How does the built environment create value for people, nature and climate as demands on the sector grow?
With a reputation as one of the most environmentally burdensome industries which also has a fundamental opportunity to support healthy and resilient societies, the built environment sector needs to find a way to lead the transition to a sustainable economy.
The operation, maintenance and construction of our buildings, towns and cities account for typically the largest – or among the largest – share of any country’s, and any individual's, carbon footprint and impact on natural resources; but also provide among our greatest opportunities to strengthen the resilience of our societies, maximise shared social benefit, and create safe, secure and enjoyable futures for all.
Experts agree that the sector's role in exacerbating global challenges and its potential to provide solutions to these challenges is of critical importance today. There is an urgent need to for radical change in the sector, and conversations about this seem louder today than ever.
Insights for built environment professionals
Sustainable real estate - a constellation of risks and opportunities
First published in The Lighthouse, this blog by Munish Datta
explores the constellation of risks and opportunities for
sustainable real estate.
Read the blog
Sustainable real estate - reflections and next steps
Building on the blog by Munish on the constellation of risks and opportunities in sustainable real estate, Lucy Bruzzone considers how and why stakeholders must make the transition to sustainable practices and gives recommendations for further reading
Read the blog
Collaborative leadership? It’s what a sustainable
future in the built environment sector requires.
Dr Tim Forman describes how 'shared leadership' was central to
the refurbishment of Entopia.
Read the blog
Building Entopia
Discover the story behind the world-leading sustainable retrofit of Entopia, CISL's new home in central Cambridge.
Read the case study
Education on a sustainable built environment
For over three decades, CISL has been at the forefront of sustainability education. We have a deep understanding of the changing global context and access to a wealth of world-leading research into sustainable business. Our programmes draw upon leading academics, practitioners and innovators to help inform business strategy and inspire action.
Sustainable Real Estate: Creating a Better Built Environment
For professionals who want to understand
the sustainability challenges facing the real estate sector.
Find out more
Postgraduate programme for the
built environment
Explore the importance of building
knowledge and leadership skills to drive
real change through collaboration.
Find out more
Executive Education (open application and custom)
Identify innovative and commercially compelling approaches to address sustainability challenges.
Find out more
Postgraduate student stories
"I am invigorated and stimulated by the discussions [...]. I challenge my beliefs and biases, and I am more intentional about actively listening"
Sonia Green-Browne, Principal Engineer, Graphite Engineering Ltd.
"I would be lying if I didn’t say that there
is a lot to take in on an average day! I feel like I am learning many new ideas and insights which I can reapply in my field of work."
Neiad Adams-Austin, Traffic Engineer, London Borough of Waltham Forest
"The huge merit of the part-time course structure is the opportunity to apply what we have learnt to the real world immediately after we absorbed the lectures."
Emi Sugiyama, Sustainability Consultant, PwC Japan
Sustainable built environment innovation and collaboration opportunities
For over three decades, CISL has built individual and organisational leadership capacity and capabilities and created industry-leading collaborations, to catalyse change and accelerate the path to a sustainable economy. To discuss how we can work with you to support you in your transformation, please get in touch.
Find out more about CISL Canopy and Accelerator opportunities, which foster sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship through our community of founders, startups, corporate intrapreneurs, investors and systems change experts.
Resources and research
Let’s Discuss Climate: The essential guide to bank-client engagement
5 May 2021
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s (CISL) Banking Environment Initiative has published a new guide to bank-client engagement, which aims to address the need for a market-wide transformation in how banks and their corporate clients interact.
Finding common ground between investors and industry
29 March 2021
30 March 2021 – The built environment industry must challenge the notion that sustainability is ‘too hard’ to integrate. Paul Jaffe, Asset Manager at British Land reflects on his experience of the two-year Sustainability Leadership for the Built Environment (IDBE) programme and how this helped him form solutions and encourage change for investors and the wider industry.
The sustainability agenda can be the launch pad for change in the built environment
24 March 2021
24 March 2021 – The built environment industry has a long way to go in order to break down the silos between practitioners and 'build better'. Dr Kayla Friedman, Course Director for the Sustainability Leadership for the Built Environment (IDBE) Master’s and Postgraduate Certificate, identifies the key change agents within the sector and outlines what they can do to catalyse the shift to sustainable project delivery.
Brexit and UK climate leadership: The emerging opportunities and challenges
18 March 2021
A new report from University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership examines the opportunities and challenges for climate leadership in the context of Brexit.
8 December 2020
11 December 2020 – A new framework developed by leading sustainability institute CISL aims to support business planning to become climate neutral by 2050.
Developing the EU’s ‘competitive sustainability’ for a resilient recovery and dynamic growth
16 November 2020
17 November 2020 – This thought-starter paper has been prepared with a view to sharing some initial ideas on the a concept of ‘competitive sustainability’, which lies at the heart of the European Green Deal (EGD) and the EU’s growth strategy. Upcoming investment and policy decisions, such as those on the Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience Plans (RRPs) and the new EU Industrial Strategy need to focus on this new approach to competitiveness to ensure the EU stands to secure advantage and benefit from the economic opportunities, jobs and emissions reductions from the transition to climate neutrality.
30 September 2020
The University of Cambridge has announced that it aims to divest its £3.5bn endowment fund from investment in fossil fuels by 2030 as part of its overall strategy for its investment portfolio to reach net zero by 2038.
The power of a network for built environment professionals
27 March 2020
30 March 2020 – A wide, interdisciplinary network enables professionals from across the built environment sector to hone their skills and competencies, whilst stimulating new ideas, approaches and innovations, according to Dr Kayla Friedman, Course Director for the Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment Master's and Postgraduate Certificate.
Knowledge, motivation and mindset: How the IDBE Master’s opened doors and broadened my horizons
10 March 2020
11 March 2020 – Andrew Martin works in the Major Bridges International department of consultant COWI A/S in Denmark. He looks back upon the impact that his time studying for the Master of Studies (MSt) in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) had in empowering him to develop an interest in sustainability in parallel with his established career in bridges and civil engineering.