FOOTPRINT 2025 - Seminar Session

How can the much-heralded UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard be used as a tool to transform your existing buildings and retrofit schemes? This panel features technical team members behind the Standard, as well as industry leaders applying it to real-world retrofit projects during its pilot phase.Discover practical insights, challenges, and successes as we prepare for the Standard’s Version 1 launch in late 2025, and inspire your journey toward net-zero retrofits.

Flexible workspace is an effective solution for growing businesses as their needs evolve, but frequent tenant turnover can lead to increased construction waste. The koba @ 100 Barbirolli Square team tackled this challenge directly by pioneering sustainable, circular materials, ensuring business growth aligns with environmental priorities.

Circularity was embedded at every stage, from establishing the organisation's strategy through to completion. This approach has resulted in a high-quality space showcasing circular solutions, all documented in a material passport.

Designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and completed in 1983, the IBM Building is a bold presence in the buzzing cultural playground of the South Bank. Developer Stanhope is sensitively refurbishing and extending this Grade II listed Brutalist treasure to update it for contemporary office occupiers and give it a longterm,  energy-efficient future.

Retaining 80% of the original structure’s concrete has minimised the CO2 emissions generated by the retrofit works. Fabric improvements and improvements to services will reduce operational energy consumption by 50%. Targeting BREEAM outstanding, EPC A rating and a NABERS 5 star rating will bring the building right up to date without compromising its status as a key Listed building in the historic Southbank composition.

Explore how vertical extensions can unlock new potential in existing buildings through real-world case studies such as HYLO, the Mary Ward Centre, and 1 Appold Street. Learn from IStructE's expert panel, who will discuss the benefits and complexities of building upward, including the importance of establishing the right vision for the project brief, assembling the right team, and engaging the engineers at the right time. You will leave with actionable insights and strategies to confidently pursue vertical extensions that maximise asset value and sustainability.

Implementing material reuse requires the construction industry to learn new ways of collaborating, pushing boundaries of the traditional project structures. Effective collaboration, following practical steps, is essential to identify and implement reuse opportunities.

Resolving onsite reuse strategies should be the first objective for project teams, but when reuse on-site isn’t feasible, how do we work across projects to enable the circular economy? Can competitors become collaborators to deliver greater value for all and improve efficiencies beyond the project scope?