DEADLINE: Friday 14 November 2025, 5pm 

 

NLA is inviting submissions of international projects led, significantly designed, managed, or delivered by London-based built environment firms, demonstrating London’s global role as a centre of expertise helps shape more equitable, sustainable, and resilient cities. 

 

Projects will showcase how London-based teams contribute specialist knowledge, skills, and innovation to deliver outstanding urban outcomes across diverse international contexts. We are looking for exemplar projects that push the bar in design excellence, sustainability, net zero delivery, infrastructure, placemaking, and city-making at a global scale. 

 

We are seeking exemplar projects that highlight how London’s built environment sector delivers context-responsive, collaborative, and pioneering solutions across disciplines, showcasing not just final outcomes, but how the expertise developed in London contributes to local project teams, skills and communities. 

 

Projects may include:  

 

– Buildings and masterplans: housing, transport, cultural, and mixed-use projects at all scales that demonstrate exemplary delivery and support local capacity-building, retrofit and climate resilience projects focused on low-carbon design, reuse, and nature-based solutions  

– Public realm: placemaking projects such as parks, streetscapes, civic spaces, and landscape-led initiatives that foster inclusion, accessibility, and community stewardship 

– Digital tools and innovation: including smart technologies, data-driven design, digital twins, and platforms that enhance planning, design, or delivery 

– Partnership models: public-private collaborations, community co-design, and projects with innovative funding or a focus on gender equity, safety, and social inclusion 

– Research and products: tools, materials, and methodologies that drive better practice, insight, or impact  

 

The project showcase will be part of a new report that evidences the scale and breadth of London’s international built environment influence, profiling how London-based expertise shapes cities globally and positioning the sector as one of London’s most valuable economic and export assets. Selected projects will feature in the report, NLA’s exhibition at The London Centre, international promotion at MIPIM 2026, and wider NLA public affairs and communications campaigns. 

London’s expertise in the built environment is transforming cities worldwide — but the full picture hasn’t yet been told.

Following our research showing the sector employs 630,000 people and contributes £111 billion in GVA in London alone, we are now collecting international case studies that demonstrate how London’s skills, innovation and ideas are exported globally.

By sharing your project, you’ll help us showcase the sector’s international impact, strengthen our case to Treasury and government, and gain visibility in a collection that will be shared with global partners and collaborators.

— Timeframe: any project designed, under construction or completed from 2020 onwards is eligible. Projects can be at all stages: design, planning, under construction, or built.
— Location: international projects delivered outside the UK with a clear and significant contribution from a London-based team or office (not necessarily HQ), bringing in specialist skills, expertise, and knowledge developed in London. 
— Permission: where applicable, submitters must secure permission from the client prior to submission, as well as any necessary internal approvals from colleagues and collaborators. Please ensure that all contributing organisations and individuals including design teams, delivery partners, and consultants are credited appropriately in your submission to reflect the full breadth of project expertise. There is no limit to the number of submissions per company, but submitters are encouraged to coordinate internally to avoid duplicate entries.  

 

Entrants agree that NLA is granted non-exclusive reproduction rights to all successful submissions for NLA’s advertising, promotion, publication, and online purposes directly related to the Global Built Environment research. Entrants must have permission from photographers for the reproduction of all imagery submitted. 

Payment will only be required for successful submissions. Within six weeks of the closing date, NLA will confirm whether your submission has been selected. On confirmation that your submission has been selected, NLA will invite you to make the payments by invoice, issued to NLA Ltd. Payment terms are strictly 14 days from invoice date.  

  

NLA members, charities and not-for-profit organisations are entitled to submit projects for free.  

 

Project Submissions  

Brief overview of the project with a key image and listed in connection to the research in our permanent online directory.  

NLA members – Free  

Non-members (full price) - £295+VAT  

 

Case Study Submissions  

Case studies have an enhanced feature on the website with additional text, quotes and images.  

  

They are also featured in the digital version of the report, shared with our 30,000+ network in The Weekly Edit, individually posted on social media, and showcased in our permanent online directory.  

 

Research Sponsors – 2 free case studies  

• NLA Members – £1,350+VAT  

• Non-members (full price) – £1,750+VAT  

 

Additional Case Study projects thereafter 

• NLA Members – £500+VAT  

• Non-members (full price) – £900+VAT  

 
Please note submissions are ONLY charged if selected for inclusion as part of the publication. 

Submissions Deadline: Friday 14 November, 5pm

NEED HELP? To submit projects, you must use the online form. If you need assistance with your submission or have any queries, please contact our team at info@nla.london

Overview 

Building on NLA’s Skills for Places and Defining the Built Environment research, this report will demonstrate how London’s built environment expertise shapes cities worldwide, providing the evidence needed to secure its recognition as a major driver of economic growth, global influence, and exports in UK and London policy. By quantifying the sector’s scale and international reach, the report will position it as one of London’s most valuable global assets and a critical pillar of the city’s international proposition. 

 

Drawing on industry insights, data, and global case studies, the research will demonstrate London’s sector leadership to international investors and policymakers, while equipping industry actors to confidently articulate its value and global influence, reinforcing the city’s standing as a world leader in built environment expertise. 

 

Approach & Key Themes 

 

Research questions