The third annual UKGBC Trends Report has identified what key themes construction firms are innovating around as we head for 2026
20 emerging trends, such as resilience in the built environment and moving towards action, have been identified in the report.
The report surveyed sustainability and innovation experts in the construction industry to see what trends are likely to be emerging in the new year.
Global pressures affecting the industry
Political uncertainty, economic pressure, and commitments to net zero targets are all key elements in the survey’s responses, and resilience grows from this in reflection of vulnerabilities in the supply chain, communities, and organisations.
The report covers several sections, including:
- Move towards action – establishing the financing and organisation needed for action and implementation of net zero measures
- Business case, ‘from values to value’ – addressing activation gaps and allowing market value to catch up
- Capacity challenges and the proliferation of solutions – addressing lack of capacity and the skills gap
- Collaboration and supply chain engagement – enabling collaboration across the supply and value chain
- Place and context – designing more bespoke solutions to address individual and unique needs
- Thinking beyond carbon and making sense of complexity – addressing the interconnectedness of carbon, nature, health and wellbeing, climate resilience, resource use and social value
- The role of AI – utilising the significant technological advantages presented by AI
Yetunde Abdul, director of industry transformation at UKGBC, said: “As a network that brings together innovators, practitioners and thought leaders from right across the built environment, UKGBC is uniquely placed to spot the shifts shaping our sector. This report distils the insights we hear every day from our members, partners and industry who are working at the leading edge of delivery. We publish it each year to help industry navigate complexity and to shine a light on the solutions and approaches gaining real traction.”
The report can be read in full here.
Climate Emergency UK feel councils are moving too slowly
In June, Climate Emergency UK published the second edition of their Council Climate Action Scorecards, which assessed every council in the UK on what progress they are making to achieve the net zero 2030 targets.
They found that only 16% of UK councils are on track to meet their targets, and most are only performing half of the actions or measures needed.
Isaac Beevor, partnerships director at Climate Emergency UK said “We’re pleased to see councils using the Scorecards to improve, especially as the effects of climate change hit closer to home with wildfires already happening and a predicted drought this summer in the UK. However, the UK Government must make climate action a fully-funded legal duty for all UK councils to remove the national barriers councils face. This would support councils to step up their climate action by more than 6 percentage points over almost 2 years and at the emergency pace needed by providing increased funding, powers and guidance to cash-strapped councils tackle the climate and cost of living crisis.”
