Proyek penelitian baru untuk menghilangkan karbon dan plastik dari rumah kita

Universitas Liverpool Mengubah Pusat Penelitian Aliran is part of  a pioneering research and development project aimed at building carbon zero, plastic-free and fuel-efficient homes in Liverpool.

Mereka bergabung dengan perusahaan lingkungan nirlaba, Mengubah Aliran CIC ke Grup Perumahan Anda, salah satu penyedia perumahan terbesar di Inggris, untuk disain and build six prototype houses that they hope will provide a blueprint for sustainable home development worldwide.

The project is aimed at creating economically viable housing that is environmentally friendly in every way possible, whilst helping to eradicate fuel poverty – by significantly reducing running/heating costs.

The prototype houses will be based in the Liverpool City Region and will encompass six different solutions to tackle carbon, plastic pollution and fuel poverty. The first house will be designed and built to prioritise carbon reduction, the second to prioritise plastic reduction. The remaining four will be developed as a chain of hybrid carbon/plastic reduced homes that will be used to identify and address the potential clashes between these two objectives. Once built, six families will be asked to move into the homes and to work with the research team to understand how they function in everyday life.

Pembelajaran dari uji coba ini diharapkan akan menetapkan standar baru dalam industri yang dapat direplikasi di seluruh Inggris, serta mendukung rencana Your Housing Group untuk mengembangkan rumah baru selama 25 tahun ke depan.

Proyek ini akan bekerja sama dengan 'Changing Streams Research Centre' yang baru didirikan dan berbasis di Fakultas Ilmu Lingkungan Universitas Liverpool dan proyek ini akan dilaksanakan oleh Dr Gareth Abrahams dari Sekolah Ilmu Lingkungan ke Steve Finnegan dari Sekolah Ilmu Humaniora dan Ilmu Sosial

Dr Gareth Abrahams, Kepala Pusat Penelitian Changing Streams di Universitas Liverpool dan salah satu pendiri Changing Streams CIC, mengatakan: “Ketika kita berbicara tentang perumahan bebas karbon, kita sering berpikir tentang fungsi sebuah bangunan: berapa banyak panas yang ditahannya. Namun kita mengabaikan pertanyaan penting lainnya: terbuat dari apakah rumah-rumah ini? Banyak produk yang kami gunakan untuk membangun dan mengisolasi rumah baru terbuat dari bahan berbahan plastik. Risikonya adalah dengan berfokus pada target nol karbon saja, kita menghasilkan perumahan dengan jumlah plastik yang lebih besar.

“Lebih jauh ke hilir, kita tahu bahwa plastik memiliki dampak yang menghancurkan terhadap lingkungan alam. Proyek lima tahun ini adalah yang pertama kali membahas keseimbangan antara pengurangan karbon dan plastik dalam desain dan konstruksi of affordable housing. The outcomes of this research will transform the housing built by Your Housing Group over the next 25 years, but we also hope it changes the way we think and talk about keberlanjutan secara global.”

Brian Cronin, Chief Executive of Your Housing Group, said: “The Board at Your Housing Group is fully committed to Zero Carbon and the wider ESG agenda and Chris Mackenzie-Grieve, a non-Executive director at YHG, will act as our lead Board member to ensure this remains a strategic priority for the Group.”

“Kami memiliki program investasi bernilai jutaan pound yang harus dilaksanakan selama lima tahun ke depan yang mencakup pengembangan dan pelaksanaan strategi pengurangan karbon. Namun, kami menyadari bahwa hal ini saja tidak akan mencapai tujuan akhir kami untuk membuat rumah kita benar-benar berkelanjutan sekaligus memberikan kesetaraan sosial. Berbicara dengan Changing Streams, kami menyadari bahwa polusi plastik adalah ancaman serius, yang tidak dapat kami abaikan, sementara karbon yang terkandung dalam plastik bertentangan dengan program pengurangan karbon kami. Kami tidak ingin membangun rumah bebas karbon yang mengubah permasalahan dari darurat iklim menjadi darurat lingkungan.

“So, we are essentially pushing fresh thinking into this project, whilst also utilising the wealth of knowledge we jointly possess. No other company has considered how we can achieve a combined carbon and plastic reduction strategy. The research we are undertaking with Changing Streams and the University of Liverpool will address this in a holistic way for both new build and retro fit projects.

“The prototypes we develop within this partnership will be highly innovative – but they may not be the final solution. As a business we intend to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible and as an industry we must be prepared to make such commitments if we are to achieve our goals in reducing climate change and environmental pollution. We also want to ensure that the people who call these houses their homes do not suffer with rising fuel bills and the prospect of fuel poverty.

This unique initiative will place residents and the future at the heart of our objectives and put the social back into social housing. Another key focus of the project will include research and creating educational tools to help both residents and maintenance teams. We want to build homes that work towards carbon neutrality and address plastic reduction, fuel poverty, and well-being. We are proud to be the first developer to work with Changing Streams and to trail-blaze the Changing Streams Research Centre at the University of Liverpool.”

The UK housing crisis has already led to Government stating that three million new social homes will be needed over the next 20 years to meet rising demands. This pioneering pilot could help provide answers as to how we can ensure these new homes are not only carbon-neutral, but also have reduced plastic.

Neal Maxwell, who has worked in the construction industry for more than 30 years, and co-founded Changing Streams CIC after a trip to the Arctic left him appalled by the levels of plastic pollutants in the Arctic Ocean, added: “We set-up Changing Streams in 2019 with the sole intention of changing the construction industry’s reliance on plastic both in terms of the materials that form our homes and the plastic that is wasted in their fabrication.

“Tujuan kami adalah untuk mengganggu industri dan menghapus buku peraturan 'tradisional' dan untuk melakukan hal ini, kami sekarang memulai program kerja yang sangat ambisius dalam kemitraan dengan Your Housing Group dan Universitas Liverpool, yang akan mengarah pada a perubahan mendasar dalam cara penciptaan perumahan sosial dan perumahan secara umum. Kami yakin bahwa proyek pengubah permainan ini tidak hanya akan membawa perubahan jangka panjang dalam sektor perumahan, namun juga akan memiliki dampak transformasional yang luas pada industri konstruksi yang lebih luas.

“Whilst the construction industry is making great strides towards their carbon goals, the sector is still responsible for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 50% of the world’s energy consumption and 40% of raw materials. So far as plastic is concerned, we produce 380 million tonnes of plastic globally every year and 20% of this is destined for the construction industry. And so we would like to call on other developers to join us, share and contribute to the prototype project and be part of the drive towards plastic and carbon free homes.”

Jika Anda ingin mengetahui lebih lanjut tentang Pusat Penelitian Arus Perubahan, silakan hubungi Dr Gareth Abrahams: [email dilindungi].

Pos Proyek penelitian baru untuk menghilangkan karbon dan plastik dari rumah kita muncul pertama pada Mengubah Aliran.