Year of Net Zero Carbon and the Climate Emergency

Our Theme for the Year

Nearly 75% of District, County, Unitary & Metropolitan Councils plus eight Combined Authorities/City Regions have declared a Climate Emergency to date. So all those working within and for the public sector are seriously considering how their organisation can reduce its impact on the environment whilst working within restrictive financial times.

Our chosen theme for SPACES over the coming year will be Net Zero Carbon and the Climate Emergency, and looks to support our members by organising webinars and technical meetings to cover various aspects and challenges on the topic to assist in project delivery.

As a collaborative organisation, encapsulating all the professions of the Built Environment, we are focussing on how we can work together to meet the UK target to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The emphasis will be on real experiences, lessons learned and the need to work collaboratively to deliver workable solutions to reduce our carbon emissions.

For more information on these events, please see  our website or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for more information. 

Thank you to our sponsors, Atkins, Faithful+Gould, IES, NPS and Willmott Dixon.

Find out more

Roundtable Discussion

We will be launching our theme on Wednesday 28th April at 2:00pm with a Roundtable Discussion on:

• How do we decide what to “green” and what to “offset” and is there an acceptable ratio?
• What is our ethical responsibility to green assets we no longer need?

For more information and to book a place at this free event, please see below or here.

We are very pleased to welcome:

• Marina Robertson, Senior Director, NPS Group
• Patrick Begg, Outdoors and Natural Resources Director, National Trust
• Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, Director, Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University
• Sheryl French, Programme Director for Climate Change and Energy Investment, Cambridgeshire County Council

If you are not a member and would like to attend if possible please register for membership first (SPACES membership is free for those in the public sector) on our website before you book your ticket here. NB Only SPACES members are sent links to any video recordings.

TO ATTEND THIS EVENT YOU MUST REGISTER HERE!

By registering you will receive your own personal invite and link to the event.

To find out more about SPACES membership please see our website.

Find out more

Virtual Conference

Between Monday 7th June and Friday 18th June, we are holding a Virtual Conference with experts from client side, design, construction, academia & the public sector will be discussing Zero Carbon, the Climate Emergency and why we must act now!

There will be the variety of our previous annual Study Days on a wide range of subjects including:

• The Latest Technologies
• Regulations and Standards
• Insights Into Sectors – Schools, Houses, Offices
• Refurbishment
• Design Tools

With confirmed presenters including:

• Alan Jones – President, RIBA
• Alasdair Donn – Head of Building Performance Group Sustainability, Willmott Dixon
• Dr Hywel Davies – Technical Director, CIBSE
• Dr Joe Jack Williams – Associate Researcher, Feilden Clegg Bradley
• Dr Jolanta Obszynska – Leicester City Council
• Dr Laura Mansel Thomas – Ingleton Wood LLP
• Michael Cross – Head of Partnerships and Innovation Group Sustainability, Willmott Dixon
• Dr Roderic Bunn – Building Performance Analyst, Soft Landings consultant
• Sadaf Askari – IES
• Samantha Kennedy – Director Environment & Climate Action, Essex County Council
• Dr Shaun Fitzgerald – Director, Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge University
• Stephen Hodder MBE – Chairman at Hodder + Partners, Chairman Construction Industry Council, Professor Manchester School of Architecture

The programme is being finalised and you can download a copy from the website but please follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for more information.

You can book your tickets here and then you will be sent information on how to book the webinars.

Free for SPACES* members, Sponsors and undergraduate students (who register with their university email address) and for Non members £150+VAT per person for a two week pass. For more information on SPACES membership see our website.

*SPACES membership is FREE for Public Sector Employees.

For more information and to book your ticket, please see here.

Find out more

Experts from client side, design, construction, academia & the public sector will be discussing Zero Carbon, the Climate Emergency and why we must act now!

To minimise disruption to your working day, we will be running early morning and late afternoon webinar sessions over a two week period. You will be able to take part in all the sessions or just those ones that interest you. This will be your opportunity to be part a number of events dedicated to public buildings and zero carbon before the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) that commences in Glasgow in November.

The programme is being finalised, so please follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for more information. Tickets will be released on 13th April 2021, but you can register your interest here now.

Free for SPACES* members and for Non members £150+VAt per person for a two week pass. For more information on SPACES membership see our website.

*SPACES membership is FREE for Public Sector Employees.

Thank you to our sponsors, Atkins, Faithful+Gould, IES and Willmott Dixon.

Highlight on our Sponsors

Atkins
Atkins is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies.

We build long-term trusted partnerships to create a world where lives are enriched through the implementation of our ideas.

Our lived environment is facing rapid change; to face these challenges, we are radically transforming the way infrastructure is designed, delivered and operated. Our aim is to help create a world that is diverse, sustainable, full of thriving communities and working better for all.

Faithful+Gould
Faithful+Gould is a world-leading integrated project and programme management consultancy.

The best people in the business collaborate to bring all of their core services expertise of Cost and Commercial Management, Project Management, Programme Management, Asset Management and Project Controls to every environment and every sector.

We support clients with the construction and management of their key assets, important projects and programmes with an integral focus on improving social benefit to our communities in which we all live and work – it’s in our DNA and another example of Constructive Expertise.

IES 
IES believe that every building of every city in the world can be decarbonised. Our purpose is developing the technology to make that happen.

Our Digital Twin technology facilitates the creation of resource-efficient, healthy and cost-effective built-environments of any size or purpose – supporting citizens, companies, campuses, communities, cities and even whole countries. Simulating and analysing data to give those involved in the creation and management of both individual or entire groups of buildings the information needed to make smarter, more sustainable decisions with confidence.

Willmott Dixon
Willmott Dixon is a privately-owned contracting and interior fit-out group. Founded in 1852, we have a purpose beyond profit to leave a positive legacy in our communities and environment.

We create value for customers, stakeholders and communities by taking a leadership role in the built environment, working in a sustainable and responsible way and by making a positive impact in the lives of people in the UK.

In September 2020, we launched our new sustainability strategy, ‘Now or Never’, with a series of ambitious targets to achieve by 2030.

Upcoming online event – 24th March

The ‘Managing the School Estate Summit’, organised by Public Sector Connect, is free to those working in the public sector.

“Ideally suited to the interests and responsibilities of all public sector property professionals involved in the school estate the conference agenda will examine: key government programmes such as GEMS; skills, tools and guidance needed; performance and data management; developing the career path of the property professional; the traditional mix of estate management issues; and much more…”

More information on the MSE21 event website.

Webinars

Friday 5th March 

Condition Data Collection programme @1pm

by Vince Jubb, DfE

The webinar will cover what is CDC2, differences between CDC1 and CDC2, and timescales and expectations. It will close with a Q&A. 

Please book your place on our website. 

Webinars are free. For more information and to book your place see our events calendar. NB To receive the invite to SPACES Organised events you must register through the SPACES website. Joining instructions, including the zoom link will be sent the day before. 

Previous webinars have been videoed and the links are available to members by logging into their account and going to the information suite.

Events Calendar

Technical Meeting

Tuesday 9th March @1:00pm

There will be an online Engineering Technical Meeting. The chair for the meeting is Steve Rufus, Vice-President, SPACES and Head of Profession – Engineering.

This meeting is open to all SPACES members, but will be of particular interest to engineers. Please let Fiona know if there is a technical matter that you wish to add to the agenda. 

Please see our website to book your place. 

Technical meetings are free and only for SPACES members. For more information and to book your place see our events calendar or follow this link. NB To receive the invite you must register through the SPACES website. Joining instructions, including the zoom link will be sent the day before. 

NB Technical Meetings will not be videoed. Minutes from the previous meeting are available to members by logging into their account and going to the information suite.