The Sustainable Design Forum returns

The Sustainable Design Forum – a one-day interactive event designed specifically for workplace designers and specifiers – is returning to the Crypt on the Green in Clerkenwell, London for its third year on Thursday 25th April 2025. With a focus on ‘People and Planet’, this year’s event has been expanded to include additional workplace topics.

The ’doyenne’ of inclusive design, HOK’s Kay Sargent, has chosen the Forum to be the venue for the launch of her new book and research on Neuro-inclusion. Her talk will be part of the schedule of presentations and panel discussions from the 30+ SDC members, including Asif Din, from Perkins & Will; TP Bennett’s Lucy Bagshaw; Lydia Randall from BDG; M Moser’s Sam Allen and Gurvinder Khurana to name a few.

This year’s Forum is designed to be more interactive than previous iterations. The afternoon’s activities will include workshops covering key topics such as ‘decarbonising your supply chain’; ‘designing for wellbeing’; material choices: recycled, renewable, biomaterials, chemical content plus end-of-life considerations; as well as maximising reuse.

Following the workshops, there will be a series of ‘speed dating’ style round tables providing the opportunity for visitors to have focussed discussions with SDC members.

Curated by designers for designers, the event is hosted by SDC – the Sustainable Design Collective. Formed in 2022, the Collective is a think tank’ group of over 30 leading designers and specifiers committed to acting within the workplace design community to identify developments and ‘best practice’ relating to sustainability.

The principal ambition for the day is to offer an opportunity for designers to learn and exchange ideas and to provide a different approach to ‘standard’ industry exhibitions and events. Manufacturers and suppliers of furniture, flooring, new materials, fittings and finishes as well as reuse operations and IT services will also host discussion tables.

“This year’s event will offer a completely different approach offering greater opportunities for interaction and knowledge sharing,” explains Harsha Kotak, international workplace designer, UK Design Council Board member, and co-founder of SDC – the Sustainable Design Collective. “We are also excited to announce that BDP and M Moser and Associates will be a headline A&D sponsors.”

The day will conclude with the Sustainable Design Awards. Free to enter, the Awards are designed to champion ‘best practice’ and highlight innovations leading to greater sustainability within the office workplace sector.

For further information – https://thesustainabledesigncollective.co.uk/forum/

Image: HOK