Three days of collaboration, connection, and climate leadership in the UK capital.

London Climate Action Week 2025 offered a great opportunity to engage with the latest in green building, ESG innovation, and climate resilience, all while reconnecting with long-standing partners and experiencing the vibrant energy of London’s built and natural environments.

With our UK-based Marketing Director Sam on the ground, Birgit and Ingemar travelled by train from Berlin and Kassel to join the week’s activities, returning home inspired and full of momentum.

Tuesday: Green space, old friends, and big ideas

Our week began for Birgit with a moment of calm: a walk through Regent’s Park, one of London’s most beautiful and historic green spaces. It was a fitting start to a week devoted to the future of our natural and built environments.

Birgit then met up with Sam and longtime colleague John Pike, who once had initiated the 40Percent Symposium events, for lunch and a catch-up on shared priorities in sustainable real estate at the redeveloped King’s Cross area – serving as inspiration for some upcoming content about urban developments and the benefits of sustainable design.

In the afternoon, the team headed to the Natural History Museum, where we were joined by GBCI Europe. We visited two standout exhibitions:

• Our Broken Planet: Our Story, introduced by Sir David Attenborough, presented a compelling look at the interconnected crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, and resource degradation. With a rousing message for the future.
• The Fixing Our Broken Planet gallery highlighted solutions already in play, from clean energy to regenerative farming and sustainable materials. We hope this space becomes a permanent fixture, as it powerfully bridges science, action, and public awareness.

We ended the day with dinner at the Oxo Tower, enjoying stunning views over London and inspiringconversation as the city lit up for the evening.

Wednesday: Three events, one clear message, it’s time to scale impact

Wednesday was all about industry insight and collaboration.

The day began with the GBCI Europe Business Breakfast Roundtable, where leaders from real estate, consulting and certification came together. The discussion highlighted the growing demand for transparency, verified data, and integrated ESG strategies in the built environment.

Next came the LEED® v5 Workshop, a deep dive into the forthcoming version of one of the world’s most widely used green building certification system. Our Partner, Ingemar Hunold, spoke on how LEED v5 can integrate with the EU Taxonomy, helping projects align with both investor expectations and regulatory compliance. The discussions reflected a shared urgency around harmonisation, transparency, and scale.

We then joined the GRESB Physical Climate Risk Summit & Vendor Showcase, an invite-only event focused on tools and strategies to assess, manage and disclose physical climate risks across portfolios. Highlights included:

• A keynote on the importance of resilience in real assets
• Vendor demos featuring climate data and analytics tools
• A panel with investors and managers discussing integration and practical use cases
• A closing networking session that offered space for deeper dialogue and new ideas

Dinner that evening was at Rovi, where we met up with Russ from Avery & Brown. With a delicious, sustainable, and locally sourced menu, the meal reflected our values in action and gave us a relaxed space to reflect on the day’s learnings.

Thursday: Learning, connection, and a moment of joy

On Thursday, Ingemar attended the Building Ambition: Climate Leadership in the Built Environment summit, hosted by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This high-level event brought together investors, asset managers, developers, and policymakers to explore how the built environment can align with science-based targets and decarbonisation pathways. Discussions focused on raising ambition across the sector, overcoming implementation barriers, and leveraging tools like the SBTi’s Building Guidance to accelerate real change. 

Later in the day, Birgit and Ingemar met with a long-standing colleague, Sam Walsh, for a working lunch focused on ESG trends, performance drivers, and emerging opportunities for collaboration.

A visit to The Shard, the second tallest building of Europe, gave us a moment to reflect and appreciate the stunning post-rain views over London. From there, we made a stop at the Tate Modern café for coffee and cake, taking in both the quiet of the museum and the beauty of the Thames just beyond.

That evening, Birgit joined a song workshop hosted by Jake Alexander, director of the activist choir Raised Voices. The evening brought together regular singers and newcomers (some freshly arrived from corporate events) for a powerful and joyful experience of community through music. It was, in Birgit’s words, the highlight of her week.

Looking ahead

We left London with renewed energy, fresh ideas, and a deeper appreciation for the power of connection, whether across professional sectors, cultures, or even in a circle of voices raised in song.

Thank you to all the organisers, collaborators, clients and colleagues who made LCAW 2025 so rewarding. We’re excited to carry this momentum forward in the second half of the year, and we look forward to continuing the conversations started here.