FOOTPRINT+ podcasts

The new headquarter for Unusual Rigging achieves a remarkable fusion of deep sustainability and employee wellbeing. Built to rigorous Passivhaus energy standards, the design goes further by using timber and bio-based materials to drastically cut embodied carbon while reducing running costs. Expanded solar power generation on-site means the building has an exceptionally low whole-life carbon footprint.

This project embodies circular economy principles by being designed explicitly for durability, future disassembly, and material repurposing, departing from the linear 'take-make-dispose' model. Unlike schemes relying on existing structures, it rigorously addressed embodied carbon in a new build context, prioritising sustainable, biogenic (carbon-storing) materials throughout to ensure a low-impact building designed for a long life and eventual reuse.

Join the client and design team to hear firsthand how this healthy, adaptable workspace supports the business's growth, champions staff wellbeing, and provides a blueprint for truly sustainable development.

Brutalist buildings should be recognised for their potential. Aesthetically and structurally challenging to some, the key to unlocking this potential has common threads. Whitby Wood invite you to a breakfast briefing where we will explore the successful adaptation and revival of two distinct building typologies.

Plant — the ‘hanging gardens of Basingstoke’

Formerly Mountbatten House, the original 1970s vast-stepped modernist complex comprises six levels of commercial workspace with tiered roof gardens in Basingstoke, Hampshire. Fundamental to the revamped scheme are the celebrated cascading green garden terraces. The design team sought the sensitive restoration to improve biodiversity and urban greening and maximise the potential for adaptation within the existing structural fabric. Plant is an exemplar development for the evolution of a pioneering design intent to promote wellbeing and connection.

Zodiac — repurpose for social housing and community spaces

This ambitious re-use project transforms a neglected 1960s concrete complex in West Croydon into 73 thoughtfully designed, low-carbon homes for emergency housing. Rather than demolish, the developer sought to repurpose the abandoned buildings. The scheme integrates local amenity, courtyards, and social spaces and reimagines the derelict forecourt as a vibrant community garden. Zodiac’s revival sets a precedent for adaptation of underused assets — and for the provision of new housing from office space.

Come and hear from the teams at Zodiac and Plant, Basingstoke.

Balancing heritage conservation with carbon reduction is a challenge; one that was met with a pragmatic and intelligent response in the retrofit of The Waterman. 

One of the largest heritage retrofits in Clerkenwell, The Waterman combines four industrial warehouses over 70,000 sqft into a single, modern-day workspace with distinct character. The buildings have been extensively retrofitted, resulting in an EPC A rated, market-ready space that aligns with modern occupier expectations.

In this panel the client, architect and contractor will explore the vision and execution of this complex project, and discuss the design and engineering strategies employed to create a high-quality, future-proofed workspace while enhancing the buildings' heritage identity. These include:

How can we upgrade valuable historic buildings to meet workspace tenant expectations while respecting the distinct characteristics of place?

The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard is seeking to define what "net zero" really means for buildings and portfolios in the UK. But what will this look like in practice for different stakeholders?

This panel will explore how responsibilities for achieving net zero are likely to be shared across owners, landlords, tenants, and investors. Panelists bring a range of perspectives—from legal and capital markets to technology integration —to unpack what implementation could mean across the property lifecycle. Topics include:

The widespread adoption of green technologies, including solar energy and other renewable solutions, raises important questions about labour rights and exploitation in global supply chains. This session will address the relation between net-zero technologies and ethical labour practices, revealing the hidden realities of labour exploitation in the renewable energy sector.

Adam Whitfield and Emma-Jane Allen will explore role of ESG in mitigating the risks of exploitation within supply chains, emphasising the importance of transparency, due diligence, and responsible sourcing.

How can net-zero technologies can be developed and deployed without compromising human rights, holding industry players accountable? By examining real-world examples and regulatory frameworks, the speakers aim to shed light on the complexities of ensuring ethical labour practices in the race to achieve net-zero targets, offering practical guidance to those responsible for implementing in the built environment.

Closed loop recycling of end-of-life building glass rarely happens, with most glass manufacturers declaring less than 1% post-consumer content in their new glass. Most of this glass follows a linear process: crushed together with other building materials, put into landfills or recovered to low grade fill applications. As we consider strategies for combatting embodied emissions and creating a circular economy, this is the most important challenge for the glass industry, 

By dealing directly with clients and upskilling the existing deconstruction supply chain to provide a ‘cost and time’ effective solution, the industry can guarantee that end of life glass is being recovered back into new building glass. With contributions from architects, commercial developers and the public sector, this session will cover:

JLL’s new HQ at 1 Broadgate began with an ambition to radically reduce both embodied and operational carbon, while embedding circularity at the core of a major workplace project. From the outset, the team set out to push whole life thinking across procurement, urban mining, circular design, material passporting, and future reuse potential.

The heat network sector is undergoing a major transformation. The Government has ambitious plans to grow the sector as a low carbon form of heating and wants to introduce zoning in England where new and existing buildings within zones will be required to connect to heat networks.

Our expert panel will share their experiences of delivering heat networks, and explore the impact of zoning and of new regulations on real estate and what this will mean for developers, investors and the wider property sector.

Explore how vertical extensions can unlock new potential in existing buildings through real-world case studies such as HYLO, the Mary Ward Centre, and 1 Appold Street. Learn from IStructE's expert panel, who will discuss the benefits and complexities of building upward, including the importance of establishing the right vision for the project brief, assembling the right team, and engaging the engineers at the right time. You will leave with actionable insights and strategies to confidently pursue vertical extensions that maximise asset value and sustainability.

Indoor air quality has been proven to impact occupant health and well-being in a wide range of settings. In schools there has been increased attendance and achievement and in healthcare patient outcomes are improved. Within office and workplaces air quality monitoring can offer:

Experts from the International WELL Building Institute and selected clients join Butterfly Air to discuss how monitoring air quality has benefitted asset managers and building users.