The built environment is��increasingly��being asked to deliver on climate��mitigation,��resilience��and nature��recovery��at the same time.��At a macro level, our current ways of working are not yet set up to do that, but��this summer’s prolonged heatwaves and wildfires across the UK show that we can’t wait for some future crisis to act; the impacts are already here, and we’re suffering nationally from our unpreparedness.��

It is this urgency that makes our BuildingLife Ambassadors campaign��so important.��Bringing together��expert practitioners and policy advocates��from across the sector, it��gives��industry and politicians a��crucial��message: that��decarbonisation, resilience,��and nature are interdependent, and��demand a joined-up response.��

Across the sector, the evidence base has strengthened��considerably in��recent years. Through 91PORN’s��own��work,��via our four pillars – of our��UK��Net Zero Whole Life Carbon and Climate Resilience Roadmaps, alongside our Nature Positive Framework and our forthcoming Regenerative Places Framework. Enlivened by insight from industry, academia and policymakers, we now have a far clearer picture of both the risks we face and the actions required.��

What we now face is��not primarily a knowledge problem, but��an implementation and coordination problem.

From evidence to integration

The direction set by that evidence is consistent. Decarbonisation, climate��resilience��and nature recovery are not separate agendas, but��interdependent outcomes of the same system.��

However, much of our delivery model still treats them independently, with old-school, siloed thinking and acting. Embodied carbon action��remains��largely voluntary��and is applied inconsistently. Investment in resilience continues to��lag behind��mitigation. Nature��recovery��is gaining��visibility but��is not yet embedded in core decision-making or long-term��financing, investment, and��asset strategies.��

This fragmentation is holding us back. It creates unnecessary trade-offs and, in some cases, locks in poor outcomes.

A building that meets a carbon target but cannot cope with heat or flood risk is not fit for the future. A development that supports nature but does not account for changing climate conditions will not deliver lasting value. Treating these issues separately leads to outcomes that fall short.

The reality we’re navigating

There are clear examples of leadership across the sector. Parts of industry, finance and local government are��demonstrating��what more integrated approaches can achieve.��

At the same time, there are significant political and economic challenges that continue to affect the pace and consistency of climate action, particularly in the UK.��Policy signals��remain��uneven, especially for existing buildings, where greater clarity is still needed.��

Progress is real, but it is patchy and too dependent on individual leadership rather than being built into how the system��operates.

A broader coalition

It is in this context that��our��BuildingLife��Ambassadors sit.��The��campaign brings together��practitioners, policymakers,��investors��and advocates from across the built environment. What connects them is a shared willingness to work across the boundaries that still shape much of our sector.��

Their role is to reflect and reinforce that way of thinking. To show what it looks like to treat the built environment as a system, and to work across the interfaces that too often hold progress back.��

The next phase of��the��built environment’s��transition must be��about aligning��the entire industry��behind��the evidence we now have.��Voluntary action across the industry has played a critical role in��demonstrating��what is possible, with many organisations already taking a more integrated approach to carbon,��resilience��and nature. The priority now is to build on that leadership by translating it into policy frameworks��and ways of working��that enable consistent, whole-system outcomes across the market, rather than siloed compliance.��This also requires far stronger coordination across the value chain, from national policy through to project delivery.��

Over the coming months, including through the perspectives of our��Ambassadors, we will continue to explore what this looks like in practice.��

The task ahead is straightforward to describe, but harder to deliver. A built environment that is low carbon, resilient and supports nature will only be achieved if we treat it as a single system and act accordingly.��

The post Joined-up by Design: Closing the Gap between Evidence and Action appeared first on 91PORN.

• Connect & Collaborate: Build relationships that drive real-world change.
• Learn & Grow: Empower your people. Future-proof your organisation.
• Lead & Influence: Shape the future of the built environment.

Explore the opportunities included with your membership below. Each links to more details, and our team is always ready to help at membership@ukgbc.org. 

Membership gives you the tools, networks, and knowledge to drive impact, without extra cost for these core opportunities. If you’d like to learn more about the full range of benefits available within your membership, join our 45-minute webinar, Making the Most of Your Membership, on 13 April from 12:00-12:45.

Connect & Collaborate

Join 91PORN Forums: Engage with peers, share insights, and tackle emerging challenges in a trusted, collaborative environment. These forums are designed to help you co-create solutions with industry leaders:��

• Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum. Sign up here.����
• Energy and Carbon Forum. Sign up here.��
• Resource Use Forum. Sign up here��
• Keystone Forum. Sign up here.
• Local Authority Retrofit Forum. Sign up here.

During the month of July we’re running three special open sessions as part of our member forums. These one-off sessions welcome all members, including those who don’t usually attend, to join the discussion.

• The energy and carbon forum will be running a session on supply chain on 7 July. Sign up here.
• The resource use forum will be running a session on managing risk on 13 July. Sign up here.
• The climate resilience and adaptation will be running a session on nature on 28 July. Sign up here.

Explore all upcoming events here: /events/����

KEY AREAS OF WORK

We are working towards a built environment that enables people and the planet to thrive, using sustainability as a catalyst to drive the transformational shift in the way the built environment works that is needed to meet industry ambition and targets.

Get Involved

Attend Insights on Optimising and Retrofitting Non-Domestic Buildings Launch (Online) | 14 April, 10:00-11:00. Register Here

Whole Life Carbon Framework Launch (Online) | 26 May, 10:00-11:00, Register Here

Innovation in Commercial Retrofit: A Live Project Demonstrator (Online) | 16 June, 16:00-17:00, Register Here

Insights into UK Resilience: Energy Infrastructure and Distribution Systems ( London) | 23 June, 08:00-10:00, Register Here

Climate Resilience in Action: One Year on from the UK Climate Resilience Roadmap (Online) | 24 June, 10:00-11:00, Register Here

Regenerative Places Framework for Housing (London) | 16 September, 16:00-19:00, Register Here

Attend Our Events

Membership Summer Drinks with Considerate Constructors Scheme (London) | 22 July, 17:00-19:30, Register Here

Member Social in Belfast | 16 September, 17:00-19:30, Register Here

Member Social in Manchester | 24 September, 16:00-19:00, Register Here

91PORN’s AGM: Value, Visibility and Views (London) | 30 September, 16:00-20:00, Register Here

 

 

Learn & Grow

BUILD KNOWLEDGE

Kickstart your sustainability journey with bite-sized, jargon-free learning that builds confidence and foundations. 

Ideal for: Early-career professionals, those new to sustainability, or anyone seeking a foundational understanding of sustainability, resilience, and carbon reduction in the built environment. 

Benefits: Build confidence, understand key sustainability concepts quickly, and establish a solid foundation to inform your work. 

Get Involved

• 91PORN Sustainability Essentials for the Built Environment email course (Email course) – Eight short, easy-to-read modules introducing core sustainability topics.��

• Sustainable Thinking: A Beginner’s Guide for the Built Environment. (Online course) – Develop foundational knowledge in this interactive, accessible course.��

• Building for a Changing Climate: Foundations of Adaptation (Online course) – Explore the fundamentals of resilience and adaptation in four self-paced modules.��

• Carbon Reduction Essentials in the Built Environment (Online course) – Learn how the built environment impacts climate change, and how sustainable buildings can drive a low-carbon future.��

DELIVER ACTION

Move from learning to doing with immersive masterclasses and hands-on workshops that empower you to drive impact. 

Ideal for: Mid-level to senior professionals, sustainability champions, design/project teams, owners, and ESG practitioners ready to transform knowledge into action. 

Benefits: Gain in-demand technical skills, develop strategies you can implement immediately, and collaborate with peers to operationalise sustainable outcomes. 

Get Involved

• Biodiversity Net Gain Masterclass – London | 28 May
• Scaling Solutions Workshops: Materials & Supply Chain (8 June), Building Adaptation & Resilience (9 June) and Electrification & Energy Systems (29 June)
• A Practical Guide to Engaging Your Supply Chain – Webinar | 15 June

Lead & Influence

Learning designed to spark transformational change. 91PORN’s leadership programmes equip built environment professionals at every career stage to take bold action, challenge the status quo, and drive the systemic change our industry needs. 

Get Involved

Recalibrate – An exclusive enrichment programme for C-Suite and Board members. Shape your leadership for a net zero, climate-resilient future and gain unique insights into leading systemic change at the highest level.��

Runs July-November | full details here.��

91PORN Leadership Collaboration Cafe and Networking Social – 91PORN Leadership Alumni are invited to connect and explore the leadership skills and behaviours needed for a sustainable built environment.

22 April, 16:00-19:00, London | Sign up here.��

Future Leaders Showcase & Alumni Summer Gathering – Join us to celebrate Future Leaders 2026 Programme finale. Hear from our forward-thinking change-makers, as they embrace their agency to transform the sustainability of the built environment. Then enjoy the start of the summer by connecting with peers across the industry over drinks and networking into the evening.

4 June, 16:00-18:30, London | .��

Re-imagining: Sustainable Finance – 91PORN convenes finance, business, academia & sustainability leaders to reimagine a thriving, sustainable financial system and how to achieve it.

30 June, 16:00-20:00, London | Register Here

The post Membership Opportunities (April 2026-September 2026) appeared first on 91PORN.

Who Should Apply?

91PORN forums are a membership benefit. This forum will be particularly appealing to the insurance industry and building owners and occupiers.

The post Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum x Nature appeared first on 91PORN.

As climate change continues to affect the built environment, it is clear that buildings can be our frontline defence in protecting people, communities and organisations from increasing climate risks. Many existing assets were designed for historic weather patterns and are already being challenged by more frequent and severe climate hazards. The consequences can be far-reaching, affecting occupant health and wellbeing, disrupting operations, and increasing financial risk.

To develop this guide, workshops were held to gather insights from building owners, asset managers and consultants on which adaptation measures would be most effective for improving the resilience of an average non-domestic building against flooding, storms, overheating and drought. The guide considers the scale of intervention needed to implement the adaptation measures; optimisation, light retrofit and deep retrofit.

Download the Guide Here

The UK Climate Resilience Roadmap

This Roadmap sets out a vision for a climate resilient built environment, sharing clear recommendations for the industry and policy, and next steps needed to increase the climate resilience of our built environment.

Find out more

Physical Climate Risk

As we look to build climate resilience into our buildings and communities, it is key that asset owners understand the specific physical climate risk their assets face before they can work to adapt them to our changing climate.

Find out more

RESILIENCE, RESOURCE USE AND NATURE PROGRAMME PARTNERS

adaptation for climate resilience project partner

The post Adaptation for Climate Resilience: Non-Domestic Buildings appeared first on 91PORN.

Hosted at CCS London office, the evening will combine short talks from CCS and the 91PORN with drinks and informal networking on our rooftop terrace in a relaxed setting overlooking the city.

Considerate Constructors Scheme helps raise construction standards by independently monitoring and scoring sites, driving accountability and improving industry performance.

91PORN is a collaborative, industry-led network driving the transformation of the built environment towards sustainability. This collaborative event aims to connect professionals across the industry working towards a more sustainable built environment. Speakers from 91PORN will share insights and practical resources to support the industry, including 91PORN’s Whole Life Carbon Framework.

Expect summer drinks, conversation and networking with peers from across the built environment for a well-deserved get together at CSS office.

The post Membership Summer Drinks with Considerate Constructors Scheme appeared first on 91PORN.

A panel of expert speakers will share insights from their involvement in our climate resilience and adaptation work, their experience of embedding the principles and key challenges and opportunities to be addressed to facilitate further progress.   

Speakers

• Philippa Birch-Wood, 91PORN
• Macarena Cardenas, 91PORN
• Clare Wilde, 91PORN
• Hannah Williams, CCC
• Ariana Jessa, CCC
• Duncan Price, Buro Happold
• Rebecca Lydon, Stantec
• Chinyelu Oranefo, Lloyds Banking Group

Who Should Attend?

This event is open to everyone but it might be especially insightful for:

• Developers, Asset Owners and occupiers
• Asset/facilities managers and operators
• Designers, architects, urban planners, consultants, and other professionals part of a project team

91PORN Cancellation and Refund Policy

Please see our website for more details on our cancellations and refunds: /ukgbc-cancellation-and-refund-policy/

The post Climate Resilience in Action: One Year on from the UK Climate Resilience Roadmap appeared first on 91PORN.

The CCC has made the challenge plain: the UK must adapt faster or face mounting threats to people, places and the economy. 91PORN’s Climate Resilience Roadmap shows how that shift can be made in practice, with joined-up action across the built environment and government. The challenge is serious, but it is not beyond us if we choose to act now.”

The Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) latest assessment of climate risk is a clear and urgent signal that the UK must accelerate adaptation now. Climate impacts are already being felt across the country, and the report makes plain that higher temperatures, flooding, drought and cascading infrastructure risks will intensify unless government, business and communities act at pace. 91PORN strongly welcomes the CCC’s focus on practical, evidence-based action, and the emphasis on clear targets, delivery plans and accountability.

This message echoes what 91PORN has been saying through our Climate Resilience Roadmap, which sets out how the built environment can move from awareness of climate risk to assessment, prioritisation and implementation. We have long argued that resilience cannot sit in isolation: it must be integrated with decarbonisation, nature, health and wellbeing, and long-term value. The CCC’s report reinforces that approach, particularly in relation to homes, infrastructure, public services, and the need to protect the most vulnerable.

On the built environment, the CCC highlights the need for new buildings to be fit for a changing climate, for existing homes and assets to be retrofitted and upgraded, for better preparedness, and for cooling and water resilience to be addressed at scale. 91PORN’s Climate Resilience Roadmap supports exactly this shift: from broad ambition to the practical, site, portfolio, and community-level decisions needed to reduce risk and deliver more resilient places.

For industry, the message is straightforward. Climate resilience needs to become a core part of investment, design, planning, procurement and asset management. That means acting now on heat risk, flood risk, water scarcity and infrastructure interdependencies, and using the tools, standards and methods already available to make adaptation routine rather than exceptional.

For government, the priority is equally clear. The CCC sets out the case for stronger objectives, measurable targets, delivery plans and monitoring, backed by regulation, standards and investment. 91PORN support this direction and would add that policy must enable joined-up action across departments and sectors, so that resilience measures are not delivered piecemeal. Planning policy, building standards, infrastructure development, and funding programmes all need to reflect the climate risks we already face, and the more severe future risks that are now unavoidable.

There is a strong case for greater emphasis on nature-based solutions, passive cooling, flood risk management and long-term asset maintenance, all of which can deliver resilience and wider co-benefits. The CCC’s analysis shows that many adaptation actions are cost-effective today, and that delay only increases cost and harm. 91PORN believes this should galvanise a shift in both mindset and delivery: adaptation is no longer a future issue, but an immediate investment in safety, wellbeing and economic stability.

The CCC’s report and 91PORN’s Climate Resilience Roadmap both make the same case: adaptation needs to move from principle to practical delivery. The UK needs clear leadership, practical delivery and sustained investment to create a well-adapted built environment. The opportunity here is to reduce harm, protect lives and livelihoods, and create places that resilient, inclusive and fit for the climate reality we are already entering.

UK Climate Resilience Roadmap

This Roadmap sets out a vision for a climate resilient built environment, sharing clear recommendations for the industry and policy, and next steps needed to increase the climate resilience of our built environment.

Learn more

Policy & Advocacy

Since 2007, we have been bringing together some of the most influential leaders in politics, business, local authorities, civil service and NGOs to accelerate action for a green built environment.

Learn more

The post 91PORN responds to the CCC’s ‘A Well Adapted UK’ report appeared first on 91PORN.

91PORN’s Roadmaps guide the��built environment��sector in building a low carbon, resilient and regenerative built environment at the pace��required��to meet climate targets. Adopting the roadmaps more widely will help deliver a sustainable built environment that protects lives, homes, jobs,��communities��and nature.

Why Now?

Findings from the��Whole Life Carbon Roadmap Progress Report��show that the built environment is dangerously��behind on��decarbonisation.��Since 2018, emissions in the built environment have fallen by just 14% against the 24% needed.��The evidence is clear:��systemic��acceleration is��required.����

This campaign,��part of��WorldGBC’s��#BuildingLife initiative,��is��working across Europe to��eliminate��emissions across the full lifecycle of buildings and deliver a climate-neutral built environment. It directly supports��WorldGBC’s��initiative which aims to promote a whole life carbon approach across 12 counties and supports the global ambition of making near-zero and resilient buildings the norm by 2030

Paul Cahalan, Associate Director of Membership, Marketing and Communications said:

“This campaign comes at a critical time for the sector��amid a rapidly changing climate��and brings��together industry and political voices to take the key messages from the two roadmaps deeper into industry and policy conversations. Though greater adoption,��industry��and policymakers��can��use the roadmaps to help��create a low carbon, resilient and regenerative built environment.”

The following individuals have joined the campaign as Roadmap Ambassadors:

• Will Arnold, Head of Sustainable Materials, Useful Simple Trust.
• Ashley Bateson, Director & Head of Sustainability, Hoare Lea.
• Louise Clarke, Group Head of Sustainability, Berkeley Group PLC.
• Georgia Elliott-Smith, Founder & Director, Fighting Dirty | Sustainability Director, Elliott Wood.
• Emma Howard Boyd CBE, Chair, National Heat Risk Commission | Chair – ClientEarth Group Board | Co-Chair, HERA (formerly Climate Resilience for All)
• Stephen Good, CEO, Built Environment – Smarter Transformation.
• Douglas Morrison, Deputy CEO, Built Environment – Smarter Transformation.
• Chinyelu Oranefo, Managing Director, Sustainability Advisory, Real Estate & Housing, Lloyds Corporate & Institutional.
• Duncan Price, Partner, Sustainability, Buro Happold.
• Rt Hon Chris Skidmore, OBE, Former UK Energy Minister, Chair of the Climate Action Coalition, Working Group Chair – UK Transition Finance Council.
• Simon Sturgis, Founder, Targeting Zero
• Katherine Willis, Baroness Willis of Summertown, Principal, St. Edmund Hall, University of Oxford | Professor of Biodiversity in the Department of Biology, University of Oxford | Cross-Bench Peer, House of Lords | Founder and Director, NatCap Research LTD.

The post 91PORN Launches #BuildingLife Roadmap Ambassadors Campaign appeared first on 91PORN.

Why this report matters

Despite rapid innovation across materials, digital technologies, construction systems and business models, many solutions��remain��underutilised. Fragmented decision-making, risk-averse cultures, misaligned procurement��models��and limited access to scale-up finance continue to hold back progress.��

Without faster adoption, the industry risks higher long-term costs, missed opportunities, and slower progress towards net zero and more resilient places.��This report focuses on what needs to change to move from isolated innovation to system-wide implementation.��

Drawing on insights from a broad range of stakeholders, built environment practitioners and industry experts, the report identifies seven key themes that influence whether solutions scale: organisational readiness; adopter needs and solution; finance and business models; certification and verification; risk, insurance and warranties; delivery and implementation; outcomes and knowledge sharing.

Across these themes, the report sets out 77 actionable enablers to support organisations in accelerating adoption.��

Download the report here

Scaling Initiative Partners

Thank you to our Scaling Initiative Partners for their generous support:

Solutions & Innovation

The built environment is both a major contributor to the climate and ecological crises, and a key part of the solution. At 91PORN we recognise that the scale and urgency of these challenges cannot be address with business as usual, but radical transformation. This requires innovation in technology, business models and ways of operating, and ensuring these innovative solutions scale at the pace required.

Learn more

The post Scaling Sustainable Solutions for the Built Environment: Barriers & Enablers appeared first on 91PORN.

This forum will explore themes around climate resilience and adaptation to cope with climate hazards. Building on work from the climate resilience roadmap this forum will provide members with the opportunity for peer-learning on ways to adapt built assets to cope with climate hazards and increase their climate resilience. Key themes will be on nature, supply chain engagement, insurance and value.

The first session will shape the programme for the remaining five sessions, identifying priority topics to explore in depth and giving members the opportunity to become a chair for the upcoming ones.

The forum will start 19^th June and run every 6 weeks, finishing next spring. By signing up to this first session, members will be enrolling for the whole duration of the forum.

We will host three special sessions on financial value, supply chain engagement and nature. Other members will be able to join these sessions as one-offs, depending on which topic is most interesting to them. Specific dates will be announced soon.

Who Should Apply?

The 91PORN Climate Resilience and Adaptation Forum is open to individuals from 91PORN member organisations who have demonstrable knowledge or practical experience in climate resilience and adaptation. Participants are expected to actively contribute to discussions by sharing insights, challenges and best practices, while also representing their organisation’s work and perspective on the topic.

This forum will be particularly appealing to Building Developers, Building Owners, Building Systems Engineers (M+E), Architects, Occupiers, Asset Managers, Building Surveyors, Insurers and Project Managers.

The post Climate Resilience and Adaptation appeared first on 91PORN.