Just as a doctor when diagnosing an illness will prescribe a treatment plan, as engineers and sustainability experts, we at Cundall aim to provide practical, effective solutions for the challenges of climate change, resource depletion and social equity and inclusion.

For World Green Building Week 2024, Cundall’s global network of offices will explore the local dimensions of the regenerative transition for our cities and economies, highlighting topics including resilience, wellbeing, net zero carbon design, and retrofit opportunities for decarbonising existing buildings, neighbourhoods, and infrastructure.

“Even though human actions have given our world an ever-worsening case of heatstroke, we know human ingenuity and innovation can also shift the trajectory and provide the remedies,” says Simon Wyatt, Cundall Partner (Sustainability).

“Through collaborating with our clients, project partners, industry associations and community stakeholders, we can embed social value and regenerative thinking in restoring the urban fabric, building adaptive capacity, enhancing community resilience, and progressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

An agenda to accelerate transformation

World Green Building Week is an annual event coordinated by the World Green Building Council (WGBC). As a partner organisation and one of the initial signatories to the WGBC’s Net Zero Buildings Commitment, Cundall is marking the occasion with events including breakfast briefings, seminars, workshops, webinars and panel discussions that showcase inspiring examples of positive practice, and amplify the voices of changemakers, thought leaders and community champions.

Dr Elisabeth Marlow, Principal Consultant and Vice President of the Institution of Structural Engineers (UK), says that cross-sectoral and multilevel approaches are absolutely essential for addressing the resilience needs of complex socioecological systems, so that communities can thrive with urban growth whilst mitigating climate change and hazard scenarios.

“We are increasingly seeing nature-based solutions as the enabler to the systems conversation,” she says. “Whether that means restoring mangroves for protecting coastal communities from storms, tsunami or erosion, or bringing urban micro-forests and parks to combat heat; promoting nature is a crucial tool in our collective kit for mitigating disaster risk and progressing inclusive climate adaptation.”

The challenge is both to achieve net zero - and do so while ensuring a thriving future for generations to come.

“We need to look beyond the short-term balance sheet and recognise that achieving a just transition requires us to focus on the community-level dimensions of climate adaptation and resilience,” says Dr Olli Jones, Associate Director, Sustainability and Innovation, Cundall Newcastle.

“There are so many opportunities to create social, environmental and economic regeneration at scale – and we are already seeing the benefits of this approach in many of our urban renewal projects in the UK, Middle East and Australia.”

In the Middle East, recent climate extremes have foregrounded the vulnerability to extreme heat, extreme rainfall events and the challenges of transitioning away from fossil fuels. Cundall’s team from the UK and MENA have joined forces to support transition plans, with projects including masterplanning climate-resilient urban renewal for Greater Muscat, Salalah and Ibri in Oman and a major residential community in Dubai.

Head of Sustainability MENA, Mario Saab, explains that the major opportunity for the built environment and the financial community in the region is to progress social goals in tandem with environmental and economic ones.

“As we confront the realities of climate change in the Middle East, it is clear that our approach must be as resilient as the challenges we face. With plans to invest US$2 trillion in regional construction projects by 2035, and as governments across the Middle East make ambitious commitments to reduce emissions and develop sustainable energy sources, there is an extraordinary opportunity for the region to pioneer sustainable technologies and create smart, resilient cities," says Mario.

Wellbeing at the heart of place-making

Public health and wellbeing can be a powerful standpoint for identifying optimal interventions in the urban environment, according to Oliver Grimaldi, Director of Sustainability, Cundall Australia.

“The quality of the buildings people inhabit has a direct influence on their health and is also a key factor in the level of resilience they have to climate effects, particularly extreme heat,” he explains.

“Through acting on opportunities including electrification, building performance upgrades and improvements to the public realm such as urban greening and pedestrianisation, the whole economy ultimately benefits – and we save lives.”

No one left behind

While some countries may be slower than others in their path to climate positive future, it’s crucial that we don't leave anyone behind.

“In Poland, where climate neutrality has not yet been formally adopted as a national goal, we at Cundall feel a strong responsibility to bring the best sectoral practices to the table. We work closely with company managers to help them analyse and assess climate-related risks and to develop climate change adaptation plans for their assets,” says Wojtek Stec, Cundall Partner in Poland.

“By joining forces, we can effectively combat these risks and create strong, sustainable long-term solutions,” he adds.

“Whether it’s designing energy-efficient buildings, retrofitting existing structures to reduce emissions, or implementing renewable energy systems, our engineering expertise can directly contribute to a resilient and climate-adaptive built environment.”

In Asia, climate impacts are already escalating. Many national governments such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia also face a significant challenge in simultaneously delivering much-needed social infrastructure without expanding fossil fuel use or causing other negative environmental impacts.

“In Hong Kong, to serve the demand for additional housing and provide commercial, educational and innovation and technology facilities to support further economic growth is also creating an opportunity to embed climate resilience and sustainability thinking in masterplanning, building design and construction,” explains Principal Engineer (Sustainability Consultancy), Hannah Wong.

“Hong Kong has a target of net zero by 2050. So, for the new towns and expanded innovation and technology precincts of the Northern Metropolis development zone, because delivery is being staged over the next two to three decades, we can plan ahead for net zero by designing for it now. Nature conservation and biodiversity is another priority for this development zone, and the masterplanning is consciously minimising the loss of natural values associated with the forested mountainside and other natural areas.

“Climate impacts are also front of mind. The Northern Metropolis in Yuen Long borders coastal wetlands and is a low-lying area which is vulnerable to sea level rise, typhoons and storm surge waves. The longer-term outlook under climate change is for these to become more extreme, so this is being factored into the civil engineering and masterplans.”

Get involved - we invite you to join us at one of our local or online events

• London: September 11, The journey from net zero to regenerative design
• Dubai: September 11, Exploring transformative climate actions for a resilient UAE
• Australia: September 11 (via zoom), Joining the Dots for Healthy Communities – practical approaches to wellbeing and urban renewal
• Dublin: September 17, Advancing Circular Construction and Decarbonisation in Ireland’s Built Environment
• Warsaw: September 26, Breakfast briefing: pathways to net zero carbon buildings