12-14 May
Excel, London
Futurebuild’s acclaimed Knowledge Programme is now live as we enter the lead-up to the 2026 event at Excel, London on 12-14 May.
While the main conference arena, sponsored by Mitsubishi Electric, tackles ‘the 3Rs’ of resilience, reuse and regenerative design, further details have also been announced on the content and collaborators; shaping another series of must attend seminars.
Spanning three dedicated stages – Materials and Buildings, Energy and Placemaking – the programme is less about aspiration and more about application, bringing together policy, practice and innovation in a way that feels grounded in delivery. This connection between policy and practice is underscored by the presence of national leadership within the wider programme.
Warm Homes plan & healthy buildings
At the National Retrofit Conference, sponsored by the Guildmore Group, Martin McCluskey MP, the UK’s Minister for Energy Consumers, will deliver a keynote address focused on the Government’s Warm Homes agenda. With Futurebuild 2026 offering a timely platform for industry professionals to address the implications together for the first time.
While on the Buildings and Materials stage, sponsored by Holcim, The Passivhaus Trust and Good Homes Alliance place occupant wellbeing and building performance at the centre of design thinking. The programme also addresses the challenge of scaling these approaches, asking how solutions that have traditionally been seen as specialist can become more mainstream.
Energy, affordability & the decarbonisation dilemma
The Energy stage, sponsored by Allume, provides a complementary thread, focusing on the systems and infrastructure required to support the transition. John Allison, deputy director of heat networks at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, will contribute to discussions on the future of energy policy, with additional sessions examining how regulatory frameworks translate into practical delivery.
Talks will also tackle embedding carbon into procurement and managing energy demand, alongside practical discussions on heat pumps, retrofit and rooftop solar. Alongside representatives from the Energy Saving Trust and National Energy Action, bringing a critical social perspective that highlights the links between decarbonisation, affordability and
fuel poverty.
Placemaking & the roadmap to resilience
The Placemaking stage broadens the conversation further examining frameworks for regenerative places, green infrastructure and climate resilience. Contributors include Anna Hollyman, co-head of policy and places at UKGBC and Asha Tomlin-Kent, senior policy and programme officer at the Greater London Authority, who seek to align environmental performance with social value and long term resilience.
The role of biophilic design to help cities and communities combat growing climate, nature and social pressures is also being highlighted by a panel setting out practical strategies, governance and placemaking approaches that embed nature at the heart of urban life.
A stand-out year
As ever, the value of the Futurebuild 2026 Knowledge Programme is how the curators connect strategic thinking to application. Offering insight into the ideas being tested
and delivered in real projects.
This year’s co-location with UK Construction Week London and The Stone & Surfaces Show only amplifies the opportunities for attendees to learn from leading experts.
With more than 90 industry partners and associations involved, the Knowledge Programme reflects a collective effort to address shared challenges. This is reinforced by its scale, bringing together over 700 speakers across 13 stages to deliver more than 250 hours of CPD accredited content.
Article supplied by Futurebuild