Novel materials: using construction waste

The climate emergency is challenging engineers to consider a broader palette of non-traditional and/or novel structural materials. 
 
The Novel materials series explores how engineers can approach both design and construction with these materials in mind, and it offers practical advice on what to consider to utilise them successfully within projects.
  
With 80% of all construction materials ending up as waste, in this webinar, expert speakers share best practices aimed at building with waste materials – rather than sending them to landfill: 

• Nyomi Rowsell, Waste Consultant at Buro Happold, provides an overview of construction waste policies, discusses key techniques for building with rammed earth, and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of using earth as a construction material.

• Gabriela Medero, Professor in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, explores the use of K-BRIQ, a resource-efficient construction brick made from 95% inert recycled waste materials, currently in its final stages of BBA certification in the UK.

• Lizzie Wynn, who has been researching and producing sustainable structures for more than 20 years, shares a recent case study project that made use of tyres, cob, eco-bricks and round wood.

Reasons to watch

• Find out the latest developments in construction materials created from resources normally considered waste

• Understand how to make the best use of waste materials

• Identify options for reducing the carbon footprint of your designs

• Discover best practices around sustainable design

Intended for

• SMEs Owners, directors, and managers

• Engineers working with recycled materials

• Professionals looking to shift towards circular economy practices

Speakers

Gabriela Medero Professor in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Heriot-Watt University

Gabriela is a civil engineer and has been developing innovative building materials made from recycled waste for over 15 years. She has vast experience understanding the thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of materials from micro- (product unit) to macro-scale (sample infrastructure); with an emphasis on resource efficiency and carbon reductions.

James Norman Professor of Sustainable Design, University of Bristol

James worked on a wide variety of projects and has designed in a variety of materials, including steel, concrete, timber, earth, straw and glass. In 2015, James moved full-time into academia, where he teaches structural design with a focus on low-carbon solutions. He has co-written Conceptual Design of Buildings and Designing Timber Structures.

Nyomi Rowsell Waste Consultant, Buro Happold

Nyomi began as a rammed earth architect in Malawi, East Africa, later founding the social enterprise International Conservation and Clean-up Management (ICCM). In the UK, she worked as a waste management project officer with the Surrey Environment Partnership team. Currently, Nyomi serves as a waste management consultant at Buro Happold, a global engineering firm.

Lizzie Wynn PhD Researcher, Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University

Lizzie is an experienced structures creator, rewilder and community food producer, with a demonstrated history of working with local and sustainable materials. An eclectic builder and designer, and PhD researcher, she is concerned with human impact on the planet and works with waste materials to ensure the sustainability of her projects.