FOOTPRINT+ podcasts

How can the much-heralded UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard be used as a tool to transform your existing buildings and retrofit schemes? This panel features technical team members behind the Standard, as well as industry leaders applying it to real-world retrofit projects during its pilot phase.

Discover practical insights, challenges, and successes as we prepare ...

GPE’s 30 Duke Street St James’s (formerly 180 Piccadilly) raises the bar for circular economy applications as London’s largest steel reuse project. The project is a striking eight-storey development where the majority of the structural frame is repurposed from another donor building.

But it’s not just about steel. The project embraces material reuse beyond the frame, ...

SKArating is a sustainability assessment methodology that measures the environmental impact of commercial fit-outs and refurbishments. The methodology integrates good practice performance into daily project delivery, and moves the whole interior fit-out industry forward in a synchronised way. The approach provides a consistent system of measurement and benchmarking against good industry practice.

The Principles for Responsible Timber Construction set out a clear, ambitious, and achievable framework to build trust, align policies, and drive investment in sustainable timber construction — for the future of both forests and cities. This framework not only advances environmental goals but also ensures that the transition to sustainable construction is equitable and inclusive, embodying core tene...

Data centres have seen a massive growth since Covid and in recognition of their importance to economic development have been classified as critical infrastructure by the government. Data centres are involved in almost every human activity and interaction. Located in urban settings, typically in industrial areas, they need access to good fibre networks. On most urban sites this means compact multi-st...

The UK built environment has a high proportion of buildings on the verge of becoming stranded assets as environmental targets tighten. The scale of the challenge to upgrade buildings of this type is huge. How can a project balance both a retrofit led investment and deliver the potential for increased rental values? At 300 Gray’s Inn Road the team have embedded carbon analysis whilst interrogating di...

The UK has some of the highest use of flame retardants, many of which are toxic to health, in the world. Many of these chemicals show up in building materials that you are specifying today. Some manufacturers are taking steps to design out toxic chemicals of concern, but how do you find identify and specify building materials that fundamentally protect, restore, and enhance the health of humans and ...

Reusing the construction products that arise from refurbishment or demolition offers multiple benefits, such as reduced embodied carbon through the displacement of new products and materials. It also supports self-sufficiency in a sector that imports a significant quantity of materials and products, with added advantages of reducing impacts of material extraction globally, preventing loss of biodive...

The transition to a circular economy in construction is gaining momentum, but how do we turn ambition into reality? This session explores the process behind material reuse – how it works, what data is needed, and how risk is managed. With insights from industry pioneers, we will unpack the key challenges around passporting materials, transparency, and the role of insurance in facilitating transactio...

Building a resilient and sustainable construction supply chain is essential for the UK’s economic security and long-term infrastructure goals. However, ensuring that this resilience does not come at the expense of workers, communities, and vulnerable groups is crucial for a just and equitable transition.

What are the strategies and frameworks needed to create a constr...

What are the options for commercial buildings not captured in heat networks? Changing the source of heat can be an extremely challenging process for businesses. In this session we explore the opportunities for some of the biggest emitters to overcome the barriers:

• Market readiness: How the supply chain is developing 
• How to move businesses over to heatpumps
• How gover...

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

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