Solar Power: Delivering a rooftop revolution

Real estate fund managers need to address the challenges presented by UK and EU disclosure regulations relating to sustainability: a dual regulatory horizon.  From July 2024 the UK Sustainability Disclosure Requirements (SDR) regime has been mandatory for UK-authorised funds for UK retail investors. Since March 2021 the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) applies to any fund marketed to EU investors, including non‑EU funds. The SFDR regime is now being reviewed by the EU regulators - with the prospects of significant reforms: in particular, SFDR Article 6, 8 and 9 disclosure requirements being replaced by SFDR 2.0 product labels, expected to take effect in 2028 or onwards. How should the managers strategically prepare for SDR and SFDR 2.0? What are the key data and other expectations as well as, with SFDR 2.0, timelines? How can compliance with the regulations, meeting investor expectations as well as other market drivers assist with: attracting capital; portfolio alignment and progressing with much needed transition “stranded to green” strategies; and achieving positive social impact associated with the built environment in addition to delivering on financial returns? Chairperson James Hay, Principal Climate and Sustainability Advisor - Pinsent Masons Speakers Melville Rodrigues, Head of Real Estate Advisory - Apex Group Chantal Beaudoin, Head of ESG - Knight Frank IM

Heat networks are moving from niche infrastructure to a core component of the UK’s heat decarbonisation strategy. With new regulations now in force – and more to come, including on technical standards and heat network zoning—the implications for real estate developers and operators are immediate and significant. This session provides an overview of the key regulatory changes and explores what these mean in practice for real estate investors and owners. It will examine when heat networks are appropriate, how they can be integrated into new and existing developments, and the commercial, technical, legal and operational considerations that shape successful delivery. Chairperson Rob Wall, Assistant Director - Real Estate:UK Speakers Clare Masters, Head of Sustainability - Quintain Mike Dagnall, Director, Sustainable Asset Services - JLL Ben Rodgers, Head of Regeneration - L&G Asset Management  

Retrofitting commercial buildings is critical to reducing energy use and carbon emissions, yet delivering viable projects remains complex. No two buildings, clients, or regions are the same, and a business case that works in London may not stack up in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, or other regional markets. Local economics, regulations, asset values, and investor expectations all influence retrofit decisions. This session explores how regional market dynamics shape retrofit strategies, from return-on-investment pressures to planning and compliance considerations. It will examine why decarbonisation measures particularly heat pumps can be essential but difficult to justify, depending on building typology and local conditions. The panel brings together developers, asset owners, and building managers from across the UK to share candid perspectives and real-world examples. Gain practical insights into how retrofit and decarbonisation business cases are being tailored regionally, and how to make projects viable beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. Chairperson Chris Newman, Zero Carbon Design Manager - Mitsubishi Electric Speakers Alex Edwards, ESG Director - Bruntwood SciTech Zoe Lamb, Head of Client Transition & Impact - Barclays Mark Postill, Director - Atkins Realis  

How can different construction stakeholders work together to ensure best reuse of high-quality aluminium? Exploring the circular approach adopted on a major student‑accommodation redevelopment, we highlight how the client, main contractor, consultants and the aluminium manufacturer worked together to enable material recovery and responsible reuse. The speakers will discuss: respecting the existing material and the risks of downcycling, where certain 6000‑series alloys can never be upcycled  project successes and what has been learnt how to design for genuine takeback to maintain material quality With legislation still not requiring low‑carbon or post‑consumer metals, the session also examines how future policy shifts will make circular aluminium essential, reinforcing the need close the loop and reduce waste across the construction sector. Chairperson Martyn Wright, Project Consultant - TECHNAL Speakers Camille Destres, Associate Director - BB7 Cat Clarkson, Sustainability Manager - GRAHAM James Tiernan, Head of Sustainability - Unite Students  

ROOT to Market is a dynamic procurement marketplace designed to help the property sector deliver projects with greater transparency, impact and long-term value. Unlike traditional, one-off tendering models, ROOT to Market is a perpetually open and flexible platform aligned with the RIBA Plan of Work enabling commissioners and project teams to engage trusted, pre-approved supply chain partners at every stage of a project  from inception through to delivery. The platform curates experienced organisations committed to circular and regenerative materials, ethical sourcing and measurable community benefit. This supports faster, more confident procurement decisions while maintaining robust standards for quality, sustainability and social value. This session explores how procurement can shift from purely cost-driven transactions to value-led collaboration. ROOT to Market brings best practice principles to reality by drawing on real-world project experience to help clients contract for regenerative outcomes from the outset, rather than retrospectively. The session demonstrates how a marketplace approach can diversify supply chains, unlock innovation and embed environmental and social outcomes into project delivery. Chairperson Meena Kamath, UK Networks Lead - Built by Nature Speakers David Shields, Co-Founder - Value Match Gary Newman, Chief Executive - Woodknowledge Wales Gayle Monk, Legal Director - Anthony Collins LLP

As the industry accelerates towards low‑carbon delivery, the tension between cost and carbon is reshaping project value. This panel brings together cost consultants, contractors, manufacturers and circularity specialists to examine how market forces, funding and client priorities influence decision‑making. Alongside take‑back and reuse schemes, the manufacturer perspective highlights how high‑quality aluminium recycling is reshaping carbon baselines and challenging traditional cost assumptions. The discussion will explore whether responsible material choices offer measurable commercial benefit  and how design teams, consultants and delivery partners can align around solutions that balance environmental performance with financial viability. Chairperson Martyn Wright, Project Consultant - TECHNAL Speakers Steve Mudie, Partner - Turner & Townsend Alinea Gianluca Rapone, Associate Director - FMDC Neil Dobbs, Head of Facades - Multiplex

In shallow and illiquid markets, developers face a distinct challenge: how to future-proof existing assets while protecting returns and maintaining flexibility in the business plan. This session explores how targeted retrofitting strategies can unlock value in standing buildings, aligning environmental performance with commercial outcomes rather than treating sustainability as a cost centre.  Focusing on practical interventions, the discussion will examine how energy efficiency upgrades, fabric improvements, and smart building systems can be phased to remain accretive to a developer’s business plan enhancing income resilience, reducing operational risk, and supporting exit value in markets with limited depth.   What is the role of growing sustainability-linked loans?  How do credible retrofit pathways and measurable performance targets improve financing terms and strengthen lender confidence?  With market-facing insight into investor and occupier expectations in shallow markets, we ask how whole-lifecycle carbon assessments and embodied and operational carbon analysis can inform retrofit decisions, prioritise spend, and evidence impact. The speakers will explore how a robust carbon-led strategy can support financing, de-risk assets, and deliver long-term value.   Chairperson Gilbert Lennox-King, Founder / CEO - Construction Carbon Speakers Oliver Hartley-Booth, Partner - Gardiner & Theobald Dee Korab, Head of Impact - Puma Property Finance Kilian Kleine, Investment & Development - Kinrise

Solar power is becoming a central pillar of the UK’s decarbonisation and clean energy strategies, with Government committed to trebling solar capacity by 2030. For commercial real estate investors and developers, this creates a significant opportunity. Falling costs, improving performance and rapid innovation from high-efficiency panels to on-site storage and smart energy management are changing how solar can be integrated into buildings and portfolios.  This session explores how solar power can support the real estate sector in reducing operational carbon and energy costs while helping the wider economy transition to a low-carbon future. It will explore practical considerations for new and existing developments, including design integration, grid connections, ownership and funding models, and interactions with evolving policy and regulation. Chairperson Rob Wall, Assistant Director - Real Estate:UK Speakers Patrick Gifford, UK & EMEA Solar Lead - Cushman & Wakefield Jennie Colville, Senior Sustainability Director - Tritax Matthew Webster, Head of Sustainability - British Land

Why does the hospitality industry accept that perfectly good interiors will be ripped out and burnt or buried? It is a catastrophic failure to plan for a completely predictable outcome, and it costs developers, operators and the planet. In this session, James Goldsmith of Sibley Grove joins Nick Harrison of Design Foundry and Gerry Byrne of Castlebrook to challenge the status quo. The panel will argue that Design for Disassembly (D4D) and designing for longevity are not idealistic ambitions but essential, commercially proven strategies. They will explore how simple changes; bolts instead of glue, quality materials instead of cheap laminates, modular systems instead of fixed assemblies, can reduce refurbishment costs by up to 40%, cut carbon by up to 75% and transform how hotels maintain and refresh their spaces. With real examples and hard numbers, this session makes the case that the industry's biggest waste problem is also its biggest missed opportunity. Chairperson Jeremy Grove, CEO & Design Director - Sibley Grove Speakers Nick Harrison, Founding Director - Design Foundry Brendan Mullard, Founder - Reassemble

The range of low-carbon and circular concrete solutions is growing rapidly  from novel binders and recycled aggregates to new design and specification approaches. Yet adoption on live projects often lags behind technical feasibility. This session explores how developers, designers and contractors can bridge that gap and accelerate real-world delivery. Drawing on practical project experience, we will explore how guidance, carbon targets, collaborative risk-sharing and a strategic approach to innovation are helping to bring novel solutions into mainstream use. Chairperson Andrea Charlson, Snr Sustainability Specialist & Circular Economy Lead - The Concrete Centre Speakers Samantha Carlsson, Senior Sustainability Manager - Derwent London Ross Wilkinson-Boram, ESG Manager - Getjar Simon Banfield, Director - Ramboll