The Exchange #14 Design Safely, Build Naturally

On Monday, September 22, 2025, NTB hosted The Exchange #14: Design Safely, Build Naturally at Hornuingsham Village Hall.

This time, we heard from Amy Jones of Amy Jones Architects, who led a session on the steps and processes small practitioners can take to minimise risk and uphold our professional duty of care—while continuing to practise sustainably and confidently within the evolving framework of the Building Safety Act.

We then welcomed Chris Brookman of Back to Earth, who introduced the company’s inspiring range of natural wood fibre insulation. Chris shared practical insights into how these materials can be specified and applied in our projects, helping us bridge the gap between sustainable intention and real-world construction.

After a delicious lunch, we gathered outdoors for a roundtable discussion, where we built on the morning’s themes, shared the challenges our practices face when specifying natural materials, and exploring opportunities for us to take collective action to overcome them.

The agenda on the day was:

9.45 – 10.00 | Arrivals, Tea and Coffee

10.00 – 10.15 | Intros and NTB updates

10.15- 11.00 | Design Safely, Build Naturally | Amy Jones

11.00 – 11.15|  | Tea Break

11.15- 12.30 | Back to Earth: Build Naturally | Chris Brookman

12.30 – 13.30 | Lunch

13:30 – 14:30 |  Round Table Discussion

14:30 | Workshop End.