The European Union’s carbon border tax will put a direct price on the embodied carbon in imported steel and cement from 2026, and the UK is expected to adopt a similar approach. This development links tariff policy with whole life carbon performance, forcing the construction supply chain to quantify environmental impact across design, procurement, and material selection. Producers offering low carbon building materials and transparent environmental product declarations (EPDs) will hold a...

Decarbonising the built environment is shifting from voluntary ambition to regulatory requirement. The EU’s carbon border adjustment from 2026 will attach a measurable cost to embodied carbon in imported steel and cement, transforming it from an environmental disclosure into a central factor of life cycle cost. The UK is preparing similar policies, embedding whole life carbon assessment into procurement. Contractors and suppliers that can demonstrate low embodied carbon materials through...

Climate impacts are now shaping physical assets as much as policy, intensifying the urgency for sustainable construction that integrates climate adaptation and decarbonisation. With 2025 expected to rank among the hottest years recorded and global disaster losses exceeding $120 billion, the value of land and infrastructure exposed to flooding, erosion and heat is eroding unless proactive resilience measures are built in. The built environment faces a systemic test of environmental...

Compressed earth block projects in Kenya’s drylands are signalling a shift towards sustainable construction that balances material performance with environmental sustainability in construction. By replacing kiln‑fired bricks and cement with locally produced low embodied carbon materials, these buildings achieve reduced embodied carbon while enhancing thermal comfort through passive design. The combination of thermal mass and vapour‑open walls supports sustainable building design adapted...

The shift from sustainability pledges to practical delivery is accelerating across the global construction sector as whole life carbon and embodied carbon performance move to the centre of investment and design. Across Kenya’s drylands, builders are adopting low carbon construction materials such as compressed earth blocks that demonstrate high building lifecycle performance and strong life cycle cost outcomes. Locally sourced earth products deliver measurable reductions in the carbon...

Climate-related losses now outweigh historic precedent, exposing the urgency of decarbonising the built environment through sustainable construction that integrates whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment at project inception. Coastal retreat in East Yorkshire highlights that sustainable building design must incorporate life cycle thinking in construction, embedding resilience and risk awareness in planning. In the Alps, glacier-triggered instability reaffirms that eco-design for...

Climate volatility is reshaping sustainable construction strategies as insurers, lenders, and regulators demand greater resilience and accountability. The surge in climate‑related losses underscores the urgency of whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment as core elements of sustainable building design. Developers are being pressed to evaluate the carbon footprint of construction and integrate life cycle cost analysis into project planning to withstand economic and environmental...

Climate risk now defines the financial and operational reality of sustainable construction, as global disasters cost more than $120bn this year. Developers and policymakers are integrating whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment into every project stage to anticipate damage, optimise resilience and improve the life cycle cost of assets. Resilient sustainable building design is shifting from theory to necessity, where environmental sustainability in construction demands not only...

Climate volatility is reframing sustainable building design as an operational imperative rather than a policy ambition. In Switzerland, advanced slope-monitoring systems prevented a glacier-induced landslide from escalating into disaster, illustrating how environmental sustainability in construction must integrate real-time risk intelligence alongside high-performance insulation and airtight envelopes. In Indonesia, flood recovery challenges have highlighted that resilient infrastructure and...

Sustainable construction is shifting decisively from policy rhetoric to material and energy decisions supported by rigorous whole life carbon assessment. Builders in Kenya’s drylands are reducing embodied carbon through compressed earth blocks that deliver cooler interiors and lower emissions, exemplifying sustainable building design rooted in local resources. The project demonstrates that renewable building materials can meet performance requirements when guided by life cycle thinking in...