The UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) will take place in Leeds from 19-21 May. The event, for which you can register now, will bring together thousands of investors, developers, professionals, and regeneration specialists to talk about industry growth prospects, the government’s 1.5 million housing target and the ongoing challenge of addressing climate change.
The agenda
This year at UKREiiF, we are hosting and taking part in a series of panels, roundtables and meetings focused on tackling the housing crisis, promoting high-quality design, and supporting sustainable, community-focused development.
RIBA contributors including Chris Williamson, President; Jack Pringle, Chair of the Board of Trustees; and Jennifer Dixon, Chair of our Practice and Policy Committee, will be speaking across the programme, contributing to conversations that bring together policymakers, local authorities and industry to explore delivery, investment and collaboration across the built environment – from town centre regeneration to affordable housing and net zero.
Find out more about our events below.
Events at UKREiiF
Tuesday 19 May
Built Environment Breakfast Reception
Date: 19 May 2026
Time: 8am to 9:30am
Location: RICS Studio – Pink Zone
With the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), we will dive into how the industry has evolved since UKREiiF 2025. We’ll explore what’s changed, what still needs to shift, and how we can collectively strengthen resilience, raise standards, and position the UK built environment as a true global leader.
Speakers:
- Justin Young, Chief Executive Officer, RICS
- Chris Williamson, President, RIBA
Also:
New places / old towns: have we learned anything?
Date: 19 May 2026
Time: 10am to 11am
Location: SLR Consulting Pavilion – Purple Zone
The next generation of new towns must balance growth with the regeneration of existing places, learning from recurring development cycles. Meeting housing needs sustainably requires designing in cooperation with nature, with landscape as the structural foundation of place. Landscape led master-planning can create distinctive, resilient, commercially viable communities. Industry leaders will explore how this approach shapes legacy, value, market expectations and practical mechanisms for mainstream adoption.
Speakers:
- Becca Heron – Strategic Director for Growth and Development, Manchester City Council
- Pol MacDonald – Director (Place), SLR Consulting
- Tom Snee (Chair) – Director, Cartwright
- Chris Williamson – President, RIBA
How can a landscape-led approach drive growth and support urban regeneration?
Date: 19 May 2026
Time: 12pm to 1pm
Location: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Pavilion – Red Zone
The landscape provides the setting which makes our towns, cities and villages distinctive, attractive places to live and invest. How do we retain what’s important for people, place and nature whilst creating space for new development which reflects these unique characteristics?
Speakers:
- Jon Rooney – Associate Director, Arup
- Jennifer Dixon – Architect, Fereday Pollard
What role does industrialised construction have in solving the UK housing crisis?
Date: 19 May 2026
Time: 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Location: HotHot Suite – Green Zone
This roundtable will explore how industrialised construction can accelerate delivery, improve quality, and unlock affordability at scale. The discussion will focus on barriers, policy, funding, and real-world delivery models needed to meet housing demand and support sustainable, community-focused development across the UK.
Speakers:
- Paul Ruddick – Chairman, Reds10 (listed as Chair)
- Uthira Balachandar – Design Director, Reds10
- Richard Fox – Director, Reds10
- Damon Brown – Director, Reds10
- Zoe Lamb – Industry Director, Barclays
- Lara Caglayan – Senior Sustainability Consultant, Bidwells
- Jack Pringle – Chair of the Board, RIBA
Town centres first: turning brownfield sites into homes and growth
Date: 19 May 2026
Time: 3:45pm to 4:45pm
Location: HDN x UKREiiF Affordable Housing Summit Roundtable Room – Pink Zone
This roundtable explores how town centre regeneration in Buckinghamshire is unlocking housing delivery while driving wider economic investment.
Speakers:
- Councillor Steven Broadbent – Leader, Buckinghamshire Council
- Chris Williamson – President, RIBA
Build Club – In conversation with Chris Williamson
Date: 19 May 2026
Time: 7:30pm to 8pm
Location: The Roxy – Roxy Lanes Leeds The Light, 44-48 The Headrow
Join THE BUILD CLUB and Chris Williamson to hear about making architecture feel accessible, the role architects play in helping projects succeed, how we can build an industry where expertise is better recognised, the industry’s relationship with emerging technologies and AI and how we can ensure the profession’s long-term direction.
Wednesday 20 May
Refurbish, reposition or replace? The real decisions shaping the future of the UK office
Date: 20 May 2026
Time: 9:30am to 10:30am
Location: Willmott Dixon Pavillion – Purple Zone
The UK office market is polarising: prime, sustainable space thrives while secondary assets struggle amid hybrid working, ESG pressures and rising costs. The key question is how to invest – refurbish, reposition or replace? This panel examines viability, carbon, demand and delivery risk to guide strategies for long‑term value.
Exploring the commercial, carbon and occupier pressures shaping decisions around ageing office assets, and how choosing the right intervention – refurbishment, repositioning or redevelopment – can unlock long‑term value, reduce risk and support thriving places.
Speakers
- Annie Brafield – Director, Cartwright Communications (Chair)
- Jane Hunt – Deputy Director, Property Portfolio Management, Government Property Agency
- Adam Worrall – Managing Director, Willmott Dixon Interiors
- Jack Pringle – Chair of the Board, RIBA
Coastal regeneration in practice: a masterclass for place-led delivery
Date: 20 May 2026
Time: 12:30pm to 2pm
Location: Willmott Dixon Pavillion – Purple Zone
This invite-only masterclass offers a practical deep dive into insights from a year-long coastal regeneration research programme. In partnership with UKREiiF and Milligan, the session brings together local authority leaders and coastal specialists, to explore the drivers of successful coastal regeneration, focusing on practical steps and delivery.
Speakers:
- Annie Brafield (Chair) – Director, Cartwright Communications
- Jess Asato MP – Lowestoft, Labour Party
- Stuart Harris – Chief Executive Officer, Milligan
- David Atkinson – Director (Development & Investment), Willmott Dixon
- Chris Williamson – President, RIBA
Scaling independence: From 300 to 30,000 homes – Addressing the affordable housing crisis for young people
Date: 20 May 2026
Time: 2:15pm to 3pm
Location: Dockside Boardroom – Pink Zone
Access to safe, genuinely affordable housing remains a major hurdle for working young people at risk of homelessness. Centrepoint’s Stepping Stone Homes provide high-quality, self-contained housing with rents set at one third of residents’ salaries, alongside the stability and support needed for independence. This roundtable brings together policymakers, local authorities, investors, and delivery partners to explore scaling the model from 300 to 30,000 homes nationwide.
Speakers:
- Seyo Obakin OBE – CEO, Centrepoint
- Sally Orlopp – Director of People, Property & Independent Living, Centrepoint
- Tom Copley – Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, Greater London Authority
- Ben Denton – Head of Strategic Growth for Affordable Housing, L&G
- Katherine Russell – Director of Build to Rent, John Lewis Partnership
- Chris Williamson – President, RIBA
Thursday 21 May
Regional spotlight: Midlands
Date: 21 May 2026
Time: 9:30am – 10:30am
Location: HDN x UKREiiF Affordable Housing Summit Stage – Pink Zone
From Growth Zones to new settlements. This panel explores Midlands delivery partnerships and infrastructure.
Speakers:
- Stuart Buckley – Managing Director, Warwickshire Property Development Group
- Chris Williamson – President, RIBA
Shaping the future: delivering the net zero carbon buildings standard
Date: 21 May 2026
Time: 11am to 12pm
Location: Willmott Dixon Pavillion – Purple Zone
The UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard will reshape how buildings are designed, delivered and operated. This session shares insights from a live pilot project, including technical challenges, performance monitoring and customer perspectives. This roundtable will explore how collaborative delivery is supporting the journey to high-performance net zero estates.
Speakers:
- Annie Brafield – Director, Cartwright Communications
- Katie Clemence-Jackson – CEO, UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard
- Francesca Wilkinson – Senior Sustainability Manager, Willmott Dixon
- Richard Bowen-Ling – Head of Programme Delivery, Sustainable Communities for Learning, Welsh Government
- Chris Williamson – President, RIBA