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Clean Innovation and Climate Resilience at Earls Court
At the Earls Court Development Company (ECDC), we are providing one of the most comprehensive responses to the climate emergency of any UK development project. By operating at the forefront of sustainable development, we are creating a blueprint for future generations and projects.
At the 2025 Innovation Zero World Congress, I spoke about how Earls Court is not just another development project but a vision for how cities must evolve to tackle the challenges of the climate emergency. At the heart of this transformation is our commitment to fostering a clean, inclusive economy.
Our ambition is to go beyond net zero by embedding sustainable initiatives from the very start. But what does this mean in practice? We are dedicated to removing more carbon from the atmosphere over the lifetime of the development than is emitted during its design, construction, and operation. As a global exemplar of sustainable development, ECDC’s own targets have been independently validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). To achieve this, we are deploying a range of strategies across sustainability, technology, and community collaboration - aimed at setting a new global benchmark.
Meeting this goal requires a holistic approach across the masterplan and over all phases into use and operation. We’re minimising embodied carbon through innovative uses of low or no-carbon materials like timber, and we’re implementing one of the largest fifth-generation ambient loop energy networks in the UK. This initiative alone will support a 65% reduction in operational carbon emissions across the site.
But true climate leadership also means preparing for a warmer, more volatile future and designing for resilience. From the creation of The Cascades - a unique green oasis within the development - to working with natural systems and enhancing the site’s microclimate, we’re anticipating rising temperatures and ensuring that people can still live, work and play here comfortably and healthily in the decades to come.
Our ambitions are bold in scale and vision and will only be realised through deep collaboration. That’s why we’ve built strong partnerships with world-leading institutions: Imperial College London, the Royal College of Art, UCL, the Design Museum, and the climate innovation platform Undaunted. These partnerships are already bearing fruit, with innovators trialling new technologies on site even before we break ground on the first building. Together, we’re creating a virtual clean and climate innovation ecosystem that will form the foundation for a physical hub once the site is fully developed.
We are delivering impact now. The Skills Centre at Earls Court is already operational onsite, and we will soon be providing green skills training - upskilling our community in the low-carbon construction techniques needed to meet the demand of the UK’s growing green economy. This is one of the ways we are supporting a diverse workforce at Earls Court, with plans to bring 12,000 jobs to the area.
Our vision is underpinned by a commitment to create a place that’s truly for everyone. Earls Court will deliver around 4,000 new homes (targeting 35% affordable), all designed to Passivhaus standards powered by zero-carbon, low-cost energy. A vibrant mix of shops, experiences and flexible workspaces will support diverse lifestyles and livelihoods, while 20 acres of public realm will open up nature and wellbeing to all.
As we progress construction, we will activate the space for all to benefit. Through regular events, public art, green spaces and community programming, we’re already welcoming people back to a site that’s been closed off for decades - allowing them to once again experience the wonder of Earls Court.
Earls Court embodies what it means to put sustainability, innovation and community at the heart of development. It’s more than buildings, it’s building a new way forward - one that is climate-resilient, adds social value and economically inclusive.
Ultimately, Earls Court is not just an exciting mixed-use development. It is a trailblazing example of pushing the boundaries of urban transformation - and a blueprint for others to join us in shaping the future.
Peter Runacres, Head of Urban Futures, The Earls Court Development Company