Events

UK Architects Declare are hosting a Circular Revolution – a high-profile event which will shine a spotlight on the role the built environment can and must play in enabling a circular economy.

Join us to unite industry leaders and demonstrate to policy-makers that the construction sector is ready to lead the transition.

The Circular Revolution will start with a participatory take-over of the London Eye - all 32 pods! - thanks to the generous support of Marks Barfield Architects, the designers of this icon of circularity in form and in function. Designed to symbolise participation and celebration, this 25-year old structure has far surpassed its intended lifespan of just five years.

Each pod will be hosted by a member of the Architects Declare team, for a 30-minute flight with guided discussions encouraging a lively and creative exchange of ideas around a number of circularity themes.

Following the flight, we will make our way to Sustainable Ventures, situated in the iconic County Hall building just a short 4-minute walk from the London Eye. Here, you will enjoy refreshments in this recently refurbished space which celebrates the existing and the reclaimed. We will share ideas from the pod discussions, alongside keynote speeches from leading voices across the sector.

Keynote speaker: Professor Paul Ekins - Deputy Chair of the Government’s Circular Economy Taskforce

You can book your place in a pod or book a whole pod for you and your guests.

We are grateful to our sponsors, Lazari, Mace, Marks Barfield Architects and Structure Tone, for their generous support for this event.

Please join us at the Reid Lecture Theatre in Glasgow for the launch of Form Follows Fuel, 14 Buildings from Antiquity to the Oil Age. The evening will include a keynote lecture by the authors, followed by a panel discussion chaired by UK Architects Declare.

This event is being made possible by financial and in-kind support from the authors, Glasgow School of Art, UK Architects Declare and the GIA Sustainability Committee.
Modernists believed that “form follows function.” Form Follows Fuel shows that in fact energy has been the biggest influence on the world’s architecture throughout the history of our species. The availability of energy under different fuel regimes – including human labour, firewood, coal, oil, gas, and renewables – shapes architecture at all scales, from what gets built to how its doors hinge.

Barnabas Calder is a historian of architecture and Head of the History of Architecture Research Cluster at the University of Liverpool. He specialises in the relationship between architecture and energy throughout human history.

Florian Urban is an architectural historian, Professor, and Head of History of Architecture and Urban Studies (HAUS) at the Glasgow School of Art. 

John Joseph Burns is an Architect and Associate at Holmes Miller based in Glasgow. John studied at the University of Strathclyde and the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. He has over 10 years experience in practice, both in the UK and China, with a particular focus in Education and Residential design. He also guest lectures at the University of Strathclyde on Glasgow’s Tenement and Urban development.

Chloe van Grieken is an Architect and Associate at Hamilton Hay Van Jonker. She is a trustee & Steering Group member of UK Architects Declare, and a member of ACAN Scotland.

Details and booking.

Join us on Thursday 2nd October (6.00-10.00pm) as we celebrate the 2025 Regenerative Architecture Index (RAI).

Launched by UK Architects Declare & Architecture Today, the RAI benchmarks the progress of practices moving towards regenerative design and delivery. It recognises the need for a built environment that not only reduces negative impacts, but also generates positive outcomes for both the present and the future.

Generously hosted by Broadway Malyan (Holmes House, 4 Pear Pl, London SE1 8BT).

Spaces are limited!

Tickets for those who entered the 2025 RAI* are available for £99 (+VAT) per person. General admission is £149 (+VAT).

Full programme & Booking here.

*A discount code has been issued to those who entered the 2025 RAI. Please use this at checkout to be eligible for the £99 ticket.

We're excited to be partnering with Grimshaw and International Living Future Institute on this special Regenerative Futures panel discussion.

Our keynote speaker is André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, COP30 President.

Speakers - Lindsay Baker of the International Living Future Institute, Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield & UK Architects Declare, Andre Loosemore of Humanscale - will showcase real-world examples of implementing regenerative design principles. This dynamic conversation brings together experts in architecture, design, and sustainability to explore how regenerative design can reshape our built environment.

The panel discussion - moderated by Paul Toyne of Grimshaw - will delve into cutting-edge strategies for achieving net-zero carbon buildings, restoring ecosystems, and shaping the future of sustainable urban development.

Do join us for this opportunity to gain valuable insights from industry leaders as they share how regenerative practices can help create resilient, thriving communities.

This is a hybrid event, hosted at Grimshaw’s London office for in-person attendees and streamed online via Zoom. Please select your ticket option for either in-person attendance or online participation. Further information and booking.

We're delighted to be participating in an event at this year’s Architecture Fringe in Glasgow, hosted by New Future Construction School.

Whose cathedrals are we building? Learning from Dalmarnock’s past, present and future will invite pairs of speakers to exchange stories and share conversation about Dalmarnock across generations, and use the practice of 'cathedral thinking' to consider the following:

Can multi-generational thinking help to ensure a just transition, and can regenerative development ensure future generations become custodians and beneficiaries of a sustainable and resilient built environment?

Please join members of the AD Steering Group and other speakers for an engaging and collaborative discussion.

This event is twinned with Architects Declare’s Beyond Mythologies talk being held as part of the London Festival of Architecture. Place-based stories and learnings from the discussions will be compiled and shared following both events. 

Further information and booking.

This online session with UK Engineers Declare and UK Built Environment Declares is a call to both groups of signatories (and others) to help shape our policy research and recommendations for embedding a circular economy in the built environment.

Join us to discuss the current barriers to circularity, share examples and lessons on where it has and hasn’t worked before, and help us shape our recommendations to government.

"The built environment’s intensive resource consumption is accelerating climate change and driving biodiversity loss. Transitioning to a circular economy is essential if we are to remain within the planet’s ecological limits. While promising efforts are emerging across the sector, they are often isolated and fragmented. To achieve meaningful, system-wide transformation, we need a strong policy framework to serve as a catalyst. This event invites practical, forward-thinking solutions to help embed circularity across the built environment. Join us and help demonstrate the industry is ready to help tackle this challenge."

- Laura Baron, Head of Sustainability, Purcell + Steering Group member, UK Architects Declare

More information and booking.

We're pleased to be working with London Festival of Architecture and our hosts, AECOM, on this event.

When something holds deep sentimental value, we feel compelled to protect it. But what happens when the stories that once inspired care are lost or dismissed by modern systems?

Beyond Mythology invites built environment professionals and future-focused thinkers to explore how regenerative design and long-term thinking can offer new narratives of care, connection, and responsibility. It’s a call for a mindset shift -- from linear efficiency to adaptive systems that evolve over time.

At the heart of this lies a powerful question: What does it mean to be a good ancestor? To design not just for now, but for seven generations ahead. To embed adaptability, foresight, and care into the decisions we make today -- and to imagine lasting legacies.

In this panel discussion, speakers from across generations, disciplines, and cultures will share personal stories and professional insights. Together, we’ll explore how myth-making, memory, and the landscapes of London -- past, present, and future -- can shape a more just and regenerative built environment.

This event is twinned with our Whose cathedrals are we building? event with New Future Construction School at the Architecture Fringe in Glasgow. Stories and reflections from both events will be shared in a collective output.

We are very grateful to AECOM for their support hosting this event.

Further information & booking.

Alongside the Regenerative Architecture exhibition across the 3 days of Futurebuild 2025 (see separate listing), AD and Architecture Today are hosting a discussion on the Arena Stage at 5pm on 4th March as part of Futurebuild’s ‘Knowledge Programme’.

Chaired by Isabel Allen, Editor of Architecture Today, the event brings together leading voices in the built environment to explore how architecture can actively restore and regenerate ecosystems and communities.

Speakers will unpack the core principles of the RAI, each offering unique insights from their practice:

• Anna Pamphilon from Pamphilon Architects & Within Planetary Boundaries and a member of UK Architects Declare's Steering Group will introduce regenerative architecture’s role in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises and AD's work in this essential field.
  
• Being a Good Ancestor – Julia Barfield from Marks Barfield Architects and a member of UK Architects Declare's Steering Group will explore how long-term thinking and adaptability can create enduring architectural legacies.
• Co-evolving with Nature – Tom Bennett from Studio Bark will discuss how design can work within, rather than against, natural systems to regenerate ecosystems.
• Creating a Just Space for People – Sophie Crocker from White Arkitekter will share how architecture can foster equity, resilience, and community empowerment.

For all architects, designers, policymakers - and all who are passionate about the future of our built environment. Join us at 5pm on at the Arena Stage on March 4th.

Join Architecture Today and UK Architects Declare at this year's Futurebuild to explore regenerative architecture and our pioneering Regenerative Architecture Index (RAI).

Our exhibition stand covers the three key principles for regenerative solutions for local and planetary health: Being a good ancestor, Co-evolving with nature and Creating a just space for people. In its inaugural year last year, the RAI attracted 68 organisations from across the built environment - inlcuding 54 AD signatiories - ranging from sole practitioners to international multi-disciplinary firms. Our exhibition will showcase selected answers to questions from the index. You can meet with AT and AD team members to discuss the benefits of the index for you and other organisations.

The exhibition stand, from 4D Design Agency, and is  itself in line with regenerative design principles: employing an innovative structure to minimise material use and maximise recyclability, without compromising on visual impact or quality of finish.

AT and AD also have short talks and discussion as part of Futurebuild 2025's Knowledge Programme (5.00pm on 4th March) - see seperate listing. 

And the 2025 Regenerative Architecture Index is now open for your entries! 

Tuesday 21st January 2025, 12.00-1.30pm

Join us for the next stage in our innovative and popular Regenerative Design Primer.

We released the initial version in April 2024 to support AD signatories and others with the transition from 'sustainable' to truly 'regenerative' design for the built environment - including those submitting entries for our inaugural Regenerative Architecture Index with Architecture Today.

From the outset, we've seen it as 'work in progress' and brought in experts from other organisations and disciplines to help shape it. Now it's time to shape the next iteration and we're setting up working groups to deliver our Primer 2.0. You can be part of this evolution!

Expert presentations, breakout groups & discussions:

• Brief overview of the Regenerative Design Primer and next steps
• Regenerative Design Primer - Your feedback
• Regenerative Design - What are the blockages?
• Regenerative Design - How to move forward

Please come to further your knowledge of regenerative design and help push our industry towards a better regenerative future! 

Book your place now.