Spotlight on Sustainability Archives

Meghalaya Julia Watson lo tek indigenous architecture

Episode 36: Harvard & Columbia University Professor Julia Watson Explains What We Need To Learn From Indigenous Architecture

Julia Watson, Designer, activist, academic, and author of Lo—TEK Design by Radical Indigenism One of the treats we have in store for listeners is an interview with Julia Watson....available below and on your favourite podcast channel from Tuesday 19th July. Julia is a leading expert of Lo—TEK nature-based technologies for climate-resilience. Her eponymously named studio brings creative and conceptual, interdisciplinary thinking to design projects and corporations interested in systemic and […]

July 2, 2022

FOOTPRINT+

What Is Footprint+ in Brighton 7th to 9th June 2022

FOOTPRINT+ will furnish the UK’s entire built environment industry with the knowledge, expertise and contacts needed to reduce carbon emissions. FOOTPRINT+ is the new annual 3-day event where every sector of the UK property industry will unite to discuss the state of the art methods to reduce carbon emissions and build the relationships necessary to help put them into practice. We are delighted to announce that we will be going […]

May 3, 2022

Constructive Voices Biomaterials and Construction

Spotlight on Sustainability

Biomaterials and Their Place in the Construction Industry

The term biomaterials is used to describe building materials derived from living organisms including plants, animals and fungi. Increasing knowledge about microbiology and synthetic biology techniques is now allowing innovative biomaterials to enter the market. With the construction industry responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions, responsibility falls on the industry to make dramatic changes to improve its sustainability. New biomaterials are being created using waste products and microbes to […]

March 23, 2022

Architecture

Biodiversity in the Built Environment

Globally the construction industry accounts for 40% (or 3 billion cubic tons) of raw materials into the economy every year. It is arguably one of the most resource-intensive and environmentally damaging industries in the world. While the focus in the industry has primarily been around decarbonisation and reaching net-zero carbon built environments, we cannot ignore the impact construction is having on biodiversity. Construction projects have the potential, and too often […]

March 15, 2022

Craig APPLEGATH Constructive Voices Article

Architecture

Craig Applegath and the Zero-Carbon Mass Timber Project

In 2022 Q2, we will be speaking to Craig Applegath, architect, urban designer, and zero-carbon building pioneer, on the Constructive Voices Podcast. Craig has an impressive career that has seen him internationally recognised for his design and advocacy of zero-carbon regenerative buildings and cities, as well as mass timber design. Training first as a biologist at the University of Toronto, before completing a Master's of Architecture in Urban Design at […]

March 8, 2022

Architecture

Resilient Cities: How Can Cities Adapt for Climate Change Effects?

Globally we are seeing the catastrophic effects of climate change. With more frequent, more severe and previously unforeseen events, such as wildfires, hurricanes, flooding and drought, the need for resilient cities, and in particular infrastructure to be redesigned and/or rebuilt for climate resilience, could not be more apparent. What is a Resilient City? According to the OECD, Resilient cities are cities that have the ability to absorb, recover and prepare […]

March 4, 2022

Podcasts

Episode 25 International Women’s Day Special With Award-Winning Author Farah Naz

In Episode 25 of the Constructive Voices podcast, Henry McDonald speaks to Farah Naz, award-winning climate change strategist, in our International Women's Day special. Farah provides her professional and personal experience, with global insights, into where we stand in relation to the gender gap in the construction, engineering and architecture industries. Farah and Henry discuss her experience as a woman in the AEC sector, what we all need to do […]

March 1, 2022

Biodiversity

Biodiversity Roundtable With Claire Wansbury, Award-Winning Ecologist & Associate Director at Atkins

Biodiversity Roundtable Led By Claire Wansbury, Award-Winning Ecologist & Associate Director at Atkins Ltd., a SNC Lavalin Company 31st January 2023 Led By Claire Wansbury, our Roundtable included a superb panel of experts. The Roundtable was timed to focus on the outcomes of COP15 in December 2022, specifically how these relate to the built environment sectors. Claire was one of our esteemed panellists in our first virtual event in November […]

February 17, 2022

Podcasts

Episode 22: How To Measure & Offset Embodied Carbon With Gilbert Lennox-King

Henry McDonald interviews Gilbert Lennox-King, a co-founder of Construction Carbon to investigate how you can measure and offset embodied carbon.Construction Carbon offers a simple way to assess, reduce & offset embodied carbon. Gilbert will get down to the basics by explaining exactly what is embodied carbon. Available from Tuesday 25th January 2022 I think there's quite a large demand and a growing demand for what we are doing that is […]

January 20, 2022