Green Building Design were pleased to sponsor and attend this year’s Specifier Summit, where industry leaders came together to explore how the built environment can accelerate its shift toward adoption of low-carbon materials and modern construction methods in real, deliverable ways.The theme ‘Rethinking Materials. Redefining Construction.’, captured the energy in the room, as the industry is no longer debating whether to change, but how.

One of the Summit’s strongest messages was the need for practical thinking. A keynote speech from Professor Michael Ramage, Professor of Architecture and Engineering at Cambridge University, reinforced a point many in the sector recognise: innovative materials and MMC are no longer experimental concepts. They are viable, buildable and scalable, provided they are adopted early and supported by integrated, cross-disciplinary design.

That message aligns strongly with the work we undertake at GBD. As Managing Director Simon Green reflects:

“We have the tools, the material innovations and the offsite capabilities to drastically cut carbon and improve productivity. What’s missing on many projects is the early, integrated thinking needed to make them work in practice. That’s exactly the gap we help clients close.”

‍

From Possibility to Practicality

Discussions throughout the Summit highlighted that MMC and innovative materials can only deliver their full value when design, engineering and sustainability are aligned from day one. Too often, opportunities to reduce embodied carbon or streamline construction are lost because material and system choices are made only after building layouts, structures or services have already been fixed.

At GBD, we see this early-stage gap frequently and helping to close it has become a core part of our work. We focus on aligning engineering, sustainability and construction strategy at the moment when it makes the greatest difference - long before technical design begins. By establishing clarity early, we help projects move forward with more confidence, less risk and far greater impact.‍

‍

Shaping Low-Carbon Projects From the Start

Our approach is built around practical, coordinated delivery. At concept stage, we work with clients to evaluate the feasibility ofMMC solutions, assess embodied-carbon implications, and identify which systems best suit the project’s scale, form and performance goals. This early guidance ensures low-carbon strategies are embedded into the design and not retrofitted later.

We then integrate MEP and net-zero design so that building services align seamlessly with the chosen construction method. Offsite fabrication, service coordination, fabric-first strategies and low-carbon systems are developed together, ensuring they reinforce, rather than compromise, one another.

Finally, we guide teams through the realities of adopting low-carbon materials. Whether it’s engineered timber, reduced-cement concretes or hybrid structures, we provide the technical and compliance support needed to progress confidently, from concept to regulatory approval.

‍

A Collaborative Pathway to Low-Carbon Construction

The industry has moved beyond questioning whether low-carbon construction is achievable - it clearly is. The challenge now is making it practical, giving project teams the certainty, clarity and coordination they need to adopt modern materials and MMC without adding risk.Early, integrated engineering is where that shift truly happens.

The Specifier Summit showcased a sector ready to embracenew materials and methods, but equally ready to demand real-worlddeliverability. That is exactly the space GBD operates in: helping clients turnlow-carbon ambition into coordinated, compliant and buildable solutions thatdeliver real carbon, cost and programme benefits.

As the sector continues to rethink materials and redefineconstruction, GBD remains committed to supporting project teams in deliveringbuildings that perform better. Turning the most promising ideas in sustainableconstruction into coordinated, compliant and buildable solutions to deliver thecarbon, cost and programme benefits that modern construction can achieve.

For more information on how Green BuildingDesign can support your project with MMC feasibility, low-carbon materialstrategies and fully integrated MEP and net-zero design, contact us today.

‍