Nuevo proyecto de investigación para eliminar el carbono y el plástico de nuestros hogares

La Universidad de Liverpool Centro de investigación de corrientes cambiantes is part of  a pioneering research and development project aimed at building carbon zero, plastic-free and fuel-efficient homes in Liverpool.

Están uniendo fuerzas con la empresa ambiental sin fines de lucro, Cambio de corrientes CIC y Su grupo de vivienda, uno de los proveedores de vivienda más grandes del Reino Unido, para design 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.

Se espera que el aprendizaje de este piloto establezca un nuevo estándar en la industria que pueda replicarse en todo el Reino Unido, además de respaldar los planes de Your Housing Group para desarrollar nuevas viviendas durante los próximos 25 años.

El proyecto trabajará con el recientemente creado 'Centro de Investigación Changing Streams' con sede en la Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales de la Universidad de Liverpool y este proyecto será ejecutado por Dr. Gareth Abrahams del menú Escuela de Ciencias Ambientales y Steve Finnegan del menú Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales

El Dr. Gareth Abrahams, director del Centro de Investigación Changing Streams de la Universidad de Liverpool y cofundador de Changing Streams CIC, dijo: “Cuando hablamos de viviendas con cero emisiones de carbono, a menudo pensamos en lo que hace un edificio: cuánto calor retiene. Pero pasamos por alto otra cuestión importante: ¿de qué están hechas estas casas? Muchos de los productos que utilizamos para construir y aislar casas nuevas están hechos de materiales a base de plástico. El riesgo es que al centrarnos únicamente en objetivos de carbono cero produzcamos viviendas con mayores cantidades de plástico.

Más adelante, sabemos que el plástico tiene un impacto devastador en el medio ambiente natural. Este proyecto de cinco años es el primero en abordar el equilibrio entre la reducción de carbono y plástico en el diseño y construcción 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 sostenibilidad globalmente.”

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.”

“Tenemos un programa de inversión sustancial de varios millones de libras que implementar durante los próximos cinco años que incluye el desarrollo y la implementación de una estrategia de reducción de carbono. Sin embargo, reconocemos que esto por sí solo no logrará nuestro objetivo final de hacer que nuestros hogares sean verdaderamente sostenibles y al mismo tiempo proporcionemos igualdad social. Al hablar con Changing Streams, reconocimos que la contaminación plástica es una amenaza grave que no podemos ignorar, mientras que el carbono incrustado en el plástico entra en conflicto con nuestro programa de reducción de carbono. No queremos desarrollar casas libres de carbono que trasladen el problema de una emergencia climática a una ambiental.

“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.

“Nuestro objetivo es revolucionar la industria y romper con las reglas 'tradicionales' y, para lograrlo, ahora nos estamos embarcando en un programa de trabajo increíblemente ambicioso en asociación con Your Housing Group y la Universidad de Liverpool, que conducirá a una un cambio fundamental en la forma en que se crea la vivienda social y la vivienda en general. Estamos seguros de que este proyecto revolucionario conducirá no solo a cambios duraderos dentro del sector de la vivienda, sino que también tendrá impactos transformadores y de gran alcance en la industria de la construcción en general.

“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.”

Si desea obtener más información sobre el Centro de Investigación Changing Streams, comuníquese con el Dr. Gareth Abrahams: [email protected].

El puesto Nuevo proyecto de investigación para eliminar el carbono y el plástico de nuestros hogares apareció por primera vez en Cambiando transmisiones.