Events

In partnership, UK Architects Declare & the RIBA presented this global event on 28 and 29 October, following the publication of our joint Built for the Environment report and ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, which started on 1 November.

Today 38% of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to the built environment. The summit was a call to action, bringing together professionals from across the international built environment sector to address the urgent need to drive changes in behaviour to reduce carbon emissions.

We cannot meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C temperature rise limit above pre-industrial levels without transforming the way we plan, design, build, operate and adapt our built environment.

Over two days, speakers from across the globe led topical discussions, explored and shared innovative practice, and encouraged interdisciplinary thinking to tackle the crisis and provide inspiration to drive significant change in behaviour.

In the lead-up to COP26 the summit demonstrated the importance of cross-industry collaboration to harness political support and embolden governments to work with the sector to decarbonise construction and that the time for change is now.

Held over two consecutive afternoons, this online conference focused on how to translate the bold ideas needed to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis into action.

Day one involved bold ideas, with a series of inspiring talks interspersed with break-out sessions: 

• Roman Krznaric on how to be a good ancestor
• Dr Gabrielle Walker on carbon targets in the build-up to COP26
• Farhana Yamin on the vital connection between construction and climate justice
• Jojo Mehta on the building momentum for a law of ecocide.  

The first afternoon concludes with a presentation on the Architects Declare Strategy for Change, with opportunities to help shape this proposal.

Day two opened with three short talks from companies - Expedition, Interface and British Land - who have all undergone transformative change, sharing some of the successes and challenges in how they have risen to the planetary emergency. These were followed by a series of PechaKucha style presentations about emerging and provocative ideas. 

The second day ended with a plenary session to discuss the inputs that participants fed into the Strategy for Change. 

Please see our Resources (Supporting our signatories) page for the videos.

Since October 2020, we worked with signatories among different professions within the Built Environment Declares family to hold a series of on online regional events in different parts of the UK. Each meeting featured a presentation on BED's aims by a member of the steering group, and a presentation on the theme followed by open discussion. Some of the regions have held further meetings.

• North East & North West - The Client Emergency: Approaches to Engaging with Sustainable Design (13/10/20) 
• Midlands: Easy Wins in Sustainable Design (20/10/20)
• South & South East: Small Things, Big Impact - Learning from Each Other (27/10/20)
• West & South West: Project Evaluation and Low Embodied Carbon (3/11/20)
• Scotland: Embedding Sustainability (10/11/20)
• Yorkshire: Where Do We Start? Simplifying the Message (17/11/20)
• Northern Ireland: Embodied Carbon and Passivhaus (24/11/20)
• London: Achievements and Struggles in Designing for the Climate Emergency (1/12/20)
• North East and North West: Zero Carbon Perspectives... Approaches to Engaging with Sustainable Design (2/12/20). This second regional meeting focused on the work ofy the Zero Carbon Research Institute at the University of Liverpool, the influence our approaches to simplifying our structural approach can have on reducing carbon and the perceived conflicts between adopting net zero design and cost management and how these can be addressed.
• East: The Green Agenda - Unpicking the Barriers to Change (8/12/20)
• Wales: Wales: Working with the Declaration Points (15/12/20)
• South and South East: Designing for Disassembly and Deconstruction (17/12/20). This second regional meeting focused on deconstruction and disassembly in buildings and the circular economy, with practical examples on a range of scales to better understand how to incorporate design for disassembly in projects.
• West and South West: Raising client awareness of the climate emergency (12/1/21). This second regional meeting looked at raising client awareness, with presentations from North Somerset Council on their emergency response and from Stride Treglown.
• North East and North West: Championing Change - Incentives and Influence (9/2/21). This third regional meeting - in collaboration with UrbanistasNW, a female-led network playing an active role in shaping our built environment to be a more equitable, diverse place to live, work and play - looked at how to successfully influence change, from championing local authority placemaking initiatives to raising client project ambitions.
• South and South East: Retrofit (16/2/21). This third regional event focused on Retrofit, one of the most daunting challenges facing the UK construction industry, hearing from clients about their motivations and problems they’ve faced, Mesh Energy consultants on technical aspects of sustainable retrofitting, and companies rolling out retrofit on a larger scale. 
  
• South and South East: Retrofit Biodiversity: More than just bat boxes (27/4/21). At this fourth regional event, Dusty Gedge, President of the European Federation of Green Roof Association shared some of his case studies and learning on the latest innovations in green roofs and green infrastructure; Dr Julia Baker, Biodiversity Technical Specialist at Balfour Beatty spoke about enhancing Biodiversity Net Gain; and Robert Winch, ESG Consultant on Nature Based Solutions at Hoare Lea, covered the climate adaptation benefits of nature-based solutions, including how landscaping can deliver resilience and microclimate benefits.
• Scotland: The built environment's response to the Climate Emergency (6/5/21). This second regional event heard from Adam Armour-Florence, Sustainability Officer from West Dunbartonshire Council, on recent Scottish climate legislation, how that has changed West Dunbartonshire's approach and steered their Climate Change Plan. Basil Demeroutis, Managing partner from FORE Partnership, the developer of Glasgow's Cadworks Office building talked about FORE's approach to the climate emergency and their work. Graeme Hannah, Head of Sustainability at Robertson Construction talked about the decarbonisation work they are undertaking and gave the constructor's perspective, and Peter Fisher from Bennett's Associates talked about their company's science-based targets.
• London: Practical Hacks: Net Zero Carbon Basics and Embodied Carbon (23/6/21). This second regional event covered two topics with presentations, focused workshops in smaller groups and a follow-up Q&A to give the audience clear take-away understandings and hacks to use in their own projects. The event introduced the concept of whole-life carbon, tracking carbon reduction targets through project design, construction and operational phases, integrating Net Zero into the design team's scope, and typical small to medium-scale UK construction methods, focusing on practical solutions and hacks to help designers to reduce the carbon footprint in their designs. With speakers: Peter Swallow (Grimshaw Architects), Brigitte Clements (LOKI Architecture & Development) & Rick Roelofs (Momentum Engineering).
• South and South East: Offsite and Modern Methods of Construction (6/7/21). With offsite construction gaining considerable momentum in recent years - driven by technological advancements and a need for efficiency as well as being backed by various government initiatives - and set to revolutionise the construction industry, this fifth regional event explored the role of offsite technologies in reducing operational and embodied carbon in buildings, highlighting the opportunities, benefits and pitfalls in various approaches. With speakers: Paul Inch (Better Delivery) & Ian Pritchett (Greencore Construction).

The built environment is a major contributor to climate and ecological breakdown - accounting for around 40% of emissions and 25% of waste. We know this needs to change, and that we all need to work together towards a net zero and regenerative built environment - even more so in a time of recovery.

This joint event with Business Declares asked how can the construction industry be part of the solution, not the problem? And what do we need to deliver net zero and regenerative places in a socially responsible way? An opportunity for key stakeholders in the development of the built environment to come together and share ideas.

Hosted by the Architecture Foundation

Where are we now? Where are we going? How are we going to get there? In an online discussion hosted by the Architecture Foundation and chaired by architect Piers Taylor, policy advisor Gwen Buck and Architects Declare steering group members, engineer Clara Bagenal George and architect Peter Clegg discussed what the Architects Declare pledge has achieved one year on, what needs to change in terms of policy, why it is so hard to make genuinely low carbon buildings - and what zero carbon means in any case. 

Presentations:

• Video of the AF event - Watch

In October 2020, Architects Declare, ACAN and Architecture Education Declares hosted a climate-focused hustings: an online discussion with the RIBA presidential candidates on how they would tackle the climate and biodiversity emergency if elected to office. 

In November 2019, our inaugural conference at the Battersea Arts Centre in London brought together architects and engineers for inspiring talks by our special guests, Jeremy Lent and Kate Raworth. Please see our Resources (Changing the goals of the system) page for these.

In March 2020, we held a one-day workshop at Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios in London, with 12 expert presentations on embodied carbon. Please see our Resources (Supporting our signatories) page for these.