes, where they have employed a phalanx of the UK’s most renowned architects to transform this brownfield site into the country’s largest timber residential development, a car-free mixed-use utopia set against the backdrop of the South Downs National Park.

NABERS UK is becoming the rating of choice for property owners to measure and improve the energy performance of buildings. A number of industry bodies in the UK have acknowledged the critical role NABERS UK will play in delivering Net Zero and have since incorporated it within their own standards and guidance.  What sets NABERS UK apart? How are property owners, lenders and investors using NABERS UK to drive and finance change?Do we need a cultural shift to roll out NABERS UK at scale and what will assist the transition?

Despite advances in circularity in some supply chains generally that has been little change in procurement behaviour. We examine what this needs to look like to support the introduction of circularity into construction supply chains covering: How does circular procurement differ between Tier 1 and Tier 2 contracting?What are the procurement clauses required to support it?How do we move from a minimum standard to an optimum standard of circularity?What lessons learned from the public sector can be transferred?

Building modelling can offer very accurate quantities of material used in our designs but carbon calculations rely on accurate data about the embodied carbon in the materials. Different parties are using different carbon factors on which carbon optioneering is being carried out and decisions are being made.  How can we identify consistent carbon data and establish a consensus on the figures to be used?  Hear from the team behind the Built Environment Carbon Database and Future Homes Hub on the establishment of this tool.

With an expert panel in situ, join us to debate how we tackle the main obstacles to achieving decarbonisation. As voted by you, our guests, we will have a live countdown of the main challenges to successfully meeting net zero targets.

In association with Willmott Dixon Group Local authorities have been struck hard by the increase in fuel prices especially in the running of leisure centres. These energy-hungry buildings typically run on fossil fuels and the spiralling costs have prompted many local authorities to review the long term plans for these facilities. This panel looks at the business case for different levels of intervention: retrofitting or low-carbon new build utilising worked examples from Spelthorne Borough Council, along with specialist consultants in this field.

What progress has been made in regards using Circular Economy principles to reduce material use as an intrinsic part of the design process? Including approaches to questioning your brief, themes such as Design for Manufacture, Design for Disassembly, longevity and adaptability. Principles will be explored through the design and delivery process using real life case studies, including findings from innovative R&D projects.

MCS Foundation will chair a session covering the implications of the government proposals including the 6 specifications under consideration and the implications these have for new build homes. With detailed analysis from the Federation of Master Builders, Heat Pump Federation and solar industry, the panel will conclude with a Q&A to help people to respond to the request for consultation responses.

Timber construction is used for more than 25% of all housing in the UK, largely using MMC resulting in an increase in build quality, speed of erection and less wastage of materials, driving down both embodied energy and energy bills for tenants long term.  Timber housing is procured by housing associations, housebuilders and local authorities. This session provides a roundup of new and exciting products and projects embracing all aspects of the efficiency and reduction in carbon these buildings achieve.

Drawing from the findings of their collaborative white paper ‘ Shopping for Health’ the panel will set out an exciting agenda for the vacant premises on Britain’s high streets delivering: revitalisation of town centres saving embodied carbon of defunct shopping facilities and repurposing for very needed facilitieseasy access for communities to softer healthcare offer such as counselling and other consultationsfreeing up space in heavily-serviced acute healthcare facilities for acute services Join NHS Dorset who can explain how they are putting these opportunities into practice saving carbon, and the designers and consultants who have helped shaped the initiative.

The City of London Corporation published a ground-breaking draft Planning Advisory Note on whole lifecycle carbon optioneering during Footprint 2022, as part of their commitment to work towards net zero carbon for both embodied and operational carbon emissions.  This Carbon Options Guidance was officially adopted and launched in April 2023, following a detailed consultation process with the industry. This session invites the audience to join an open debate with the City of London Corporation and the guide’s key authors, Hilson Moran, and share their experiences with delivery of the new pre-application requirements in the current market. For more information and for a copy of the guide, see the sustainable planning requirements page on the City of London’s website.

A workshop session on early forms of policy and regulation, including some unintended consequences of well-intentioned schemes. We ask the questions: How can we overcome the barriers to meaningful regulation?How can we avoid the creation of new carbon economies from circularity?What is the future of waste management industry?Will we see the development of new skills?

NABERS UK is becoming the rating of choice for property owners to measure and improve the energy performance of buildings. A number of industry bodies in the UK have acknowledged the critical role NABERS UK will play in delivering Net Zero and have since incorporated it within their own standards and guidance.  What sets NABERS UK apart? How are property owners, lenders and investors using NABERS UK to drive and finance change?Do we need a cultural shift to roll out NABERS UK at scale and what will assist the transition?

The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook has been written with input from all disciplines involved in the development of timber buildings. Aligned with RIBA stages the playbook sets out what should be considered by designers, developers, fabricators and insurance intermediaries to communicate clearly with the insurance industry at every stage in the design and procurement process.

What is a Net Zero Carbon building? How can it be defined given the different factors that impact on building types and new builds vs. retrofits? There is a clear demand for an agreed methodology but in aiming to respond to 14 separate building types, can there be just one? The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard aims to enable the industry to robustly prove their built assets meet an agreed net zero carbon standard. Hear from the team on progress.

In 2022, the London Property Association published ‘Retrofit First, Not Retrofit Only’ illustrating the spectrum of recent Net Zero Carbon commercial projects undertaken to date across Westminster and City of London. The case studies demonstrate the importance of allowing for flexibility through both retrofit and redevelopment approaches, providing examples of typical challenges and opportunities. This session presents key findings and invites questions from the audience.

By moving from a take-make-waste linear economy to a circular economy, we support natural processes and leave more room for nature to thrive. How can nature restoration and the building of natural capital be spear headed and supported by the construction industry to create a thriving circular economy. And do nature based solutions sit at the heart of this?