Products
Solutions
About
Insights
Projects
Contact

Products
Solutions
About
Insights
Projects
Contact

Products
Solutions
About
Insights
Projects

Products
Solutions
About
Insights
Projects

April 2, 2026

Reflections from the BCO ESG Summit 2026: Manchester Leads the Conversation on the Future of the Built Environment

On 17th March 2026, Ed Sayce, Antone Husbands, Joseph Baylon, and Rachel McManus travelled to Manchester for this year’s BCO ESG Summit — a brilliant event in a central location, with fantastic sessions exploring how the industry can respond to climate pressures, carbon demands, heritage constraints, and human-centred design to keep up with future demands.

Protecting Asset Value in a Changing Climate

Session 2A highlighted the growing urgency around safeguarding building resilience as climate change accelerates and mirror a broader industry challenge: how to maintain asset value while preparing for an increasingly unpredictable climate.

Key points included:

With the UK and Europe warming faster than any other region, expectations around acceptable indoor temperatures are shifting.

Designers must now balance energy efficiency with true occupant comfort, recognising that setpoints directly influence wellbeing and productivity.

The real operational risk lies in business continuity—when essential systems go down, the cost isn’t just financial but reputational.

A wave of new and upcoming regulations is reshaping expectations for climate aligned building performance.

Flood risk is becoming a major factor in determining insurance eligibility and long-term asset viability.

Renewable technologies like solar panels bring tenant appeal but must be balanced with maintenance costs and lifecycle planning.

Reviving the Past for the Sake of the Future

Session 3A explored the evolving role of retrofit in achieving environmental goals without sacrificing architectural heritage. Retrofit continues to gain momentum as a practical, sustainable alternative to new build, especially in dense urban areas.

Key themes included:

Achieving carbon neutral requires a full understanding of a building’s carbon impact—not just operational carbon, but embodied carbon too.

Retrofit allows for the honour of a historical building to remain while integrating modern systems, particularly where facades or heritage features define a building’s identity.

Hitting project targets is about more than money — it includes carbon budgets, social impact, planning constraints, and longterm value.

Making the Jump to Zero: How To Make Net Zero Offices a UK-Wide Reality

Session 4B focused on the shifting dynamics of the UK office market and what they mean for achieving net zero at scale.

Even as the office sector rebounds post COVID, the UK faces a shortage of Grade A space — particularly outside London.

With new builds taking three or more years, retrofit and repurposing strategies are becoming essential to meeting occupational demand.

Eden Building Tour: A Showcase of NaturePositive Design

The team also joined the tour of the Eden Building, a standout case study in biophilic and carbon aware design.

Highlights included:

Europe’s largest green wall, featuring 350,000 plants and 32 species, delivering an impressive 2000% biodiversity gain.

The facade actively supports clean air and acts as a habitat for birds and bees.

The building is designed to achieve net zero carbon in operation and aligns with WELL, NABERS and UKGBC standards.

Generous amenities—workspace, lounge, café, wellbeing studio, treatment rooms, bike storage, project suites, and a roof terrace.

Recycled materials, including flooring made from repurposed gym surfaces

If you met Ed, Antone, Joseph, or Rachel at the event, they’d love to stay connected — feel free to reach out and connect with them on LinkedIn

Share this post:

More Insights

Modern office building at 20 Triton Street, Regent’s Place, London, showcasing sustainable architecture and glass façade

Artus Air supports British Land’s sustainable HQ ambition

Artus Air heating and cooling solutions are being installed at British Land’s new London head office at 20 Triton Street, Regent’s Place, supporting the developer’s commitment to creating high-quality workplaces with significantly reduced carbon impact.

Four people pose on stage at The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2025. Rebecca Stewart holds an award trophy beside Duncan Macrae, with the event branding behind them.

Artus Air wins double at The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2025

Artus Air was awarded ‘Excellence in Sustainability’ and ‘Regional Scale Up’, as the only company to win two awards.

AI generated image of a modern building covered in greenery, with plants hanging from balconies and trees growing on the rooftop under a clear blue sky.

Rethinking Buildings: Insights from EMEX & Build 2025

EMEX and Build 2025 showed clear momentum across the built environment. Sustainability is adding value, data is improving performance, and retrofits are proving to be one of the fastest routes to lower carbon and better comfort.

Roger Olsen _ Artus Air CTO

Artus Air gains Environmental Product Declaration accreditations

Artus announced as the first UK ducted fan coil manufacturer to gain independent Environmental Product Declaration verification.

The Carbon Conundrum

Explore the importance of embodied vs operational carbon in the design phase and innovation in practice. Download for insight.

Download White Paper

PrevPreviousArtus Air wins double at The Spectator’s Economic Innovator of the Year Awards 2025

NextArtus Air supports British Land’s sustainable HQ ambitionNext

Artus in Action

WeWork

Seamless integration and optimal comfort in collaborative workspace refurbishment.

Read Case Study

The WSP Office Reception with integrated Artus Air units - Artus Air

WSP

A comfortable, carbon-controlled workspace across a five-storey retrofit.

Read Case Study

Ridgelink

Residential renovation demonstrating carbon control and aesthetic excellence.

Read Case Study

View all case studies

What's your next project?

No matter what stage your project is at, we want to hear from you. Finding a solution to your challenge is our priority.

Linkedin Instagram

Get In Touch

Sales enquiries:

+44 (0)204 566 8377
connect@artusair.com

Technical Support:

+44 (0)204 566 8377
support@artusair.com

Quick Links

Products
Solutions
About Us
Insights
Case Studies
Showroom
Work With us

Useful Docs

Standard Conditions of Sale
Product Warranty
Tech Service Request Form
Privacy Policy

© 2026 All Rights Reserved.

Our Patents

This product is protected by the following patents and other pending patent applications:

GB 2528890
US 1118793
AU 2015295067
JP 7138280
EP 3175180
GB 2569943
US 11378284
AU 2018390371
JP 7220858
CN 111868391
EP 3714168

The Trademark ‘Artus’ is registered as GB 3220151.

The following designs are registered: GB 6350052 to GB 6350063 and EM 15052307-0001 to 0012

Download the Carbon Conundrum

Please leave a few details to access insights and experiences of a group of specialists in the UK who are working hard to make sustainability central to development.

Name

Work Email

Phone

GDPR Agreement *

I agree to my data being provided to the Artus Air Ltd team so they can keep me updated about relevant industry news. Your data will be processed in accordance with the Artus privacy policy.