All sustainability articles
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CommentSocial value is not the problem – poor implementation is
Social value isn’t failing because the principle is flawed - it’s struggling because procurement systems lack the capability and confidence to deliver on their own ambitions, says Ellie Jenkins of Akerlof
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FeaturesSustainability: Decarbonising schools across the four UK nations
Governments are targeting individual sustainability and decarbonisation goals for schools across the UK, driving innovative approaches to building and retrofitting
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FeaturesProductivity: How digital tools are making construction projects better
As change accelerates, advancements in digital tools happen in months not years – bringing a greater need for accessible and actionable data to navigate the market. Turner & Townsend Alinea, Digital Trees, Mace and Visibuild explore the impact of digital tools on construction projects
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FeaturesSustainability: How to minimise waste and maximise reuse at a building’s end of life
Construction accounts for around a third of all waste sent to landfill, much of this at a building’s end of life. How can the industry develop a better approach to deconstruction?
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CommentThe genie is out of the bottle – what next for commercial property in the capital?
The City of London’s workspace market has weathered a turbulent few years, but shifting workplace strategies and sustainability-driven renovations are shaping a resilient, adaptable future for the capital’s offices, says Chris White of CPMG Architects
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FeaturesHow hard is it to decarbonise the construction of new homes?
Source: Shutterstock The embodied carbon of new homes can be reduced by using alternatives to carbon intensive brick such as the timber boarding on these homes at Aborfield Green, a new village in Berkshire More than 60% of a new home’s total carbon footprint is emitted before ...
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FeaturesMission accomplished: University completes test drive towards net zero carbon building standard
Source: Ella Wheatley The building is located in a courtyard at Manchester Metropolitan University. Source: Ella Wheatley The multifunctional laboratory can be used as a small workshop, an exhibition space or as a venue for lectures Source: Ella Wheatley The laboratory is ...
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CommentBeyond sustainability: what we need now is regeneration
The industry’s focus has to move from just trying to conserve natural resources to building in a way that actually repairs the planet, Philip Watson at HLM Architects says
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FeaturesMaterial passports: the key to carbon reduction, greater component reuse and more sustainable construction
Logging the details of the products and materials used on projects so they can have a second life after demolition has been discussed but never practised on a large London construction project – until now, Thomas Lane reports
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CommentAct now and make the new year a time of real change
Bold leadership, greater diversity, a circular approach and a focus on cracking the housing crisis are on my wishlist for 2025, writes Ellie Jenkins of Akerlof
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CommentESG regulations: what the future holds for developers
Sustainability is no longer a choice but an industry requirement and the additional costs are outweighed by the positive implications and added value, writes Cundall’s Simon Wyatt
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CommentWhat are the consequences for missing contractual environmental and sustainability targets?
What are the consequences for missing contractual environmental and sustainability targets? asks Elizabeth Cully
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NewsDays of demolish and rebuild ‘long gone’, Bam chief tells conference
Chief operating officer John Wilkinson says retaining existing structure is the right thing to do
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FeaturesThe Tribeca brick: Made from earth and water but (crucially) no fire
London’s largest life sciences project is trialling the use of a low carbon earth brick for the basement walls of the first phase. It could be a game-changer for schemes looking to radically reduce their carbon footprint. Thomas Lane reports
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Features‘Significant growth is likely to be in other parts of the world’… Cundall boss Carole O’Neil explains her global ambition
Cundall is rapidly making a name for itself in the world of sustainable engineering and design. Managing partner Carole O’Neil shares her strategy with Carl Brown
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FeaturesChampioning sustainability: How Paris 2024 is reshaping the future of the Olympics
The Paris Olympics is embracing an approach pioneered by London in 2012 and taken to the next level, utilising existing venues and temporary structures as much as possible, Ben Flatman writes
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NewsCIBSE appoints Arup board member as new president
Fiona Cousins takes over from Adrian Catchpole
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CommentThe debate on retrofit has become polarised. That can get in the way of good placemaking
Many buildings were not constructed with the future in mind and prioritising retrofit could fail to solve the poor placemaking of the past, says Steve Perkins at Turner & Townsend
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Features‘Government flip-flopping on climate has cost us work’: Ramboll’s Philippa Spence on what she wants from UK politicians
The UK managing director talks to Tom Lowe about the impact that government dithering over net zero policy has had on her firm and the industry as a whole over the past five years
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CommentIntensification must come with flexibility built in
We undoubtedly need more building in our cities, but it must be easily changeable if we are to extend its shelf-life, writes Sadie Morgan