Urbano Communities

Urbano Build

Urbano Build's programme is a co-ordinated event programme and network for architects, developers, property investors, designers, interior designers, innovators, landscapers and other sector professionals to connect, gather information, create associations and alliances, and build a community based on mutual encouragement and sharing market knowledge to help their businesses survive and thrive. Our programme also supports member events during MIPIM (the world's leading property exhibition), Clerkenwell Design Week and London Festival of Architecture.

Further information on our programme of events, opportunities and membership information is provided below.

URBANO BUILD

Urbano Network is London’s leading pan-sector independent business network with over 5,000 Member & Associate Companies, ranging from boutique practices and SMEs, to corporates and PLCs.

Urbano Build is one of our most vibrant business communities with its own programme of regular networking events in London aimed at architects, developers, property investors, designers, interior designers and other professionals associated with the built environment sector to make connections, gather information, create associations and find new business opportunities.

Our Urbano Build speaker programme has a proud track record of exploring and championing issues affecting the sector, often before they become mainstream, and often from a stand-point of finding opportunities for smaller firms to work with larger ones as we feel both benefit. This includes diversity, sustainability, new technologies and their usage, such as BIM and VR, accessibility, environmental, BREEAM, supply chain transparency, site safety, workplace and wellbeing, design, modern materials, M2M/IOT and crowdfunding.

Previous speakers at Urbano Build have included RIBA’s previous Presidents - Ben Derbyshire, Jane Duncan and Stephen Hodder, Kevin McCloud (Grand Designs), George Clarke (Restoration Man), Marc Vlessing (Pocket Living), Wayne Hemingway, Loyd Grossman, David Hancock (Government Lead on Construction), senior figures in organisations like CEBR, BRE and CABE, and from leading UK construction companies such as Arup, Laing O’Rourke, Mace Group, and David Philp and Mark Bew (BIM Team at the Cabinet Office).

Since Urbano began in 2011, we have had a proud track record of championing opportunities for women, especially in historically male dominated industries and sectors, such as construction and engineering. Around 50% of an Urbano Build event audience are female, many running their own companies or with senior positions at larger companies. 80% of Urbano speakers are also women.

Our UWACTE (Urbano Women In Architecture, Construction, Technology & Engineering) Community has its own programme of events, alongside and together with Urbano Build. Read more here: UWACTE

We have also launched our Zero Carbon in Construction Programme which sees us focus our Build speaker programme on helping all companies in, across and beyond the BE sectors reset their business practices and fully engage on the changes we all need to make NOW to reduce the carbon impact of construction .

UPCOMING URBANO BUILD/ZERO CARBON PROGRAMME EVENTS

Urbano hosts 18 Build & UWACTE Communities networking events per year, including breakfast events that feature great speakers, networking lunches and networking evenings.

PREVIOUS BUILD COMMUNITY EVENTS & SPEAKERS:
Previous Urbano Build Community Networking Events

MEMBERSHIP & COMMUNITIES SUPPORTER INFORMATION

Non-member companies are welcome to book and send representatives to a maximum of TWO Urbano events in total, including Urbano Build events before needing to join and experience the full benefits of membership. Click through to the Membership page for options, fees and download on joining Urbano: Urbano Membership

If you would like to consider becoming an Urbano Build & UWACTE Community Supporter, helping our Zero Carbon in Construction Programme and efforts to inspire diversity across in the ACTE sectors, please click here:
Urbano Build/UWACTE Community Supporter download

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“Having presented on sustainable construction for Urbano Build, I would definitely speak at an Urbano event again. Not only was I warmly welcomed by the Urbano team, but I was particularly delighted at the depth of the Q&A with such a multi-disciplinary and informed audience from across the built environment sector.

Urbano clearly has a great reach into the industry, and to see so many women attending was indicative of the high quality of the event and the relevance of the topic to women in industry.”

Prof Jacqui Glass, Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Construction at Loughborough University & Director of the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Construction Engineering (CICE), on Urbano:

"I found I was ranting and raving in a very unclever way again yesterday morning, at some ungodly hour in Hatton Garden, as I addressed the Urbano Build network about my mission to kick-start a real step-change in regeneration.

Now, I may grumble about getting up early for these things, but I always find time for the Urbano Network. They have a philosophy of "exchanging value" that I find rather empowering.

Urbano, run by the redoubtable Mark Herring alongside AECOM's ex Work Winning Associate Caroline Brock, offers a safe facilitating vehicle brokering for opportunities for smaller companies to get involved, both with each other, and with larger partners. They champion the cause of the smaller, quality suppliers, especially in areas such as BIM, design and new technologies.

I always learn something of real value when I'm with them. And they're entrepreneurs, so they're a creative and energising lot to be with. Community building with businesses in economic partnerships, through our work and events and even online (steady now) is a key part of the UKR journey, of course. And the Urbano entrepreneurs certainly seemed to like the UKR business model.

I found myself among friends, despite (or perhaps because of) all my ranting. I was asked a number of fascinating questions (and some more off the wall, such as: was I the next Kevin McLeod?) by a group of people who were thoroughly engaged."

Jackie Sadek, CEO of UK Regeneration, on Urbano

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