Outlining national priorities for housing delivery, modern methods of construction, net zero commitments, and the drive toward a productive, future-ready sector.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand strategic priorities for the construction industry
• Gain insight into national policy ambitions for net zero, modernisation, and productivity
• Explore how policy frameworks influence investment and delivery models across the UK

Explore how new legislation and changing expectations following the Grenfell Tower Fire, including the Building Safety Act, the Procurement Act and expected Construction Product Reforms are transforming compliance and accountability.

• Understand key regulatory changes impacting construction delivery and compliance
• Learn how national policies are shaping the adoption of major hazard safety within the built environment
• Gain practical examples of how local authorities and government departments are adapting to new standards

• Understand why graphene adoption has historically been limited in construction, and how advances in functionalisation and dispersion now enable reliable, scalable, real-world use.
• Explain how graphene-enabled asphalt and concrete function as drop-in solutions, improving performance without requiring changes to existing mix designs, equipment, or installation practices.
• Evaluate the performance benefits of graphene-modified asphalt, including:
  • 2.5–3.2× improvements in fatigue life
  • 30–60% reductions in rutting
  • Enhanced durability validated through laboratory testing and full-scale NCAT field trials
• Assess how graphene enables material and carbon efficiency in pavements, including reduced polymer loading and increased recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) content while maintaining or exceeding specification.
• Understand how graphene-enabled concrete improves both early and late-age strength, enabling:
  • 10–25% cement reduction
  • Increased use of SCMs
  • Faster early strength development without compromising durability or workability
• Link performance improvements directly to sustainability outcomes, including lower embodied carbon, longer asset life, fewer maintenance cycles, and reduced whole-life CO₂ emissions.
• Recognise the commercial and practical readiness of graphene-enabled construction materials, supported by independent testing, live infrastructure trials, and current deployment in major UK and international projects.

Anne Daw, Associate ‑ Head of MMC Delivery ,HLM Architects

David Walker Principal Lecturer - School of Architecture Design and the Built Environment Nottingham Trent University

This panel will discuss how modular and off-site solutions are revolutionising the sector. This session will share lessons from organisations leading in digital design, factory production, and partnership-driven housing and infrastructure delivery.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore the benefits and challenges of adopting MMC and off-site solutions
• Understand how digital design and manufacturing improve sustainability and efficiency
• Hear real-world examples of how partnerships are driving off-site innovation at scale

• Understand why the industry’s skills challenge is fundamentally a culture and design issue, not a recruitment one
• See how everyday leadership and delivery decisions unintentionally exclude and exhaust people
• Leave with a clear sense of what must change upstream for talent strategies to actually work

Anna Bright, Chief Executive, Sustainability West Midlands

Paul Foulkes-Arellano, Circular Growth Consultant | Non-Executive Director 

Marissa Looby, Home Energy Lead, North West Net Zero Hub

From embodied carbon reduction to reuse and recycling, this panel will discuss how construction leaders are adopting sustainable practices to achieve whole-life carbon performance and meet net-zero goals.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how circular economy principles are transforming material use in construction
• Gain insight into practical steps for reducing embodied carbon and improving performance
• Learn from case studies implementing sustainable materials and whole-life design strategies

• Understand why retrofit is central to the future of construction 
• See how retrofit is being delivered in practice
• Identify what can realistically be achieved in the near term
  
  

• Understand how devolved powers and regional governance are redefining construction priorities and infrastructure investment.

• Examine opportunities for innovation, collaboration and regional delivery in the construction ecosystem.

• Explore how decision-making, procurement and skills development are being reshaped under a devolved framework.

• Explore strategies for attracting and retaining diverse talent in construction
• Understand how cross-sector collaboration can address current and future skills shortages
• Gain insight into how training and leadership can drive cultural transformation across the industry