elementalLONDON 2026 Brings Building Engineering and Decarbonisation to London
Building services engineering, energy efficiency and the practical challenges of decarbonisation will feature prominently at elementalLONDON 2026, taking place at Excel London on 25–26 November alongside London Build and CIBSE Build2Perform.
The combined events will bring together building services engineers, architects, contractors, developers, manufacturers and property professionals, with organisers expecting more than 25,000 visitors and 900 speakers across the wider programme. For London Build, the move to Excel also represents a significant expansion, bringing construction and building engineering disciplines together under one roof.
While the exhibition covers a broad range of construction technologies and services, elementalLONDON concentrates on the systems that determine how buildings perform once occupied. Heating, cooling, ventilation, energy management and retrofit all feature in a programme examining the relationship between building design, technical specification and operational performance.
Briefing
- Dates and venue: 25–26 November 2026, Excel London.
- Combined events: elementalLONDON, London Build and CIBSE Build2Perform.
- Technical focus: HVAC, building decarbonisation, energy efficiency, retrofit and operational performance.
- Conference programme: Engineering discussions covering low-carbon cooling, building data, energy systems and the performance gap.
- Admission: Free visitor registration provides access to the co-located exhibition and conference programmes.
Engineering Better-Performing Buildings
Reducing energy consumption in commercial and residential buildings involves more than specifying efficient heating and cooling equipment. Building fabric, ventilation, controls and mechanical systems have to work together, often under operating conditions that differ considerably from the assumptions made during design.
These practical issues run through elementalLONDON’s conference programme, particularly in the Climate Solutions Theatre and CIBSE Build2Perform sessions. Discussions will examine how buildings can achieve lower operational emissions while maintaining comfort, resilience and reliable performance.
The Climate Solutions programme includes Decarbonising London, bringing together perspectives from architecture, development and local government. Announced speakers include Jay Morton of Bell Phillips and Ben Cross of MORE, alongside representatives of organisations involved in shaping London’s built environment.
Other sessions address the integration of renewable energy technologies, including Solar, Heat Pumps, Batteries! – The Opportunities and Challenges, featuring Nigel Banks, Technical Director at Octopus Energy. Better Data Equals Better Buildings, presented by Innovate UK, will consider how better information can support decisions about building operation and energy efficiency.
Cooling is another prominent subject. The Battle Against Overheating: Why Cooling Has a New Urgency will examine the demands placed on buildings by warmer conditions and the engineering approaches available to manage internal temperatures without unnecessarily increasing energy consumption.
Beyond the conference programme, manufacturers and technology providers will present equipment and systems covering heating, ventilation, air conditioning, building management, smart controls and energy storage. The exhibition offers engineers and specifiers an opportunity to compare technologies and discuss installation requirements, system integration and operating performance directly with suppliers.
CIBSE Build2Perform and the Performance Gap
CIBSE Build2Perform brings a substantial technical programme to the event, concentrating on the engineering decisions that influence building efficiency throughout design, construction and operation.
Sessions will address the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, heat network zoning, whole-life carbon in mechanical and electrical systems, digital engineering and the challenges of designing buildings for changing climate conditions.
Cooling receives particular attention through The Future of Cooling: Engineering for the Global Cooling Pledge. The discussion will examine approaches to reducing cooling-related emissions, drawing on CIBSE’s technical expertise and international efforts to improve cooling efficiency. The Global Cooling Pledge includes a target to reduce cooling-related emissions by 68% by 2050.
Another important subject is the difference between predicted building performance and measured results. Energy models provide the basis for equipment selection, design decisions and regulatory compliance, but actual consumption also depends on commissioning, occupancy, maintenance and the way systems are controlled.
Sessions examining the performance gap will consider how design intentions can be translated into verified outcomes. Related discussions on grid-interactive buildings and digital engineering will explore the use of building data and controls to manage energy demand more effectively.
The programme is particularly relevant to consultants, M&E contractors and facilities managers responsible for buildings where performance improvements must be delivered within existing technical and operational constraints.
Retrofit, Housing and the Existing Building Stock
Upgrading existing buildings presents challenges that rarely arise in the same form on new developments. Ageing infrastructure, limited plant space, uncertain thermal performance and the disruption associated with occupied premises can influence both technology selection and the sequence of construction work.
elementalLONDON will examine these issues through sessions on deep retrofit, low-carbon heating and improvements to residential buildings, alongside discussions of the policies and investment arrangements affecting refurbishment programmes.
The UK Housing Stage will address housing delivery, retrofit and social housing. Among the scheduled presentations is A Template for Warm Homes? How We Tackled Fuel Poverty and Helped Drive Heating Change in Scotland, presented by Warmworks. The session will consider Scotland’s experience of improving domestic heating and the lessons that could inform England’s Warm Homes Plan.
The National Home Improvement Council’s Knowledge Hub will provide further discussions on renovation, refurbishment and improving existing housing, connecting contractors, housing professionals and organisations involved in residential building improvements.
Policy and investment will also feature in discussions developed with the UK Green Building Council. Sessions including The Buildings Challenge and The Energy Challenge will examine the market and regulatory conditions affecting decarbonisation, particularly where improvements depend on coordinated investment across large property portfolios.
Connecting Building Services with Construction
The co-location with London Build allows building services professionals to engage with the wider construction supply chain, including architects, structural engineers, principal contractors and developers.
London Build’s conference programme extends into digital construction, modern methods of construction, housing, building safety and infrastructure. Its Sustainability Arena provides further discussions on the materials, methods and policies influencing the environmental performance of new and existing developments.
Building services requirements are closely connected to decisions made elsewhere in the construction process. Structural layouts and architectural design determine the space available for mechanical plant, distribution systems and maintenance access, while construction quality and commissioning influence whether installed equipment operates as intended.
These relationships become particularly demanding on complex developments and major retrofit projects, where changes to one system can affect several others. The combined programme provides opportunities to examine these issues across professional disciplines rather than treating building engineering as a separate activity.
Event Information and Registration
elementalLONDON 2026 takes place on Wednesday 25 November and Thursday 26 November at Excel London. Opening hours are 09:30 to 17:30 on Wednesday and 09:30 to 16:30 on Thursday.
The venue is accessible through Custom House station on the Elizabeth line and Docklands Light Railway. Visitors can attend the co-located elementalLONDON, London Build and CIBSE Build2Perform programmes with free registration.
The event brings together technical conference sessions and opportunities to meet manufacturers, engineering specialists and organisations involved in delivering better-performing buildings. For professionals working across building design, construction, retrofit and facilities management, the programme provides a concentrated opportunity to examine the technologies and engineering practices shaping the sector.
Key Industry Questions
- When and where is elementalLONDON 2026 taking place? The event takes place on 25–26 November 2026 at Excel London, alongside London Build and CIBSE Build2Perform.
- Is elementalLONDON free to attend? Yes. Visitors can register free of charge to access the co-located exhibition and conference programmes.
- What technologies will be featured at elementalLONDON? The exhibition covers heating, ventilation, air conditioning, energy management, building controls, renewable energy and technologies designed to improve building efficiency.
- What is CIBSE Build2Perform? Build2Perform is CIBSE’s technical conference programme, covering building services engineering, energy performance, sustainability and the practical challenges faced by the profession.
- Will the event cover continuing professional development? The programme includes technical sessions relevant to professional development for building services engineers. Visitors seeking formal CPD recognition should check the applicable arrangements with the organisers or CIBSE.
- How does the programme address existing buildings? Sessions cover deep retrofit, low-carbon heating, housing refurbishment, building data and methods of improving operational efficiency in existing properties.
- What is the building performance gap? It is the difference between a building’s predicted performance during design and its measured performance in operation. Commissioning, occupancy, maintenance and system controls can all contribute to the difference.
- Can one registration provide access to London Build and elementalLONDON? Yes. The co-located events share visitor registration, allowing access to their associated exhibition and conference programmes.
Strategic Takeaways
- Verified building performance: CIBSE’s programme examines how predicted efficiency can be translated into measured operational results, including the roles of commissioning, controls and building data.
- Cooling and climate resilience: Low-carbon cooling and overheating feature prominently as engineers address building comfort under changing environmental conditions.
- Retrofit delivery: Housing and commercial refurbishment sessions explore the technical constraints and investment arrangements affecting improvements to existing properties.
- Integrated energy systems: Discussions of heat pumps, solar power, batteries and smart controls address the engineering challenges of combining different technologies within a building.
- Construction coordination: Co-location with London Build connects building services engineering with design, construction and project delivery disciplines, where decisions made early in a project can influence long-term performance.
