Sustainability Series 2026
Running since 2022, The Concrete Centre’s Sustainability Series is an annual four-week programme of online events and resources, providing the latest guidance, progress updates and expert discussions on the design, specification and use of sustainable concrete.
The 2026 series will explore key themes including reducing carbon through efficient design, getting started with specifying lower-carbon concrete, designing for resilience and the role of concrete in a circular economy.
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Week 1
Sustainability in Practice: Inspiring projects, practical insights
Photo: The two projects that will be featured in this event are The Octagon, Birmingham and 76 Southbank, London
Date: Thursday 24 September 2026
Time: 18:00 - 21:00
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4LE
Join us at RCP’s iconic Grade I-listed modernist building in Regent’s Park, London, for the flagship in-person event of this year’s Sustainability Series, hosted by Elaine Toogood, Senior Director, Concrete, MPA.
Leading members of the project teams will share the stories behind two exemplary, recently-completed buildings, demonstrating different approaches to sustainable design using concrete. Hear from Dav Bansal, Partner at Howells on Birmingham's tallest building, The Octagon, and Stefan Rust, Associate Director at Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, alongside Andrew Middlebrook, Director at Heyne Tillett Steel, on the reuse and restoration of Denys Lasdun's 76 Southbank. The event will also feature a presentation by Andrea Charlson, The Concrete Centre’s Head of Sustainability, on the latest carbon data for concrete.
Whether you're an architect, engineer, developer or sustainability professional, this event will provide practical inspiration, valuable evidence and the opportunity to explore the future of sustainable construction with industry experts and peers. Following the presentations, join us for drinks and to network and continue discussions on how to specify and build sustainably with concrete.
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Week 2
Where do I start with specifying lower carbon concrete?
Date: Thursday 01 October 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Venue: Online
Reducing embodied carbon is now a key consideration for many projects, but knowing where to start can be challenging. With a growing range of lower carbon concrete solutions emerging, specifiers are often faced with questions around availability, performance, standards and project suitability.
Join our expert panel as they tackle some of the most common questions being asked by the industry today. From the use of GGBS and calcined clay to the role of carbon capture and storage (CCUS), we'll explore what these developments mean in practice and how they can be considered within today's design and specification process.
Whether you're new to specifying lower carbon concretes or looking to stay up to date with the latest developments, this interactive session will provide practical insights to help inform your next project.
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Week 3
Designing in resilience
Date: Wednesday 07 October 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Venue: Online
As our climate changes, buildings must be designed to withstand increasingly frequent and severe weather events. From overheating during hotter summers to managing the impacts of intense rainfall and flash flooding, resilience is becoming an essential consideration in the design of new homes and buildings.
Join our expert panel as they explore practical design interventions that can improve resilience without compromising performance or buildability. Through a series of short presentations followed by a moderated discussion, our speakers will share insights into designing for overheating, flood resilience and other climate-related challenges, highlighting practical measures that can be incorporated into projects today.
Ideal for architects, planners and developers, this webinar will provide practical guidance and real-world examples to help deliver buildings that are better prepared for the future.
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Week 4
Recycled aggregates in concrete - A Cardiff case study
Date: Tuesday 13 October 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Venue: Online
How can recycled aggregates be successfully incorporated into real construction projects, and what lessons can be applied elsewhere?
Join the project team behind Channel View regeneration in Cardiff’s Grangetown as the concrete supplier and demolition materials processor share their experiences of delivering closed loop concrete recycling. We will explore the decisions made throughout the project, the challenges encountered, the elements necessary for success and the practical lessons learned.
Ideal for architects, engineers, contractors and developers, this webinar will provide valuable insight into the opportunities for using recycled aggregates in concrete and the considerations that can help support wider adoption across future projects.
The evolution of circular cements
Date: Thursday 15 October 2026
Time: 13:00 - 14:00
Venue: Online
The UK construction industry is increasingly looking to use recovered materials to support a more circular cement and concrete production. This webinar explores some of the latest developments, from reclaimed fly ash and recycled concrete fines to recycled brick dust and examines how evolving standards are helping to enable their use.
Through expert presentations, the webinar will provide practical insights into the opportunities and challenges associated with these materials, and what architects, engineers, and specifiers need to know about them, specifically as it relates to standards and specification practices.
The session will be hosted by Dr Sam Ghazizadeh, Technical Lead for Cement at the MPA, and features presentations from Jack Sindhu, Capital Concrete, Rob Nicholson, EP Power Minerals and Danielle Dawson, Holcim UK, followed by a live Q&A session.
Join us to learn more about the role of circular cements in the transition to a more circular built environment.