Heavy rain

Tag: Health

Damp, moisture and mould

UCL Centre for Moisture in Buildings

2015

Buildings are exposed to multiple water sources, such as rain, ground water and flooding on the outside, and breathing, cooking, showering, water leaks and many other activities inside. The UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings focuses on the causes, mechanisms and solutions to moisture problems. Research is now an urgent requirement for this country, its building owners and occupiers, and the construction (and maintenance) industry.

Research Council: Various

GI and the health and wellbeing influences on an ageing population

University of Manchester

August 2016 – July 2019

ADDED BONUS OF GI for people: access to health and wellbeing benefits is not shared equally amongst the population, particularly in urban areas. People aged 65 and over are most likely to suffer from poor health, yet this group may be the least likely to benefit from green infrastructure (GI).

Research Council: NERC

Impact of type of building on drying time

University College London

2012

Risk exposure reduction and preparedness measures inevitably vary with the nature of the SME business. SMEs returning to premises after a flood event have to go through short-term emergency reaction, and prioritisation of remediation. Flood damage to such premises can hinder recovery, for instance, the type and construction of a building may significantly alter its ability to dry during a flood. There are also health risks to operating in damp, flooded buildings.

Research Council: EPSRC

Twenty65 – can rainwater be captured, treated and reused?

University of Sheffield

January 2016 – January 2021

In the UK the status quo for all water applications is to use chlorinated drinking water. However, rainwater (water captured from roofs) and greywater (water recovered from showers and sinks) can be easily captured, treated and re-used. This ongoing research programme looks at using buildings as collection devices, routing the rainwater through guttering and downpipes and into storage tanks, and how it should be possible to both reduce the volume of rainwater reaching urban drains, and to save that water for local (re)use.

Research Council: EPSRC

Processes & manufacturing

Reducing waste, implementing efficient practices and improving operations are established parts of lean manufacturing ideology. As part of our future materials & processes stand at Ecobuild 2017, we take this one step further and focus on sustainable practices of the future that could become the norm.

Thursday 9 March

14:40–15:40 BRE Academy, Ecobuild

Drones for inspection and repair in smart cities

Dr Mirko Kovac, Imperial College London

Mirko Kovac is Director of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial College London. His particular specialism is in robot design and mobility, particularly novel, biologically inspired flying robots for distributed sensing in air and water and autonomous robotic construction for future cities. He has previously held research posts internationally in the USA, Asia and Europe and he’s a founding member of a number of initiatives including the London Robotics Network.

Testing building lifetime robustness, whatever the weather – University of Bath’s Building Research Park

Professor David Coley, University of Bath

Professor David Coley is Head of the Energy and the Design of Environments research group at the University of Bath. He is also Director of the Building Research Park, a research and testing facility which enables industry and academic researchers to test their ideas and products at near full scale. David’s research focus is on minimising energy use through building design and building-occupant interactions, Passivhaus, and future weather data for the construction industry. He has recently also become involved in the design of shelters for refugee camps, particularly in Jordan.

Old birds new tricks – rethinking waste feathers for construction

Elena Dieckmann, Imperial College London

Elena Dieckmann studied Innovation Design Engineering, during which time she came up with the concept of using waste feathers in sustainable materials. Following her studies, she founded AEROPOWDER, a new startup looking to turn her initial idea into commercial products. Elena has also secured a PhD project funded by the James Dyson Foundation at Imperial College London to study to potential of feathers in more detail. Elena features on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2016 list for Social Entrepreneurs, and is the recipient of an InnovateUK INFOCUS Women in Innovation Award.

Innovative use of recycled aggregate concrete in reinforced concrete beams

Professor Yong Wang, University of Manchester

Professor Wang leads structural and fire engineering research at the University of Manchester. Within his current research portfolio he is devising innovations and tests for standard construction materials to facilitate a more circular economy approach within the sector. For instance, welded sheer studs in composite structures that allow easy separation of steel from concrete at the end of a structure’s lifetime, and the use of recycled concrete in primary loading members. He has previously worked for the Building Research Establishment,is a member of a few British Standards and Eurocode Committees, is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers.

Cleaning up the past to enable the future – lower carbon, more accurate approaches to brownfield redevelopment

Stephen Lowe, University of Reading

Stephen Lowe is an Engineering Doctorate student in the Technology for Sustainable Built Environments Centre at the University of Reading, working in collaboration with the British Geological Survey. He has a geography, urban development and planning background and has an understanding of how climate variability moulds our current and future environments. His research focus is on developing a bioaccessibility assessment method to improve the assessment of risk from industrial sites contaminated with Persistent Organic Pollutants, opening new possibilities for low carbon, brownfield redevelopment.

Emerging markets and software innovations in adaptive façade materials

Dr Fabio Favoino, University of Cambridge

Fabio Favoino conducted his PhD research within the Glass & Façade Technology Research Group at the University of Cambridge. He now works as Project Engineer of Facades at Eckersley O’Callaghan. He is also the European Adaptive Façades Network Leader of the Simulation of adaptive facade systems workstream.

Future materials & processes – Ecobuild 2017

7–9 March 2017

Excel, London

Our stands and seminar series at Ecobuild 2017 explored the latest discoveries in future building materials and processes. Catch up on the presentations to ensure you have the edge on your competitors before this research comes to market. The themes are low carbon, inspired by nature and processes & manufacturing.

The Future materials & processes stand includes research from the University of Cambridge, University College London, Imperial College London, Coventry University, University of Reading, University of Manchester, and University of Bath.

Low carbon

Most of the world’s man-made carbon emissions are released by burning fossil fuels to create electricity, heat or motion. We can help to reduce these emissions through innovations in the way we design and construct buildings

The products featured will help to build a low carbon future through reducing weight and energy required for production. There are ensuing savings not only within the building footprint but also through transporting lighter materials to site. Some of the products also allow for curved as well as linear-based buildings, so increasing the creative pallet for carbon-neutral architecture.

  • Self-cleaning, colour-changing (thermochromic) windows that combine nanotechnology with materials innovation to dim during hot weather reducing glare as well as heat transmission
  • Luminescent solar concentrators with the potential to lead an aesthetic revolution in the integration of solar energy into building design
  • Glass fibre reinforced concrete for design freedom of durable facades
  • Lightweight composite sandwich panel facades enabling complex geometries
  • Thin toughened glass suitable for building facades that can be curved at room temperature
  • Paving which contains no Portland cement yet retains material durability and other physical characteristics

Take a look at the presentations…

Inspired by nature

The move towards a more multidisciplinary approach to environmental design is an opportunity for new materials, technology and living forms to redefine not only building design, but the entire built environment.

This theme showcases what is possible when we bring together natural and engineering solutions. for the built environment, including:

  • Photosynthesising carbon neutral, perhaps even net negative building facades
  • Innovative eco-building materials inspired by nature that address poor air quality
  • Building surfaces that grow their own shade
  • 3D bio-printing with hydrogels to produce bio-receptive architectural scaffolds

Take a look at the presentations…

Processes & manufacturing

Reducing waste, implementing efficient practices and improving operations are established parts of lean manufacturing ideology. We take this one step further and focus on sustainable practices of the future that could become the norm. Find out more about:

  • Drones for inspection and repair in smart cities
  • Testing of new materials at The Hive to understand weather robustness materials and structures, the carbon emissions and environmental impact
  • Emerging innovations in software that enables building and location bespoke assessment of performance enhancing adaptive facade technologies, bespoke product design to environmental context as well as optimal operational performance assessment
  • Feathers
  • Using recycled waste in non-load bearing structures

Take a look at the presentations…