Average Cost to Build a House in Ontario in 2026 Benchmark Pricing Per Square Foot, by Region and Total Cost, Plus Additional Expenses to Consider Building your own home is a dream undertaking for any prospective homeowner. But dreams don’t […]
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When buyers search for a new home, they’re looking for more than beauty – although that’s always an enticing aspect of finding the right new home. Today’s savvy buyers of all generations focus on long-term value: a place where they can feel safe, healthy, and resilient to physical and financial storms.
For the better part of two decades, sustainability ran on goodwill. Companies volunteered to decarbonize, pledged to disclose, and aligned themselves, at least rhetorically, with a 1.5°C future. ESG funds multiplied, net-zero coalitions formed, and glossy commitments proliferated.
The Government’s plan to strengthen Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for large commercial buildings is a welcome and important step forward. With a confirmed requirement for privately rented commercial buildings over 1000m2 to reach at least EPC B from 2031, it gives the market clear direction and recognises the importance of better building performance for both landlords and occupiers.
The announcement came after a visit by Martin McCluskey (Minister for Energy Consumers) to a central London office building owned by UKGBC keystone member Landsec. UKGBC Chief Executive Simon McWhirter also joined the tour with the Minister where Landsec demonstrated how targeted retrofit measures can transform the performance of existing buildings. The property has been improved from EPC D to EPC B via a series of interventions including swapping out all the gas systems for air-source heat pumps (providing both heat and cooling) and advanced building management systems. It represents a clear example of the role our existing building stock can play in delivering shared value through better building performance.
Today’s announcement is a really welcome step forward and provides the kind of policy certainty that we have long been calling for. Improving the performance of existing commercial buildings will be critical to meeting our climate goals, and greater clarity on future standards will help give the market the comfort and confidence to invest.
Many of our members are already showing what is possible, with retrofit projects that demonstrate both the technical and commercial case for action. Their experience will be invaluable as Government develops and embeds this policy to accelerate retrofit across the sector and give owners, investors and occupiers the confidence to invest. We look forward to working with ministers and officials on the next phase of this agenda, helping to shape the policy and market conditions required to deliver decarbonisation at scale.”
The visit highlighted the leadership being shown by organisations across UKGBC’s membership, such as Landsec, who have chosen to act ahead of regulation and invest in improving the performance of their assets.
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Are Metal Roofs the Answer to Climate Resilience? Comparing Metal Roofs to Shingles in Terms of Wind, Hail and Fire Resistance In this weekly Q&A column, retired builder/building inspector Cam Allen answers readers’ home renovation questions. Have a question? Enter […]
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When Is It Time to Replace Your Windows? Key Signs to Watch For By Kyrylo Takhtarov of Canglow Windows & Doors Unlike a roof leak or a failed furnace, windows rarely announce the end of their lifespan with a dramatic […]
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This week’s headlines aren’t really about houses at all. They are about energy, water, infrastructure, climate accountability, and the systems that determine whether communities can grow and thrive. From a six-year low in housing starts to solar overtaking coal and new questions about water availability in the American West, the stories all point to the same conclusion: Housing is increasingly being shaped by forces far beyond the property line.
Millennials and Gen Z often joke that instead of playing with blocks in the late 1990s they should have been buying real estate. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, median home sale prices through the 1990s ranged from roughly $120,000 at the start of the decade to around $161,000 by 1999. Compare that to today’s median home sales price of $405,300.
Our report, Innovation in Commercial Retrofit: A Live Project Demonstrator, details the first real-world application of the ‘Commercial Retrofit Innovation Map’ at No.1 Poultry, one of the City of London’s most recognisable buildings.
Despite significant heritage, spatial and commercial constraints of the Grade II* listed building, the report demonstrates how innovation can be embedded from the earliest stages of a retrofit project to deliver ambitious sustainability outcomes. This was achieved through the use of the Innovation Map, an interactive tool, alongside embedding an ‘innovation process’ to ensure the Map was applied diligently and early in the design process.
By cataloguing and organising the retrofit innovation landscape into specific interventions that a low carbon retrofit should consider, the Innovation Map enabled the project team to identify and specify 18 high-impact solutions. This includes an innovative airtightness system, advanced glazing options such as vacuum-insulated glass and a glass recycling scheme, and high-efficiency solar panels that could mean No. 1 Poultry has one of the highest efficiency solar arrays on any building in the UK.
The report sets out a practical ‘Innovation Process’ that encourages project teams to evaluate and engage with innovative technologies at the earliest stages of development, when decisions have the greatest influence on carbon outcomes, cost and performance.
Commercial buildings currently account for nearly a quarter of the built environment’s carbon footprint in the UK through the energy required to heat, power and operate them.
At the same time, the report highlights how growing regulatory requirements, rising energy costs, investors expectations and net zero commitments are increasing pressure on building owners to use ingenuity to drive the performance of existing assets.
The collaborative initiative was established to address a persistent challenge facing the sector: while innovative solutions exist, their adoption is often limited by lack of awareness, perceived risk, fragmented decision-making processes, cost pressure, and insufficient evidence from live projects.
The range of solutions selected for the project are intended to support No. 1 Poultry in achieving industry-leading sustainability outcomes, including BREEAM Outstanding, NABERS 5 Star, EPC A, as well as ambitious operational and embodied carbon targets.
The initiative combines UKGBC’s convening power and innovation champion role, Breakthrough Energy’s innovation ecosystem and climate technology expertise, and FORE Partnership’s experience delivering highly sustainable commercial developments.
Simon McWhirter, Chief Executive of the UK Green Building Council, said:
The UK can’t achieve a net zero built environment without dramatically improving the performance of its existing commercial building stock. This report demonstrates that innovation doesn’t need to be an afterthought.
Rather, by bringing innovative solutions into the decision-making process at the front end, project teams can unlock greater carbon savings, reduce risk and create better-performing buildings. This is all about driving a market change that simply delivers better outcomes – environmental and commercial – for all involved.”
Basil Demeroutis, Managing Partner, FORE Partnership, said:
No. 1 Poultry has shown that even highly constrained and historically significant buildings can become platforms for innovation. Indeed, by proving that innovation can happen even in the most highly constrained cases like No. 1 Poultry, we are proving that commercial retrofit can deliver both environmental and commercial value in every building, so long as sustainability and ingenuity are embedded from the outset.”
Building on the success of this initiative, UKGBC, Breakthrough Energy and FORE will continue to champion innovation-led retrofit across the built environment sector. The partners are seeking to work with more organisations that want to adopt and help develop the Innovation Map, expanding its use across live projects and strengthening the evidence base for innovative retrofit solutions. By creating a clearer pathway from emerging technologies to deployment, the initiative aims to help make innovation a standard part of commercial retrofit practice rather than the exception.
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Sealcoating Secrets How to Extend the Life of Your Asphalt Driveway, Parking Lot or Road Article Summary Sealcoating creates a protective barrier that shields asphalt from sun exposure, moisture penetration and everyday wear. Applied every two to three years, this […]
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