FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
The UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) Trends Report 2025, details major shifts that shaped the built environment this year along with key themes to look out for in 2026.
Drawing on insights from sustainability and innovation experts across industry as well as UKGBC topic leads, the third edition of the annual report identifies 20 emerging trends and solutions and reveals an industry reframing sustainability as value and resilience amid a changing market context.
Against a backdrop of political uncertainty, economic pressure and heightened scrutiny of the net zero agenda, this year’s report finds conversations in 2025 increasingly centred on the resilience – reflecting a broader sense of vulnerability across communities, organisations and supply chains.
Looking to 2026, UKGBC anticipates a sector grappling with rapid technological advances, the interconnectedness of sustainability challenges and opportunities, and the growing importance of nature, adaptive capacity and community-centred approaches. These will sit alongside urgent needs such as scaling retrofit and reforming energy systems.
Key trends in the report include:
- Increased focus on resilience – this includes not only climate resilience, but social and financial resilience, shaping design, investment and operational priorities.
- A move towards action – with more organisations entering the implementation phase of transition plans, exposing the gap between strategic ambition and the realities of delivery.
- From values to value – clients and investors are increasingly demanding proof of commercial, social and environmental returns, shifting the sustainability conversation from principles to performance.
- Technology development – rapid advances, particularly in AI, offer powerful tools for optimisation and decarbonisation, while introducing new energy, water and resource challenges.
- Scaling-up – innovation in materials, construction systems and digital platforms continues to expand, but adoption remains constrained by capacity, trust and fragmented markets.
- Grid capacity and energy systems – despite substantial national investment, local constraints and long connection queues persist. With growing battery storage and buildings acting as active energy assets, the built environment’s role in system flexibility continues to increase.
To download UKGBC’s Trends in Sustainable Solutions for the Built Environment 2025 click here.
Wednesday 14 January at 11:00am
Building Management Systems (BMS) have long been used to control the heart of a building – monitoring and controlling its essential systems such as lighting, ventilation, heating and air conditioning. Facilities Managers want the best visibility to help detect and deal with concerns before they become issues.
This webinar brings together the experts from energy network provider, E.ON along with FM thought leaders to discuss moving from a reactive service to a proactive service. By identifying energy issues early and automatically, instead of occupants reporting issues, then potential faults can be identified early and remedied. The BMS does this before the problem occurs by using smart alerting and EMC support services.
Panel:
- Sara Bean: Editor FMJ (Facilities Management Journal)
- Nick Westlake: Energy and Service Delivery Manager at E.ON Control Solutions
- Sunil Shah, the author of IWFM’s Energy Management Good Practice Guide and MD of Acclaro Advisory
- David Cermak, Regional Facilities Manager for David Lloyd Clubs
To register for the webinar which will be taking place on 14 January 2026 at 11:00am click here.
