ecobuild,
the must-go-to event for forward-thinking professionals in the built
environment, has announced the themes and inspiring speaker list for its 2018
conference programme.
Affirming
the event’s commitment to sustainability, this year’s 70-plus-strong list of
industry-leading expert speakers includes Paula Caballero, Global Director
Climate Programme, World Resources Institute and the driver behind the UN
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Lord Jack McConnell, co-chair of the APPG
on the UN SDGs; Joan Walley, chair of the Aldersgate Group and former chair of
Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee; and Bill Dunster OBE, Principal at
ZEDfactory.
Under
new independent ownership, ecobuild was committed from the outset to working in
close collaboration with industry to develop a conference programme that
reflects and tackles some of the challenging issues facing the built
environment, while creating a workable action plan for change. All discussions
at ecobuild 2018 will be concluded in a document as a legacy takeaway.
The
result is a series of 16 high-profile conference sessions over three days, with
an overarching focus centred around delivering the UN’s Sustainable Development
Goals, the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Agreement. Topics to be covered
include housing, behaviour change, the urgency of tackling resources, and
compiling a sustainability report for the UK.
Day by day conference programme – an overview:
- Day
one will address the UN Sustainable Development Goals, New Urban Agenda and
Paris Agreement with speakers including Paula Cabellero and John Elkington of
Volans. The day will also feature discussions on London’s air pollution, led by
Peter Murray, Chairman of New London Architecture; the possibilities of
achieving zero carbon, chaired by Victoria Kate Burrows, Project Manager,
Advancing Net Zero, World Green Building Council; and the opportunities of tech
for the built environment.
- On
day two, Jane Duncan, Immediate Past President RIBA and Chair of the RIBA Fire
Safety Advisory Group, will chair a session on construction quality
post-Grenfell. Other discussions include the economics of housing; construction
leadership with ideas from young professionals and chaired by Oliver
Wainwright; behaviour change with Tony Juniper and Lord Deben and and whether
it’s possible to make London carbon neutral by 2050.
- On
day three, Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive of UK Green Building Council, will
chair a discussion evaluating the sustainability efforts of the UK built
environment industry; Rowan Moore will chair a discussion on professionals
ethics and, wrapping up the final day, Sue Riddlestone OBE, will chair a
discussion on how the UK can make its commitment to sustainable construction
and deliver the UN SDGs at home.
Martin
Hurn, managing director of Futurebuild Events, said: “The calibre of speakers
joining us at ecobuild 2018 is fantastic. We are committed to working with
recognised leading industry innovators to bring some thoughtful, achievable and
effective ideas to the event. The line-up of topics and speakers is testament
to that.
“Most
importantly, each and every topic has been developed and shaped directly based
on industry feedback – ecobuild 2018 is the industry’s event, and we want to
ensure that every aspect of it is curated and approved by industry itself.”
Sue
Riddlestone, OBE, Chief Executive of Bioregional and member of the ecobuild
Steering Group, added: “After being so closely involved in helping to create
the Sustainable Development Goals that were agreed in 2015, I was very pleased
that the conference steering group agreed unanimously that delivering the Goals
should provide the conference focus. The range of topics that the conference is
tackling will provide positive inspiration for the industry to contribute to
achieving the task in hand.”
