Forum 2026 - SDC - The Sustainable Design Collective

Sustainable Design Forum

at Crypt on the Green, Clerkenwell

“The best yet” was the unanimous verdict from attendees at the 2026 Sustainable Design Forum. Held at Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell on Thursday 23rd April 2026, the event attracted hundreds of participants with many choosing to stay for the entire day’s agenda.

The Sustainable Design Forum was created to bring the industry together around a shared question: “how do we design spaces more responsibly for both people and planet?” This year, that conversation extended beyond the talks and panel discussions. At the entrance to the forum, attendees were invited to walk through Threshold of Change – an immersive installation by SDC co-founder Harsha Kotak. The installation focused on one of the least visible yet most persistent problems within the fit-out industry: waste. Particularly textile waste. Offcuts, oversupply, short product lifecycles and materials specified without any real consideration for reuse or disassembly have become deeply embedded within the way projects are delivered.

“I wanted to use storytelling as a tool to make that reality visible,” said Harsha. “One side of the structure focused on the problem itself. Data boards highlighted the scale of textile waste generated by the industry, while surplus fabric offcuts spilled from an opening at the top of the installation into a transparent box below, gradually filling it like a miniature landfill. The visual was deliberately uncomfortable.

A reminder of how easily waste accumulates through everyday design, procurement and delivery decisions until it simply becomes accepted as part of the process. The opposite side offered a very different expression of the same material. Those same waste textiles were transformed into a suspended veil of oversized fabric flowers woven through the structure. It became a physical reminder that discarded material still holds value, beauty and potential when approached differently. The contrast between the two sides became one of the most talked about aspects of the installation throughout the forum because people immediately understood the message without needing it heavily explained.”

At the forum, Harsha described the installation with a simple statement: “We do not walk past the problem. We walk through it — and redesign it.” The installation was designed and built to be completely modular and reused (which it has been) in collaboration with U-Build, Gabriel, Planteria & Claire Malley Studio. The opening address for this year’s event was delivered by Dr Valerie Vaughan‑Dick MBE, CEO at RIBA who outlined the importance of sustainability within the built environment and the range of RIBA initiatives designed to support the sector.

The day included, once again, the highly successful ‘speed dating’ tables. Each table was allocated a particular discussion around ‘People and Planet’ and chaired by an SDC member. Attendees were able join a table for 20 minutes before rotating to an alternative subject. There was a strong focus on interactive workshops – including ‘Materiality and impacts on human health’ by Humanscale; ‘Understanding global supply chains’ by Future Works, a division of The Furniture Practice; Digital Product Passports by Colebrook Bosson Saunders; and ‘Designing for People and Planet’ by Axis @ Work, part of the Torrington Group.

The ‘Masters in Sustainability in 30 minutes’ session proved fun and really engaging. Dr Asif Din, Dr Joe Croft together with Sam Allen answered ‘quick fire’ questions from the audience. The two panel discussions proved to be thought provoking too. Moderated by Sam Allen, ‘Sustainable Design – Greener, Thriving Spaces for People and Planet’ included contributions from Asif Din, Lucy Bagshaw, Phil Towle from Future Works and Katie Bowes, Axis @ Work. Later in the day, a panel, moderated by Ana Rita Martins, addressed the issue of cost versus sustainability. She was joined by Rachel Boughton of Business Moves Group, Amalie Aarestrup of CBS, together with Matt Robinson and Jane Goodman.

The dedicated ‘information space’ will include innovative material samples and displays. M Moser & Associates showcased their ‘Living Lab’ project. A global initiative, the Living Labs are spaces where new ideas are tested and trialled to progress sustainable workplace developments.

Supported by Interior Designers Declare (IDD), the Fire Regulations ‘explainer’ by SDC member Mathew Freeman highlighted the issues relating FR chemicals together with the UK Government’s consultation process. Elements from the Circular Hub were also be featured. Originally designed for the Workplace Design Show, the Hub was conceived by MCM Architecture and Future Works in partnership with Nested Living, a regenerative design studio.

Acknowledging that exhibitions are temporary and often wasteful, the collaboration wanted to create a design that could be dismantled and reused. Conceptualised by Ana Rita Martins, the Hub explores circularity across products and typologies. Materials were traced from raw to refined, with natural and synthetic options shown side by side to reveal different circular pathways.

Huge thanks go to colleagues from WOD (Women in Office Design) who hosted tours for young designers offering a chance to meet participating suppliers and manufacturers.

The day concluded with words of encouragement from fellow SDC co-founder, Joanna Knight. “The most important ‘take away’ from today’s event is a commitment to curiosity, learning and knowledge sharing. An SDC colleague introduced a phrase which I love: There are no experts – we are all explorers.”

SDC is now challenged with a huge task to create an even better and more powerful event for 2027!

2026 Agenda

10:00 – A&D & Product Exhibition + WOD Tour

11:30 – Welcome Note

11:40 – Keynote by RIBA CEO

12:00 – Greener Thriving Space for People + Planet – SDC Panel discussion

12:45 – Digital Product Passport – by CBS

13:10 – Lunch & Exhibition

13:30 – Speed Dating Sessions

14:30 – Supply Chain Resilience in the Current Geopolitical Climate

14:50 – Acoustics & Wellness – by Rockfon

15:20 – Tea Break & Exhibition

15:40 – The Brief as a Catalyst – by Tsunami Axis

16:00 – Masters in Sustainability – Q&A with audience

16:30 – Materials Health – by Humanscale

16:50 – “Who Are We Kidding? It’s All About Price”- SDC Panel discussion

17:30 – A Message to the Industry – SDC Members

17:45 – A&D & Product Exhibition + WOD Tour

18:30 – Drinks & Networking

2026 Headline Sponsors

2026 Exhibitors

2026 Project & Materials Display

2026 Media Partners

2026 Industry Partners

Sculpture Installation

2025 Event

The 2025 Sustainable Design Forum, held on Thursday 24 April at Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell, was widely regarded as the most successful yet.

The venue buzzed with lively conversations and insightful discussions centred on pushing the boundaries of sustainability in workplace design. The day began with a networking session, supported by a diverse group of manufacturers and suppliers.

One of the day’s standout moments was the ‘speed dating’ roundtables, which brought together guests and SDC members for fast-paced exchanges of ideas and experiences.

2024 Event

The 2024 event was an outstanding success, and the enthusiasm was palpable as the day progressed through the comprehensive agenda of panel discussions, presentations, and workshops.

Covering a truly comprehensive range of topics, members of SDC participated in a range of discussions from the importance of social value through to the ‘pros and cons’ of carbon measurement. Many colleagues within the workplace design community commented on the practical advice and information provided by each of the ‘How to’ workshops covering ‘promoting sustainability to clients’ and ‘understanding supply chains’.