Hi, I’m Will Arnold.

I am an engineer and environmentalist working at the intersection of construction, climate change and systems thinking. Through my work, I try to bring clarity, urgency and optimism to one of the defining challenges of our time.

I wrote Future Build because I believe that most people do not fully understand the scale of damage that construction is causing to our planet - nor how many inspiring and innovative solutions this industry holds to those issues.

My aim is not simply to explain the problem, but to show that change is both possible and practical - and that ordinary people, clients, designers and policymakers all have a role to play in demanding a better built environment.

About my work

I spend most of my time working as Head of Sustainable Materials at the Useful Simple Trust, a group of pioneering designers and consultants working to regenerate the built and natural environment. My work focuses on helping industry and policymakers reduce the environmental impact of construction through circularity, material efficiency, low-carbon design and systems-level change.

I also lead the Part Z proposal to regulate embodied carbon in the UK, and have been closely involved in the development of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard since its inception, leading the embodied carbon aspects of the project.

Alongside industry work, I am a Visiting Professor at the University of Bath Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering, where I teach and research regenerative design and sustainable construction.

Before joining the Useful Simple Trust, I was Head of Climate Action at the Institution of Structural Engineers, where I led research, guidance and advocacy on decarbonisation across the profession. Prior to that, I spent more than a decade as a practising structural engineer at Arup, delivering projects across four continents and working on buildings that pushed the boundaries of design and technology.

Today, I advise designers, engineers, architects, developers, institutions and policymakers - while also writing and speaking publicly about how the construction industry can move from being part of the climate crisis to part of the solution

Speaking

If you would like me to come and present on any of the topics covered in Future Build, please get in touch at will@futurebuildbook.com to discuss availability and fee.

Photography by Steve Cross