Will Arnold appointed as new sustainable materials lead

The Trust is strengthening its mission to embed sustainable, low-carbon practices across the built environment.

London, 01 December 2025, The Useful Simple Trust (Trust) has appointed Will Arnold as Head of Sustainable Materials, strengthening its mission to embed sustainable, low-carbon practices across the built environment. This new role consolidates the Trust’s expertise in engineering, design, and project delivery into a focused consultancy offering, ensuring every project benefits from advanced materials intelligence from concept through completion.

Will’s appointment draws together our Trust wide expertise into a dedicated sustainable materials consultancy offering across Expedition Engineering, Useful Studio, and Useful Projects. This enhanced capability builds on the Trust’s legacy of pioneering projects including the London Olympics, WWF-UK Living Planet Centre, The Phoenix in Lewes and Eden Project Scotland, now with dedicated materials expertise woven through every stage of design and delivery.

Bringing Cross-Sector Influence & Technical Depth

With over 15 years’ experience spanning structural engineering and cross-industry sustainability leadership, Will brings both technical credibility and strategic vision. His hands-on design background means he understands the practical realities of delivery, while his sector-wide leadership positions him at the forefront of policy development and market transformation.

As the former Head of Climate Action at the Institution of Structural Engineers, convenor of Part Z, and embodied carbon technical lead on the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, Will has shaped the frameworks that are defining the industry’s transition. His ability to influence policy direction and translate complex sustainability challenges into actionable guidance means our clients benefit from insight into where the market is heading, not just where it is today.

In this new role, Will will work directly with clients to integrate materials intelligence throughout project briefs and delivery. The role encompasses practical support on questions clients regularly face: how to balance embodied carbon reduction with budget realities, which emerging materials are ready for specification, and how to align project decisions with organisational net zero commitments.

This builds on a core Trust principle: doing ‘More with Less’. Will’s materials expertise will help identify opportunities to optimize structural and architectural solutions, using less material, reducing carbon, improving efficiency, and often reducing costs simultaneously – embedding materials thinking into the fundamental design decisions that shape project outcomes.

Shaping Industry Direction

Beyond project work, Will’s role includes contributing to our policy influence efforts. His established voice in shaping industry standards means insights from our projects feeds into broader market transformation, and equally, that emerging policy directions inform our client work before they become requirements.

Will commented: “I care deeply about beautiful, thoughtful buildings and infrastructure, and the creative teamwork that makes them possible, and I see the Trust as a place where that ethos already thrives. My focus is on using deep knowledge of carbon and ecological impacts to shape outcomes that are practical, commercially viable, and genuinely forward-looking. This isn’t about pursuing ‘perfect’ sustainability but achieving the best possible outcomes for each project, creating a foundation for even greater progress in the future.”

Judith Sykes, CEO of Useful Simple Trust, said: “Will’s appointment will help us in our mission to shape the future of our industry. His ability to influence policy and translate sustainability challenges into practical design decisions will strengthen our ability to do things differently. We are excited by how he will leverage the collective expertise of the Trust to drive the transition to lower carbon and lower impact construction.”

Discover how Will and the Useful Simple Trust are shaping smarter, more sustainable projects here.

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Turning targets into action

How can organisations move from climate ambition to meaningful action?

This is a question many of us are asking, especially as we navigate the complexities of decarbonisation and net zero goals. To mark Carbon Literacy Action Day 2025, our Sustainability Consultant Anna Biggs explores practical steps, challenges, and opportunities in creating a Climate Transition Action Plan (CTAP).

Why start a Climate Transition Action Plan?

Every organisation’s path to climate action begins with understanding its own impact. For us, measuring our carbon footprint – particularly Scope 3 emissions – was a crucial first step. This process helped us identify where our efforts could make the most difference, and it is a journey we know many others are embarking on right now.

Learning together

Our Q&A video is designed to answer the questions we hear most from clients and collaborators. These include how to get started with a CTAP, which frameworks and resources are most helpful, ways to engage suppliers and partners, and what meaningful progress looks like. We draw on trusted resources such as the Science Based Targets initiative, SME Climate Hub, and We Mean Business Coalition guidance. The real value comes from sharing experiences – what has worked, what has not, and what we are still figuring out.

Starting the conversation

We believe that real change happens when organisations connect, share, and learn from each other. #CarbonLiteracyActionDay2025 is about fostering those connections, opening conversations, exchanging insights, and building a community of businesses committed to climate action. Our approach is rooted in openness and transparency, and we invite you to join us in moving forward together.

If you are considering your own CTAP or looking to refine your approach, we hope this video offers practical insights and encouragement.

Get in touch to share your experiences. Together, we can learn, collaborate, and empower each other to drive impactful, tangible change.

Download our Climate Transition Action Plan.

Learn more

UST named ‘Consultancy of the Year’

Celebrating our impact in driving measurable climate action at the 2025 edie Net Zero Awards.

edie Net Zero Awards 2025

We are honoured that the Useful Simple Trust has been named ‘Consultancy of the Year’ at the edie Net-Zero Awards.

The Awards celebrate organisations across all sectors driving measurable, systemic change toward net zero. What makes them significant is their focus on real impact: projects and businesses that are genuinely moving the dial on climate action. Being recognised among this year’s winners reminds us of the scale of ambition needed, and the collective effort underway across UK industry.

With our work spanning corporate carbon strategies, operational energy, and embodied carbon, the real measure of success isn’t just in tonnes reduced. It is in the wider co-benefits we deliver, the industry collaborations we foster and the long-term shifts we help embed in how businesses and infrastructure projects approach decarbonisation.

Jo Dobson, our Director at Useful Projects, reflected: “This recognition reinforces our commitment to driving meaningful industry change, partnering with businesses, major infrastructure, masterplans, and estates to achieve carbon reductions in ways that are both ambitious and achievable given their specific context.”

Thank you to our teams across Useful Projects, Expedition Engineering, and Useful Studio, and to our clients who continue to push the boundaries of what is possible. There is still so much to do, but moments like this remind us why this work matters – and the importance of continuing to push forward together.

See this year’s edie Net-Zero Award winners here.

Launching our Climate Transition Action Plan

After years of dedicated work and commitment to our Science Based Targets, we are proud to launch our Climate Transition Action Plan.

Climate Transition Action Plan Get Set Zero impact strand

Today marks a pivotal moment in the Useful Simple Trust’s sustainability journey. After years of dedicated work and commitment to our Science Based Targets, we are proud to publicly launch our Climate Transition Action Plan (CTAP).

This CTAP is a blueprint for transforming climate goals into measurable action – providing transparency on our carbon context, identifying our emission hotspots, and outlining our target pathway with specific actions for 2026.

Why This Matters

Whilst we recognise that our greatest impact is through our project work, we believe that every organisation has a responsibility to combat climate change. For us, reducing our impact aligns with who we are as a business; our Ethos and our status as B Corp, Social Enterprise, and Employee Benefit Trust.

The Trust’s four Impact Strands – Get Set Zero, Work for Good, Restore and Adapt, and More with Less – knit together the projects and services our brands provide to clients. Our CTAP focuses on accelerated action towards net zero carbon in line with Get Set Zero, and provides a near-term roadmap aligned with the critical 1.5°C pathway following guidance from the We Mean Business Coalition.

Climate Transition Action Plan timeline and commitments

Our Journey

2018: Became a Social Enterprise

2019: Started calculating our annual operational carbon footprint

2020: Achieved B Corp status

2021: Appointed our Head of Sustainability, Carrie Behar

2022: Set carbon reduction targets with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

2023: Became a Carbon Literate Organisation – Silver

2024: B Corp recertification and 32% score improvement

2025: Became a Carbon Literate Organisation – Gold

Our Commitments

1. We have set official Science-Based Targets with SBTi, committing to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 46% by 2030, from a 2019 base year, and to measure and reduce our Scope 3 emissions.

2. Through the SME Climate Hub, we have joined the United Nations (UNFCCC) Race to Zero initiative, where we are committed to ‘reducing emissions, across all scopes, swiftly and fairly in line with the Paris Agreement, with transparent action plans and robust near-term targets’.

3. We will offset residual emissions from business travel, office and homeworking energy use, and employee commuting by 2030.

4. We will engage with our top 10 suppliers to set their own Science Based Targets and reduce emissions by 2030.

Discover how we are turning climate commitments into measurable action.

Download now

Advancing infrastructure through collaborative design

Championing a design rigour for road infrastructure that is climate resilient and regenerative for users, the natural environment, and place.

Design has the power to protect, enhance and restore communities and environments – a principle that drives Catherine Ramsden’s work as both Founding Director of Useful Studio and member of the National Highways’ Strategic Design Panel. Through this influential role, she champions a rigour for road infrastructure design that is climate resilient and regenerative for users, the natural environment, and the place.

Challenging conventions through collective expertise

Relaunched in November 2024, the Strategic Design Panel assembles specialists from architecture, engineering, landscape design, and social sustainability to challenge established practices and elevate design standards across the Strategic Road Network. This independent advisory body convenes quarterly, ensuring infrastructure projects demonstrate excellence while addressing complex environmental and social considerations.

The panel’s methodology prioritises transformative outcomes through:

  • Context-responsive development – designing infrastructure that enhances rather than diminishes local environments and communities,
  • Inclusive engagement – ensuring diverse voices shape transport infrastructure decisions,
  • Environmental stewardship – embedding sustainability principles throughout design processes,
  • Community-centered value – making infrastructure benefits tangible and meaningful to end users.

This approach transcends traditional mitigation strategies, positioning design as a catalyst for genuine value creation and positive societal impact.

Guided by ten principles of exemplary road design, the panel champions infrastructure that is inherently safe, inclusive, environmentally responsible and collaborative. By synthesising expertise across multiple disciplines, the initiative ensures England’s motorways and major A roads serve as a framework for community enhancement while protecting and enriching natural landscapes.

Explore the Strategic Design Panel‘s methodology and design principles.

Reflecting on the University Design Forum Annual Conference

Lily Bell and Electra Gkampoura share their key takeaways on how future-focused campus design doesn't require complexity.

Presentation from the 2025 University Design Forum

Attending the University Design Forum Annual Conference last month left us with a lot to reflect on. Focusing on ‘Back to the Future: University Design: Past Present and Future’, we were challenged to think about how we shape places that continue to serve evolving communities over time.

One of the strongest provocations came from the Antwerp case studies. Simplicity and robustness in design deliver far more value, both socially and financially, than many of our more complex and costly buildings in the UK. Buildings constructed at around £2,000 per square metre using rectilinear forms, natural ventilation, and basic, well-detailed materials aren’t just cost-effective – they are better used.

The conference also reminded us that reuse has huge potential, whether of buildings, materials, or existing campus infrastructure. Some of the most successful spaces are the ones that have been made to work and repurposed with intention. Reimagining entrances or underutilised buildings can be more impactful than an expensive new build.

Cement spiral staircase at the 2025 University Design Forum

Design flexibility

Adaptability surfaced repeatedly. Are lecture theatres even necessary anymore? With declining on-campus attendance and a growing culture of digital flexibility, we are questioning the very spatial typologies we rely on. Reiach and Hall Architects reminded us that masterplanning should be about long-term frameworks, not fixed plans. Strategies must evolve with institutions and their communities, and remain open to engagement throughout their life. Adam Scott captured it perfectly: “Engagement first, red line last.”

Professor Peter Madden, OBE pushed us further when he asked what it really means to design for the future. Not the abstract future, but real, emerging trends like AI in education, holograms in lecture halls, declining birth rates, and rising temperatures. Reflecting on R. Buckminster Fuller’s saying, “We are called to be architects of the future, not its victim”, Madden posed the question: “Who are we designing for? Who owns the future?”. He argued that if we don’t shape it with intention, it will be shaped for us, more likely in ways that exclude rather than include.

For us as a studio, the key takeaway confirms that thoughtful, future-focused design doesn’t require complexity. Simplicity is often the most impactful strategy; with reuse delivering more value than starting from scratch and adaptability being embedded from the outset, not retrofitted later. Designing for the future means embracing uncertainty and designing spaces that continue to respond to their users, context, and purpose. We couldn’t agree more!

Read more about the key topics and expert lineup here.

UST wins ‘SME Employer Skills Champion of the Year’

Recognising our leadership in developing the next generation of engineering talent at the Enginuity Skills Awards.

The Useful Simple Trust has been awarded ‘SME Employer Skills Champion of the Year’ at the 2025 Enginuity Skills Awards, recognising our leadership in developing the next generation of engineering and manufacturing talent.

Each year, Enginuity celebrates the teams and individuals who inspire and empower the next generation of talent in the engineering and manufacturing sector, fostering a culture of innovation, diversity, and collaboration.

This prestigious award recognises the Trust for “demonstrating outstanding commitment to sustainable business improvement through targeted training programmes and strong industry partnerships. Their work aligns perfectly with Enginuity’s mission to close engineering and manufacturing skills gaps.”

This recognition validates our approach to skills development and industry collaboration. The Trust’s commitment to education and training stems from over 25 years of forward-thinking partnerships with educational institutions and industry leaders. Our Founding Directors established a clear vision that continuous learning should be central to everything we do, embedding this principle in our Ethos:

‘We will educate ourselves and others. To grow the next generation, we will play an active role in framing educational curriculum and make time to help deliver it.’

Investing in future skills for sustainable growth

The Trust’s work demonstrates how strategic investment in skills development creates lasting value for both industry and society. Through our comprehensive training programmes and collaborative partnerships, we are helping to build a more resilient and sustainable future for the sector.

The Skills Awards ceremony showcased exceptional talent across the industry, and we congratulate our fellow finalists at Reliance Precision Limited and DePe Gear Company for their outstanding contributions to skills development. Our thanks go to the Enginuity team, the inspiring finalists and winners, presenters Mohammed Taher and Mimi Nwosu, and category sponsor The National Network of Institutes of Technology for making the evening memorable.

Watch the awards ceremony on YouTube.

Our 2024-25 Impact Report is now available

Discover how collaborative innovation is transforming the built environment in our latest Impact Report.

The Useful Simple Trust is proud to share our 2024-25 Impact Report. This year we are focusing on the theme of ‘collaborative innovation’, showcasing how our work to unite diverse expertise and foster cross-industry partnerships is really delivering impact on the ground.

The built environment faces unprecedented challenges: achieving net-zero carbon emissions, adapting to climate change, addressing biodiversity loss, and meeting growing infrastructure demands within planetary boundaries. These systemic challenges cannot be solved in isolation. They require breadth of expertise, broad perspectives, and the collective drive to push for better outcomes.

Innovation through collaboration sits at the heart of everything we do. We believe progress happens faster when knowledge is shared, which is why we continue to invest in long-standing, cross-industry programmes that help drive transformation and practical education across the built environment. From pioneering industry-shifting innovation to advancing social value, our four collaborative innovation themes demonstrate how meaningful partnerships create solutions that ripple far beyond organisational boundaries.

This Report presents some of the achievements we are most proud to share with you, from our B Corp recertification with a 32% score improvement to the real-world impact of projects like the AVA Footbridge, our nature-based solutions at Langleybury Estate, and our continued commitment to education through programmes like Constructionarium and Climate Ed.

Read the Report here.

Supporting the community at High Trees

Volunteering at Tulse Hill Adventure Playground, contributing to vital community infrastructure that serves families across Lambeth.

Summer Social 2025

On Thursday 26 June, our team dedicated four hours to support High Trees at their Tulse Hill Adventure Playground – part of our annual Summer Social and ongoing commitment to community partnership.

High Trees has been established since 1998, addressing a reality we see all too often across London: young people in one of the world’s wealthiest cities still struggling to access opportunities that help them thrive. Their work spans adventure play, accredited adult education, employment support, and community programming across Lambeth.

Hands-on contribution

The adventure playground serves as a community project that requires ongoing maintenance to support the year-round programming families rely on.

By tackling practical improvements – such as refreshing paintwork across key buildings, clearing overgrown pathways to create more accessible play space, and organising storage systems – we directly enable High Trees to maintain the initiatives that create real impact in their community.

Why this matters

High Trees’ mission is straightforward: ‘helping people make meaningful changes to live happier, healthier, and more connected lives‘. The playground is an example of how sustained investment in public spaces creates lasting benefits – fostering early intervention, skill development, and connection to address challenges at their source.

Our Summer Social serves multiple purposes: it fulfills our annual commitment as a B Corp while strengthening collaboration across our diverse multidisciplinary teams. Most importantly, it demonstrates how we can support community development through direct contribution rather than just financial support.

Graham Weston, the Head of Community Action at High Trees, commented; “It was such a pleasure to host you at the Adventure Playground last week – your energy and teamwork made a real difference. The Playground is looking fantastic, thanks to your collective efforts. We really appreciate the time and care you put in to making an impact.”

A huge thank you to Graham and the entire High Trees team for accommodating us!

Learn more about the amazing work High Trees are doing on their website.

Bridging purpose and excellence

Insights from Catherine Ramsden’s IABSE Annual Lecture, integrating social purpose with design excellence.

On 29 May, our Founding Director Catherine Ramsden delivered the IABSE Annual Lecture, ‘Through the redline’, sharing valuable insights on integrating social purpose with design excellence. Her presentation addressed how the built environment industry can move beyond traditional metrics toward more holistic approaches, prioritising long-term impact and environmental responsibility.

A unique perspective on industry transformation

Catherine brought her distinctive perspective to the IABSE platform, drawing from her leadership of an award-winning B Corp and Social Enterprise that is renowned for delivering projects that stretch well beyond their boundaries and notional ‘redline’. Her approach bridges architectural innovation and community impact, offering rigourous frameworks for addressing the industry’s most pressing challenges.

Taking a journey through her work commencing with Mission Bay, California with efforts to rewild the natural wetlands, to loop in the positive ripple effects of the Millennium Bridge while at Foster + Partners and landing with current ambitions to propel material reuse in the recent salvaged steel pedestrian bridge and Brunel Engine Shed retrofit.

The discussion reinforced the sector’s readiness for approaches that balance rigorous technical standards with environmental responsibility and social impact, providing practical pathways for professionals seeking to create more meaningful outcomes through their work.

Watch the full lecture on YouTube.