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Embodied carbon assessment with Adrian Campbell
In today’s podcast we take a deep dive into embodied carbon and try to get a better understanding of why infrastructure professionals need to make its assessment more than just a nice add on but a fundamental part of the design process.The construction and infrastructure sectors are undergoing a major transformation as the industry seeks to reduce its carbon footprint and meet global net-zero targets. While operational carbon—emissions from heating, cooling, and electricity use—has traditionally been the focus of sustainability efforts, embodied carbon - emissions that are locked in at the point of construction and cannot be reduced over time - is now taking centre stage. To discuss this issue, my guest today is Adrian Campbell, founder of the Change Building consultancy and someone that I like to describe as an industry sustainability guru and my go-to expert when it comes to reducing carbon across the infrastructure lifecycle. Full disclosure; I have known Adrian since we studied Civil Engineering together at the University of Southampton back in the 1980s. Well, he did the studying as I remember! Adrian has made a return to the University of Southampton as a tutor and lecturer and as Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor in Sustainable Development and Climate Impact He has just produced a new guide to help students get to grips with assessing embodied carbon - a rapidly developing area of professional competence which should provide the skills and judgment to help improve designs and help move us towards the goal of net zero carbon.For students entering the fields of architecture, engineering, and construction, embracing embodied carbon assessment is no longer optional—it is a vital skill for shaping a sustainable built environment. As Adrian puts it, having an awareness of the reasons for its adoption (the ‘why’) and some experience of assessment (the ‘how’) is now expected as part of the role of the engineer.However, this presents challenges: data inconsistencies, limited industry knowledge, and balancing carbon reductions with performance and cost make it a complex area to navigate. So let’s find out why students should engage with embodied carbon thinking early in their careers.ResourcesAdrian Campbell Linked in Southampton University Embodied Carbon guideChange Building websiteUniversity of Southampton websitePositive Collective Royal Academy of Engineering Institution of Structural Engineers - how to calculate embodied carbon
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33:01
Retrofitting: the future of housing with Anna Moore
Today we head back to the vitally important issue of housing and attempt to understand the UK’s complex, and some might say, largely dysfunctional housing retrofit market.It is a market that is rapidly evolving, driven by ambitious government policies, rising energy costs, and increasing public demand for sustainable, lower cost living. But with a housing stock that is among the oldest in Europe, the UK faces significant headwinds to meet this challenge. But my guest today has embraced this challenge whole heartedly and two years ago quit a successful career with global consultancy McKinsey and Co to strike out on her own. Anna Moore formed Hestia, now rebranded as Domna, as a brand-new business to transform our approach to domestic retrofit and, at the same time, lever in large amounts of much needed private sector investment.It's a tough market. Because, as Anna knows I am sure, while the government’s commitment to building 1.5 million new homes continues to grab the headlines as the key to driving up living standards and revitalising communities, the need to retrofit our huge existing stock has been left something of an overlooked, Cinderella sector.Yes, recent initiatives, such as the Future Homes Standard and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund – now renamed the Warm Homes Grant, have boosted the focus on retrofitting to enhance energy efficiency, lower emissions, and reduce fuel poverty. And the market is seeing growing interest in innovations like heat pumps, solar panels, insulation upgrades, and smart energy systems. However, the sector faces hurdles, including supply chain constraints, skilled labour shortages, and the challenge of balancing affordability with high-quality retrofits.That said Anna has just secured a £70M cash injection into the business which she hopes will open up a £500bn opportunity that will help the business to play a critical role in creating healthier, more efficient homes for residents. So, let’s find out how. ResourcesAbout Domna GroupInsights from Donna Group on retrofittingDomna post on £70 financing dealBuilding Centre New Homes in New Ways ExhibitionAnna Moore Linked In
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35:18
The affordable housing crisis with Anette Simpson
In today’s episode we dive into the UK’s deepening housing crisis– specifically looking at affordable housing where demand is still far outstripping supply. Despite ambitious government targets to deliver 1.5 million new homes over the next five years, the reality is that we are still only seeing 50,000 to 60,000 affordable homes being built each year - far short of the estimated 145,000 required. The shortfall leaves over 1.3 million households on waiting lists, while rising costs, planning delays, and economic uncertainty continue to challenge the sector.My guest today is Anette Simpson the director of development and partnerships at Legal & General Affordable Homes where she is responsible for overseeing the delivery of some 3,000 affordable homes annually. Legal & General Affordable Homes (LGAH) was founded in 2018 to bring institutional investment into affordable housing, leveraging private sector funding to help bridge the gap. The business has ambition and Anette’s target is to have more than 10,000 homes under management this year. It aims to prove that, alongside the tradition public sector social housing providers, for-profit providers can play a crucial role in tackling the crisis. As such their approach combines long-term investment with cutting-edge technology, ensuring both sustainability and high-quality service for residents.However, the sector still faces significant barriers. Planning inefficiencies, limited government funding, and the financial pressures on housing associations are slowing progress. Meanwhile, challenges such as building safety upgrades, decarbonisation targets, and interest rate hikes are forcing traditional providers to scale back development. And to attract further private investment, the industry needs greater stability, a more efficient planning system, and well-resourced local authority partners.So let’s hear more as we explore LGAH’s role in shaping the future of affordable housing in the UK.ResourcesLegal & General Affordable HomesThe Legal & General Affordable Housing FundPlanning overhaul to build 1.5M new homesGovernment affordable home ownership schemesLabour - Get Britain Building
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35:37
Beyond academic with Jeni Giambona
In today's podcast we explore the role that academia and research can and must play in transforming infrastructure into the modern, joined up, innovative sector needed to deliver a sustainable future for communities.My guest is Jeni Giambona, Associate Dean of Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise at the University of Southampton Business School, where she is also a Professor and a Member of the Centre for Resilient Socio-Technical Systems. More on that later. But full alumni disclosure – it is 30 years since I started my own undergrad course in Civil Engineering at Southampton University – fond if distant memories even if I’m not sure anyone there really remembers my particular academic contribution!Operating at a slight higher academic level, Jeni has worked in the higher education world and been involved at the sharp end of research for around two decades and specialises in Knowledge exchange and dissemination, engagement and systems thinking.It is fair to say that driving and investing in innovation remains key to boosting the infrastructure sector’s productivity and the outcomes - setting up projects and our approach to the delivery of asset management in new and better ways.That means embracing a systems approach; really doubling down on the need for collaboration and supply chain engagement; and of course investing in new data and digital technologies to help us to truly understand how infrastructure works.All of which is firmly on Jeni’s research and teaching agenda at Southampton as she attempts to infect the sector with her passion and enthusiasm for change and pursuit of better outcomes – let’s hear more. ResourcesUniversity of Southampton Business SchoolSystems Thinking and Leadership Development Executive EducationLeaders and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence programmeNew Forest Business PartnershipUK Higher Education and Transnational Education MissionThe Newfoundland breed
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34:06
Parliament’s infrastructure insider with Mike Reader MP
In today’s episode we head back into the corridors of power to talk to Mike Reader Member of Parliament for Northampton South and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure.And after my recent conversation with Sarah Jones MP, minister of state for Business and net zero it will be interesting to contrast this government view of the nation’s infrastructure ambition with one from Parliament’s back benches.Certainly, there is no question that this government has infrastructure investment firmly in its sights when it comes to delivering on its ultimate mission for economic growth. We hear about no end of plans for refocusing on and accelerating delivery of nationally significant infrastructure projects such as Heathrow third runway, Lower Thames Crossing, energy transition and distribution, new reservoirs and of course most recently a £3.6bn injection into the UK’s flood defences.But, as we also know, local infrastructure improvements are what really turns voters heads – be they improved bus services, tackling potholes, improving schools and hospitals or, indeed, providing new homes. And of course we also know that local infrastructure impacts, be they pylons on the skyline or rail tracks through the pastures, can and do have a major impact of deliverability. Navigating this difficult route from infrastructure aspiration to reality so often falls on the desks of an army of back bench MPs representing the myriad of interests – for and against proposals - within communities across the UK. So let’s talk to one of them.Resources Mike Reader MP websiteAll Party Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure Energy Security and Net Zero CommitteeGovernment Industrial Strategy in the UK paperBold reforms to planning systemsConstruction Leadership CouncilRachel Reeves speech - January 2025Transforming Infrastructure Performance
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36:32