CISL and Crown Estate Partnership Aims to Revolutionise How Buildings Go Green

Image Credit: CISL

The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) has deepened its collaboration with The Crown Estate in a joint effort to accelerate sustainable innovation in the built environment. This growing partnership is already bearing fruit, having led to the creation of CISL’s Living Lab, a hub for experimentation and progress in sustainable design.

Housed inside Cambridge’s Entopia Building, the Living Lab is more than just a workspace. It’s a working example of how retrofitting can meet the highest standards in sustainability. The building itself was shortlisted for the prestigious Exemplar Sustainable Buildings Awards and stands as a model of what is possible when innovation and environmental responsibility come together.

The renewed partnership between CISL and The Crown Estate is expected to speed up the adoption of sustainable technologies across the sector. As part of the collaboration, The Crown Estate will contribute data and insights from its proposed new venture, a space for start-ups, labs, events, and shared amenities, planned for Cambridge Business Park. This data will help benchmark sustainability innovations across a broader range of building types, opening the door to expanding the model to other sites.

By building a connected network of innovation spaces, CISL and The Crown Estate aim to streamline the testing, improvement, and implementation of new green solutions across the UK’s built environment.

Matthew Sampson, regeneration director at The Crown Estate, said: “Driving sustainable innovation is an essential facet of The Crown Estate’s strategy, helping us create economic, social and environmental value for the UK.

Partnering with CISL to help deliver this sustainable innovation fits well with our work in the sector, and we’re excited to see the partnership grow and flourish. We’d encourage innovators to find out more about the Living Lab and make the most of this exciting initiative.”

The Living Lab itself sets a high bar. It meets rigorous sustainability standards, including Passivhaus, BREEAM, and WELL certifications. The retrofit incorporated circular design principles, tracked embodied carbon over a 100-year lifecycle, and prioritised the use of bio-based materials. However, it’s not just a technical showcase — it’s a fully functional space where researchers, entrepreneurs, and professionals collaborate daily.

Inside the Living Lab, you’ll find:

• Real-world experiments and validation pilots focused on green building practices

• Cross-sector collaboration and skill-building for sustainable development

• Contributions to the evidence base that supports ambitious retrofit strategies

• Initiatives that shape new data-sharing protocols and sustainability standards

• Direct engagement with policymakers, industry leaders, and academic experts

• An open invitation to the broader business and research community to test, learn, and innovate

This environment also serves as the headquarters for Canopy, a growing network of startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators connected to CISL’s work.

Looking ahead, the partnership will also support the growth of CISL’s Nature Positive Start-up Accelerator. This programme is set to spark fresh ideas and drive innovation in nature recovery, sustainable placemaking, and environmental development across The Crown Estate’s broader property portfolio.

In short, this collaboration doesn’t just aim to talk about sustainability; it’s putting ideas into action, creating the data, tools, and partnerships needed to make sustainable building practices mainstream.