Welcome to The Futurebuild Podcast (audio channel), where we spotlight the drivers of positive impact in the built environment. Hosted by Martin Hurn, Futurebuild Event Director, each episode features inspiring conversations with leaders and innovators from across the industry. Join us as we explore how cutting-edge technologies, sustainable practices, and ground breaking projects are shaping a better future. Tune in to hear first hand stories of how these trailblazers are making a real difference in the built environment and beyond. Subscribe now to stay informed, inspired, and connected with the forefront of sustainable innovation.
Episodes
Thursday Apr 30, 2026
Thursday Apr 30, 2026
What if one of construction’s biggest problems is actually one of its biggest opportunities? In this episode, we sit down with William Rundle, CEO and Founder at Nexus ReGen, to challenge how the industry thinks about surplus materials and why so much value is still being thrown away.
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Friday Mar 06, 2026
Friday Mar 06, 2026
Are you interested in exploring how innovation moves from idea to real-world impact? In this episode, we speak with Neil Appleton, Knowledge Transfer Manager at Innovate UK, about what innovation really means for the built environment and why collaboration is the key to making it stick. Neil shares practical insight into why good ideas often fail to scale and how collaboration, digital tools, circular economy thinking and regional supply chains can drive meaningful transformation.
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Wednesday Feb 04, 2026
Wednesday Feb 04, 2026
What if we stopped guessing how homes perform and actually tested them? In this episode, we speak with Professor William Swan, Director of Energy House Laboratories (EHL) at the University of Salford. The conversation explores what happens when homes are pushed to their limits inside one of Europe’s most advanced climate-controlled test environments, Energy House 2.0, and more.
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Thursday Jan 22, 2026
Thursday Jan 22, 2026
What if the future of construction didn't start in a mega-factory, but on a farm? In this episode, we speak with Chloe Donovan, Founder and Managing Director of Natural Building Systems, and creator of Adept Modular; a plant-based, precision-engineered panel system designed to be produced locally and installed at scale. Chloe shares her journey from agriculture into construction, why many MMC models have struggled to deliver on their promise, and how a distributed network of regional micro-factories could unlock lower-carbon, healthier, and more resilient buildings.
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Thursday Jan 08, 2026
Thursday Jan 08, 2026
Social value is one of the most critical, misunderstood topics in the built environment. In this episode, we speak with Dr Carl Walker about why the built environment must rethink how it defines and delivers social value. Drawing on psychology, public health, and lived community experience, Carl explains why co-creation, youth agency, and early intervention are essential to building healthier, more resilient places, and why starting with people, not metrics, leads to better outcomes for everyone.
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Thursday Dec 11, 2025
Thursday Dec 11, 2025
Subsidence is one of the UK’s fastest-growing housing risks — but also one of the least understood. In this episode, we speak with Freya Chapman of Mainmark, a global specialist in ground engineering, to unpack the real causes of subsidence, its links to climate resilience, and the modern solutions that can stabilise and retrofit homes with minimal disruption. From clay shrinkage to drainage failures, historic buildings to coastal erosion, Freya gives a clear, practical and future-focused look at what’s happening beneath our homes — and how we can fix it.
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Thursday Nov 27, 2025
Thursday Nov 27, 2025
When Joel De Mowbray realised that traditional construction wasn’t matching the needs of local communities, he founded Yes Make – a company that builds public infrastructure from waste materials, with community involvement at its heart. In this episode, we explore Joel’s journey, how Yes Make was born, the principles that drive them, and why circularity should start at street level, not the boardroom.
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Friday Nov 14, 2025
Friday Nov 14, 2025
The built environment employs more than 3 million people but faces a shortfall of 200,000 skilled workers and persistent barriers to diversity. In this episode, Dr. Elnaz Kashef from Futures For All joins host Martin Hurn to discuss how we can close these gaps through fully funded work experience, employer engagement and inclusive career programmes that empower the next generation.
Listen now — and connect with the movement at Futurebuild 2026.
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