FOOTPRINT+ podcasts

Timber for Retrofit and Extensions

Deep retrofit of commercial buildings often aims to increase useable floor area whilst maintain the existing structure. Timber is a lightweight structural material whose additional load can frequently be added to existing buildings without the need to upgrade existing structure especially the foundations. Key protagonists of such projects give an introduction to what you need to know drawing from their wide experience.

UK Green Taxonomy: Update and Q&A

The UK Green Taxonomy is intended to provide a common framework for investments that can be defined as environmentally sustainable. It is an opportunity for the UK to set a high bar globally with a rigorous, science-based taxonomy that helps accelerate green finance and support the UK’s transition to a net zero economy.
The Green Taxonomy Advisory Group provide an update on progress since last year and answer all your questions about its’ implications once implemented.

Commercial Buildings in Timber

Mass timber structure is being used for larger and more ambitious commercial buildings than ever before.
In this session we ask what has changed to enable the use of timber in these buildings and chart a possible trajectory for the growth of timber as a carbon-negative structural material in the commercial sector.

Breakfast Briefing: The Future is Timber with Built By Nature

Developers seeking to adopt timber on increasingly large and complex schemes are joining forces with architects devising inventive methods of biobased construction. This Breakfast Briefing will spotlight projects by three Built by Nature Frontrunners, using timber and biobased materials for low-carbon health, housing and commercial development.
Built by Nature is a network and grant fund with a mission for our built environment to work in closer unity with nature through the increased use of timber and biobased materials. Our frontrunner network brings together organisations that are leading the way, adopting these low-carbon materials on developments and collaborating to create an unstoppable movement that is transforming the way that buildings are constructed.
Anna-Lisa McSweeney from White Arkitekter will speak about the practice’s proposed design for the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, which aims to be the UK’s “most sustainable hospital” when completed. Turning to commercial buildings, Alexia Laird will present Landsec’s Timber Square in Southwark, central London; a 14-storey partial retrofit and vertical extension that looks set to create a new precedent for urban commercial development in the UK. Kelly Harrison from Whitby Wood will show us how we can build on top of our cities with timber, retrofitting existing buildings and vertically extending them, creating additional floor space and storing carbon on top of our existing built environment.
Finally, Andy Tugby from Human Nature will talk about the developer’s plans for the Phoenix industrial estate in Lewes, where they have employed a phalanx of the UK’s most renowned architects to transform this brownfield site into the country’s largest timber residential development, a car-free mixed-use utopia set against the backdrop of the South Downs National Park.  

NABERS UK - A Tool for Investors to Drive Improvement in Energy Performance of Buildings in association with Greengage

NABERS UK is becoming the rating of choice for property owners to measure and improve the energy performance of buildings. A number of industry bodies in the UK have acknowledged the critical role NABERS UK will play in delivering Net Zero and have since incorporated it within their own standards and guidance. 
What sets NABERS UK apart? 
How are property owners, lenders and investors using NABERS UK to drive and finance change?
Do we need a cultural shift to roll out NABERS UK at scale and what will assist the transition?

Procurement sets the scene for Decarbonisation via a Circular Economy

Despite advances in circularity in some supply chains generally that has been little change in procurement behaviour. We examine what this needs to look like to support the introduction of circularity into construction supply chains covering:
How does circular procurement differ between Tier 1 and Tier 2 contracting?
What are the procurement clauses required to support it?
How do we move from a minimum standard to an optimum standard of circularity?
What lessons learned from the public sector can be transferred?

Carbon estimating for the construction industry

Building modelling can offer very accurate quantities of material used in our designs but carbon calculations rely on accurate data about the embodied carbon in the materials. Different parties are using different carbon factors on which carbon optioneering is being carried out and decisions are being made. 
How can we identify consistent carbon data and establish a consensus on the figures to be used? 
Hear from the team behind the Built Environment Carbon Database and Future Homes Hub on the establishment of this tool.

Countdown to zero - with Hydrock

With an expert panel in situ, join us to debate how we tackle the main obstacles to achieving decarbonisation. As voted by you, our guests, we will have a live countdown of the main challenges to successfully meeting net zero targets.

The future of low-carbon leisure: Decarbonise or build new?

In association with Willmott Dixon Group
Local authorities have been struck hard by the increase in fuel prices especially in the running of leisure centres. These energy-hungry buildings typically run on fossil fuels and the spiralling costs have prompted many local authorities to review the long term plans for these facilities. This panel looks at the business case for different levels of intervention: retrofitting or low-carbon new build utilising worked examples from Spelthorne Borough Council, along with specialist consultants in this field.

Designing out material redundancy

What progress has been made in regards using Circular Economy principles to reduce material use as an intrinsic part of the design process? Including approaches to questioning your brief, themes such as Design for Manufacture, Design for Disassembly, longevity and adaptability. Principles will be explored through the design and delivery process using real life case studies, including findings from innovative R&D projects.