Preview: Futurebuild

Catalyst for change

Tackling climate change is at the heart of the agenda for Futurebuild 2020 which aims to inspire visitors to come together to be a catalyst for change

Recent climate change demonstrations and government declarations make one thing clear; we must all come together to take action against the climate change challenges we are facing. Put simply, without collaboration, we will fail.

Against this backdrop, Futurebuild 2020, which runs from 3–5 March at ExCeL London, will inspire visitors to join fellow industry leaders and innovators to be the catalyst for change that is so urgently needed to help deliver a more sustainable built environment.

Setting the agenda

Futurebuild’s highly regarded three-day arena programme is returning for 2020, bigger and better than ever before. It has been developed with leading partners from across industry. The sessions focusing on solving the current climate and ecological crisis led by politicians, academics and industry shapers will offer visitors a wide range of opportunities to broaden their knowledge. Unmissable sessions include ‘Who’s in charge of the climate crisis?’ on day one. Led by Aldersgate group chair Joan Walley it will explore the fundamental transformation that is needed in UK climate policy to alleviate the climate crisis and will invite input from the audience. On day two ‘carbon neutral cities of the future’ will feature a panel including London Mayoral Candidate Rory Stewart. It will explore the pathway to healthier, more resilient cities.

Opportunities to learn, debate and discuss the biggest issues facing the built environment are not limited to the Arena and extend across the whole event. While discussions on the arena stage will focus on the biggest issues facing the built environment at a macro level, six keynote stages will look at the specific challenges impacting offsite, resourceful materials, buildings, energy, interiors, and critical infrastructure.

This programme of solution-driven sessions will share the latest thinking and research, to educate, inform and inspire visitors to make

a positive change. Each day, the six stages will host a focused keynote presentation by a recognised expert in their field.

The six keynote stages will address the following challenges: • Offsite: reliability and efficiency combined with creative placemaking • Buildings: retrofitted, re-used, net positive and built to perform • Interiors: sustainable and health promoting • Resourceful Materials: thinking circular to reduce, reuse and recycle • Energy: accurate data for carbon accounting and reduced clean energy usage • Critical Infrastructure: delivering integrated green, grey, blue and social infrastructure The Offsite Keynote stage will focus on the most innovative offsite products, solutions and materials that are driving change in the sector. Sessions not to be missed include: ‘Materials for offsite construction’, chaired by Neil Appleton, construction lead, National Composites Centre. The session on day one will explore the latest innovations in material, manufacturing and product solutions. On day two ‘Structural Timber Construction, delivering safe and sustainable building’, chaired by Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of STA, will discuss the STA’s sustainability credentials of timber in construction.

The Buildings Keynote Stage will focus on the latest thinking and initiatives in building quality and performance. Key sessions include ‘Building a Safer Future - what steps are being taken towards fundamental reform?’ The session taking place on the first day will be chaired by Peter Caplehorn, from the Construction Products Association.

‘The Future Homes Standard 2025 – when, what, how?’ session taking place on the third day will be chaired by Lynne Sullivan, co-founding partner of sustainableBYdesign.

The Resourceful Materials Keynote Stage programme will bring together experts in material and design innovation from across Europe. Sessions not to be missed include: ‘What are Resourceful Materials?’ where Duncan Baker-Brown senior lecturer University of Brighton 

co-founder of BBM Sustainable Design will discuss strategies for using less of planet earth’s natural resources by ‘Mining the Anthropocene’. Baker-Brown will be interviewed by Cat Fletcher Co-Founder of FREEGLE + Brighton & Hove City Resource Manager.

Beyond the stages

Around each keynote stage will be an exhibition of innovative brands, offering unique solutions to the challenges discussed in the companion knowledge programme. It will feature some of the largest headline brands in the sector, alongside SMEs and start-up organisations, creating a dedicated platform to connect these companies with forward-thinking specifiers and buyers.

The Offsite section also promises to be unmissable for professionals working across the industry, presenting solutions as pressure builds on the construction industry to deliver reliable and efficient buildings which balance demand with creative placemaking. This section will be home to the MPBA (Modular and Portable Building Association) pavilion and lounge and the Structural Timber Association Village, as well as demonstrations of new systems and advances from across the world. The exciting section will explore the latest thinking, solutions and technology in offsite. Key exhibitors include: Structural Timber Association, British Precast, and Offsite Solutions.

New for 2020 is Resourceful Materials, which brings together the very best elements from the hugely successful Materials area and Waste Zone from previous editions of the event. This section will be focused on the pressing need to use materials more responsibly. It will unite the latest innovations, research and understanding in mainstream materials such as concrete and steel, with ground-breaking approaches to improving material efficiency through a circular model based on the principles of reducing, re-using and recycling. Key features include: the Green Building TV Studio, hosted by Ecomerchant and the Circular Innovation Showcase. The natural building materials area also returns for 2020 alongside TRADA and Wood for Good who will focus on timber pioneers.

The Buildings section at Futurebuild 2020 will cover everything from retrofit to re-use, to making buildings net positive. Visitors will be able to explore and discuss the latest building technology, innovations and legislation following on from last year’s success, this area has been expanded to include two new showcase areas; the Whole House Retrofit Zone and the Digital Impact Zone. These spaces will enable visitors to deep-dive into refurb and retrofit solutions and experience the latest developments in digital construction.

With innovation running through the whole event, Futurebuild has announced the UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) Transforming Construction Challenge partners are joining forces as its Lead Innovation

Partner. The Challenge is made up of three organisations – The Active Building Centre, the Construction Innovation Hub, and the Transforming Construction Network Plus. Together, these organisations are unleashing and nurturing the construction sector’s innovative potential by working with industry and academia to drive change in how we build our buildings. They want to ensure we build safer, healthier, more affordable, more energy efficient buildings which deliver better outcomes for those who use them and for wider society.

The centrepiece of the partners’ presence at Futurebuild 2020 will be a centrally located Innovation Lounge. With the Challenge offering a range of opportunities for UK-based researchers and businesses, the lounge will provide visitors with the opportunity to meet with experts across the three organisations and find out how they can become involved.

Alongside the TCC partners, brands and organisations that are leading the charge when it comes to innovation will be recognised through a dedicated Innovation Trail. A guided route will take visitors on a journey through the event enabling them to learn more about the latest thinking from these leading brands, including, ACO Technologies, Renson, Steico, 540 World, Smart Systems and Forterra.

The game changers are back

Championing innovation is the central purpose of Futurebuild and the 2020 event sees the return of the Big Innovation Pitch. Hosted across the event, in conjunction with BRE as technical partner, the competition is industry’s largest call-out for innovation to date and will identify and celebrate novel new approaches to tackle the biggest challenges facing us all.

Shortlisted entrants will present their ground-breaking ideas on each of the six keynote stages on day one, before finalists go head-to-head in the arena on day two. A panel of renowned judges will determine the overall winning idea, which will be incorporated into BRE Academy Training and showcased in the BRE Innovation Park.

Martin Hurn, event director of Futurebuild, said: “The responsibility for tackling the climate emergency lies in all of our hands and we must collaborate in order to find solutions to secure our future. Futurebuild 2020 provides the perfect platform for forward-thinking decision makers across the built environment to come together and play a key part in driving positive change.

“Innovation to us is more than just futuristic concepts, it’s about sharing the latest thinking and ideas, processes and solutions, products and materials. All of these things coming together under one roof at Futurebuild 2020 will inspire people to do things differently and create real change.”.

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