As the climate crisis accelerates, our goals for the built environment must evolve. While zero-emission buildings have long been seen as the pinnacle of sustainable design, we must now ask whether that’s truly enough. Current climate trajectories are heading well beyond the 1.5°C limit. Simply reducing harm will not suffice—we must now design places that actively contribute to environmental and social regeneration
Raising the Bar: Why Net Zero Is No Longer Sufficient
The Challenge of Consistency in Carbon Targets
For years, the industry has struggled with inconsistent definitions of “net zero.” Different organisations—UKGBC, RIBA, LETI—have set varying benchmarks for energy use and carbon performance. This patchwork of standards alongside a lack of standardisation in calculation methodologies has made meaningful comparison and collective progress difficult.
A Step Forward: The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard
The introduction of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard marks a crucial shift toward clarity and alignment. Its energy targets, which often mirror or exceed Passive House performance, reflect the level of ambition needed. Crucially, the standard gives equal weight to operational and embodied carbon, encouraging whole life cycle thinking. Targets of 400–800 kgCO₂e/m² are being pushed down to as low as 50 kgCO₂e/m ² by 2050 —and below that for some sectors—which will only be achievable if we radically reduce new construction and prioritise reuse and retrofit.
Prioritising Reuse Over New Build
The most carbon-efficient building is the one that already exists. Upgrading and repurposing existing structures must become the norm. But retrofit is not a silver bullet—materials and interventions carry their own carbon footprint. That’s why a “light touch, high impact” design philosophy is key, minimising disruption while maximising reuse. Tools like building material passports to track reusable components can help unlock a circular built environment.
Standardisation: An old Idea with new relevance
The Victorian era’s standardised housing offers unexpected inspiration. Repetition and simplicity enabled efficiency, durability, and adaptability. In contrast, today’s focus on uniqueness can compromise performance and increase waste. Intelligent standardization, without sacrificing creativity can reduce both emissions and costs at scale. Our Digital Kit of Parts approach to low-rise housing bridges diversity and standardization, reducing barriers to MMC, streamlining the housing development process and ultimately delivering better housing solutions for communities across the UK.
Beyond Net Zero: Designing for Regeneration
Net zero must now be seen as the baseline. The next frontier is regenerative design: creating buildings and places that restore ecosystems, sequester carbon, and uplift communities. That’s why HLM is investing in research on regenerative materials, design and construction methods . We’re exploring bio-based and geologically abundant materials—like timber, mycelium , rammed earth, and perlite blocks—that not only lower emissions but offer potential for net-positive impact. As part of this effort, we have published our Circular Twin and Regenerative Twin research and have joined Wood Knowledge Wales as a founding member of the Regenerative Materials First Hub which aims to promote adoption of these materials and construction methods at scale industrywide.
The stakes are higher than ever
The built environment accounts for more than 40% of global carbon emissions. If we prioritise short-term economic gain over decisive climate action, we risk losing both. The extreme weather events battering Southern Europe and beyond are no longer anomalies—they are signals of what lies ahead if we fail to act.
Be Bold, Be Unified, Be Regenerative
At HLM Architects our design approach is based on ‘Thoughtful Design for a Regenerative Future’. We must be bold, collaborative, and forward-thinking. The tools and knowledge exist. The question is whether we as an industry have the collective will to use them. Because tomorrow’s buildings must do more than harm less, they must actively help heal.
