The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has published its Trends Report 2025, detailing major shifts that shaped the built environment this year along with key themes to look out for in 2026.
Drawing on insights from sustainability and innovation experts across industry as well as UKGBC topic leads, the third edition of the annual report identifies 20 emerging trends and solutions and reveals an industry reframing sustainability as value and resilience amid a changing market context.
Against a backdrop of political uncertainty, economic pressure and heightened scrutiny of the net zero agenda, this year’s report finds conversations in 2025 increasingly centred on the resilience - reflecting a broader sense of vulnerability across communities, organisations and supply chains.
Looking to 2026, UKGBC anticipates a sector grappling with rapid technological advances, the interconnectedness of sustainability challenges and opportunities, and the growing importance of nature, adaptive capacity and community-centred approaches. These will sit alongside urgent needs such as scaling retrofit and reforming energy systems.
Key trends in the report include:
- Increased focus on resilience - this includesnot only climate resilience, but social and financial resilience, shaping design, investment and operational priorities.
- A move towards action - with more organisations entering the implementation phase of transition plans, exposing the gap between strategic ambition and the realities of delivery.
- From values to value - clients and investors are increasingly demanding proof of commercial, social and environmental returns, shifting the sustainability conversation from principles to performance.
- Technology development - rapid advances, particularly in AI, offer powerful tools for optimisation and decarbonisation, while introducing new energy, water and resource challenges.
- Scaling-up - innovation in materials, construction systems and digital platforms continues to expand, but adoption remains constrained by capacity, trust and fragmented markets.
- Grid capacity and energy systems - despite substantial national investment, local constraints and long connection queues persist. With growing battery storage and buildings acting as active energy assets, the built environment’s role in system flexibility continues to increase.
Yetunde Abdul, Director of Industry Transformation, UKGBC, said: "As a network that brings together innovators, practitioners and thought leaders from right across the built environment, UKGBC is uniquely placed to spot the shifts shaping our sector. This report distils the insights we hear every day from our members, partners and industry who are working at the leading edge of delivery. We publish it each year to help industry navigate complexity and to shine a light on the solutions and approaches gaining real traction."
Emily-Rose Garnett, Senior Advisor – Solutions & Innovation, UKGBC, said: "The insights in this report are grounded in what we’re hearing on the ground: organisations working out how to responsibly use technology and AI, scale retrofit, close performance gaps, rethink materials, engage supply chains and build climate resilience. It paints a picture of an industry that is working to transition from intent to action, but grappling with the challenges required to achieve this. As we enter 2026, our hope is that industry and government recognise the scale of the opportunity ahead, and the transformative impact we can unlock through collective action.”
