Nature | UKGBC /our-work/nature/ The voice of our sustainable built environment Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:21:11 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 /wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-UKGBC-favicon-1.png Nature | UKGBC /our-work/nature/ 32 32 UKGBC launches Regenerative Places Framework for Housing /news/ukgbc-launches-regenerative-places-framework-for-housing/ Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:53:46 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=71840 By asking how value is created and defined, the framework sets out a regenerative vision…

The post UKGBC launches Regenerative Places Framework for Housing appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> By asking how value is created and defined, the framework sets out a regenerative vision for housing and urges professionals to embed a collaborative approach – from the earliest stages on a project to beyond handover – inviting them to create change through supporting a ‘charter for implementing regenerative places’.

Building on established industry models and standards, the framework takes an expanded approach to value creation by establishing nine ‘Dimensions of Place’. It then identifies six key transitions needed to enable a regenerative approach and sets out the policy levers needed to enable regenerative approaches. It also highlights practical case studies from projects in design and completion.

The framework is designed for industry professionals who fund, plan, commission, design, deliver and steward new housing and retrofit, including; local authorities, housing providers and professionals across planning, design, development and construction. It also serves as a good reference for community organisations, public services and others shaping the long-term outcomes of place.

 

Simon McWhirter, chief executive of UKGBC, said:

In its essence, rather than doing less harm, this framework sets out the conditions in which industry can instead focus its attention and efforts on delivering positive change across national, social and economic systems, delivering real and long-lasting benefits to local people, communities and places.

In effect – weaving together the opportunities for change to help us craft really thriving places for the future.”

Download the Framework here

Regenerative Places

Our programme utilises a place-based retrofit strategy to enhance local network capacity, strengthen resilience against future climate-related challenges, and deliver broad regenerative benefits to communities.
View more

The post UKGBC launches Regenerative Places Framework for Housing appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Sustainable Thinking: A Beginner’s Guide for the Built Environment (Virtual) /events/sustainable-thinking-a-beginners-guide-for-the-built-environment-virtual/ Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:30:08 +0000 /?post_type=event&p=71553 Develop your core knowledge about sustainability in the built environment on this engaging online introductory course.

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

]]> The built environment currently contributes around 25% of annual CO2 emissions, and has a huge impact on biodiversity globally. Improving the sustainability of the built environment is imperative if we are to reduce our impact on the planet, and adapt to a changing climate. 

On this four-module online course, you’ll learn about the current context – the climate and ecological emergency, and the built environment impact. You’ll read and discuss the core concepts, and the ways we can improve sustainability of the built environment. You’ll understand the importance of the built environment in fighting the climate and ecological emergency, and the role you can play in influencing change. By the end, you’ll feel equipped to advocate for sustainable building design and delivery and be empowered to apply this knowledge in your own organisation. 

What will you achieve? 

On completing this course, you’ll be able to:
Describe the key concepts and examples of sustainability in the built environment
Apply your knowledge to your work
Contribute positively to influence sustainability outcomes within your own built environment

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. 

How does it work?

1
Sign-up for course dates that work for you via Eventbrite. You’ll receive a confirmation email.
2
The Friday before your course starts, we’ll add you on our learning platform – you’ll receive a notification.
3
From the course start date, you’ll be able to log in and start learning!
4
You’ll have access to the course for four weeks, but you can progress through the course at your own pace.
5
Read through all modules to compete the course and receive a certificate.

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.

]]> Carbon Reduction Essentials in the Built Environment  (Virtual) /events/carbon-reduction-essentials-in-the-built-environment-virtual-2/ Wed, 02 Sep 2026 15:02:37 +0000 /?post_type=event&p=71509 Understand how the built environment contributes to climate change and how sustainable buildings can lead to a low carbon future in this four module introductory on-demand course.

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

]]>
The built environment currently contributes around 25% of annual CO2 emissions in the UK. Therefore, improving the sustainability of the built environment is imperative if we are to avert the worst of climate change. 

On this detailed and comprehensive four-module on-demand course, you’ll be introduced to climate change and low carbon design in the built environment, and the different approaches to reducing the carbon in buildings in the UK. 

We’ll look at the frameworks, tools and resources from UKGBC and across industry that help to understand, measure and reduce the embodied and operational carbon emissions from the built environment.  

By the end, you’ll feel equipped to advocate for low carbon building design and delivery, and be able to apply your knowledge to your work. 

What Will you Achieve?

On completing this course, you’ll be able to:

Understand key concepts relating to carbon emissions and reduction in the built environment
Compare practices and techniques to reduce carbon in buildings globally
Know what tools and resources are available to help drive down emissions
Confidently apply your knowledge to your work
Develop a plan to positively influence low-carbon outcomes within your own built environment and your role.

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. 

How does it work?

1
Sign-up for course dates that work for you via Eventbrite. You’ll receive a confirmation email.
2
The Friday before your course starts, we’ll add you on our learning platform – you’ll receive a notification and an email from our learning team confirming your enrolment.
3
From the course start date, you’ll be able to log in and start learning!
4
You’ll have access to the course for four weeks, but you can progress through the course at your own pace.
5
Read through all modules to compete the course and receive a certificate.

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.

]]> Building for a Changing Climate: Foundations of Resilience and Adaptation (Virtual)  /events/building-for-a-changing-climate-foundations-of-resilience-and-adaptation-virtual-3/ Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:58:19 +0000 /?post_type=event&p=71507 Discover the fundamentals of climate resilience and adaptation in the built environment in this four module on-demand course.

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

]]> Course Overview  


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 Will you Achieve?

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to…

Understand what climate resilience is in the built environment
Understand adaptation measures and their application
Describe the key hazards and risks that climate change poses to our built environment
Understand how resilience relates to other key ways in which we need to address the climate and ecological emergency
Recognise the progress that must be made in the built environment in the coming years and decades in order to build climate resilience
Contribute positively to influence resilience outcomes within your own built environment
Apply your knowledge to your work, community or home

How does it work?

1
Sign-up for course dates that work for you via Eventbrite. You’ll receive a confirmation email.
2
The Friday before your course starts we’ll add you to our learning platform. You’ll receive a notification.
3
From the course start date, you’ll be able to log in and start learning!
4
You’ll have access to the course for four weeks, but you can progress through the course at your own pace.
5
Read through all modules and participate in the activities to complete the course and receive a certificate.

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.

]]> Building for a Changing Climate: Foundations of Resilience and Adaptation (Virtual)  /events/building-for-a-changing-climate-foundations-of-resilience-and-adaptation-virtual-2/ Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:34:22 +0000 /?post_type=event&p=71505 Discover the fundamentals of climate resilience and adaptation in the built environment in this four module on-demand course.

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

]]> Course Overview  


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 Will you Achieve?

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to…

Understand what climate resilience is in the built environment
Understand adaptation measures and their application
Describe the key hazards and risks that climate change poses to our built environment
Understand how resilience relates to other key ways in which we need to address the climate and ecological emergency
Recognise the progress that must be made in the built environment in the coming years and decades in order to build climate resilience
Contribute positively to influence resilience outcomes within your own built environment
Apply your knowledge to your work, community or home

How does it work?

1
Sign-up for course dates that work for you via Eventbrite. You’ll receive a confirmation email.
2
The Friday before your course starts we’ll add you to our learning platform. You’ll receive a notification.
3
From the course start date, you’ll be able to log in and start learning!
4
You’ll have access to the course for four weeks, but you can progress through the course at your own pace.
5
Read through all modules and participate in the activities to complete the course and receive a certificate.

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.

]]> Carbon Reduction Essentials in the Built Environment  (Virtual) /events/carbon-reduction-essentials-in-the-built-environment-virtual/ Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:28:42 +0000 /?post_type=event&p=71503 Understand how the built environment contributes to climate change and how sustainable buildings can lead to a low carbon future in this four module introductory on-demand course.

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

]]>
The built environment currently contributes around 25% of annual CO2 emissions in the UK. Therefore, improving the sustainability of the built environment is imperative if we are to avert the worst of climate change. 

On this detailed and comprehensive four-module on-demand course, you’ll be introduced to climate change and low carbon design in the built environment, and the different approaches to reducing the carbon in buildings in the UK. 

We’ll look at the frameworks, tools and resources from UKGBC and across industry that help to understand, measure and reduce the embodied and operational carbon emissions from the built environment.  

By the end, you’ll feel equipped to advocate for low carbon building design and delivery, and be able to apply your knowledge to your work. 

What Will you Achieve?

On completing this course, you’ll be able to:

Understand key concepts relating to carbon emissions and reduction in the built environment
Compare practices and techniques to reduce carbon in buildings globally
Know what tools and resources are available to help drive down emissions
Confidently apply your knowledge to your work
Develop a plan to positively influence low-carbon outcomes within your own built environment and your role.

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. 

How does it work?

1
Sign-up for course dates that work for you via Eventbrite. You’ll receive a confirmation email.
2
The Friday before your course starts, we’ll add you on our learning platform – you’ll receive a notification and an email from our learning team confirming your enrolment.
3
From the course start date, you’ll be able to log in and start learning!
4
You’ll have access to the course for four weeks, but you can progress through the course at your own pace.
5
Read through all modules to compete the course and receive a certificate.

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.

]]> Building for a Changing Climate: Foundations of Resilience and Adaptation (Virtual)  /events/building-for-a-changing-climate-foundations-of-resilience-and-adaptation-virtual/ Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:27:07 +0000 /?post_type=event&p=71501 Discover the fundamentals of climate resilience and adaptation in the built environment in this four module on-demand course.

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

]]> Course Overview  


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 Will you Achieve?

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to…

Understand what climate resilience is in the built environment
Understand adaptation measures and their application
Describe the key hazards and risks that climate change poses to our built environment
Understand how resilience relates to other key ways in which we need to address the climate and ecological emergency
Recognise the progress that must be made in the built environment in the coming years and decades in order to build climate resilience
Contribute positively to influence resilience outcomes within your own built environment
Apply your knowledge to your work, community or home

How does it work?

1
Sign-up for course dates that work for you via Eventbrite. You’ll receive a confirmation email.
2
The Friday before your course starts we’ll add you to our learning platform. You’ll receive a notification.
3
From the course start date, you’ll be able to log in and start learning!
4
You’ll have access to the course for four weeks, but you can progress through the course at your own pace.
5
Read through all modules and participate in the activities to complete the course and receive a certificate.

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.

]]> Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum x Supply Chain /events/climate-resilience-and-adaptation-forum-x-supply-chain/ Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:36:02 +0000 /?post_type=event&p=71184 Join us for this special session, part of the Resilience and Adaptation Forum, focusing on the intersection of climate resilience, adaptation, and supply chain engagement and how these areas are deeply interconnected.

The post Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum x Supply Chain appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> A special session, part of the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum, focused on Supply Chain.

Supply chains both influence and are increasingly exposed to climate risks. This session will explore where climate resilience and supply chains intersect, discussing the challenges and opportunities associated with sourcing, material choices, procurement, distribution and collaboration across the value chain, while considering how organisations can balance resilience, sustainability and long-term value.

Potential discussion themes may* include:

  • Understanding climate risks and vulnerabilities across supply chains.
  • Material choices, resource efficiency and designing for long-term resilience.
  • Circular economy, regenerative approaches and resource security.
  • Collaboration across the value chain to strengthen resilience and reduce systemic risk.

    *A living conversation, shaped by you. While each session has a broad theme, the discussion itself will be guided by the experiences, questions and case studies brought by participants. We want these forums to be dynamic, collaborative and relevant, following the conversations that generate the greatest value for everyone involved.

Who Should Apply?

UKGBC forums are a membership benefit. This forum will be particularly appealing to the insurance industry and building owners and occupiers.

The post Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum x Supply Chain appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum x Finance, Value and Risk /events/climate-resilience-and-adaptation-forum-x-finance-value-and-risk/ Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:28:18 +0000 /?post_type=event&p=71178 Join us for this special session, part of the Resilience and Adaptation Forum, focusing on the intersection of climate resilience, adaptation, and finance, value and risk management.

The post Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum x Finance, Value and Risk appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> A special session, part of the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum, focused on Finance, Value and Risk.

As climate impacts become increasingly material to organisations, understanding risk, value and financial implications is becoming ever more important. In this session, we will explore where climate resilience intersects with finance, risk and value, discussing the challenges and opportunities organisations face in making the business case for adaptation, translating resilience into the language of finance and risk, and recognising the long-term value of investing in resilience.

Potential discussion themes may* include:

  • Reframing climate resilience through the lens of financial risk and opportunity.
  • Quantifying the value and return on investment of adaptation measures.
  • Methodologies, metrics and evidence to support investment decisions.
  • Communicating resilience effectively to clients, investors and senior decision-makers.

    *A living conversation, shaped by you. While each session has a broad theme, the discussion itself will be guided by the experiences, questions and case studies brought by participants. We want these forums to be dynamic, collaborative and relevant, following the conversations that generate the greatest value for everyone involved.

Who Should Apply?

UKGBC forums are a membership benefit. This forum will be particularly appealing to the insurance industry and building owners and occupiers.

The post Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum x Finance, Value and Risk appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Resilient by Design: Putting Adaptation Back into the Climate Equation /news/resilient-by-design-putting-adaptation-back-into-the-climate-equation/ Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:57:30 +0000 /?post_type=news&p=71123 Britain's buildings, transport and drainage were built for a climate that's gone. Emma Howard Boyd CBE explains why adaptation can't wait any longer.

The post Resilient by Design: Putting Adaptation Back into the Climate Equation appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Last week I wrote to the Financial Times to make a simple argument: that adaptation has long been the neglected half of climate policy, and that this summer’s overheated hospitals, disrupted railways and closed classrooms show that resilience is an economic issue, not merely an environmental one. Cutting emissions does not remove the need to prepare for the climate that is already here. That argument was about our infrastructure, but it applies to the built environment in its entirety, because the infrastructure described in that letter does not exist in isolation from the buildings around it, and neither government’s response nor industry’s should treat buildings’ resilience as a standalone problem.

Heat does not stop at the platform edge or the hospital car park. A railway line that buckles in extreme heat sits alongside homes that overheat for exactly the same reason: both were designed and built for a climate that no longer exists. A wildfire burning outside a town ( as many communities across Europe, and even in the Scottish Highlands have experienced this month) is not a rural problem separate from the built environment; it is a direct threat to the homes, water supplies and infrastructure at the urban edge. A flooded substation and a flooded high street are symptoms of the same underlaying failure to plan for the climate conditions our infrastructure and buildings will actually face over their lifetimes, rather than the ones assumed when they were designed. Britain’s buildings, transport and drainage were never designed for the risks now arriving, but our buildings, transport and drainage are three expressions of the same system.

Treating them as separate policy conversations, run by separate teams and funded through separate budgets, is precisely how resilience keeps ending up as the neglected half.

Some of the sharpest leadership on this is already coming from City Hall. Sadiq Khan’s Heat Ready London plan, launched this summer, is the clearest example yet of a mayor treating heat as a whole-system issue rather than an emergency response: retrofitting the highest-risk homes, protecting the most vulnerable Londoners and building resilience into the fabric of the city rather than reacting only once a red warning is issued. It is exactly the joined-up thinking this argument calls for, and it is a template that should not stay within the M25.

The need for a joined-up response is not a new observation for UKGBC. It is the argument at the heart of the BuildingLife Ambassador Campaign: that mitigation, resilience and nature recovery are interdependent outcomes of a single system, not three items on a checklist to be worked through independently. A building that meets its carbon target but cannot cope with heat or flood risk has not solved the problem it was set up to solve. The same is true in reverse. Infrastructure resilience delivered without regard to the buildings it serves, or built environment policy delivered without regard to the wider infrastructure it depends on, will always fall short of what the moment demands.

That is why UKGBC’s Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap and the UK Climate Resilience Roadmap matter so much, and why this campaign matters now. Together, they provide the clearest picture yet of what a genuinely future-ready built environment requires: not just lower emissions, but buildings and places that can withstand the climate impacts already locked in. The Whole Life Carbon Roadmap gives industry and government a common pathway to decarbonise the built environment at pace, while the UK Climate Resilience Roadmap sets out the urgent policy changes needed to embed adaptation into everyday decisions, from planning and design to retrofit and investment. Without both these shifts happening in lockstep, we risk leaving people, places and infrastructure exposed to the impacts of a changing climate.

Adaptation should not be framed only as a Treasury exercise in reducing future liabilities. It is an investment in national prosperity, and the same is true of well-designed buildings. Well-designed adaptation restores nature, strengthens infrastructure, improves public health and underpins growth. Retrofit that improves thermal performance protects people from both winter cold and summer heat. Sustainable drainage integrated into new development protects the building and the street around it. Nature based solutions on and around buildings cool the surrounding area as well as the building itself. None of this is exotic. Much of it is already understood by the industry and demonstrated by the leadership pockets we see across the sector. What is missing is the whole system approach that would let this leadership become the norm rather than the exception.

That whole system approach cannot be delivered by industry alone, and it cannot be delivered by government alone either. This is where cooperation must move from aspiration to practice. Government sets the framework within which investment decisions get made: building regulations, planning policy, infrastructure investment criteria, and the price signals that determine what gets built and retrofitted, and to what standard. Industry holds the delivery capability, the technical expertise and the capital that can put those frameworks into action at scale. Neither can substitute for the other, and progress so far has been too dependent on individual leadership on both sides rather than being built into how the system operates.

The Climate Change Committee has repeatedly warned that progress remains inadequate. But evidence is no longer the barrier, leadership is.

Every major public investment should be assessed against the climate conditions it will face over its lifetime, and that principle should apply equally to every major building investment and retrofit decision, public and private, and it should be embedded across government, from Treasury spending decisions to planning and infrastructure policy. That means writing resilience requirements into planning policy and building standards with the same seriousness currently given to carbon, rather than treating adaptation as a follow up conversation once mitigation targets are settled.

With a new government now setting its priorities, the opportunity to embed that principle across policy is real. That government is led, for the first time, by a former mayor, and as Prime Minister Andy Burnham brings regional mayors into the newly revived National Economic Council, there is a genuine chance to turn heat resilience from a patchwork of local responses into a national mission. Burnham has seen the impacts before: as Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2018, Burnham visited crews fighting the Saddleworth Moor wildfires and had to press central government for air support and for assistance with the response costs. I would love to see the regional Mayors work together on preparing for the effects of extreme heat at a national scale now that one of their own leads the Government, rather than each simply reacting once a heatwave hits. Leaders met at the Council’s first sitting last week; I hope heat resilience was firmly on the agenda, and that it becomes part of the Government’s ten-year plan for growth.

The evidence is no longer the barrier. What is needed now is the cooperation between and within government and industry to act on it.

As , the new Prime Minister has said much about a politics rooted in place but little yet about the climate crisis, when its impact on the places we live should make this an urgent priority. Failing to close that gap would mean another parliament in which resilience investment continues to lag behind mitigation, planned and funded as though the two were unrelated. UKGBC’s Roadmaps exist to close that gap, and the BuildingLife Campaign exists to turn that evidence and ambition into policy change before the window for avoiding additional harm narrows further.

Building resilience into today’s decisions is not an additional cost, but rather the foundation of long-term economic security. The evidence is no longer the barrier. What is needed now is the cooperation between and within government and industry to act on it.

The post Resilient by Design: Putting Adaptation Back into the Climate Equation appeared first on UKGBC.

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