Otterpool Park in Kent signals a decisive shift in sustainable urban development. An all‑electric, 8,500‑home garden town will export surplus clean power to the grid, cutting reliance on fossil fuels and improving life cycle cost outcomes for residents. The model supports low carbon design and progress towards net zero whole life carbon across energy‑efficient buildings, backed by robust whole life carbon assessment to manage operational and whole life carbon at community scale. The...

Cushman & Wakefield has adopted updated science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets, reinforcing momentum toward decarbonising the built environment. This commitment by a global real estate leader signals increasing investor pressure for sustainable building design and meaningful reductions in the carbon footprint of construction. It reflects a broader sectoral shift toward Whole Life Carbon Assessment and net zero Whole Life Carbon strategies, setting new expectations for lifecycle...

AeroFarms has secured pre-construction funding for its new indoor vertical farm in Virginia, delivering an innovative approach to sustainable urban development. The facility integrates controlled environment agriculture, reducing resource use in confined urban spaces. This type of energy-efficient infrastructure demonstrates how sustainable building design can align food systems with principles of low carbon design and environmental sustainability in construction. Cushman & Wakefield has...

A pilot initiative to expand the reuse of reclaimed construction materials has advanced from the City of London into the East End, strengthening the role of circular economy in construction. This growing movement in circular construction strategies is significantly reducing embodied carbon in materials by encouraging local sourcing and minimising the carbon footprint of construction logistics. As sustainable construction accelerates, resource efficiency in construction is becoming indispensable...

Graymont and Fortera have formed a strategic alliance to scale Fortera’s ReAct™ cement technology, which directly captures CO₂ during production. This low-carbon alternative to Portland cement presents a significant step in reducing embodied carbon in materials and advancing low carbon construction materials. The partnership supports the transition to net zero whole life carbon in new developments, offering a practical solution without sacrificing performance or cost-efficiency. As global...

The UK’s green hydrogen sector advances with the launch of the £45 million St Austell Green Hydrogen project in Cornwall, a collaboration between Four Zeros Energy and Vergia AS. Designed to power hard-to-abate sectors such as construction and transport, the project underscores hydrogen’s role in reducing the carbon footprint of construction. Integrating clean hydrogen into sustainable building design supports efforts to deliver net zero Whole Life Carbon in infrastructure...

Amazon’s recent agreement with Brimstone signals a pivotal step toward decarbonising the built environment, reserving volumes of lower-carbon Portland cement from Brimstone’s upcoming facility. Cement is among the highest contributors to embodied carbon in materials, making this initiative a key example of low carbon construction materials gaining commercial traction. With demand for low embodied carbon materials rising across global markets, Amazon’s model may set a precedent for net...

Sustane Technologies has signed a long-term agreement with BASF for the supply of pyrolysis oil, a low-carbon alternative to fossil feedstocks, highlighting the growing focus on circular economy in construction. Incorporating such circular materials into construction products is critical for reducing embodied carbon in materials and driving sustainable building practices across the sector. In Northern Illinois, 17 municipalities completed training to become "EV Ready" under a programme led by...

A proposed expansion of the UK's Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) scheme to include smaller construction sites could generate nearly £12 billion in economic value while protecting almost 100,000 hectares of land. The initiative aims to embed environmental sustainability in construction by requiring measurable improvements to biodiversity across project life cycles. The scheme supports life cycle thinking in construction by encouraging nature-positive outcomes from the earliest planning stages....

Scotland has announced a major retrofit programme in Renfrewshire, where £1.8 million in funding will support the installation of heat pumps in two high-rise council blocks. This marks the country’s largest residential heat pump network and a significant shift in addressing Whole Life Carbon and Embodied Carbon emissions associated with outdated heating infrastructure. Such upgrades play a crucial role in sustainable building design strategies for public housing, helping local authorities...