FOOTPRINT+ podcasts

Future Homes Standard: Consultation Workshop

MCS Foundation will chair a session covering the implications of the government proposals including the 6 specifications under consideration and the implications these have for new build homes.
With detailed analysis from the Federation of Master Builders, Heat Pump Federation and solar industry, the panel will conclude with a Q&A to help people to respond to the request for consultation responses.

Timber in social housing

Timber construction is used for more than 25% of all housing in the UK, largely using MMC resulting in an increase in build quality, speed of erection and less wastage of materials, driving down both embodied energy and energy bills for tenants long term. 
Timber housing is procured by housing associations, housebuilders and local authorities. This session provides a roundup of new and exciting products and projects embracing all aspects of the efficiency and reduction in carbon these buildings achieve.

Healthcare revitalises the high street

Drawing from the findings of their collaborative white paper ‘ Shopping for Health’ the panel will set out an exciting agenda for the vacant premises on Britain’s high streets delivering:
revitalisation of town centres saving embodied carbon of defunct shopping facilities and repurposing for very needed facilities
easy access for communities to softer healthcare offer such as counselling and other consultations
freeing up space in heavily-serviced acute healthcare facilities for acute services
Join NHS Dorset who can explain how they are putting these opportunities into practice saving carbon, and the designers and consultants who have helped shaped the initiative.

Carbon optioneering at the pre-application stage – is it the change we need?

The City of London Corporation published a ground-breaking draft Planning Advisory Note on whole lifecycle carbon optioneering during Footprint 2022, as part of their commitment to work towards net zero carbon for both embodied and operational carbon emissions. 
This Carbon Options Guidance was officially adopted and launched in April 2023, following a detailed consultation process with the industry. This session invites the audience to join an open debate with the City of London Corporation and the guide’s key authors, Hilson Moran, and share their experiences with delivery of the new pre-application requirements in the current market.
For more information and for a copy of the guide, see the sustainable planning requirements page on the City of London’s website.

Regulation and policy for embedding a circular economy

A workshop session on early forms of policy and regulation, including some unintended consequences of well-intentioned schemes. We ask the questions:
How can we overcome the barriers to meaningful regulation?
How can we avoid the creation of new carbon economies from circularity?
What is the future of waste management industry?
Will we see the development of new skills?

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

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?

Mass Timber Insurance Playbook: Intro and Workshop

The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook has been written with input from all disciplines involved in the development of timber buildings.
Aligned with RIBA stages the playbook sets out what should be considered by designers, developers, fabricators and insurance intermediaries to communicate clearly with the insurance industry at every stage in the design and procurement process.

The UK NZC Building Standard

What is a Net Zero Carbon building? How can it be defined given the different factors that impact on building types and new builds vs. retrofits? There is a clear demand for an agreed methodology but in aiming to respond to 14 separate building types, can there be just one?
The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard aims to enable the industry to robustly prove their built assets meet an agreed net zero carbon standard. Hear from the team on progress.

Retrofit First, Not Retrofit Only

In 2022, the London Property Association published ‘Retrofit First, Not Retrofit Only’ illustrating the spectrum of recent Net Zero Carbon commercial projects undertaken to date across Westminster and City of London. The case studies demonstrate the importance of allowing for flexibility through both retrofit and redevelopment approaches, providing examples of typical challenges and opportunities. This session presents key findings and invites questions from the audience.

Nature restoration as a route to a circular economy

By moving from a take-make-waste linear economy to a circular economy, we support natural processes and leave more room for nature to thrive. How can nature restoration and the building of natural capital be spear headed and supported by the construction industry to create a thriving circular economy. And do nature based solutions sit at the heart of this?