The 2026 Futurebuild
Arena Conference places the spotlight on the ‘
Three Rs',
Resilience, Reuse and Regenerative Design, challenging the built environment to rethink how it responds to climate, social and economic change. Bringing together leading voices from across the industry, the programme explores how circular thinking, low-carbon innovation and regenerative approaches can move the sector beyond business as usual and into meaningful action. Curated by
The Edge and supported by main sponsor
Mitsubishi Electric, the Arena connects bold ideas with practical, scalable solutions to help deliver a more resilient future.
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Futurebuild Arena15 mins
10:30
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Futurebuild Arena60 minsThe concept of a ‘ circular economy’ is not new. The formation of a Circular Economy Taskforce by the then Secretary of State at Defra provided the impetus to explore how to put this into practice acr …Speaker
11:40
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Futurebuild Arena45 minsTime is not on our side if we are to seriously change the direction in which we are moving in terms of the multiple social, environmental and economic crises that climate change is causing and will in …
12:45
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Futurebuild Arena60 minsWith an ever-growing list of polycrisis to tackle, how do we make the right decisions as to what we work on, how we push back with our clients, and how we treat one another along the way? While an ins …Speaker
14:00
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Futurebuild Arena60 minsThis panel will explore how collaboration and culture change can make circular practices the new norm across the built environment. Bringing together designers, engineers, developers, demolition contr …Chair
15:15
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Futurebuild Arena45 minsIn a low-growth or no-growth economy, can the Circular Economy help ensure everyone has the means to live a flourishing life? And if so, how? Is the Circular Economy a way to kick-start new seams of e …
16:15
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Futurebuild Arena45 minsAs debates continue about technical priorities in retrofit, this fireside panel takes a step back to ask a more fundamental question: what needs to be in place for retrofit to succeed at scale? This s …
10:30
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Futurebuild Arena45 minsA truly sustainable built environment requires effective policies to support key principles including carbon reduction, resilience, circularity and resource protection, water, biodiversity, health and …
11:30
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Futurebuild Arena45 minsWe need nature for our long term survival and yet we have taken it so much for granted that we may now be at a tipping point with biodiversity loss and the rapid degradation of ecosystems reaching cri …
12:30
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Futurebuild Arena60 minsWhat does ‘regenerative design’ actually mean, and how can we put it into practice, regardless of context? Our contention is that it is possible to embed regenerative practices into all aspects of de …Speaker
13:45
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Regenerative design in practice: case studies - Curated by Architecture Today and Architects DeclareFuturebuild Arena60 minsThe Regenerative Architecture Index (RAI) identified three broad sections for regenerative practice: being a good ancestor, co-evolving with nature and creating a just space for people. ‘Being a good …
15:00
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Futurebuild Arena45 minsThis session will explore how regenerative thinking can reshape the built environment, highlighting the social, environmental and economic benefits of this approach, as well as the challenges and the …
16:00
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Futurebuild Arena60 minsThis session will see three shortlisted innovators battle it out in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitch, to become winner of the Big Innovation Pitch 2026. Chair: Dr. Oliver Jones, Cundall Judge: Victoria Bu …Chair
10:30
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Futurebuild Arena60 minsDespite the sound and fury of the culture warriors, dealing with the reality of climate change and working with nature is something we all need to be and will soon be doing. It will shortly become a p …
12:00
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Futurebuild Arena45 minsHigh performance sustainable buildings have, until recently, been limited to niche projects at a relatively small scale. Things are now changing quickly, with multiple large organisations committing t …
13:00
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Futurebuild Arena60 minsAn overview of Version 1 of the Standard, including the latest updates and developments. The session will cover the verification process and methodology, industry engagement, and how you can use the S …
14:30
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Futurebuild Arena60 mins2030, along with 2050, have long been held as significant dates in climate change and nature recovery action planning. As each year moves towards the first of these seminal dates, the important of ach …Speaker