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Sustainability Commitments v Project Delivery Realities
A panel discussion and open mic Q&A
WEDNESDAY 14th October 2026, 1800 for an 1830 start
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The Institution of Structural Engineers,
47-58 Bastwick Street, London EC1V 3PS
The nearest tube stations = Barbican [8 mins walk] and Old Street [10 mins walk]
As the construction and property sectors continue to navigate evolving sustainability requirements, increasing carbon reduction targets, and growing client expectations, we are delighted to welcome Dan Edmiston, Hannah Pownall and Alex Reed, and Adam Mactavish, deep environmental experts from AtkinsRéalis and Currie & Brown, for an open and practical discussion on the current state of sustainability and net zero delivery across projects.
The session will explore how sustainability ambitions are being translated into real project outcomes, the challenges of balancing environmental performance with cost and programme pressures, and the role each discipline plays in driving meaningful change. Key discussion topics will include:
- The current state of sustainability and net zero in the construction and property sectors.
- The gap between sustainability commitments and project delivery realities.
- Embodied carbon, operational performance, and whole-life value considerations.
- The impact of evolving legislation, standards, and client expectations.
- Cost implications and opportunities associated with net zero interventions.
- Practical lessons learned from recent projects and emerging best practice.
- What the industry must do next to accelerate decarbonisation and improve sustainable outcomes.
The session will conclude with audience questions and a discussion on future priorities, providing attendees with valuable insights into the opportunities, challenges, and practical actions required to deliver more sustainable and resilient projects.
Our Speakers
DANIEL EDMISTON BSc, MSc, MEI
Senior Consultant, Programme Management, Sustainability & Advisory
AtkinsRéalis
Daniel is a Senior Consultant in the Programme Management, Sustainability & Advisory team at AtkinsRéalis, specialising in Net Zero and Sustainability Advisory. Daniel has experience working on public and private sector decarbonisation retrofit strategies, scaling projects into optimised programmes. These span a wide range of typologies, including Commercial, Educational, Residential and Retail, supporting clients to achieve sustainability objectives and targets.
HANNAH POWNALL BSc, MSc
Senior Consultant, Programme Management, Sustainability & Advisory
AtkinsRéalis
Hannah is a Senior Consultant in the Programme Management, Sustainability & Advisory team at AtkinsRéalis, specialising in sustainability strategy, carbon management and organisational change. Hannah helps clients translate sustainability ambitions into practical delivery through governance, sustainability appraisal, standards-alignment and stakeholder engagement. Hannah has extensive experience supporting complex organisations to embed sustainability into decision-making, project delivery, reporting and continuous improvement.
ALEX REED BSc (Hons), MSc, MISEP, CEnv, BREEAM Assessor & AP
Senior BREEAM Consultant, Programme Management, Sustainability & Advisory
AtkinsRéalis
Alex is the BREEAM Team Lead at AtkinsRéalis and a Chartered Environmentalist with ISEP. As a qualified BREEAM Assessor and Advisory Professional, he advises public and private sector clients on delivering sustainable buildings, from strategy development through to certification. He specialises in helping project teams integrate sustainability into design and construction to achieve measurable outcomes.
LinkedIn: @atkinsrealis
Web: atkinsrealis.com
ADAM MACTAVISH
Group Sustainability Director
Currie & Brown
Adam specialises in helping clients, project teams and policy makers develop a strong business case for taking action to decarbonise the built environment. He recently helped in the development of the Future Homes and Future Buildings Standards with UK Government and has advised the GLA, World Bank, Scottish Government and Climate Change Committee on sustainability policy.
LinkedIn: @currie-and-brown
Web: curriebrown.com
References
Catch background information at:
Building: Can we have too much of a good thing when it comes to sustainability standards?
https://www.building.co.uk/net-zero-and-energy/can-we-have-too-much-of-a-good-thing-when-it-comes-to-sustainability-standards/5126482.article.
Social Media
Please post about the event using:
#lcecSUSTY #lcecWLC #lcecEvents #ConstructingExcellence
LI: @london-constructing-excellence-club
X/T: @LondonConExClub
IG: @londonconstructingexcellence
BS: @londonceclub.bsky.social
LCEC members and non-members are all welcome
