Acknowledging that many nature practitioners are facing similar challenges, UKGBC’s NBS Labs were designed for learning and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, specifically around maintenance and stewardship of nature-based solutions, as well as existing buildings and retrofit. We heard from a range of speakers about the challenges faced, lessons learnt, and solutions they had whilst implementing urban NBS. Ìý

In order to share some of the challenges, recommendations, and considerations practitioners should take when implementing NBS into an urban environment, we’ve created two infographics that share these key learnings.ÌýÌý

The first explores the challenges and key considerations for retrofitting NBS and the second considers maintenance and stewardship of existing solutions.ÌýÌý

NBS Labs Project Partners

We’d like to thank the following partners for making the Nature-Based Solutions Labs possible.

Resilience & Nature Programme Partners

With thanks to our programme partners who make our work on nature possible.

Nature Based Solutions

Nature Based Solutions offer a wide range of benefits for both people and planet, and when implemented into our towns, cities & communities they are a key tool for tackling the combined climate and ecological crises.

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The Biodiversity and Environmental Stakeholder Map is an interactive tool designed to outline the essential steps that are crucial for the successful implementation of biodiversity and environmental initiatives within the Built Environment Sector. This comprehensive resource not only highlights the key milestones but also identifies the pivotal stakeholders who play integral roles.

Crafted through extensive consultations with the BNG & ENG Task Group, this map incorporates valuable insights gathered from industry experts. Additionally, it underwent rigorous desktop research, ensuring a well-rounded perspective and enriching its content.

The Biodiversity and Environmental Stakeholder Map encapsulates the most current and reliable knowledge amassed by the UKGBC, representing their steadfast belief in the optimal and appropriate course of action for sustainable development.

Recognizing the evolving landscape of environmental conservation, the map remains open to revisions. Future iterations will integrate additional roles and insights gleaned from ongoing research and emerging information.

Learn more with our interactive stakeholder map.

Resilience & Nature Programme Partners

With thanks to our programme partners who make our work on nature possible.

Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain Project Partners

Our work on Biodiversity Net Gain and Environmental Gain is generously supported by the following organisations.

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As part of UKGBC’s ongoing project on Biodiversity Net Gain, these infographics examine the intrinsic value of nature while demonstrating the impact of the built environment as an industry on the UK’s biodiversity. They also map the links between biodiversity and other socio-economic priorities to tell a broader story about how we should view nature as a foundational element of our economy and society.

The infographics also explain the differences between BNG, which focuses primarily on habitats, and other key concepts like Environmental Net Gain (ENG), which focuses on systems and outcomes, and the Environmental Impact Assessments.

Understanding these concepts and their relative importance for different areas of design and construction in the built environment will enable and encourage businesses to – independently of Government action or legislation – implement solutions that enrich the natural world in early design and strategy stages.

Resilience & Nature Programme Partners

With thanks to our programme partners who make our work on nature possible.

Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain Project Partners

Our work on Biodiversity Net Gain and Environmental Gain is generously supported by the following organisations.

Biodiversity/ Environmental Net Gain

Embracing and adding to biodiversity on site is vital as we work to reverse the biodiversity crisis.

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For more context see our blog: We must deliver a just transition to net zero.

Health, Wellbeing and Social Value

UKGBC believes that a sustainable built environment must help and support people and communities to thrive.

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About this map

This map is a live resource and will be updated regularly. To submit an entry, please download a submissions form here; or get in contact with emily.kent@ukgbc.org.

The map has been produced as part of the EIT Climate-KIC funded Accelerator Cities programme, a project designed to support and enable local and combined authorities to take action on home retrofit, run by UKGBC and partners. It is intended to display leading local authority policies and related programmes designed to address domestic energy efficiency.

Throughout 2020 UKGBC has been accepting submissions from local authorities detailing their retrofit policies. The data displayed in the map represents these submissions, publicly available information and one-on-one discussions with specific local authorities that are, or have been, involved in past and present UKGBC programmes. It is therefore not exhaustive of every local authority’s activity, and we welcome further submissions.

The focus of the map is only on local or regional authorities. We acknowledge that in the devolved nations, much of the policy focus in this area is at the national level.

The map is also not intended as an exhaustive list of every individual retrofit project, climate strategy or funding opportunity, but instead displays leading authority-led action on home retrofitting.

The criteria for determining whether a local/combined authority entry is displayed is:

• The entry (policy or programme) should have a demonstrable link to a policy or achieving an official local authority objective, such as a net zero target. Individual programmes and services should be part of progress towards a broader strategy, or official environmental aims with regard to retrofit.
• The policy, initiative or programme must have value for other local authorities in terms of illustrating best practice, or be of ‘exemplary nature’. This means it should represent effort and action beyond a baseline derived from national funding opportunities. Some entries may therefore not be displayed if they are not found to meet this baseline.

Get in touch and learn more about the map

Emily Kent Policy and Regenerative Places Coordinator

Email Emily

Home Retrofit

With time running out to keep global temperatures to 1.5 degrees, upgrading the nation’s homes is one of the biggest opportunities the UK has to reduce carbon emissions whilst tackling the cost-of-living crisis, energy security and levelling up.

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The one-pager builds on UKGBC’s net zero carbon buildings framework to provide developers, designers and policy makers with a common reference point on the 10 key features required for a new building to achieve net zero carbon in operation. It addresses the operational energy of a building when in-use, including energy intensity targets for different building types and the requirement to demonstrate a net zero carbon balance annually using the net zero framework.

The one-pager is a result of a successful industry consultation with more than 330 responses and has been developed in collaboration with the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) and the Better Building Partnership (BBP), and with support from the Good Homes Alliance (GHA), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).

Building on this one-pager and the net zero framework, LETI has released two guidance documents to provide designers with practical guidance on how to design and deliver net zero new buildings:

If you have any questions on how these resources align with the net zero framework, please see this page.

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For the built environment to adopt biodiversity net gain into practice it must collectively act to share information and work together to create the change required. UKGBC’s mission is to work together for a better built environment, as such we have created a web based actor and resource map of initiatives and government policy within the built environment around biodiversity net gain. The purpose of which is to allow organisations to use existing knowledge and methodologies to successfully implement net gains without repeating the work of others.

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