Berkeley, 21st October 2021 – Gloucestershire lived up to its reputation as “the greenest county in Britain” at the Active Building Centre’s inaugural Gloucestershire COP on 21st October 2021. The sold-out event brought together industry and political experts from Gloucestershire and beyond to discuss the progress, challenges and opportunities in reaching net zero targets through…
When it comes to the historic centralisation of the UK’s energy system, it’s time to start winding the clock back if we are to meet our 2050 net-zero goals.
By Sam Stacey, Challenge director, Transforming Construction, UKRI Earlier this year, Flintshire County Council approached the Active Building Centre (ABC) about decarbonising a planned housing development. Design was already well underway but they had not been able to get satisfactory guidance on optimising the vast array of fabric and technology solutions from the market. Following…
By Mark Southgate, Chief Executive @ the Ministry of Building and Innovation The built environment has often been at the cutting edge of technical innovation across the globe. From dizzying skyscrapers to underwater museums, buildings have challenged what is possible throughout history. This is what motivates me and the rest of the team at MOBIE…
By Sam Stacey, Challenge director, Transforming Construction, UKRI I am often asked whether established construction firms face the threat of disruptive innovation – and whether new entrants to the construction market will swoop in and hoover up the profit. A system in need of change Until recently, complexity and disorder in the construction system formed…
By Chris Brierley, Business Development Manager With the built environment accounting for some two-fifths of all carbon emissions, it is self-evident that the UK Government’s goals of reaching net-zero by 2050 require a radical transformation in how buildings are heated and powered. Building standards One leg of this challenge is to ensure that, in the…
Education is key to help the next generation of construction leaders play their part in #netzero says Nicola Bird, founder of AccXel.
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes ABC’s COP event on the 21.10.21 is a success. He hopes innovation and ideas will come from the day.
Simon McWhirter, Head of Engagement Published January 2021 For the delivery of such a complex plan as the Government’s Green Industrial Revolution, isolated interventions will give only singular, or at least limited, results. Cross-sectoral, multi-domain thinking and action will be key; and working across the construction, energy and mobility sectors is the very fulcrum around…
Marie Greaves, Communication Assistant At the Active Building Centre one of our values is collaboration – partners uniting to meet the challenge of transforming construction. When our partner organisation, Transforming Construction Network Plus (N+) offered us the opportunity to support with their 2nd annual conference we embraced the opportunity. Tom Basset from the Academic Research Team,…
By Jo Atkinson, Building Project Engineer & Hywel Lloyd, Government Engagement Manager As part of the Future of Building Week withUKRI, the Active Building Centre discusses the future of green homes as part of the green recovery. As the UK looks towards recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis many people, businesses and organisations…
By Simon McWhirter, Head of Engagement At the start of each year it’s customary to make resolutions for the year ahead which, it is hoped, will encourage positive changes. Of course, for all the best intentions, after a few days, weeks or (occasionally) months, these commitments have either been broken or fallen by the wayside,…
By Cat Wilkins, Communications Manager Active Buildings have the potential to significantly contribute to the UK’s commitment to decarbonise Active Buildings support the wider energy system by intelligently integrating renewable energy technologies for heat, power and transport. They are designed to be energy efficient, with novel ways of creating, controlling and releasing energy. Potential Solution As…
By Gill Kelleher, Policy Engagement Manager The Active Building Centre has reviewed the Part L/Future Homes Standard consultation and is concerned as detailed in the document by these proposals. The consultation sets out the plans for the Future Homes Standard and its proposals to increase the outputs of energy efficient homes in 2020. According to…
By Hywel Lloyd, Government Engagement Manager Now the Conservative party has a majority in Parliament, it can push through its policies on everything from Brexit and housing to climate change and infrastructure. So what are the Tories’ plans and what do industry figures expect – or fear – will happen next? Brexit The Tories have…
By Nigel Morris, Electric Vehicle Integration Manager, Active Building Centre There’s no doubt that the drive to move towards a net-zero carbon society by 2050 is one of the biggest challenges currently facing UK business, particularly those with vehicle fleets. To put it in perspective, we’ve got 30 years left to reach our agreed targets…
By Prof. Dave Worsley, Vice President (Innovation), Swansea University A great opportunity for the circular economy space. Dave Worsley responds to The Telegraph’s article ‘Britain faces ‘waste battery mountain’ as electric car use surges‘ An article published in The Telegraph reports that: “Britain faces a new waste crisis from a “ battery mountain” caused by the…
By Cat Wilkins, Communications Manager Jo Clarke, Active Buildings architect and Head of Design at Active Building Centre has been shortlisted for a Building Engineering Services Association Award for her contribution to engineering services. We are pleased to announce our Head of Design Jo Clarke is a finalist in the Outstanding Woman in Building Engineering…
By Simon McWhirter, Head of Engagement, Active Building Centre 2020 is now upon us, heralding the start of a new decade, with a new government at the helm. Thankfully, the political winds currently continue to blow in a favourable direction for sustainability, and this presents myriad opportunities for house-builders and developers. Indeed, with sweeping political…
By Nigel Morris, Electric Vehicle Integration Manager Active Building Centre wins Green Fleet of the year in BusinessCar Awards Informing and Influencing The Active Building Centre was announced as winner of the Green Fleet of the Year in the BusinessCar awards 2019 at a ceremony in London. BusinessCar is the leading trade magazine for the…
By Hywel Lloyd, Government Engagement Manager Active Building Centre contributes to consultation on electric vehicle charge points The Active Building Centre has contributed to the Department for Transport led consultation Electric vehicle charging in residential and non-residential buildings. Our work is focused on the relationships between the design, technology and integration of building elements that…
By Hywel Lloyd, Government Engagement Manager What do the UK’s main political parties have to say about the decarbonisation of buildings and transport? With both the main UK party political conferences drawing to a close we have a moment in which to reflect on their respective ambitions for decarbonising transport and buildings. What do these…
By Simon McWhirter, Head of Engagement Last week, I read a fascinating article by social entrepreneur and futurist Wayne Visser in which he outlines the inevitability of electric vehicle (EV) adoption for fleet managers and company car drivers. Within the piece he focused on the significant cost climate change is incurring on the global economy,…
by Jonathan Williams, Head of Projects The Active Building Centre is looking to develop a pipeline of Active Building demonstrators to prove the case, transform construction, and inspire buildings of the future. My role as Head of Projects for the Active Building Centre is to identify suitable partners and projects. I am looking to connect…
By Dr Charles Musselwhite, Director of the Centre for Innovative Ageing Do people accept new technology, can they work and live around these things, does it change their behaviour? We can find answers to these questions from real people in real time on the Active Building Centre projects We are experiencing unprecedented times with the…
By Dave Worsley, Director In February 2019 the Committee on Climate Change recommended new homes should be built to be low-carbon, energy and water efficient, and climate resilient. The technology is here now. Let’s get on with it. Well insulated houses, properly built to comply with or exceed today’s building regulations, provide comfortable and cosy…
By Nigel Morris, Electric Vehicle Integration Manager Vehicle electrification is part of the Active Building Centre vision to transform UK construction and energy through Active Buildings. The trend for electrification of transport is increasing. Currently if the UK was to have a mass adoption of electric vehicles the grid demand would be too great to…