Mark Kingsley Architects and Cress Water Solutions are amongst those exhibiting at this year's Ecobuild show

Ecobuild returns to Earls Court, London on 26-28 February 2008.

This year the event is double the size with more than twice the number of exhibitors, more free seminars (there were 60 in 2007, there will be over 75 this year) and a whole series of impressive attractions linked to the key themes – zero carbon, water management and renewable energy.

With zero carbon legislation looming, Ecobuild’s Road to Zero Carbon and Zero Carbon House attractions will be crowd-pullers and particularly interesting ones too. The Road to Zero Carbon – realised as a series of external wall elevations – shows how different combinations of superstructure, insulation and cladding can contribute to a low carbon outcome.

But it’s the Zero Carbon House by Zedfactory that will be the star of the show, for the wealth of information that this full-size structure will convey and for its sheer scale and ambition.

Ecobuild’s organisers will take just three days to build the house before opening it to visitors on 26 February. Team these attractions with the dedicated zero carbon seminar series and you’ll get an impressive condensed zero carbon education in a day.

If water management is top of your agenda, be sure to visit SoH2O, Ecobuild’s integrated water management installation. Microrenewables? Don’t miss Solar city.

If you’re looking for more sustainable construction methods and materials, head for Natural Materials Live.

What about the up and coming ecoentrepreneurs? See what’s going on in Green Shoots. Just like the zero carbon attractions, they all have dedicated seminars to provide more formal learning alongside the hands-on experience.

All the attractions and seminars take place on the exhibition floor, which makes it convenient to combine seminars and attractions with the relevant products and services from Ecobuild’s 500-strong exhibitors.

For ease of navigation, the Ecobuild website www.ecobuild.co.uk provides DIY tours of the key themes, listing all the exhibitors, seminars, conference sessions, attractions and special events relevant to that theme.

Debates and discussions As part of the exhibition Yvette Cooper MP, Minister for Housing will be speaking about green housing issues.

Journalist, broadcaster and associate member of the RIBA, Janet StreetPorter will also be taking to the stage to share her views, thoughts and feelings about the buildings and places that have inspired her. This is just one in a series of ‘Change your perspective’ events that are free of charge and will take place in the Arena theatre.

Other well known figures will also be taking a different, challenging and often controversial stance on design, architecture and the built environment.

Boris Johnson will be talking about ‘Greening London’, Wayne Hemingway presents ‘How low can you go?’ discussing the issues of zero carbon design and Liz Pearce and Ian Marcus of the British Property Federation will be talking about ‘The great green property gamble’.

Seminars There will be over 75 seminars to choose from at this year’s Ecobuild, all of which focus on giving practical advice and applied information on the most important issues affecting those working in design, construction and the built environment. Each seminar will be structured around key learning points and supported by case studies, in-depth analysis and examples of best practice.

Seminars will take place throughout the event and are free to attend for registered visitors. However, if you are interested, make sure that you arrive early, as seminars are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The topics that the seminars are based around include: Making Micro Renewables Work; Design and Perform; Road to Zero Carbon; Innovate Off-site; Water Wise; Regulations Revealed; Performance Matters; Sustainable Communities and Quality Places; Sustainable Refurbishment and Building a Better Public Realm.

Attractions Designed to complement the free seminars, each attraction provides the opportunity to see and experience products and techniques in real-life applications and to get advice and information about your particular challenges from experts who will be available throughout the event.

The attractions that are taking place at Ecobuild 2008 include: Low Energy House; Streetscene; Natural Materials Live; Solar City; Steel Ideal; Eco Paints Pavilion; Constructing Concrete; The Window Box and Sustainable Regeneration in Action.

A fresh perspective Ecobuild 2008 has a range of attractions, seminars, stands, debates and discussions to inform visitors about the latest green issues. Whatever your interest in sustainable design, construction and the built environment, a visit to Ecobuild will give you a fresh perspective.

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