There’s a question I get asked a lot: Why timber? And my answer is always the same… because it’s the future. Not just for Bywater, but for the UK’s housing sector as a whole.

We’re facing a housing crisis that demands urgency and scale. The Government’s target of 1.5 million homes in five years is ambitious, and rightly so. But if we’re going to meet it, we need to rethink how we build. That’s where timber comes in, not as a trend, but as a transformative solution.

At Bywater, we’ve spent years exploring how to build better. Our journey started with Paradise in Lambeth, a timber-led office development that set a new benchmark for low-carbon construction, just 413kg CO₂e per square metre, compared to the industry’s best practice of 1,000kg. That project wasn’t just about numbers; it was about proving what’s possible.

Now, we’re bringing that same mindset to homes. Our living strategy is focused on delivering multifamily, single-family, and studio build-to-rent homes across the UK, with timber at the heart of the design. These aren’t cookie-cutter units, they’re homes built on a human scale, with energy efficiency, green spaces and community wellbeing baked in from the start.

Take Kingston for example. We’re preparing to launch a timber-led multi-family BTR scheme with around 150 homes, aiming for completion in 2028. It’s a bold move, but it’s exactly the kind of project the UK needs right now.

Our ambition goes beyond individual sites. We want to be a regenerative developer, one that leaves places better than we found them. That means reusing existing structures, reducing waste and cutting carbon wherever we can. It also means pushing boundaries: working with regulators, insurers and contractors to unlock the potential of mid-rise and eventually, high-rise timber buildings.

Our partnership with Sumitomo Forestry is a big part of that vision. They’ve been building sustainably since 1691 and their global experience, tens of thousands of homes delivered annually, and 18,000 more in development, gives us the confidence and capability to scale timber housing in the UK.

Together, we’re not just building homes. We’re reshaping the construction industry. We’re educating suppliers, influencing policy, and showing that timber isn’t just viable, it’s essential. That’s why we’re proud to support the Government’s Timber in Construction Roadmap 2025 as it aligns perfectly with our mission.

The UK needs homes. It needs them fast, and it needs them to be sustainable. Timber offers a clear path forward and at Bywater, we’re ready to lead the way.

For decades, the sustainability movement has shaped how we think about our relationship with the planet. It has influenced policies, guided corporate strategies, defined our buildings, and inspired individuals to make more conscious choices. But despite these efforts, the results are sobering. We are not maintaining the health of our planet – we are watching it decline. In the face of escalating climate crises, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation, it’s clear that sustainability alone is no longer enough. It’s time to change gear.

Bywater is now entering a new phase: the shift from sustainability to regeneration. This is not just a semantic change; it’s a fundamental rethinking of our goals and responsibilities. While sustainability has often focused on minimising harm, regeneration is about actively doing good. It’s about creating systems, developments, and communities that restore, renew, and revitalise the natural world.

True sustainability should always have aimed to improve the planet. But over time, it has become entangled in rating systems, certifications, and checklists. These tools, while useful, have sometimes distracted us from the bigger picture: our actual impact. We’ve measured success by compliance rather than consequence. In doing so, we’ve lost sight of the urgent need to reverse the damage already done.

The science is unequivocal. Our planet has already breached six of the nine planetary boundaries – thresholds that define a safe operating space for humanity. These include climate change, biosphere integrity, land-system change, and biochemical flows. Crossing these boundaries increases the risk of irreversible environmental shifts. We must acknowledge that our current approach is not working.

That’s why Bywater is embracing a regenerative future policy. Our aim is to ensure that every development we undertake contributes positively to the environment. This means going beyond carbon neutrality. It means designing buildings and spaces that clean the air, restore biodiversity, and create space for flora and fauna to thrive. It means creating places that are not just less bad, but actively good.

But regeneration is not just about the environment – it’s also about resilience. We need to build properties that retain their value and purpose year after year, even as the world around them changes. This means designing for adaptability, longevity, and community wellbeing. It’s a long-term vision that considers not just today’s challenges, but tomorrow’s uncertainties.

We know this won’t happen overnight. We operate within a complex supply chain, and we face real-world constraints. There will be times when we can’t make everything better – only some things. But that’s part of our journey. Progress is not always linear, and perfection is not the goal. What matters is our commitment to continuous improvement.

Transparency will be key to this transformation. To keep ourselves accountable, we’ll be publishing our performance, good or bad. This openness will help us learn, adapt, and grow. It will also invite collaboration, because regeneration is not something we can achieve alone. It requires collective effort, shared knowledge, and a willingness to rethink the status quo.

The shift from sustainability to regeneration is bold, necessary, and overdue. It’s a call to action for everyone who cares about the future of our planet. Let’s not settle for doing less harm. Let’s aim to do more good.

Since Sumitomo Forestry joined the Bywater journey in February 2023, we’ve grown rapidly, adding brilliant people to our team and five exciting, timber-focused projects to our portfolio. Each of them is designed to reduce embodied carbon and raise the bar on sustainable innovation.

Our biggest challenge? Finding exceptional projects that meet our rigorous sustainability criteria and make commercial sense. We’re looking for that rare mix: visionary design, low-carbon potential, and a strong return profile. If we’d found another dozen that fit, we’d have snapped them up.

But the UK investment market has been stuck in a holding pattern. Sellers are holding out for yesterday’s prices; buyers are waiting for value to return. It’s a standoff, and one that’s slowed down the kind of bold, sustainable deals we want to make.

Heading into 2025, we hoped lower interest rates and a boost in economic confidence after the 2024 elections would stabilise things. But instead, we hit a new barrier: Trump tariffs.

The ripple effects from Washington have been felt far and wide. Global investment committees are hitting pause, holding off on major decisions. For context: while UK commercial property investment surged to £15.2 billion in Q4 2024 [1], the highest quarterly total since mid-2022, it dropped 45% the following quarter to £8.1 billion. [2].

At Bywater, this translated into a slower first half than planned. We secured one brilliant living scheme in central London, but three other anticipated acquisitions have yet to land.

Still, we’re staying the course. We’re doubling down on the search for projects that offer real potential for timber-led, low-carbon development. And we’re getting creative.

We’ve proposed several joint ventures with landowners, offering to fund projects entirely, using our own equity and our lender relationships. Sellers can use land as equity and earn strong returns without investing additional capital. It’s a model designed to make things happen – even in a sluggish market.

Because when traditional approaches stall progress, innovation leads the way.

We’re committed to putting the future in place, one timber project at a time. And we’re always open to fresh ideas.

If you’re a landowner, investor, or developer with a vision that aligns with ours, or just curious about how timber is reshaping real estate, let’s talk.

The future isn’t waiting. Neither are we.

I’ve always believed that the most powerful brands aren’t just businesses – they’re movements. They don’t just sell products; they inspire change, build communities, and make people feel like they’re part of something bigger. And if you’re anything like me, you don’t just want to create a brand – you want to actually spark a movement.

For me, everything changed when I stopped thinking about what I was marketing and started focusing on why I was doing it. What’s the bigger mission? What’s the change I want to see in the world? What do I believe in? Every great movement has a purpose that people can rally behind. Apple challenged conformity. Nike showed us we’re all athletes. Ben & Jerry’s made activism part of dessert. And Bywater is here to prove that the property industry can and must do better.

And that kind of purpose is contagious. When you have a mission people can get behind, you stop needing to “sell” anything, you give them something to believe in and something to act on.

I learned this the hard way. Early on in my career, I spent so much time perfecting brands that I forgot to listen to the people I wanted to reach. Once I shifted my focus to building a community, everything clicked. Real engagement, real conversations, and real people who weren’t just customers but advocates.

The strongest brands make people feel like they’re part of something. That’s why at Bywater, our storytelling is intentional.  Our purpose runs through everything. Our content, our messaging, even our brand aesthetics all reinforce our shared belief and who we are at the core.

Take our latest project, Paradise,  a space made from timber, not concrete. Powered by a low-carbon future, not short-term gain. It’s not just a building, it’s a statement of intent.

Doing things differently isn’t always the easiest route; it takes longer and sometimes challenges industry norms that are deeply ingrained. But we do it anyway. Because that’s the work, and that shows up in our projects, the stories we tell, and how we show up as a team. I have to ask myself often, “Am I living Bywater’s brand mission every day?” Whether it’s through our business practices, our projects, our social impact, or the way we engage with our partners, stakeholders and team members. Authenticity and transparency are what keep people supporting us and, over time, builds long-term trust.

Turning a brand into a movement isn’t about going viral; it’s about creating something real, something that resonates with people on a deep level. And honestly? Something that’s way more fulfilling than just making a sale.

I’ve been grinding away in the world of sustainability for nearly 20 years, going from the difficult voice in the corner to a central role that can underpin our built environment. In the last 10 years the industry has transformed, grappling with the scale of the climate change and the impact that construction has on our global future. But with the rise of populist politics, it might seem that it’s unravelling on the surface, but the fundamental ground swell is still there and it’s business as usual in many respects despite the change in mood music.

I got involved with sustainability not because I like counting carbon emissions, or researching supply chains, or having heated discussions in design team meetings, but because I cared deeply about our future. And it is our future at stake, not just mine, or my family and friends, but all of us, including those that actively work against sustainability principles.

So why does ESG matter in the world of investment?

It’s about resilience for the future. We’re in an industry that is creating a product for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Our buildings will last over 60 years, maybe 120 years, during which time they may be transferred multiple times, from the initial developer through different portfolios. But we’re typically locked into thinking about our buildings in the short term, in the next 3-7 years due to investor capital cycles, while dealing with the immediate transitional risks from shifting politics and policy in that time frame.

By thinking in short cycles, we overlook the physical risk to our buildings. Extreme weather has increased by a factor of five over the last 50 years and shows no sign of stabilising. Heat-waves are stressing our homes to breaking point. Increased flip-flopping from drought to floods is overwhelming local infrastructure, creating costly damage to our homes, businesses, and transport networks. All of this takes a toll on our built environment and the financial infrastructure that underpins it.

It’s time to start thinking of our buildings within the wider system, as a way to increase the resilience within society. Our supply chains should support jobs that have a long-term future, moving away from materials that are under-pressure, to abundant materials that can create the low-cost buildings of the future. By creating the jobs of the future, we create the liquidity of the future, the demand and financing for our future projects. These will be the people that need a new office and a new home, creating a broader and wealthier market for our future investments. It’s not just today’s investment, it’s creating the future market that we work in. By laying the groundwork now, we make our future investments easier.

People are the foundation of every building we create. The people that live and work in them. The people who design and build them. The people who manufacture the products we build with. Without these people, their time, knowledge, and money, the built environment as an investment collapses. ESG isn’t about counting carbon, or achieving gold stars, it’s about creating the future for these people to prosper. We need to create the industries that use abundant, cheap materials, that are renewable or waste streams.

We insulate our communities from tariffs and trade disputes through finding and supporting local supply chains, increasing certainty in their future, and unlocking additional investment potential.

We design our buildings to be low carbon, avoiding the worst of the extreme temperatures and the global instability that it will unleash, reducing the geopolitical risks it will bring.

We design neighbourhoods to be resilient to any future climate change, surviving the extreme weather of flooding/drought/storms/extreme heat, and the strain they put on the insurance sector. But also creating a resilient financial as well as physical future for those buildings in whatever future market conditions prevail.

We use system thinking to identify ways to not only reduce the impact of our investments, but also ways to make things better, generating abundance for the whole supply chain.

So yes, ESG is about carbon counting and golden stars, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about taking the initiative and creating the future that we want. An equitable future that opens the market to everyone, creating a lower risk environment that supports long-term thinking that benefits us all.

If you want to reduce the risk of your investments, start the groundwork now and begin building the future we all need.

Let’s be honest, marketing has got a little, robotic. Between the endless algorithms,  automated emails, and AI chatbots, it can feel like brands are speaking at us, not to us, let alone entering a two-way conversation. But here’s the thing: behind every click, scroll and purchase is a real, living, breathing human being…enter Person-to-Person (P2P) branding, the not-so-secret weapon for brands that want to connect instead of just convert. If you’ve followed my journey in marketing over the past 20-something years, you will already know this is a subject and approach that I’m extremely passionate about.

P2P branding is exactly what it sounds like – people talking to people, not businesses pitching products or faceless corporations pushing sales. Just humans having real conversations with other humans. It’s about ditching the stiff corporate speak and embracing authenticity, empathy, and dare I say, a little fun. Because let’s face it, no one wants to feel like just another data point in your CRM.

Why now? People are over the BS

We are living in an era of content overload. Most of us are experts at tuning out anything that feels fake or forced. Person-to-Person (P2P) branding cuts through the noise by being real, relatable and yes, even a little vulnerable.

People don’t trust brands the way they used to. But you know what they do trust? Other people. Whether it’s a glowing review, a heartfelt story or a behind-the-scenes look at the team, P2P branding builds trust that flashy ads just cannot buy.

At Bywater, we believe humanising branding goes beyond connection. It’s about community and impact. That’s why our approach to development isn’t just carbon-conscious; it’s people-conscious too. Creating places people love starts with conversations they care about. ?

When I was growing up, my grandfather owned a small number of bakeries in Millwall. Not only did he bake amazing bread, but his bakeries were the cornerstone of community life. These conversations went beyond simple transactions – they built relationships, strengthened trust and created a sense of belonging and this is why person-to-person interaction and engagement is so important. The warmth of these old-fashioned discussions is increasingly rare in such a digital age but remains a cherished memory of a more connected and personal time.

Thanks to platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok (I’m still working up to presenting this idea to the Bywater leadership team), a brand provides the perfect stage to show off its human side. Share stories, celebrate wins, and admit mistakes, because people don’t connect with logos, they connect with personalities. People might forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. Brands that connect on an emotional level don’t just gain customers; they create raving fans. And those fans will do your marketing for you.

Since joining Bywater, Theo Michell and I have unpacked (then repacked a few times) and crystalised our brand foundation to ensure that we have a solid platform that we can spring from as we grow as a business, ensuring our vision, messaging, narrative and future approach to marketing supports us as we head into new and exciting times. Our brand foundation helps us to create genuine connections through our marketing and communications. It keeps our messaging consistent, authentic and most importantly, human.

Here’s how we’re doing things differently:

✅ No jargon, no-nonsense You won’t hear us talking about ‘synergising holistic solutions’ or referring to homes as ‘residential units’. We speak like people, not press releases. And yes, that means we’re not afraid to show our humorous or vulnerable side.

✅ Stories that stick We tell stories often. Connection happens through consistency. (Shameless plug: If you haven’t already, sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop.)

✅ Conversations, not monologues Marketing isn’t a one-way street. We are curious, we ask questions and we genuinely listen. Feedback fuels us.

✅ Showing the messy stuff Perfection feels insincere. People connect with the unpolished, behind-the-scenes moments and we are not shy about sharing them.

✅ Team voices, front and centre Our team has incredible stories. You’ll be hearing more from them because brands don’t connect, people do.

Why This Matters for You and Us

Enhancing your brand presence isn’t about B2B or B2C anymore. It’s P2P. It’s you having a conversation with your audience. That’s where the magic happens.

Why do I get up every morning? It’s not about ticking boxes or chasing the next project – those things matter, but they’re not what truly drives me. I get up because I believe in what we’re building: a culture that outlasts any one person and creates a lasting impact on the world around us.

Culture is how we’ll make a difference in the built environment and leave a legacy we’re proud of. If we get the culture right, the success of Bywater will continue long after we’ve all stepped away.

One step at a time

I’ve always believed in the power of small, consistent actions. There’s something magical about the idea that tiny, incremental improvements, like the Japanese principle of Kaizen – can create extraordinary momentum.

We live by this. We don’t go chasing shortcuts or quick fixes. Instead, we focus on the little things: how we work together, how we approach our projects, and how we think about sustainability. Because big change happens one small step at a time.

The right people in the right roles

I’m a big fan of Good to Great by Jim Collins, especially his idea that having the right people in the right seats pushes the Flywheel of progress. We’re lucky to have a team of people who are passionate, talented, and driven by the same purpose.

But it’s not just about hiring great people, it’s about creating a place where they can thrive. A supportive, inclusive environment where ideas flow, challenges get tackled together, and everyone feels like they’re contributing to something meaningful.

Thinking long-term

We’re not in this for quick wins. Sustainable development is part of who we are at Bywater, which means taking the long view. We often stop and ask ourselves: Are we still on track? Are today’s choices helping us build the future we believe in?

This isn’t just good business sense. It’s about leaving behind something we can be proud of.

Humility and learning together

One of the things I’m most proud of is that Bywater is a place where it’s okay to make mistakes. We all get things wrong sometimes, but that’s where the real magic happens – when we use those moments to learn and improve.

It takes a bit of humility to say, “That didn’t work,” but those are the moments where we grow the most, individually and as a team.

Purpose at the core

Our purpose isn’t just a statement we stick on a wall and forget. It’s the thread that runs through everything we do. We’re here to make a positive impact – on the environment, on society, and on the people we work with.

We’re not just running a business; we’re building a movement. And when I see our team challenging the status quo, pushing boundaries, and embracing new ideas, I know we’re on the right path.

The leaders we aspire to be

For Theo, Richard and me, leadership isn’t about titles or grand gestures. It’s about showing up, doing what we say we’ll do, and sticking to what we believe in. It’s about creating an environment where people feel supported, encouraged, and empowered to do their best work.

At its heart, leadership for us is about more than today. It’s about creating something that lasts. Something enduring. Bywater isn’t just a business; it’s about challenging “business as usual” and making a positive difference – one that will outlive all of us.

We’re here to work alongside like-minded people, to have fun, to stretch ourselves—and to leave behind places, ideas, and a culture that stands tall for generations to come.

That’s what gets me out of bed every morning. That’s what makes it all worth it.

Here’s the thing. I have some unequivocally good feelings about Belfast right now. No ifs, no maybes. No have we got the best of both worlds or are we stuck in the middle quandaries. No strings attached at all.

The headlines might be agonising over the perceived anomalies in our half-in/half-out situation, but the underlying, longer-term trends just shout: now is your moment, Belfast. Grab it with both hands.

Photos of empty supermarket shelves, for example, make for good doomsday copy in the media. Yet, when Aodhan Connolly, Director of the NI Retail Consortium was asked, “why were supermarkets and businesses caught on the hop?” on BBC Ulster last week, he replied: “… there was less than 18 hours that we had to get ready for the new regulations coming in. (In fact) the average supermarket has between 40,000 and 50,000 product lines and there’s only ever been a couple of hundred that have been missing.”

For Bywater, Belfast is a ‘living lab, bursting with talent, pioneering research and innovation’. It’s the second fastest growing knowledge economy in the UK, according to InvestNI. In 2018 the FT’s financial intelligence strategy unit ranked Belfast second in its ‘Global Cities of the Future’, and in the top 10 for ‘Tech Cities of the Future’.

Those accolades pre-date both the final Brexit deal and the pandemic, but they were predicated on analysis of ‘cities with the most promising prospects for inward investment, economic development and business expansion’. These ‘prospects’ didn’t appear overnight. They were the result of 20 years of progress since the Good Friday Agreement, and there are plenty of cities, mayors, and regeneration units eyeing them up enviously.

In our view, staying in the EU single market for goods should be viewed not as some insoluble problem, but as one more competitive advantage. There are times when the business community has to sidestep the politics and adhere to the old adage, ‘it’s not a problem. It’s an opportunity in disguise’.

Think of it as buying shares at just the right moment.

Introduction

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Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

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“In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.”
Olivia Rhye, Product Designer

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Software and Tools

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