Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE‑ST) and Carbon Futures have unveiled a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating decarbonisation across the built environment.

The initial two-year agreement will be delivered through BE‑ST Innovation Enterprise Solutions Ltd (BESTIES), a subsidiary launched at BE‑ST Fest 2024 to enable deeper joint ventures and partnerships with businesses, universities, colleges and other organisations.

Under the collaboration, BE‑ST, Scotland's national innovation centre for construction and the built environment, and Carbon Futures, an independent energy and sustainability consultancy, will co-develop a joint offer spanning shared communications, events, thought leadership and business development. The aim is to create greater value for clients and partners involved in planning and delivering high-performing, low‑carbon buildings—both new and existing—across domestic and non‑domestic sectors.

The partners plan to broaden the range of public and private organisations they support, engage earlier in programme and project development, and enable more ambitious, portfolio‑scale approaches to low‑carbon delivery.

At a BE‑ST networking reception at Scotland House in London this week, industry figures, policymakers and delivery partners discussed sector challenges such as housing delivery, retrofit and low‑carbon construction, alongside potential solutions Scotland can offer.

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During the event, Carbon Futures announced the opening of a London office, a move designed to deepen collaboration with organisations in the capital and beyond, extend its national reach and mark the start of a new growth phase.

The collaboration is intended to exemplify the value‑add partnerships BESTIES was created to unlock—bringing together BE‑ST's expertise in innovation, strategic engagement and sector transformation with Carbon Futures' technical depth in energy, carbon and building performance.

By combining strategic insight, technical verification and real‑world demonstration, the partnership aims to help clients adopt innovations such as circular construction, bio‑based materials, modern methods of construction and offsite systems, and scalable retrofit solutions with greater confidence.

Alongside project delivery, the organisations will bolster workforce capability through training, knowledge exchange and practical learning opportunities, supporting colleges, universities and supply chains to upskill and embrace cutting‑edge approaches to low‑carbon construction.

By aligning their capabilities and networks through BESTIES, BE‑ST and Carbon Futures aim to create a stronger, more integrated offer for the sector, helping clients move from ambition to delivery and accelerating the transition to a high‑performing, low‑carbon built environment.

Stephen Good, CEO at BE‑ST, said: "BESTIES was established to drive radical collaborations that deliver transformative innovation at scale and pace. This strategic partnership with Carbon Futures is a strong example of that in action. By delivering BE-ST's innovation and strategic capability through BESTIES, together with Carbon Futures' technical depth, we can better support clients to turn low carbon ambition into practical, deliverable projects. At the same time, the partnership will help strengthen the sector's ability to upskill and adopt new approaches and technologies, while advancing BESTIES' social purpose to drive forward our decarbonisation mission."

Andrew Money, Director at Carbon Futures, said: "As we continue to progress our ambitious growth plans across the UK, this partnership represents a significant milestone for Carbon Futures. By combining our technical expertise in sustainability and building performance with BE‑ST's innovation leadership we can accelerate the delivery of low‑carbon buildings nationwide. This collaboration strengthens our shared commitment to support organisations in creating transformative, sustainable communities throughout the UK."