Burnley’s Saira Hussain represented Architectural and property practice HAD & CO at the Liveable Cities conference as The Royal Danish Embassy

The conference brings together best practice in architecture, planning and urban development from Denmark and the UK.

Saira, a Huddersfield University Architecture graduate have been in the property, planning, and architecture-related industry for over 12 years.

The conversation was attended by Will Hurst, managing editor, Architects Journal in conversation with Anne Mette Boye, chief city architect, Aarhus Municipality and Signe Kongebro, partner, Global Design Director, Urbanism and Landscape, Henning Larsen Architects A/S.

HAD & CO is a female led architectural and property practice based In Burnley, Blackburn and Manchester, with a particular interest in sustainable design and the idea of renovation first and new build second.

More and more people live in ever larger cities around the world. It creates a host of challenges, and it has put the question of how to create liveable cities for all on top of the international agenda.

To help further the discussion, the Danish Embassy in UK organises The Liveable City conference in partnership with leading UK stakeholders including central and local government.

Denmark has a long tradition of creating beautiful cities with healthy residents and a high quality of living, and The Liveable City conference looks at best practice within:

• Master planning and Architecture

• Housing

• Smart City

• Urban Mobility and sustainable transport

• Climate Adaptation

• Green Buildings

• Clean Air

The aim of the conference is to share best practice and provide the latest insight into how Denmark and UK can inspire each other to create better cities.

Saira said: ‘Throughout the world the construction industry uses almost all the planet’s cement, 26% of aluminium output, 50% of steel production and 25% of all plastics.

"The industry’s carbon emissions are extremely high. The UKs construction industry produces around 45% country’s total emissions. We lose more than 50,000 buildings through demolition every year.

"Reusing buildings makes a lot more sense in terms of carbon emissions, this was something discussed at the Royal Danish Embassy, the energy savings made re-using existing buildings compared with the very high energy cost of demolition and rebuilding.’