2 Finsbury Avenue: Engineering a sustainable new skyline

2 Finsbury Avenue: Engineering a sustainable new skyline

2 Finsbury Avenue is a 38‑storey, 106,000 sq m development set to Chairperson Marion Charlier, Central Engineering Lead - Arcelor Mittal [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/marion-charlier] Speakers Matthew Webster, Head of Sustainability - British Land [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/matthew-webster] Ollie Wildman, Director - Buildings - Ramboll [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/ollie-wildman] Kathryn Castledine, Senior Sustainability Manager - Sir Robert McAlpine [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/kathryn-castledine] Jonathan Davis, Technical Director - William Hare Group [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/jonathan-davis] David Chapman, UK Sustainability Lead - ArcelorMittal [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/dave-chapman-1]

One Exchange Square: Structural reimagining

One Exchange Square reimagines a 1980s office building and demonstrates how novel methods can be used to expand commercial floor space on a large-scale cut & carve project whilst minimising carbon impact. The whole building has been redesigned to deliver healthier working environments with roof terraces, interior planting and a diversity of uses contributing to a revitalised whole. The project delivers a substantial 11-storey, 7.5m extension above London Liverpool Street Station without foundation strengthening, avoiding the significant embodied carbon associated with new basements and deep piling. An exoskeletal transfer truss and hanger system redistributes loads back to the retained structure, enabling 94% structural retention by volume, prioritising flexibility and material efficiency. Preloading the structure and removing it as the facade was installed minimises movement of the cladding system. Chairperson Oren Yefet, Project Engineer - Multiplex [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/oren-yefet] Speakers Jonathan Flint, Senior Associate - Heyne Tillett Steel [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/jonathan-flint] Vanessa Smith, Sustainability Manager - Multiplex [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/vanessa-flint] Alec Smith, Project Director - M3 Consulting [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/alec-smith]

Market Sentiment, Appetite and Behaviour

Investor approaches to greening real assets span a wide spectrum—from doing the bare minimum to comply with regulation, to deep retrofits designed to meaningfully reduce climate impact. This session explores what truly matters to investors across this range of ambition and how differing priorities shape capital allocation, asset design, and operational decisions. We examine how owners, developers, lenders, and asset managers weigh cost, risk, return, and reputation when assessing sustainability strategies, and how these considerations translate into real-world outcomes for the built environment.   The discussion will also tackle:  *  Has political fatigue dampened sustainability momentum or simply reshaped it?   * The sentiment divide differences across Europe, UK and US capital?   *  How occupier demand, leasing behaviour, and willingness to pay influence investment decisions and long-term asset value?  Chairperson Adrian Boyce, Group Director - OD Group [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/adrian-boyce] Speakers Chris Hunt, Co-Founder & Director - V7 [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/chris-hunt] Mike Youngson, Director of Capital Projects UK and Europe - TPG Angelo Gordon [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/mike-youngson]

NowtHaus: Beyond HVAC

Is it possible to remove mechanical heating and cooling systems entirely while still providing comfort? Buildings today are increasingly designed around mechanical systems rather than people. Comfort is routinely solved through equipment, driving complexity, cost and carbon. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems alone can account for over 15% of construction budgets, often exceeding the cost of the façade, while remaining energy-intensive to operate and carbon-hungry to manufacture and maintain. * How far can design intelligence  go before mechanical systems are truly required?  * What do people actually need to feel comfortable? Challenging the practice of designing for rare climatic extremes that dictate system size for the entire year, and by understanding how temperature, air movement and adaptive comfort interact, NowtHaus explores buildings that perform naturally year-round. The outcome is a passive office building with no conventional heating or cooling. Peak heating loads remain below 5 W/m², allowing internal gains to maintain winter comfort, while natural ventilation and thermal mass regulate summer conditions. The team behind the concept will demonstrate how this approach simplifies construction and reduces cost. Chairperson Claire Racine, Head of Sustainability - Ramboll UK [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/claire-racine] Speakers Peter Fisher, Director - Bennetts Associates [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/peter-fisher] William Allen, Sustainability Engineer - Ramboll UK [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/william-allen] Phil Clark, Head of Cost Management - CPC Project Services [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/phil-clark]

What if we already know how to design regeneratively?

Much to the annoyance of linguists, Will Arnold argues that regenerative design is a verb, not a noun. It's a process we can all follow - on any project - to move us closer to the goal of doing more good with construction, rather than just minimising harm.  In this keynote, Will will share a simple process he has developed to anchor all the amazing innovations, processes and mindsets that exist in industry today, and draw them together into a regenerative approach to building design and construction.  Learning from examples taken from across the industry, see how his three pillars of systems thinking - place, time and influence - can be combined to create buildings that heal our planet.  Speakers Will Arnold, Head of Sustainable Materials - Useful Simple Trust [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/will-arnold] Imandeep Kaur, Director of Mission + Strategy - CIVIC SQUARE [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/imandeep-kaur] Guy Rochez, Associate Director - TOWN [https://www.footprintplus.com/speakers/guy-rochez]