UKGBC Site Visits

See sustainability in action. UKGBC hosts exclusive site visits for its members, offering first-hand access to some of the most innovative sustainable buildings and infrastructure projects.

Step inside projects and places putting sustainability principles into practice.
UKGBC site visits give built environment professionals the opportunity to experience leading sustainability approaches first-hand. Visit projects, hear directly from the people behind them, and explore the decisions, solutions and challenges involved in turning sustainability ambitions into reality.
Bringing together professionals from across the buitl environment, our site visits combine real-world learning, project-team insight and peer exchange – helping you take lessons from one project and consider how they could inform your own work.

Explore Upcoming Site Visits

Learn from real projects and real experience

There is huge value in seeing how sustainability is being delivered in practice. Our site visits take learning out of the classroom and into buildings, projects, and places where organisations are testing and implementing more sustainable approaches. They provide an opportunity to look beyond the finished result and understand the journey behind it: the ambitions that shaped a project, the decisions that were made, the solutions adopted, the challenges encountered and the lessons learned along the way. By hearing directly from those involved in the design, delivery and operation of projects, participants can deepen their understanding of sustainability approaches and explore what their application looks like in a real-world context.

Who are site visits for?

Site visits are for built environment professionals who want to deepen their understanding of how sustainability approaches are being applied across the industry. They are particularly valuable if you want to:

  • See sustainable approaches and solutions first-hand.
  • Understand how sustainability ambitions translate into project decisions.
  • Hear directly from the people involved in design, delivery and operation.
  • Explore the challenges, trade-offs and lessons behind a project.
  • Understand how technical approaches work in a real-world context.
  • Ask questions and discuss approaches with project teams.
  • Consider how lessons could be transferred to your own projects or organisation.
  • Meet and exchange perspectives with professionals from across the built environment.
King's Cross regeneration

How do site visits work?

Our Site Visits are in-person learning experiences hosted at projects and places demonstrating sustainability in practice. Visits typically begin with an introduction from the organisations and project teams involved, giving participants context on the project, its sustainability ambitions and the thinking behind key decisions. Participants then tour the site, exploring particular sustainability features, approaches and solutions first-hand. Throughout the visit, there are opportunities to hear from those involved, ask questions and discuss the successes, challenges and lessons learned.

Site Visits bring together professionals from different disciplines and parts of the built environment value chain. This creates an opportunity not only to learn from the project itself, but to hear different perspectives, exchange experiences and make connections with others working to address similar sustainability challenges. The result is a learning experience that combines technical understanding, practical insight, first-hand observation and peer exchange.

Sites we’ve explored

Paradise 11, Vauxhall

A visit exploring embodied carbon solutions at a six-storey office development using a hybrid mass-timber structure. Participants explored practical approaches to reducing embodied carbon and applying circular economy principles, while hearing directly from those involved in the project about the decisions, challenges and lessons behind its delivery.

Unusual Rigging HQ, Northamptonshire

A visit exploring circular workplace design, materials reuse and low-carbon construction. Participants saw circular economy principles in practice and explored approaches to embodied and operational carbon, adaptability, renewable energy and building performance.

Coal House, Cardiff

A visit exploring the deep retrofit of an existing commercial office building. Participants heard directly from the project team about the decisions and challenges behind the retrofit before exploring the building and its solutions first-hand. The visit also brought together UKGBC members from different parts of the sector, creating opportunities to discuss retrofit challenges and learn from different professional perspectives.
Explore Site Visits

Host a UKGBC site visit

: Is your organisation working on or operating from a project, building, or place that could help others understand how sustainability can be delivered in practice? Share your experience with the industry. We’re always interested in working with organisations from across the built environment to host UKGBC Site Visits.

We’re interested in projects demonstrating ambitious or innovative approaches across the breadth of sustainability, from net zero carbon, retrofit and circular economy to nature, climate resilience, health, social value and beyond. We’ll work with you to shape a visit that creates a valuable learning experience for participants and brings your project’s sustainability story to life.

Talk to us about hosting a site visit

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR STRATEGIC PARTNERS