6 NEWS CONFERENCE REPORT How to regenerate the planet
ADF’s Laura Shadwell reports As part of the ‘COINS future’ seminars at UK Construction Week, organic building materials innovator Ehab Sayed from Biohm (pictured) looked at how the industry needed to adapt in order to “regenerate” the planet for a sustainable future. Sayed told delegates that the earth is
currently “marked by extraction and consumption,” and that with predicted 40% population growth in the next 70 years, construction waste is expected to double by 2025 to 2.2 billion tons. He said that while the mantra ‘reduce – reuse – recycle’ was now well-known in the industry, a “lack of funding, resources and standardisation” meant this “could not be further from reality.” He said that his firm, which researches and
develops bio-based materials, was “helping steer the bio revolution, by taking the full holistic picture into account.” Biohm employs a closed-loop approach from consultancy through to waste management, he explained. An example of this is using mycelium (from
the root structure of forest mushrooms) to grow materials for use in insulation products. “Insulation panels made in this way are not only deemed to be safer and healthier as they are a natural material, they are also just as effective from a thermal and acoustic standpoint as premium insulation brands,” said Sayed. Another use for fungi being explored is its
ability to “biodegrade” plastic, he said. With a gloomy prediction of more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050, this “miracle natural waste disposal” needed to be embraced now. Another initiative Sayed cited was ORB
(Organic Refuse Biocompound), manufactured from “difficult to reuse or recycle” by-products from the food industry. This makes use of resources that would otherwise go to landfill, in products such as floor tiling and lighting. Sayed concluded: “We need to learn from nature.” In the same session, Pooran Desai of
Oneplanet.com, who worked on the development of the 10 One Planet Living principles which have been adopted by the
UN, discussed past projects which have embraced the ethos. Highlighted projects included BedZED,
the UK’s first “zero carbon village,” in Sutton, South London, completed in 2002. Claiming “all round sustainability” for the project, Desai said it continues to be “an inspiration for low-carbon housing developments around the world.” Also cited was One Brighton, a 2010-
completed project in the city that’s a mixed complex of 172 apartments, offices, community areas and cafe. The project includes highly insulated, triple glazed buildings and was designed with architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios with One Planet Living principles “at its heart.”
HOK appoints sustainability specialist McGill NEW APPOINTMENT
HOK’s London office has named “highly qualified and experienced” architect Rob McGill as sustainable design leader in its London office, to lead the practice sustainable design efforts in European markets.
McGill brings 20 years of experience as an architect, and his career has put an emphasis on sustainability. He has participated in the design of projects in sectors including science and technology, healthcare, education, sports and recreation, residential and commercial. McGill’s expertise includes serving as the facade design and sustainability lead on University College London Hospital’s Grafton Way Building; the UK’s first Proton Beam Therapy Hospital, believed to have achieved the world’s highest BREEAM interim certification score for
its project type at the time. He was also project architect on the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, designed as a “world-class” genetic research facility in Scotland. “Rob’s experience providing sustainability and wellness strategies on complex projects will be invaluable to HOK and our clients,” said Daniel Hajjar, managing principal of the London office. “It comes at a particularly relevant time as the UK prepares to host COP26, working to get the world back on track to meet the Paris Agreement.” McGill is a qualified Passivhaus Designer, and participated in the UK’s FLUID Diversity Mentoring Programme, which seeks to improve diversity and inclusion in the AEC industry. He commented: “Sustainability is key
to designing places that work for people both now and in the future. I’m thrilled to continue creating sustainable design solutions with the team at HOK.”
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
ADF NOVEMBER 2021
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