The Future Homes Hub is a collaborative industry-wide initiative focused on delivering the homebuilding sector's climate and environmental commitments in line with government targets. The Hub facilitates knowledge sharing, innovation, and collective action to transform how homes are built and operated.
As a new member, Northstone will collaborate with industry peers on critical areas including the Future Homes Standard, embodied and whole life carbon reduction, zero carbon placemaking, biodiversity net gain, water efficiency, resource efficiency, and air quality.
Ed Lockhart, CEO of The Future Homes Hub, welcomed the announcement: "New homes are undergoing rapid change to be ready for the climate and environmental challenges of the 21st century. No area of the economy is moving faster in this transition than the homes we build; the new homes sector will be nature positive through biodiversity net gain in 2023 and will be zero-carbon in operation through the Future Homes Standard in 2025.
"We have a collective responsibility to deliver the sector's climate and environmental targets while building higher quality homes at the scale needed. We can only do this if we all work together. I am therefore delighted that Northstone has joined the Future Homes Hub to be part of this positive change."
The Future Homes Delivery Plan provides a comprehensive roadmap structured around four key areas: home operations, production and construction, planning and placemaking, and business operations. These "living roadmaps" guide sector-wide collaboration and progress toward shared goals.
Richard O’Brien, Design Director at Northstone, said: “We're looking forward to working together with this growing community to share our solutions and expertise, accelerating progress to a net zero future.Sustainability is intrinsic to our designs at Northstone and joining this collective will go a long way towards meeting our goals."
Northstone's participation comes at a critical time in the UK's environmental timeline, with national targets requiring a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and 68% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels). Additionally, legally binding national targets for nature, water, waste, resources, and air quality are being implemented under the Environment Act between 2023 and 2026.
For more information about the Future Homes Hub and its initiatives, visit www.futurehomes.org.uk