Property

Sustainability in the built environment

The move to further sustainability within Real Estate is increasingly driven by the increased connection between sustainability and financial viability.

Please find our latest insights on sustainability in the built environment below.


Space Junk: the new frontier for sustainability?

Dr Hannah Wakeford, lecturer in Astrophysics in the School of Physics at the University of Bristol, and senior associate Laura Haworth join podcast host Miri Stickland to talk about the issue of space junk in Earth’s increasingly crowded orbit, its potential impact on planetary environments and shared lessons for sustainability in space and in our built environment.


Climate rules increase pressure to rethink leases - Victoria Towers and Louise Irvine speak to PlaceTech

Commercial Real Estate Partner and Co-Head of Logistics, Victoria Towers, and Commercial Real Estate Senior Knowledge Development Lawyer, Louise Irvine, speak to PlaceTech about how the move to make climate reporting mandatory will obligate landlords to include data sharing clauses in future leases.


Nine-month warning: Are you ready for looming climate rules?

Commercial Real Estate Senior Associate, Edward Glass, speaks to PlaceTech about what exactly landlords need to know about Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) and how they can prepare for the April 2023 “crunch point” as a ban on continuing to let commercial buildings with poor energy ratings comes into effect.


The Environment Act – A Quick Guide for Landowners and Developers

The much-delayed Environment Act 2021 (“the Act”) which finally received Royal Assent during the second week of COP26 (in November 2021), has been described by the UK government as delivering “the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth”. The Act introduces far-reaching statutory changes aimed at, amongst other things, increasing biodiversity, restoring natural habitats, reducing waste and making better use of our resources.


Sustainability: Strategic planning for real estate projects

Managing Director of sustainability consultants Element Four, Georgia Elliot-Smith, and Commercial Real Estate Partner, Vicki Towers, join podcast host, Miri Stickland, to discuss the advantages of strategic sustainability planning within the real estate sector, the concept of Net Zero, why you shouldn’t assume that a BREEAM excellent rating necessarily means a high EPC rating and the direction of travel for the energy rating of buildings.


"Follow my lead": the Government's Net Zero Playbook

In November 2021, the UK Government released its "Net Zero Estate Playbook" which (at 88 pages) is its step-by-step guide to decarbonising government property, building on the work that is already underway across government to make the public estate greener.


Five key considerations for occupiers seeking sustainable office premises

Whilst the world of sustainability can seem overwhelming, these five key considerations should begin to show that small changes in outlook and focus can make an impact.


The Chancery Lane Project - Lawyers taking direct action over climate change

Forsters are supporting The Chancery Lane Project – a pro bono collective effort by lawyers to develop new drafting for contracts and laws to help fight climate change.


Transport Decarbonisation Plan - Key Take-Aways for Logistics

The Government has published its most recent plan to decarbonise the transport system in the UK. "Decarbonising Transport: A Better, Greener Britain" (the TDP) is intended to be a "greenprint" for the UK's road to a net zero transport industry by 2050.


Electric Vehicle Charging Points - Quick Guide

The roll-out of Electric Vehicle Charging Points (EVCPs) across the UK is only going to continue to gather speed, with the government’s announcement last year of a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, to take effect from 2030.


Whole life carbon footprint of buildings

Whilst much of the focus on the decarbonisation of the built environment has been on owners and occupiers working together to reduce the operational carbon footprint of buildings (see our Green Lease Playbook), alongside this, we are increasingly hearing about the importance of addressing embodied carbon – the other key factor in establishing the total carbon footprint of a building.


Green Lease / Sustainability Playbook - Quick Guide

Landlord and tenant obligations as to sustainability can take a number of different forms. In this briefing we set out an overview of the documents you may come across and when they are most likely to be used.


Lawyers drafting for sustainability – The Chancery Lane Project

Forsters are supporting The Chancery Lane Project - a pro bono collective effort by lawyers to develop new drafting for contracts and laws to help fight climate change.

Drafting for Sustainability


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