Creating Visions of a
BuildZero future

BuildZero ‘visioning’ workshops in 2025

During October and November 2025, we carried out six all-day workshops in Cardiff, Sheffield and London. In each location there was one workshop with members of the public and one workshop with stakeholders representing industry, policy and the third sector. In total, over 120 people participated, and together we explored what a BuildZero UK could and should look like in the future, to help us understand what we collectively value the most and how can it be part of a BuildZero society. 

What we did

The workshops were filled with lively discussion and debate exploring key priorities for a BuildZero society. Discussions were organised around four themes:

• Policy, democracy and leadership

• Citizens and society

• Money and markets

• Buildings and materials

Throughout the day participants worked together through several stages of sorting and prioritising issues, as the pictures below show. By the end of each workshop, participants had created one desirable, collective 2050 vision.

What did we find?

The workshops revealed important ethical and socio-political priorities and principles that need to be incorporated into BuildZero strategies. These include concerns for practicality, fairness, democracy and inclusivity, as well as the need for a shift in socio-economic priorities, to place great value on community cohesion, the environment, wellbeing and sustainability. 

What’s next?

The BuildZero Visions created during the workshops have provided us with a clear set of principles and priorities to be incorporated into a BuildZero future. The next step is to explore how these visions might be realised.

To do this we are developing a Delphi Survey that will explore and identify a set of realistic pathways that can achieve these visions. 

We are hoping to get a wide range of participants to complete this stage of the research and so, if you are interested, do let us know. Details on how you can get involved in this stage of the research will be shared later in 2026: or you can email Kate or Kersty at the addresses given below.

While we are here…

We would like to give a big thank you to all those who gave their time to take part in the 2025 workshops. All your thoughts and perspectives have contributed significantly to the creation of the BuildZero Visions, and we really enjoyed meeting you all and running each workshop.

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the Cardiff University researchers leading on these workshops:

- Professor Kersty Hobson: Professor Kersty Hobson - People - Cardiff University

Email: hobsonk@cardiff.ac.uk​
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- Dr Kate O’Sullivan: Dr Kate O'Sullivan - People - Cardiff University

Email: osullivankm1@cardiff.ac.uk