Designing for a Sustainable Future: Standards, Collaboration & Circular Architecture
Hosted by Duncan Baker-Brown (BakerBrown, University of Brighton, RIBA)
As the built environment faces urgent demands for climate alignment, the question is no longer whether we design sustainably—but how. How can we move beyond compliance toward design that is regenerative, adaptive, and circular by default?
In this high-level conversation, architect and climate literacy champion Duncan Baker-Brown will lead a discussion on the power of standards, good design, and multi-sector collaboration in achieving a truly sustainable built environment.
Drawing on his decades of experience as a practitioner, educator, and systems thinker, Duncan will explore:
Why design literacy and climate literacy must be integrated at every level
How to embed circular economy principles into architectural practice and education
What it takes to align industry standards with both local context and global climate targets
How collaboration—across policy, education, and practice—can drive scaled change
This session is ideal for:
Architects, engineers, urban planners, policymakers, funders, educators, and climate advocates seeking to align the built environment with climate and ecological realities.
Expect:
Brief insights from Duncan’s own work (includingThe Re-Use Atlasand the Brighton Waste House), a moderated dialogue with peers, and a forward-looking exchange of strategies to close the gap between aspiration and implementation.
The buildings of tomorrow are already being imagined today. Let’s make sure they’re built to last—and built to heal.