The Future of Sustainable Design

10 March 2025

P+HS had a wonderful time at Futurebuild this year, and we are more encouraged than ever by the forward momentum of sustainability in future building. With the built environment reportedly accounting for 42% of greenhouse gas emissions and the construction industry generating 62% of the UK’s waste, it is increasingly important that these issues are tackled on a mass scale.

At Futurebuild, we were inspired by a vast array of sustainability themes, from product innovations to talks and discussions covering every aspect of sustainability - thermal performance, renewable energy, energy efficiency upgrades, as well as nature, biodiversity, and creating better communities and wellbeing.

The National Retrofit Conference and Expo took place alongside Futurebuild at the London Excel Arena. As a member of The Retrofit Academy and part of the founding of ARC ( The Association of Retrofit Consultants), our P+HS stand was situated within the retrofit zone. It was invaluable to be located where there was a good atmosphere and excitement around the improvements and innovations that have been made in retrofit design and delivery, and how this can be improved.

We also attended The Retrofit Academy Awards 2025 on the first evening where those interested and involved within retrofit were able to come together and share in successes. We heard from a variety of key industry players from various companies and institutions with thought-provoking plans and insights. Labour Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, Minister for Energy Consumers was also in attendance at one of the panel discussions on Delivering Labour's Net Zero Vision which provoked diverse discussions.

Key discussions and talks were around delivering confidence in retrofitting, upskilling and quality assurance, including creating the right policies for this to happen with an easy to understand framework for all, and scaling the upgrades. Some projects highlighted significantly lower bills following retrofit which is encouraging.

Associate, Steve Jordison delivered a talk on our award winning retrofit Burneston Almshouses, a Grade II* listed building that underwent an extensive refurbishment and remodelling, sharing his expertise on the challenges and opportunities of retrofitting historic buildings. What was once a derelict site was transformed into high-quality homes that meet the needs of modern living, all while preserving the building’s historic character. This project is a great example of how the constraints of working with a listed building can spark innovation. Through the careful integration of modern technology and sensitive design, we were able to sympathetically and sustainably restore a historic space, providing much-needed homes for a rural community. His talk was well attended and received a good array of questions afterwards!

We met with quite a few familiar faces during the Futurebuild event, including but not limited to; OneClick which we have been using the platform for our carbon analysis, Architects Declare which we are a signatory providing an overview of their Regenerative Architectural Index, and The Passivhaus Trust for which our Passivhaus Designers are undergoing continued training. We were also able to connect with new peers which we look forward to collaborating with.

"Our key takeaway this year is one of collaboration and how it is important that we as an industry keep knowledge sharing and working together towards a common goal. The phrases ‘sharing in our successes’ and ‘Inspiring action’ came up in various discussions and talks throughout the event which we believe is essential.

There were many thought provoking ideas and proposals for improving the circular economy and pushing innovation for the coming years to achieve net zero, reducing waste and improved practices across the entire industry. Looking back on the first year of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) was insightful as often an overlooked principal, discussions were had on how it is been handled, reviewing the successes and how improvements can be made. The loss of nature within the UK has been significant over the years and it is increasingly important that this is a key consideration across all projects and developments.

Pushing the innovation of processes, products and ideas is also an important aspect that the industry must push forward on which is something that we at P+HS strive to continue upholding. The thought process behind zero bills is an attractive concept to push forward on. Improving communities and wellbeing are ideologies which we have woven into our Practice ethos."

Laura Bell, Sustainability Lead.

Following on from the Futurebuild event we felt that the investment in sustainability, new products, and processes is refreshing. It has been most beneficial hearing from major companies and institutions, for instance National Grid on how we are striving for decarbonising the grid, and from numerous outlets pushing towards Net Zero and looking for ways to promote zero waste through regenerative design within the circular economy.

We have a social responsibility towards sustainability. As it's becoming increasingly evident that the built environment and construction industry significantly contribute to the CO2 emissions and waste produced in the UK, it is more important than ever that these challenges are addressed on a large scale. Sustainability in projects is also an asset for Clients by creating better places to live and work, internally and externally. At P+HS we are passionate about sustainability, social value, retrofit and driving best practices. It was an action packed few days at the event and we are looking to returning to P+HS to further inspire the team, our projects and our Clients.