Search Results for: climate

Republic of Korea to join Horizon Europe programme

Republic of Korea to join Horizon Europe programme

Korea will join the growing group of countries associated to Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programmeKorea will join the growing group of countries associated with Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme. Horizon Europe is the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever with a budget of €95.5 billion for the period 2021-27, complemented by the financial contributions from associated countries. It is open to the world, which means that participants from all over the world can participate in nearly all calls. Entities from associated countries have additional opportunities in collaborative projects and are treated on par with the entities of EU Member States regarding the access to funds. More →

Reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel could be game changer for built environment

Reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel could be game changer for built environment

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have now developed a method that makes it easier to scale up and facilitate the construction of more environmentally friendly built environmentBy reinforcing concrete with textiles instead of steel, it is possible to use less material and create slender, lightweight structures with a significantly lower environmental impact. The technology to utilise carbon fibre textiles already exists, but it has been challenging to produce a basis for reliable calculations for complex and vaulted structures. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have now developed a method that makes it easier to scale up and facilitate the construction of more environmentally friendly bridges, tunnels and buildings. They say the technology has the potential to transform the built environment. More →

Fitwel Announces 2024 Best in Building Health Awards

Fitwel Announces 2024 Best in Building Health Awards

Fitwel, the building health certification system, has announced the winners of the 2024 Best in Building Health Awards.Fitwel, the building health certification system, has announced the winners of the 2024 Best in Building Health Awards. The awards are designed to honour the most innovative real estate companies and individuals ‘setting the standard for health and wellbeing in the built environment across the globe, leveraging the trusted Fitwel Standard to enhance quality of life and drive value through design and operational excellence’. This year’s winners include projects from Canada, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Thailand, and the United States. More →

Millions of people are living with poor air quality, placing their health and lives at risk

Millions of people are living with poor air quality, placing their health and lives at risk

IQAir has published its sixth Annual World Air Quality Report, which reveals troubling details of worldwide pollution in 2023IQAir has published its sixth Annual World Air Quality Report, which reveals troubling details of worldwide pollution in 2023. The report is an annual air quality analysis that tracks worldwide exposure to harmful levels of PM2.5 pollution. The report ranks 134 countries, territories, and regions across 7,748 locations using data from over 30,000 air quality monitoring stations around the globe. More →

Employees increasingly want to work for firms with a clear sense of purpose

Employees increasingly want to work for firms with a clear sense of purpose

In the face of climate change, social justice movements, and recession, employees are seeking alternative commitments from employers. A new poll from Sparta Global claims that for job seekers in 2024, a company’s contributions to environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation, and community well-being are of growing importance. More →

UK greenhouse gas emissions fall to lowest level since 1879

UK greenhouse gas emissions fall to lowest level since 1879

The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5.7 percent in 2023 to their lowest level since 1879, according to a new analysis from Carbon Brief.The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 5.7 percent in 2023 to their lowest level since 1879, according to a new analysis from Carbon Brief. According to the report from the researchers, the last time UK emissions were this low, Queen Victoria was on the throne, Benjamin Disraeli was prime minister, Mosley Street in Newcastle became the first road in the world with electric lighting and 59 people died in the Tay Bridge disaster in Dundee. More →

Real estate sector is at a pivot point worldwide, report claims

Real estate sector is at a pivot point worldwide, report claims

Despite continued economic uncertainty around the world, there is a strong belief that the global real estate industry is at a ‘pivot point’, with improving prospects ahead for renewed investment activity, according to the latest Emerging Trends in Real Estate Global Outlook 2024 from PwC and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). The report amalgamates three regional reports, which canvassed thousands of real estate leaders across Europe, the United States and Asia Pacific, and is a key indicator of sentiment towards the global real estate investment and development outlook across the globe. More →

UK and other countries sign international pledge to cut carbon emissions from buildings

UK and other countries sign international pledge to cut carbon emissions from buildings

This declaration aims to facilitate a swift, equitable, and effective transition within the sector to lower carbon emissions from buildings.The inaugural Buildings and Climate Global Forum, organised by the French Government and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) concluded last week.  Representatives from 70 countries adopted the Declaration de Chaillot, a foundational document for international cooperation. This declaration aims to facilitate a swift, equitable, and effective transition within the sector to lower carbon emissions from buildings. More →

The sector responds to the Spring Budget

The sector responds to the Spring Budget

Yesterday’s Spring Budget included a number of announcements that affect the various people, place and technology professions in the UK. These include a cut in National Insurance, pension fund reforms, support for working parents, AI, helping people back in to work and more. You can see the Government’s own summary here. The various industry sectors have been quick to respond to the announcements. You can see what some people have had to say below, in no particular order. More →

UKGBC publishes new guidance on embodied carbon emissions reporting for more rigorous carbon reduction strategy

UKGBC publishes new guidance on embodied carbon emissions reporting for more rigorous carbon reduction strategy

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has launched new guidance on Scope 3 embodied carbon measurement and reporting, for stakeholders across the built environment. Scope 3 represents a proportion of an organisation’s indirect embodied carbon emissions that can constitute up to 80-95 percent of its total value chain footprint. Setting out a way to coherently align embodied carbon assessments, the guidance reframes Scope 3 reporting as a singular methodology rather than siloed efforts. More →

MillerKnoll’s top office fit out trends for 2024

MillerKnoll’s top office fit out trends for 2024

The last few years have seen a major shift in how businesses approach their office spaces. With more emphasis on aesthetics, functionality, and employee wellbeing, 2024 will showcase some of the most exciting trends for future-ready workplaces centred on connection, wellbeing and change. As a leader in workplace design, MillerKnoll talks about the top six emerging trends shaping office spaces this year. Based on decades of expertise, MillerKnoll identifies shifting priorities that empower companies embracing conscious design attuned to modern needs. More →

Major built environment institutes renew joint pledge to tackle global instability as cities boom 

Major built environment institutes renew joint pledge to tackle global instability as cities boom 

major built environment professional institutes, including architects, planners, structural engineers and landscape practitioners, have renewed their joint pledge to collaborate to tackle urgent global challengesWith almost 70 percent of the world’s population predicted to live in cities by 2050, major built environment professional institutes, including architects, planners, structural engineers and landscape practitioners, have renewed their joint pledge to collaborate to tackle urgent global challenges. Members of the UK Built Environment Advisory Group (UKBEAG), a group first launched in 2016 comprising the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and the Landscape Institute (LI), have committed to work together for at least another 5 years.  More →