Richard Broad, Director of the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products, has joined the Advisory Panel at the Centre for Advanced Built Environment Research (CABER) at the University of the West of England. This partnership aims to strengthen industry-academic collaboration in driving low carbon design and Whole Life Carbon Assessment in the built environment. CABER’s work supports the integration of sustainable design principles and sustainable construction practices that target net zero Whole Life Carbon outcomes in building projects.
Digital technologies are increasingly being applied to enhance environmental sustainability in construction. Platforms such as Onsite are streamlining project management, reducing material waste, and improving procurement workflows. These innovations contribute effectively to lowering the Embodied Carbon of construction processes and boosting resource efficiency in construction. By enabling contractors to better manage site operations, digital tools also support more consistent Life Cycle Cost thinking in construction.
Onsite’s recent expansion into interior design and real estate development reflects the emergence of sustainable material specification across project stages. Integrating eco-design for buildings during early planning helps limit the carbon footprint of construction, particularly by reducing the reliance on high-impact global material sourcing. This shift bolsters Circular Economy construction strategies, ensuring more sustainable outcomes from design through to end-of-life reuse in construction.
Energy storage technology now plays a more tangible role in delivering net zero carbon buildings. Companies like Energy Vault are seeing increased demand for storage solutions integrated into low carbon buildings. These systems support decarbonising the built environment by enabling greater use of on-site renewable energy, aligning with ambitions to reduce the Whole Life Carbon of buildings and infrastructure.
Climate-adapted construction is rising in urgency, particularly in flood-prone regions across South Asia. The increasing incidence of natural disasters reinforces the importance of resilient, green infrastructure and low-impact construction methods. Infrastructure designed with lifecycle assessment and Life Cycle Cost in mind can better absorb environmental stresses, improving long-term building lifecycle performance and the carbon footprint reduction of urban development.
Efforts to address deforestation across Amazon nations may also influence sourcing for renewable building materials. As environmental product declarations (EPDs) and traceability become standard in green building materials, sustainable building design will increasingly depend on transparent supply chains. This evolution is key to reducing the Embodied Carbon in materials and promoting eco-friendly construction rooted in the principles of the Circular Economy.
