Sustainability
Plant-Based Places: Emerging Products and Principles
The rise of ESG and net zero carbon has greatly increased our industry’s appetite for innovation and new thinking. After three decades of relative stability (characterised by green building certifications and regulations) there is now an emerging drive to deliver buildings that better appeal to a wider, more sustainably savvy audience.
By Richard Francis
Net Zero and the Built Environment: Where Does It Go From Here?
It is hard to underestimate the changes we have seen in the last five years with the creation of net zero carbon frameworks and the growth of ESG. Arising at the same time, net zero carbon and ESG more broadly have begun to fundamentally alter the construction and operation of buildings.
By Richard Francis
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Planning for Hydrogen Delivery: Getting Airports Ready
Planning for Hydrogen Delivery: Getting Airports Ready
Airport infrastructure would need to integrate within a (potentially national) hydrogen supply network requiring significant infrastructure development and investment in clean energy production.
By Jason Fowler
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Existing Buildings and Carbon Performance: Managing the Opportunities.
Existing Buildings and Carbon Performance: Managing the Opportunities.
Much of the current discussion around net zero carbon tends to focus on new buildings. It involves questions of how to lower embodied carbon, incorporate new materials, integrate on-site renewables and so on. These issues are certainly important and need answers, but they can also obscure the importance of existing buildings.
By Richard Francis
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Sustainable Aviation: Could Hydrogen be a Solution?
Sustainable Aviation: Could Hydrogen be a Solution?
With increasing fuel prices and climate change rising rapidly up the agenda, the aviation industry is having to look at life after fossil fuels.
By Michael Urie
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How to attract tenants through community-led spaces – a tenant’s perspective
How to attract tenants through community-led spaces – a tenant’s perspective
In a world where hybrid working and work-from-home practices are now the norm, office space can no longer be just a place of work. With companies taking greater consideration of their employees’ wellbeing and mental health whilst seeking to attract the best talent, the office must provide a highly engaging social environment. Across the market, there is shift in the mix of tenants that landlords are bringing into their buildings.
By Laura Mazzeo
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G&T’s Thought Leadership Round-Up: 2022
G&T’s Thought Leadership Round-Up: 2022
After a confluence of unexpected and, in some cases, unprecedented shocks to the global economy, 2022 has been fraught with challenges and creeping uncertainty. As the year draws to a close, we look back at some of the key articles G&T has published throughout this fast-paced and turbulent year, highlighting some of the more positive developments and take-aways.
By Michael Urie
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Net Zero Aviation: Preparing the Infrastructure for Take-Off
Net Zero Aviation: Preparing the Infrastructure for Take-Off
In 2021, the UK aviation industry made a commitment to be net zero carbon by 2050 . The challenge ahead is immense but with credible plans in place, the industry hopes the target can be delivered with the right support.
By Michael Urie
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How to become a net zero carbon company
How to become a net zero carbon company
From entire economies (such as the UK’s commitment to be net zero by 2050) to the construction of a single building, the concept of net zero has proven highly adaptive to different units of analysis. In this article we look at what it takes to be a “net zero carbon company” and use our experience as an example.
By Richard Francis
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The Future of the Office: Drivers for Change
The Future of the Office: Drivers for Change
Office space has had to adapt and evolve throughout the decades and never more so than following the events of the last two years. G&T’s expertise in the central London office market working with both developers, funders and end users has provided key insights to the trends that are becoming drivers for change to the future of the office.
By Stuart Le Boutillier
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Hydrogen: The Future Fuel for Net Zero Ambitions
Hydrogen: The Future Fuel for Net Zero Ambitions
In November 2020, the Government published a 10 point plan, laying the foundations to help reach its target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is their vision to build back better, support green jobs and accelerate towards a net zero Britain.
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The 10 Point Plan: A Summary
The 10 Point Plan: A Summary
The built environment plays a critical role in advancing the climate agenda and so it is up to us, as professionals in the industry, to challenge ourselves and answer the call of necessity. Back in November 2020, the Government set out its ‘Ten Point Plan for Green Industrial Revolution’ – a plan that lays the foundations for the UK to become “cleaner, greener and more beautiful” as well as a global leader in green technologies and finance.
By Michael Urie
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The Plan to Enable a Green Industrial Revolution
The Plan to Enable a Green Industrial Revolution
With COP26 headlines currently dominating all media outlets and news channels, it is difficult to ignore phrases like ‘green recovery’, ‘build back better’ and ‘net zero carbon’, as well as the continuous updates on the progress being made on climate negotiations.
By Michael Urie
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Electric Vehicles: The Road To Zero
Electric Vehicles: The Road To Zero
What is a Gigaplant and what are the challenges for developing them?
By Jason Fowler
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EV Facilities: Site Selection and Development
EV Facilities: Site Selection and Development
We are seeing some significant developments in the EV market. There is a perfect of storm of consumers wanting to switch to greener, more sustainable forms of transport, governments and regulators pushing legislation to enforce the transition to EVs and people showing little appetite for moving away from cars.
By David Norris
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NHS Estates: Cost Modelling for Operational Net Zero
NHS Estates: Cost Modelling for Operational Net Zero
The built environment contributes around 40% of the UK's total carbon footprint. It is therefore recognised that significant and collaborative changes to the design and operation of buildings are required if the 2050 net zero carbon emissions target set by the UK Government is to be achieved.
By Matthew Mills
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Low Carbon Buildings: G&T’s Observations
Low Carbon Buildings: G&T’s Observations
Based on our own observations there are an increasing number of alternatives to traditional cement and concrete. For example, blended cements and concretes that store carbon and are made from entirely different materials such as wood, hempcrete, straw bales and mycelium.
By Michael Urie
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Managing Low Carbon Design in Commercial Buildings
Managing Low Carbon Design in Commercial Buildings
Over the last two years we have seen an increasing recognition of the climate crisis as a fundamental briefing issue for a number of clients who now identify the net zero/low carbon agenda as an opportunity to positively contribute to the identity of their building and provide a point of differentiation relative to other competing developments.
By James Angus
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Reviewing the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) report: Building the Case for Net Zero
Reviewing the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) report: Building the Case for Net Zero
In order for the UK to meet its climate change targets by 2050, all new buildings must operate at net zero by 2030 which, according to the UKGBC means that all new buildings will have to be designed to meet the target of net zero operational energy by 2025. In the second in our series of articles on low carbon buildings, we look at the UKGBC’s “Building the Case for Net Zero” report and ask if net zero carbon really is obtainable in construction by 2050.
By Michael Urie
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Are Net Zero Embodied Carbon Targets Really Attainable in Construction?
Are Net Zero Embodied Carbon Targets Really Attainable in Construction?
As the construction industry makes the transition towards net zero carbon emissions, there is a growing body of guidance and performance targets to help improve the sector’s collective understanding on how to design and deliver low carbon buildings. The industry is becoming increasingly aware of the level of building performance that will be required to achieve a net zero carbon outcome.
