What's on at Futurebuild?

Taking place from 5-7 March at ExCeL London, Futurebuild is the leading built environment event for industry professionals to meet, learn, be inspired and do business

Futurebuild 2019 will tackle the biggest challenges impacting the industry and provide visitors with unrivalled insight and hands-on experience around the latest regulations, technology and thinking to address these issues.

Developed in conjunction with renowned, industry leading partners, the packed three-day event will provide over 500 hours of learning across an inspiring conference programme and 11 seminar streams – all completely free and CPD-accredited.

Meeting challenges and making commitments

Central to Futurebuild is the ecobuild conference, which will inspire visitors to take action on the most pressing challenges through insights from leading experts. With an overarching theme of 'Time For Action', the conference sessions will be collaborative forums where visitors will develop plans for implementing change and proposing action for a more sustainable future.

A total of 13 challenges will be tackled through the programme. On day one of the event, Rt Hon. Lord Jack McConnell, Chair of the APPG on the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development, will join a panel of experts in exploring ‘2030 is now – achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals and UK Government commitments’.

Day two will see ‘The Housing Challenge – more than houses’ addressed by Heather Cheesbrough, Director of Planning and Strategic Transport at Croydon Council and Jon Sawyer, Director of Housing and Residential Growth at Manchester City Council. ‘The Commitment Challenge for the industry – what is the action plan?’ will also be tackled as part of the conference programme, with Rt Hon. Claire Perry MP and Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, joining the panel of high-profile speakers.

Other challenges being addressed across the three-day programme include: how to deliver long term value and sustainable performance; how to achieve a built environment fit for 2050; how to apply innovative technology and techniques to transform the industry; how to reinforce the connections between education, skills and research to develop a future workforce, and how to transform existing homes through behaviour change and deep retrofits.

Knowledge and innovation

The Knowledge Forum, new for 2019, will provide deep dive workshops presented by industry-leading partners, academia and professional bodies. The sessions will address the biggest immediate issues facing the built environment and will provide practical solutions and guidance for professionals to take back to the office.

As an official UK Government Innovation Partner, Futurebuild will also be hosting the Innovation Zone with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK. At the Zone, BEIS will be showcasing the work of the Energy Innovation Programme and demonstrating how it is delivering the Clean Growth Strategy. It will provide a platform for investment and knowledge exchange across three areas: a dedicated three-day seminar series; an exhibition featuring innovative companies BEIS and Innovative UK has provided funding to; and a ‘Business Bar’ in collaboration with the Knowledge Transfer Network – providing 1-to-1 advice and support on accessing funding.  

An immersive experience

Over 500 market-leading brands and organisations from across the globe will be showcasing their product innovations and contributing to the extensive knowledge programme across six curated Hubs: Buildings, Urban Infrastructure, Energy, Offsite, Materials and Interiors.

In the Buildings Hub, visitors will have access to some of the world’s most innovative building systems and technologies, as well as the opportunity to speak to pioneering brands. Meanwhile, the Hub’s seminar theatre will cover topics including building performance in a post-Grenfell World, high-rise, Passivhaus and overheating.

Visitors can learn more about the options for decarbonising energy and limiting consumption from experts in the Energy Hub. Smart heat solutions, whole-house retrofit and Part L of the Building Regulations are among the topics being tackled in the Energy Hub Seminar Theatre – delivered with strategic partner, the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE).

New for 2019 is the Interiors Hub, where the latest guidance on health and wellbeing in buildings will be addressed. Delivered in partnership with the International WELL Building Institute and sponsored by Herman Miller and Milliken, the Hub will feature a dedicated seminar programme which will explore topics such as biophilic design and the use of colour and light to promote wellbeing.   

In the Urban Infrastructure Hub, the latest solutions across blue, green, grey and social infrastructure will be explored. The Hub’s seminar theatre, sponsored by ACO, and an accompanying exhibition will feature both nature-based and manufactured solutions to address challenges in active travel, air pollution, landscaping, water management and more.

Visitors can experience the possibilities of concrete, timber, steel, masonry and natural building products in the Materials Hub. Supported by The Concrete Centre and TRADA, among other leading organisations, the Hub will host exhibitors including Nudura, Glavloc, Cemex UK, Creagh Concrete, Piveteaubois and Steico.

The Offsite Hub, hosted in partnership with Explore Offsite, is where professionals working across the built environment can experience the opportunities in offsite construction. Four dedicated seminar theatres will present a programme of masterclasses while a workshop hosted by social enterprise, Help Bristol’s Homeless, will give an insight into its mission to develop container homes for those in need of housing.

In additional to the Hubs, the Waste Zone, in partnership with the University of Brighton Responsible Futures, is set to be bigger and better for 2019. Curated by architect, academic and author Duncan Baker-Brown, the area will showcase how waste can be a valuable resource for the industry. Central to the experience will be the new Circular Economy Hub, which will take a unique beach hut format and feature a collection of hand-picked brands at the forefront of making the circular economy a reality.