London’s Climate Futures — Beyond the Envelope

This half-day symposium provides practical strategies to make London’s built environment  remain liveable and tackles climate change

By 2100, London could be adapted, resilient, and liveable, or overheated, fragmented, and inequitable.

Time: 08:30 – 12:00 (+ Optional Urban Climate Walk 13:00 – 15:00)

This event positions RIBA London and NLA as partners at the forefront of climate-responsive urban practice and forms part of a wider ambition to strengthen cross-disciplinary collaboration and broaden climate literacy beyond compliance or carbon metrics. It connects global ambitions with local lived realities by exploring how the geometry, orientation, and surface characteristics of the built environment regulate solar access, airflow, water, and heat across the city.

Curated by architect and climatologist Dr Julie Futcher, Chair of RIBA London: North London Architects Group and Chaired by Mina Hasman, author of the RIBA Climate Guide, Co-Chair of the RIBA's Climate Expert Advisory Group and Chair of the CIC Climate Change Committee this morning session will bring together climate experts across built environment fields to re-situate design within the physical climate system and show how professional choices shape the conditions we live in today and the resilience we build for tomorrow.

The event is designed to generate practical insights and shared frameworks that connect professional learning with climate-responsive design outcomes and positions architectural practice within a wider network of responsibilities, clarifying how its decisions intersect with planning and policy, and where gaps in accountability remain.

Participants will leave with actionable insights to embed climate-responsive thinking in their work, ensuring London’s built environment remains liveable, equitable, and resilient through to 2100.