Futurebuild 2020 Highlights

• Content
• Building, Refurbishment & Fit-Out
• Futurebuild 2020 Highlights

11 March 2020

Futurebuild 2020’s mission was to tackle the biggest challenges facing the industry head on. Bringing together 450 brands, the three days of activity centred on how to transform the industry to achieve net zero carbon emissions in a resilient and sustainable environment.

As an official media partner, ThisWeekinFM brings you some of the highlights from the event.

 

Innovation trail

 

“Everywhere you turn at this year’s event you experience innovation and forward-thinking companies who are tackling the issues we are facing as an industry. But these aren’t futuristic or conceptual ideas, they’re tangible solutions which will make a real difference.”

–Martin Hurn

Event Director, Futurebuild

 

Visitors explored the all new Innovation Trail, which united Futurebuild’s Innovation Partners, offering attendees the opportunity to view and experience revolutionary products, solutions and materials and meet the teams behind these innovations:

 

• Generation 2 by Lumi-Plugin: Launched at Futurebuild, this downlight combines LED lighting with various plugins such as concealed sprinkler systems, smoke alarms, heat alarms, CO alarms, air ventilation, PIR sensors and emergency lighting
• Elements Range by Steico: The company demonstrated its commitment to healthy, high-performing and sustainable buildings with its fully-constructed, wood-based, building cassette systems which make on-site assembly of walls, floors and roofs, fast and affordable
• Concrete Futures by The Concrete Centre: They showcased a mix of physical exhibits and video that demonstrated how concrete is evolving and innovating to deliver a sustainable, net zero carbon-built environment now and for future generations

 

Martin Hurn, Futurebuild Event Director, commented: “Everywhere you turn at this year’s event you experience innovation and forward-thinking companies who are tackling the issues we are facing as an industry. But these aren’t futuristic or conceptual ideas, they’re tangible solutions which will make a real difference.”

 

“Big Innovation Pitch” Winner

 

The Big Innovation Pitch, in partnership with BRE, also made its return to the event. On each of the six Keynote Stages, brands pitched their new products and approaches against each other, with one innovation shortlisted from each stage. 

 

The finalists were:

• Hope Resources (Critical Infrastructure)
• Passiv Pod Ltd (Offsite)
• Gapogroup (Energy)
• Kenoteq (Resourceful Materials)
• C.H.E.E.S.E. (Buildings)
• Rype (Interiors)

 

Rype, a Circular Economy office furniture company,  were crowned winners on day two. Jamie Harbour, Rype Office Relationship Manager, told Futurebuild: “We are honoured to have won the Big Innovation Pitch. It’s fantastic that Futurebuild embraces the Circular Economy and champions sustainability. Winning will help us continue to spread the word and increase awareness around our innovations.”

 

 The journey to “100% net zero carbon”

 

On the second day of the event, a panel discussed the critical need to transition to a net zero carbon world. They stressed that the time to act is now and helped to answer important questions on not only ‘why’, but also ‘how’, industry can achieve 100% net zero carbon.

Keith Clarke, Chair of the Forum for the Future, Constructionarium and Active Building Centre Swansea, said we should not focus on the goal that’s been set for 2050, and instead should aim for net zero carbon by 2025.

He explained that we must all be open to making a change in the work that we do and that the way in which we deal with climate change is fundamental, with significant opportunities for business. He added that it’s not about performance in 2050, it’s about what we offer tomorrow and as a sector it’s important we make the changes now and move to more sustainable approaches to remain competitive in the market.

 

An exhibitor's view

 

Building optimisation company arbnco carried out live demos of its software arbn well and arbn insight at the event. Its arbn well software, which last month won the CIBSE award for wellbeing product of the year, measured the indoor environmental quality in London’s ExCeL in real-time. 

Stephen Preece, Business Development Director at arbnco commented:

“Delegates really enjoyed seeing our software in action and getting a better understanding on how optimising the indoor environment air quality can improve occupant’s health, wellbeing and productivity." 

arbnco’s Stephen Preece was also invited to speak on a panel discussion which tackled energy reduction in non domestic buildings. Stephen spoke about the role AI and virtual modelling plays in reducing energy consumption. arbnco’s arbn insight software allows energy and facilities managers to manage operational energy performance in buildings. 

Stephen added, “This was arbnco’s first time exhibiting at the conference and we were really impressed with the scale of the conference, the range of speakers and delegates attending, we will definitely be back next year!”

 

Picture: Futurebuild 2020

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 11 March 2020

Share

---

---

Related Articles

---