Cannes Notes: Heritage and Net-Zero

Yesterday at MIPIM Natasha Huq addressed two central challenges facing the contemporary built environment: heritage preservation and the necessity of decarbonisation.

Speaking at the UK Hub for Delivering Real Returns on the Road to Energy Efficiency and Net Zero: Investment, Innovation, and Impact, the dialogue addressed the economics of the sustainable transition. Alongside Nathaniel Hay (Aberdeen Investments), Emma Harvey-Smith (Green Finance Institute), Murtaza Bukhari (Samsung) and Jack Pringle (RIBA), Natasha explored the specific investment models and technical frameworks required to establish net-zero infrastructure as an achievable, baseline standard.

At the London Stand on Adaptive Reuse: Balancing Investment Value and Historic Preservation, she was joined by Edman Choy (Herzog & de Meuron), Emily Wilson (Ninety Four Group), Simon Redman (PATRIZIA), Tom Sleigh (City of London Corporation), and Cllr Tom Bruce (London Borough of Hounslow). The panel interrogated the mechanics of adapting existing structures, detailing how sensitive interventions can secure commercial viability whilst preserving cultural and architectural integrity.

Translating these global themes to a local scale, we are hosting a follow-up event on 22 April at Brown’s of Leith—grounded in the very place and practice from which our grassroots regeneration methodology has grown. To join the conversation, write to practice@gras.co.