Is Our Industry Fit (Out) for Purpose?
By Alice Bodill-Maher, Marketing Manager, Structure Tone London
While base build performance has moved steadily up the agenda, driven by policy and building regulation, fit outs remain a significant and often underestimated source of embodied carbon and material waste. Our ‘Fit (Out) for Purpose’ event set out to change that by grounding the conversation firmly in practice…
Delivered in partnership with FORA and Lumybel, and hosted at FORA’s stunning City workspace, we brought sustainability experts from across the industry together for a series of presentations and workshops exploring how circularity can be meaningfully embedded in workplace design.
The event was hosted by our Head of Sustainability, Nicola Forest, alongside FORA’s Head of Sustainability, Budelia Probert Watt, and Lumybel founder Paul Gaughan. Each drew on research undertaken as part of their master’s degrees at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, using academic rigour to inform real-world application.
Every day is a school day
Paul’s work examined the role of commercial leases in driving circularity in office fit outs, questioning whether a circular vision within lease structures is essential to improving embodied carbon and environmental outcomes. Paul’s research highlighted the need for better alignment between landlords, tenants and designers and for clearer frameworks that support reuse within contractual arrangements.
Budelia shared insights into embodied carbon in fit outs from the perspective of flexible office operators, offering a nuanced view of the operational pressures and opportunities within this fast-moving sector.
Nicola presented a material flow analysis of central London Category B office fit outs, exploring how we can catalogue buildings as valuable banks of materials that, at end of life, we can urban mine and harvest for reuse rather than sending to waste.
Converting insights into impact
Exploring some of the most pressing questions in our field, the event’s attendees were split into three separate workshops to explore:
- How we can use AI to support cataloguing and tracking of materials
- The guidance and tools stakeholders need to reduce embodied carbon in office fit outs
- The key drivers supporting and challenging the adoption of circularity across the wider office sector
The workshops were notably collaborative, with individuals sharing experiences to challenge assumptions and co-create solutions. Nicola, Budelia and Paul played a central role in bridging theory and practice, ensuring the conversation remained grounded while still pushing for innovation. The value of shared learning was evident, with many participants recognising that progress depends as much on openness as it does on technical solutions.
What were the key takeaways?
Beyond the sessions themselves, the event reinforced a broader mindset shift. Sustainability was framed not as a one-off intervention or a tick box exercise, but as an ongoing process that evolves with each project and partnership.
Among the key takeaways was the recognition that while the industry has begun to measure embodied carbon in fit outs, there remains a gap in narrative and guidance. To make meaningful progress, all stakeholders need to be brought into the conversation. There was also a strong call for a shift in behaviour and mindset around reuse, supported by education that challenges the assumption that circular solutions are more expensive or lower in quality than new materials.
Perhaps most encouraging takeaway was the level of engagement across disciplines. Designers, contractors and suppliers all expressed a desire to do better, and a recognition that this can only be achieved collectively.
For circularity to be embedded at every stage of design and construction, the industry must continue to work in partnership and turn shared learning into action. Fit (Out) for Purpose demonstrated that when research, practice and collaboration come together, the possibilities are endless.
For more information on our sustainability strategy and other sustainable projects we have coming up in 2026, contact our Head of Sustainability, Nicola Forest, at nicola.forest@structuretone.co.uk.Go to mailto:nicola.forest@structuretone.co.uk