About the course

This self-directed online course runs every other month throughout the year. The course is a combination of reading, self-led activities, quizzes and discussion.  You’ll be part of a cohort of people from across industry taking the course at the same time; you’ll have opportunities to discuss the concepts raised in the course with your peers.  

Alongside discussion and other activities, the UKGBC team will be on hand to support your learning and answer any questions.

What does the course cover?  
Through your four weeks of learning, you’ll work through the following modules:  

Module 1: Context. In this module, you’ll be welcomed into the course and begin the learning journey by exploring why sustainability in the built environment is so critical for the future, and the role that the built environment plays in either exacerbating or mitigating climate change and broader sustainability issues. 

Module 2: Concepts. In this module, you’ll explore five key concepts of sustainability in the built environment and different building typologies including: Climate Change; Resource Use; Nature & Biodiversity; Social Value; and Health & Wellbeing.

Module 3: Cases. In this module, you’ll delve into a variety of case studies and also be given the opportunity to develop and share one of your own.

Module 4: Change: This is where you’ll take action! You’ll investigate the unique role that you can play in influencing the sustainability of the built environment around them. You’ll also be asked to make commitment to push your single most impactful action forward. 

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone working in the built environment and construction sectors who wants to develop their sustainability knowledge and skills.  
You may already be working in the built environment and be looking to upskill in the field of sustainability, or you may have knowledge of sustainability and want to apply this to the context of the built environment. If you have limited knowledge of both buildings and sustainability and want to learn more about sustainable design and delivery, this course will give you a solid introduction.

CPD hours: 16 

Tickets

Member tickets are free
Non-member tickets are: £300 
If you’re unsure if your organisation is a member, please check our Membership Directory.

Do you want to enrol a whole team? 

UKGBC can offer this course to closed cohorts, running at a time of your convenience – please get in touch with our learning team to get more information: learning@UKGBC.org.  

Cancellation and refund policy 

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds: /ukgbc-cancellation-and-refund-policy/ 

Upcoming Dates for Sustainable Thinking: A Beginner’s Guide for the Built Environment

ORGANISATIONAL PARTNERS

we’d like to thank our Organisational Partners for their ongoing support

The post Sustainable Thinking: A Beginner’s Guide for the Built Environment (Virtual) appeared first on UKGBC.

About the course

This self-directed online course runs every other month throughout the year. The course is a combination of reading, self-led activities, quizzes and discussion.  You’ll be part of a cohort of people from across industry taking the course at the same time; you’ll have opportunities to discuss the concepts raised in the course with your peers.

Alongside discussion and other activities, the UKGBC team will be on hand to support your learning and answer any questions.  

What does the course cover?  

Through your four weeks of learning, you’ll work through the following modules:   

Module 1: Context. In this module you’ll be welcomed into the course and begin your learning journey by exploring why carbon and other greenhouse gases play a central role in climate change, and the role the built environment plays in either exacerbating or mitigating this issue. 

Module 2: Concepts. Here, we’ll explore key concepts relating to carbon and climate change including: net zero carbon buildings, scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions, energy performance and climate risks and resilience. 

Module 3: Cases. In Module 3 you’ll delve into a variety of case studies and be given the opportunity to develop and share one of your own. 

Module 4: Change. Our last module is where we take action. We will be investigating the unique roles each of us individually play in reducing the carbon of the built environment through our influence and action. 

Who is the course for?

This course is ideal for people early in their career in the built environment who need to build their knowledge on this important topics.
It would also be suitable for professionals in built environment and construction sectors who want to deepen their knowledge on climate change, the impact the built environment has on carbon emissions and what we can do to bring emissions down to create sustainable built environment.

CPD hours: 16 &�Բ�����;

Tickets

Member tickets are free 
Non-member tickets are: £300  

If you’re unsure if your organisation is a member, please check our Membership Directory. 
 

Do you want to enrol a whole team? 

UKGBC can offer this course to closed cohorts, running at a time of your convenience – please get in touch with our learning team to get more information: learning@UKGBC.org. �į&�Բ�����;

Cancellation and refund policy 

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds: /ukgbc-cancellation-and-refund-policy/ 

Upcoming Dates for Carbon Reduction Essentials in the Built Environment

Organisational Partners

We’d like to thank our Organisational Partners for their ongoing support

The post Carbon Reduction Essentials in the Built Environment�� (Virtual) appeared first on UKGBC.

The climate emergency is already having effects across the world, and in 2024 we reached 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels . These changes in our climate are already causing more frequent extreme weather events that present risks to our communities. With climate change, extreme weather events can get more intense, more frequent, or both.  

On this four-module course, you’ll be introduced to the problems the built environment is facing as a result of our changing climate and potential solutions that can help make our buildings, communities and the natural world more climate resilient. 

By the end of the course, you’ll feel equipped to advocate for resilient design and adaptations and use your knowledge to take action in your role. 

What does the course cover?  

Through your four weeks of learning, you’ll work through the following modules:  

Module 1: Context. In Module 1 you will be welcomed into the course and begin your learning journey by exploring why resilience and adaptation in the built environment is so critical for the future.

Module 2: Concepts. In Module 2 you will explore some of the key building blocks of climate resilience and adaptation in the built environment. 

Module 3: Cases. In Module 3 you will be delving into a variety of case studies, and research adaptation solutions.

Module 4: Change: Module 4 is where we look at taking action! You will be investigating the current climate resilience progress in the industry, and how the built environment as a whole needs to move forward. And we’ll explore personal resilience. 

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone with an interest in the climate hazards and risks threatening the built environment and the solutions to keep our buildings, infrastructure, natural environment, and communities healthy and safe. You may already be working in the built environment and looking to expand your knowledge, or you may have knowledge around climate change and its effects and want to apply this to the context of the built environment. This course will give you a solid introduction to core principles and give you the foundational knowledge to take back to your organisation. 

Cancellation and refund policy 

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds: /ukgbc-cancellation-and-refund-policy/ 

Upcoming Dates for Building for a Changing Climate: Foundations of Resilience and Adaptation

Organisational Partners

We’d like to thank our Organisational Partners for their ongoing support

The post Building for a Changing Climate: Foundations of Resilience and Adaptation (Virtual)�� appeared first on UKGBC.

The climate emergency is already having effects across the world, and in 2024 we reached 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels . These changes in our climate are already causing more frequent extreme weather events that present risks to our communities. With climate change, extreme weather events can get more intense, more frequent, or both.  

On this four-module course, you’ll be introduced to the problems the built environment is facing as a result of our changing climate and potential solutions that can help make our buildings, communities and the natural world more climate resilient. 

By the end of the course, you’ll feel equipped to advocate for resilient design and adaptations and use your knowledge to take action in your role. 

What does the course cover?  

Through your four weeks of learning, you’ll work through the following modules:  

Module 1: Context. In Module 1 you will be welcomed into the course and begin your learning journey by exploring why resilience and adaptation in the built environment is so critical for the future.

Module 2: Concepts. In Module 2 you will explore some of the key building blocks of climate resilience and adaptation in the built environment. 

Module 3: Cases. In Module 3 you will be delving into a variety of case studies, and research adaptation solutions.

Module 4: Change: Module 4 is where we look at taking action! You will be investigating the current climate resilience progress in the industry, and how the built environment as a whole needs to move forward. And we’ll explore personal resilience. 

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone with an interest in the climate hazards and risks threatening the built environment and the solutions to keep our buildings, infrastructure, natural environment, and communities healthy and safe. You may already be working in the built environment and looking to expand your knowledge, or you may have knowledge around climate change and its effects and want to apply this to the context of the built environment. This course will give you a solid introduction to core principles and give you the foundational knowledge to take back to your organisation. 

Cancellation and refund policy 

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds: /ukgbc-cancellation-and-refund-policy/ 

Organisational Partners

We’d like to thank our Organisational Partners for their ongoing support

The post Building for a Changing Climate: Foundations of Resilience and Adaptation (Virtual)�� appeared first on UKGBC.

About the course

This self-directed online course runs every other month throughout the year. The course is a combination of reading, self-led activities, quizzes and discussion.  You’ll be part of a cohort of people from across industry taking the course at the same time; you’ll have opportunities to discuss the concepts raised in the course with your peers.

Alongside discussion and other activities, the UKGBC team will be on hand to support your learning and answer any questions.  

What does the course cover?  

Through your four weeks of learning, you’ll work through the following modules:   

Module 1: Context. In this module you’ll be welcomed into the course and begin your learning journey by exploring why carbon and other greenhouse gases play a central role in climate change, and the role the built environment plays in either exacerbating or mitigating this issue. 

Module 2: Concepts. Here, we’ll explore key concepts relating to carbon and climate change including: net zero carbon buildings, scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions, energy performance and climate risks and resilience. 

Module 3: Cases. In Module 3 you’ll delve into a variety of case studies and be given the opportunity to develop and share one of your own. 

Module 4: Change. Our last module is where we take action. We will be investigating the unique roles each of us individually play in reducing the carbon of the built environment through our influence and action. 

Who is the course for?

This course is ideal for people early in their career in the built environment who need to build their knowledge on this important topics.
It would also be suitable for professionals in built environment and construction sectors who want to deepen their knowledge on climate change, the impact the built environment has on carbon emissions and what we can do to bring emissions down to create sustainable built environment.

CPD hours: 16 &�Բ�����;

Tickets

Member tickets are free 
Non-member tickets are: £300  

If you’re unsure if your organisation is a member, please check our Membership Directory. 
 

Do you want to enrol a whole team? 

UKGBC can offer this course to closed cohorts, running at a time of your convenience – please get in touch with our learning team to get more information: learning@UKGBC.org. �į&�Բ�����;

Cancellation and refund policy 

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds: /ukgbc-cancellation-and-refund-policy/ 

Organisational Partners

We’d like to thank our Organisational Partners for their ongoing support

The post Carbon Reduction Essentials in the Built Environment�� (Virtual) appeared first on UKGBC.

The climate emergency is already having effects across the world, and in 2024 we reached 1.5 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels . These changes in our climate are already causing more frequent extreme weather events that present risks to our communities. With climate change, extreme weather events can get more intense, more frequent, or both.  

On this four-module course, you’ll be introduced to the problems the built environment is facing as a result of our changing climate and potential solutions that can help make our buildings, communities and the natural world more climate resilient. 

By the end of the course, you’ll feel equipped to advocate for resilient design and adaptations and use your knowledge to take action in your role. 

What does the course cover?  

Through your four weeks of learning, you’ll work through the following modules:  

Module 1: Context. In Module 1 you will be welcomed into the course and begin your learning journey by exploring why resilience and adaptation in the built environment is so critical for the future.

Module 2: Concepts. In Module 2 you will explore some of the key building blocks of climate resilience and adaptation in the built environment. 

Module 3: Cases. In Module 3 you will be delving into a variety of case studies, and research adaptation solutions.

Module 4: Change: Module 4 is where we look at taking action! You will be investigating the current climate resilience progress in the industry, and how the built environment as a whole needs to move forward. And we’ll explore personal resilience. 

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone with an interest in the climate hazards and risks threatening the built environment and the solutions to keep our buildings, infrastructure, natural environment, and communities healthy and safe. You may already be working in the built environment and looking to expand your knowledge, or you may have knowledge around climate change and its effects and want to apply this to the context of the built environment. This course will give you a solid introduction to core principles and give you the foundational knowledge to take back to your organisation. 

Cancellation and refund policy 

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds: /ukgbc-cancellation-and-refund-policy/ 

Organisational Partners

We’d like to thank our Organisational Partners for their ongoing support

The post Building for a Changing Climate: Foundations of Resilience and Adaptation (Virtual)�� appeared first on UKGBC.

*Please note this event is for UKGBC members only.

Why do so many sustainability and organisational change initiatives struggle to deliver lasting impact? Often, the visible challenge isn’t the real problem. Lasting change requires us to look beneath the surface to understand the patterns, systems, and mental models that shape the way organisations and people behave.

In this webinar, we’ll explore the Iceberg Model – a simple but powerful systems thinking framework that helps individuals and organisations move beyond treating symptoms to addressing the root causes of complex challenges. Participants will explore how events, patterns, structures and mental models interact to shape outcomes and influence change.

The built environment is a complex system of interconnected organisations, policies, behaviours and supply chains. Understanding how these elements influence one another is essentials for creating lasting sustainability outcomes. Through practical examples drawn from our sector’s biggest sustainability challenges, attendees will learn how to use systems thinking approaches to recognise where to focus effort to create lasting change and positive impact.

By attending, you will

• Understand the core principles of the Iceberg Model.
• Learn how to identify the root causes behind complex challenges.
• Develop a systems thinking approach to problem-solving and driving change.
• Recognise where to focus your efforts to create more effective and lasting positive impact.
• Leave with practical ways to apply the Iceberg Model in your own organisation and sustainability challenges.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is designed for anyone within our membership responsible for influencing change, pimproving performance, or embedding sustainability within complex project and organisational environments. It will be particularly relevant for:

• Sustainability, ESG and net zero professionals across real estate, construction, engineering, infrastructure and property sectors.
• Strategy, transformation and organisational development professionals responsible for change programmes and business improvement.
• Project managers, programme managers and delivery leads looking to address systemic challenges more efffectively.
• Senior leaders, directors and managers seeking practical tools for leading organisational change.
• Consultants, advisors and facilitators working in sustainability, systems change, innovation or transformation.
• Public sector, local authority and housing professionals tackling complex environmental, social and organisational challenges.

This session is ideal for anyone looking to understand how the Iceberg Model can help create deeper, more sustainable and lasting change.

The post How To Create Lasting Change for a Sustainable Built Environment�� appeared first on UKGBC.

UKGBC welcomes the publication of the updated National Planning Policy Framework and several important improvements made following consultation. Stronger recognition of climate adaptation –  including overheating, drought, flooding and wildfire risk – is timely and essential. We also welcome clearer support for sustainable, infrastructure‑led development, including priority for building near rail stations and existing transport hubs. 

It is encouraging that Government has stepped back from proposed restrictions on local energy‑efficiency standards. The clarification that local authorities can go beyond national minimums within a consistent methodology, where justified and viable, is a positive shift that supports place‑based climate leadership. 

However, key gaps remain. The weakening of the sequential test for surface‑water flooding risks undermining long‑term resilience, and constraints on locally ambitious Biodiversity Net Gain policies could limit nature recovery at a time when exemptions are growing. The presumption in favour of development also continues to raise concerns about how local authorities, communities and developers can work together to achieve the best outcomes. 

In order to realise the new Prime Minister’s ambition on devolution, community empowerment and strategic placemaking, it is vital the planning system enables and empowers local leadership and ambition. 

��UKGBC’s Regenerative Places Framework for Housing, launching September 16^th, will examine the planning system’s role in achieving thriving places through local leadership that benefit people and nature.”

The post UKGBC responds to the updated NPPF appeared first on UKGBC.

“That is not a small task”.

As a Building Life Ambassador and through our work at BE-ST, our recent work reinforced the scale and complexity of the challenge. The construction skills system is substantial. It includes colleges, universities, private training providers, employers, manufacturers, professional bodies and community organisations. It supports apprentices, students, graduates, existing workers, career changes and specialist practitioners. However, scale should not be confused with coherence.

If we want the sector to respond effectively to the UKGBC roadmaps, we need a skills system that is better aligned with the outcomes we are asking industry to deliver. Climate resilience and whole life carbon literacy can no longer sit at the edge of mainstream provision. They need to be embedded in further and higher education programmes, apprenticeships, professional development and workforce upskilling in ways that are practical, applied and relevant to real work.

This matters because competence is not simply the possession of knowledge. It is the product of knowledge, skills, behaviours and experience. Understanding whole life carbon as a theoretical construct is important, but is not enough. Learners and workers need to understand how design choices, procurement decisions, material selection, sequencing, installation quality, maintenance, reuse and adaptation affect performance in real settings. The same is true of climate resilience. It is not enough to know that heat, flood, wind, water scarcity and other hazards are increasing. We need the capability to assess risk, make decisions, deliver interventions and learn from practice.

That requires a more iterative approach to curriculum and qualification design. Our understanding of climate resilience and whole life carbon is evolving rapidly. So too are technologies, standards, procurement models and client expectations. Training pathways cannot be allowed to lag years behind practice. They need a clearer core of mandatory competence, supported by flexible, responsive elements that can adapt to employer, regional and programme needs without undermining quality, safety or portability.

We need policy certainty, but not policy rigidity.”

Policy has a central role in enabling that shift. Industry cannot invest confidently in people, facilities, equipment and curriculum reform if the signals it receives are uncertain, fragmented or short term. We need policy certainty, but not policy rigidity. The aim should be iterative, purposeful and sustained policy development that gives the sector consistency, direction and assurance, while still allowing evidence, innovation and practice to shape implementation over time.

There is also more we can do to align approaches across the four nations. The construction workforce does not operate neatly within administrative boundaries. Employers, supply chains and professional standards move across the UK, yet qualification structures, funding models and curriculum arrangements are often disaggregated. Devolution rightly allows different nations to respond to their own economic, social and policy context, but divergence should not become an unnecessary barrier to efficiency, workforce mobility or shared improvement. Greater alignment around competence, evidence and outcomes would help the sector respond more effectively to common challenges.

We should also be honest about the support educators need. Colleges, universities and training providers are being asked to prepare learners for a sector that is changing quickly. That cannot be achieved through curriculum documentation alone. Educators need exposure to emerging practice, live projects, manufacturers, design teams, contractors, clients and researchers. They need time and support to remain current. They also need stronger mechanisms for knowledge exchange with industry, particularly in areas where practice is developing faster than formal standards.

 

This is where the work of UKGBC and its members is so valuable. The roadmaps demonstrate the collective capability that exists across our industry. They also show the importance of collaboration, openness and humility. We should celebrate best practice, but we should also be prepared to acknowledge what is not working. There remains much we do not know, and an almost limitless number of ways in which we can improve.

At BE-ST, we firmly believe in the power of multidisciplinary collaboration. It is central to our skills and training programmes, our innovation activity and our work with partners across industry, academia and the public sector. It will also be central to this year’s , focused on driving delivery.

My Call to Action in Simple

Engage with the UKGBC roadmaps. Actively highlight the work you and your organisation are doing that demonstrates best practice. Be open and honest about the barriers, gaps and unintended consequences you are experiencing. Seek support where you need it, and offer collaboration where you can. Most importantly, support your local colleges, universities and training providers to embed the principles of climate resilience and whole life carbon literacy into their curriculum.

Roadmaps matter because they help us see the route ahead. But delivery depends on people. If we want a built environment that is low carbon, resilient and fit for the future, we need to invest in the competence, confidence and capability of the people who will make it real.

The post Skills, Resilience and Whole Life Carbon: Turning Roadmaps into Delivery appeared first on UKGBC.

Recalibrate is our leadership programme for C-Suite execs and board members. The first in-person touchpoint of this programme is called ‘Night at the Museum’. Do not put too much emphasis on the title- it is an evening in a heritage space – so neither a night nor a museum makes a debut in this event. If you did think about the movie though, you might be getting warmer, very much like our planet. I did find myself in Ben Stiller’s shoes because very much like the plot of the movie, I did not really know what I had signed up for until the sun went down and took the spotlight and brought to life all the characters playing a role in climate change. Before he takes the stage, we open with an exercise on sharing what is the legacy the cohort wants to leave behind. A thought-provoking talk and a gripping conversation later, we close the evening with a lovely dinner to mark the beginning of a six-month journey they will all be embarking on from that point.

Leave a Legacy

This July evening, set against the backdrop of the with its 17th century panelling and Georgian chandeliers, opens with a small activity set up in the kick off call with the cohort a week before. Each delegate is asked to bring along, given that it is transportable, an object that symbolises the legacy they want to leave behind.

Every year we have a cornucopia of the most unexpected items but surprisingly what lies at the core of all of them is the hope and optimism it represents. This year the themes covered the desire to ‘becoming a better global citizen, working through the system rather than being bogged down by it, and helping create a built environment by it housing, infrastructure or the natural ecosystem that contains it all’. What stood out for me was how much, directly or indirectly, all the professionals on an individual level hold themselves accountable for what we are creating and leaving behind on this planet.

 

I used to think I understood climate change until i heard jonathon’s talk. i think it’s the shock of understanding the magnitude of the problem we are in that leaves everyone feeling slightly discombulated every year.”

I have always related to the feeling mostly because that might have been the first thing taught to me in architecture school. I recall scribbling in my notebook, ‘Be mindful of what you draw, because a couple of lines on a roll of paper will end up becoming something that you cannot erase as easily as the line that started it.’ However, when one enters the professional world and unintentionally, albeit inevitably, becomes a teeny tiny cog in a huge machine, it is hard to experience any kind of connection between one’s decisions and the impact of the eventual result again.��This connection will be brought to the forefront as we hand over the mic to our��guest speaker.

Jonathon Porritt

Jonathon has an impressive background in climate change and built environment sustainability, but all of his accolades cannot put into words what he adds to this programme. I have always found his talk gripping for the balance that he strikes between the urgent and desperate need for action, against the ‘toxic hope’ he says he holds within himself to be able to continue striving for the change we need to galvanise if we have any chance of making sure that the planet does not shake us off.

He paints a picture of the quagmire we have managed to trap ourselves into. This year he explained how the manifestation of extractive capitalism that let the market forces run without proper control until now is more durable and shockproof than us and the ‘Goldilocks climate’ that has actualised humanity and the rest of the living planet.��Drawing on the words of from his book , Jonathon compared this manifestation to a wendigo, a mythical cannibalistic creature from indigenous folklore, whose insatiable appetite isn’t for its nourishment but for the sake of it.

What’s worse, he adds, is that it has remoulded humans into happy well-behaved consumers with a psychological pattern to accumulate with barely to no regard for anyone or anything else. There is something emotional about listening to these fast approaching tipping points in a centuries old room that may have stood the test of time until now, but is approaching a bleak future with every passing day of inaction. For me it makes these tipping points seem closer and unavoidable than ever.

After a very heart breaking reality check on the gradual decline of the sustainability agenda against a soaring graph of population and GDP, he brings that aforementioned hope by sharing some very interesting mini-revolutions emerging across the globe, be it Australia’s Solar Sharer offer or Pakistani farmers’ grass roots movement of replacing diesel engines with solar panels. Against dusky skies, it dawned on all of us sitting in that circle, that though there is hope for the future with such brilliant initiatives, the scale of change is nowhere close to being enough leaving the room in an almost eerie silence.

Allowing the group a couple of moments of reflection, Jonathon brought the onus back to the people in the room and what role they can play in swerving us off this path we are on. Everyone discussed how the lack of technical knowledge among politicians builds a barrier for the industry to make short term trade-offs in sacrifice of a better future but the question still remains – what can be done ‘by us’ to support what needs to be done.

As professionals, we indeed find ourselves so bogged into the day to day and the languages of business model. Some days it’s all about carbon, others is about circularity, only to realise that biodiversity net gain has not been mentioned at all. A couple years ago we called it sustainability, these days we cannot get enough regenerative design. However, as Jonathon puts it, whatever language we decide to use – sustainability, resilience, regeneration, it needs to be out there, talked about. The business-as-usual side is winning not just because they might not understand what we are asking for but mostly due to lack of understandable and relatable narrative from our end. One of the delegate’s closing example really stayed with me – we might get more folks on board with renewables if we change the narrative associated to solar panels as an energy security measure, rather than a sustainability measure.

More Food for Thought

After such an engaging conversation, it is only right to��move to a��convivial close. The group went on to get to know each other��and unpack what stood out for them.��The topics spanned everything from��plans for the upcoming summer holidays��to the��possibilities��for the fossil fuel industry��set against��the��unshakable��Trump��administration��alongside UK’s��(yet again)��new administration.��Jonathon left the group with��the words,��‘collectively the question we need to raise is how can we find ways of living that are compatible with the natural world, support justice and fairness for humanity and future generations to come.’��

The table closed��with��the feeling I shared��from the very beginning –��by acknowledging��the privilege of being in this room, around this table and celebrate the opportunity of having these conversations. I am looking forward to hearing more��such��discussions��and what this��group of individuals go on to do in��materialising the legacy they want to leave behind.

The post Leave a Legacy: Thoughts on Recalibrate’s Night at the Museum appeared first on UKGBC.