Back to the futurebuild

Futurebuild is the leading built environment event for industry professionals to meet, learn, be inspired and do business. Taking place at London’s ExCeL from March 5-7, Futurebuild 2019 will focus on tackling the biggest challenges impacting the industry and provide visitors with insight and hands-on experience around the latest innovations, products and materials to address these issues.

More than 500 market-leading brands and organisations from across the globe will be showcasing their product innovations and contributing to the extensive knowledge programme, which will offer more than 500 hours of structured learning completely free of charge. Helping visitors gain a truly immersive and in-depth experience across all areas of the industry, exhibitors will be hosted across six curated Hubs: Materials, Urban Infrastructure, Buildings, Interiors, Energy and Offsite.

The Materials Hub in particular promises to be unmissable for professionals working across the industry, as this is where the possibilities of timber and natural building products will be explored, as well as innovations in concrete, steel and masonry. The Hub will host the TRADA Bookshop, where visitors will have the ability to view the most recent publications from across the sector. Visitors will also have the opportunity to view the work created as part of the TRADA University Challenge competition, with the shortlisted visuals being displayed within the bookshop.

Hosted in partnership with leading trade organisations, the Hub will also host a CPD-accredited seminar programme to provide a wealth of knowledge for visitors. This year, TRADA and Wood for Good will be launching ‘Timber Design Pioneers’ at Futurebuild – a free to download publication that takes a close look at the impact of strong, innovative and collaborative teams on the advancement of structural timber projects. Across the three-day seminar programme, teams featured in the publication will be discussing their projects and the exact nature and benefits of the collaborative team working, in sessions hosted by Rupert Scott, membership and marketing manager at TRADA and Christiane Lellig, campaign director at Wood for Good.

The Natural Building Area will also feature in the Hub, providing free educational information and showcasing natural materials and businesses that work in the UK natural building industry, as well as hosting exhibitors such as Steico, Millworks, PiveteauBois, Hoppings Softwood Products, Capital Holz, Glavloc and Magply.

Visitors will be at the heart of construction innovation in the Offsite Hub, hosted in partnership with Explore Offsite. Four dedicated seminar theatres – each focused on a specific technology or theme within offsite – will provide hours of in-depth, structured knowledge sharing. This comprehensive education programme will allow attendees to gain a deep understanding of the latest insights and approaches from across the sector.

One of the four Explore Offsite Masterclasses will be hosted in association with the Structural Timber Association and will focus exclusively on structural timber. Sessions hosted across each day of the event will highlight best practice and case studies from across the housing, commercial and retail sectors. These include: Housing, where Stewart Delgarno, director of product development at Stewart Milne Timber Systems will present a case study on St Wilfred’s Walk Development; Commercial, where John Spittle, UK representative for Wiehag GmbH will present a case study on the Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience; and Retail and Leisure, where Andrew Howe, associate at Heyne Tillett Steel will present a case study on Herne Hill Velodrome.

In the Buildings Hub, visitors have access to industry insights and some of the world’s most innovative building systems and technologies. Topics including building performance in a post-Grenfell world, social value, and high-rise Passivhaus will be covered in the Buildings Seminar Theatre, while a series of pavilions will showcase global innovations. Timber professionals can also experience the Home of the Future exhibit, created by Tufeco and Grimshaw Architects, which can be found alongside exhibitors including Bauder, Durisol, Internorm, Recticel and Smart Systems.

The Urban Infrastructure Hub will explore the latest solutions across blue, green, grey and social infrastructure. The Urban Infrastructure Seminar Theatre, sponsored by ACO, and the accompanying exhibition will feature both nature-based and manufactured solutions to address challenges in active travel, air pollution, landscaping, water management and more, while the Hub’s own green space, City Walk, will allow visitors to experience the benefits of a green setting and see innovations on display.

Meanwhile, the Waste Zone will be bigger and better for 2019. Curated by architect, academic and author Duncan Baker-Brown, the area will showcase how waste can be a valuable resource for industry. Central to the experience will be the new Circular Economy Hub, which will take a unique beach hut format and feature a collection of handpicked brands at the forefront of making the circular economy a reality. Visitors can also expect a hard-hitting programme of talks from leading designers, architects, waste managers and material inventors in the Waste Talk theatre. These experts will discuss ways in which waste materials can be integrated into construction projects, how existing buildings can be deconstructed instead of demolished, and how new buildings can be designed as materials stores for the future.

CPD accreditation

Professionals looking for insights and education on the most recent industry best practices and breakthroughs will be sure to find what they are looking for at the event. Developed in conjunction with renowned, industry leading partners, Futurebuild will provide over 500 hours of structured learning across three levels – an inspiring conference programme, 11 seminar streams and four workshops hosted in the Knowledge Forum – all CPD-accredited and completely free of charge.

Sitting at the centre will be the ecobuild conference, where visitors will be inspired to take action on the most pressing challenges through insights and knowledge-sharing from leading experts. With an overarching theme of “Time For Action”, the conference sessions will be collaborative forums where visitors will develop plans for implementing change and proposing action for a more sustainable future.

A total of 13 key challenges will be tackled through the conference programme, including how to overcome the housing crisis, how to apply innovative technology and techniques to transform the industry, and how to achieve a truly circular economy.

Other topics being addressed include: how to respond to the climate crisis; how to strengthen environmental protections; how to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals; how to achieve a built environment fit for 2050; how to apply innovative technology and techniques to transform the industry; how to overcome the housing crisis; how to put health and well-being at the heart of design; how to reinforce the connections between education, skills and research to develop a future workforce and how to transform existing homes through behaviour change and deep retrofits.

The Knowledge Forum, meanwhile, is a new feature for 2019 where industry-leading partners, academia and professional bodies will offer a comprehensive look at the biggest issues facing the built environment and provide useful solutions and guidance for timber professionals to take back to the office.

As an official UK government innovation partner, Futurebuild will also host the Innovation Zone with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK. At the Zone, BEIS will showcase the work of the Energy Innovation Programme and demonstrate how it is delivering the Clean Growth Strategy. Focusing on true innovation, it will provide a platform for investment and knowledge exchange across three areas: a dedicated three-day seminar series; an exhibition featuring innovative companies BEIS and Innovate UK has provided funding to; and a ‘Business Bar’ in collaboration with the Knowledge Transfer Network – providing one-to-one advice and support on accessing funding.