Children’s views should be taken into account when designing urban space
Iryna Inshyna/Shutterstock Jenny Wood, Heriot-Watt University Children see the world in a different way to adults, but urban planning policies rarely take this into account….
Smart cities
Of hemp’s many uses, one of the most promising could be in construction
“Hempcrete,” made from the woody core of hemp, is showing promise as an environmentally friendly building material. October 6, 2020 — It has become almost…
Big Green Apple: forbidden fruit, no more
The science behind climate change is self-evident: the burning of fossil fuels is the largest contributor to human-caused climate change. Climate change is a worldwide…
Energy performance in buildings is key to meeting 2030 emissions target
Ursula von der Leyen and Frans Timmermans have pledged to kick-start a renovation wave across Europe. This is a management challenge with three aspects that…
A solution to engineering energy-saving smart materials
Dr Mohammad Taha It is estimated that between 40-60 per cent of energy usage in buildings is due to climate control, including air conditioning and…
The heat is on to make German buildings ‘nearly’ climate-neutral
A mainly fossil energy guzzler, heating in Germany has taken a back seat to the Energiewende’s poster child, the power sector. But the “Wärmewende”, or…
‘Smart bricks’ could work to store energy in buildings
Making a run to the home improvement store for your next project? That’s what scientists in the United States did when they needed red bricks…
More and more homeowners are renovating existing homes to make them “net zero” energy consumers. Here’s how.
Energy-conscious retrofits can dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of housing without the need to start from scratch January 7, 2020 — With the world in…
This is how coronavirus could reshape our cities forever
In the once-bustling Eixample district, birdsong and the occasional whir of a food delivery cyclist have replaced the continuous din of passing traffic – making…
Without sustainable cities, global development goals will fail
Cities have been the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, with little discrimination between more and less developed urban environments. More than 95 per cent of…
Smart concrete could pave the way for high-tech, cost-effective roads
Luna Lu, Purdue University and Vishal Saravade, Purdue University Every day, Americans travel on roads, bridges and highways without considering the safety or reliability of…
Scientists honing new ways to measure a city’s carbon footprint
Boston may be emerging as a model for how scientists and the public can better quantify and understand their city’s carbon dioxide emissions. Millions of…
EU unveils Renovation Wave Strategy to improve buildings’ energy performance
Published October 16, 2020 Author Balkan Green Energy News The European Commission has published a Renovation Wave Strategy aimed at improving the energy performance of buildings, in what…