Spring 2025 brought the UK’s warmest and sunniest season on record, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable building design and increased environmental sustainability in construction. These shifting climate patterns are driving demand for energy-efficient buildings and pushing the industry to focus on the whole life carbon and embodied carbon of projects, as the carbon footprint of construction becomes an ever-greater concern. Material resilience and innovative life cycle cost approaches...

Barclays’ Climate Ventures arm has catalysed £500 million towards global clean technology investment in the last five years, combining over £200 million of its own funding with more than £300 million from co-investors. This commitment underlines rising confidence in green construction and whole life carbon innovation, targeting both embodied carbon in materials and the carbon footprint of construction activities. New investments prioritise eco-design for buildings, sustainable construction...

The construction industry is accelerating its transition to sustainable building design, with new partnerships formed between established firms and startups focused on environmental sustainability in construction. These initiatives seek to reduce the carbon footprint of construction through low carbon design, increased use of renewable building materials, and wider adoption of the circular economy in construction. Lifecycle assessment and whole life carbon assessment are being integrated into...

The UK construction sector is advancing towards environmental sustainability in construction, demonstrated by Wakefield’s redevelopment of the Grade II* listed former Crown Court. This project prioritises sustainable building design by integrating heritage conservation with improved accessibility and practicality. Such efforts signal a growing commitment in construction to blend eco-design for buildings with the preservation of historic assets, supporting whole life carbon and embodied carbon...

The construction industry is accelerating its adoption of circular economy principles to reduce embodied carbon and overall carbon footprint of construction activity. Reuse and repurposing of materials within the sector are now seen as drivers for improved resource efficiency in construction, promoting both environmental sustainability in construction and enhanced life cycle cost savings. Real-world projects highlight circular construction strategies that optimise end-of-life reuse in...

The construction industry is responding to rapid global urbanisation, with efforts underway to address environmental sustainability in construction and reduce the carbon footprint of construction. Startups are providing innovative solutions, helping established companies embrace sustainable building design, whole life carbon assessment, and low carbon construction materials. The integration of circular economy principles and resource efficiency in construction is gaining ground, with industry...

A renewed emphasis on the circular economy in construction is driving both financial and environmental gains, with whole life carbon and embodied carbon in materials featuring prominently in industry discussions. As cities expand, adopting circular economy in construction models is seen as crucial to reducing the carbon footprint of construction and supporting net zero whole life carbon targets. While doubts remain about life cycle cost benefits at scale, projects focused on end-of-life reuse...

The UK construction sector in April 2025 saw a strong rise in detailed planning approvals, up 52% year-on-year, driven particularly by housing. Housing project starts increased by 15%, signalling consistent demand and policy shifts towards sustainable building design and low carbon design in urban development. Industrial construction showed mixed results, with a 7% increase in project starts but a steep 72% fall in planning approvals. Office sector activity declined with project starts and...

April 2025 revealed significant advancements in sustainable construction and environmental sustainability in construction, especially throughout the UK. Detailed planning approvals for construction projects increased by 52% from the previous year, with housing project starts rising by 15%. Infrastructure construction grew 74% over the last quarter, and health-related projects surged by 87%, reflecting expanding investment in green infrastructure and sustainable building design. Offices and...

The UK government is expediting the planning of two new reservoirs in Lincolnshire and East Anglia, marking the first major water infrastructure projects in thirty years. These reservoirs, classified as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, address climate-driven drought risks and growing water demand. For the construction sector, this policy is expected to create new opportunities for sustainable building design and sustainable construction while increasing regulatory emphasis on...