Sustainable Construction: Shifting the Narrative, saw industry leaders, policy makers, academics and sustainability experts come together to confront how the built environment must rapidly evolve to meet these complex problems.

From international case studies to UK-based initiatives, the conference showcased real examples of nature-positive and climate-positive built projects and highlighted the power of retrofit to regenerate communities. 

Amanda Williams, CIOB’s head of environmental sustainability, said: “The natural environment seems rarely out of the news headlines at the moment, but much of society still appears to be in denial about the challenges we face.

“The urgency to take joined-up action has never been greater, not just to tackle climate change but the interconnected nature and pollution crises too, which are closely linked to community wellbeing.  

“The built environment has a significant impact on the natural environment. In fact, around 39 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions come from the construction and maintenance of buildings. It has never been more urgent for us to address the industry’s impact. 

“Our projects must have a net positive impact for people, for nature and for the environment. This requires new kinds of leadership, deeper collaboration, and letting imagination guide our actions, as well as science.”

The virtual event saw more than 200 people sign up to discuss topics including how construction projects can contribute to combatting climate change and biodiversity loss, promote social equality and wellbeing, and be a force for positive change.

Industry-leading speakers from across the globe, including author and social entrepreneur Pooran Desai OBE, emphasised how current sustainability efforts often fall short of what is required for transformational change.

Pooran Desai added: “We are realising the world is massively interconnected.  We face many problems - social, environmental and economic - but can’t solve them in siloes. 

“We need solutions that join up across health, climate, jobs, migration and national security.  For example, 80 per cent of spending on our health service in the UK is now on diseases primarily caused by diet, lifestyle, social issues such as poor housing, and pollution, like air pollution.  

“The construction industry can play its part in becoming part of a future that pulls us together rather than pulls us apart.”

Sustainable Construction: Shifting the Narrative, is the second CIOB-led annual sustainability conference and follows on from last year’s event, titled Accelerating Towards a Net Zero Built Environment.

Other guest speakers on the day also included Dr. Cecilia Wandiga, executive director and trustee board member for the Centre for Science & Technology Innovations (CSTI) in Kenya, Cressida Curtis, group sustainability director at Wates, Georgia Byrnes, sustainability engineer at Laing O’Rourke, Ian Pritchett, co-founder and innovation director of Greencore Homes, and Saul Humphrey FCIOB, CIOB senior vice president.