news

17th September 2015

Cigarette butts: the future of energy storage

Alongside chewing gum, used cigarette butts are the scourge of pavements everywhere. Globally over 4 billion are thrown away each year, but researchers in Korea have found a surprising application for this seemingly unusable material. They have turned used cigarette filters into a high performing material for energy storage. “Our study has shown that used … Continue reading “Cigarette butts: the future of energy storage”

17th September 2015

Energy-generating rubber

  Japanese technology company Ricoh in collaboration with the Tokyo University of Science have developed a breakthrough material in the field of piezoelectrics. Piezoelectric materials generate electricity from mechanical strain such as vibrations.  Good examples in the built environment come from companies such as The Facility and Pavegen who have developed solutions that generate electricity … Continue reading “Energy-generating rubber”

17th September 2015

Innovation matchmaking for commercial retrofit

  The UK Green Building Council is looking for suppliers of innovative technologies for the commercial retrofit sector.  In the first in a series of matchmaking events, innovators will have the opportunity to pitch their technologies to clients and specifiers who are looking for innovative solutions. Six shortlisted finalists will have the opportunity to present … Continue reading “Innovation matchmaking for commercial retrofit”

17th September 2015

Solving our sustainability challenge through innovation

Almost every large corporate and corporate estate that exists today pre-dates the age of sustainability. Modern-day giants, like Google for example, were born into new ways of thinking and new ways of working. But if your history goes back many years you are now faced with the challenge of having to change both your business … Continue reading “Solving our sustainability challenge through innovation”

17th September 2015

Zero Energy Furniture

French designers are using phase change materials to create energy saving furniture. We’ve been looking at integrating phase change materials into buildings for some time, however theZeroEnergyFurniture   programme has been looking at how to deliver energy savings at furniture scale rather than at building scale. The Climatic Table is the first solution to be demonstrated.  … Continue reading “Zero Energy Furniture”

17th September 2015

Science and technology roundup from around the web

Dutch SolaRoad performs better than anticipated 6 months into its pilot phase the SolaRoad, consisting of 70 metres of photovoltaic cycle path has generated over 3,000 kWh. New understanding of granular dynamics helps build stronger foundations Chinese and German researchers apply hydrodynamics to granular materials such as sand, grains, rock, salt and sugar to increase … Continue reading “Science and technology roundup from around the web”

17th September 2015

Tune your windows to suit your mood

Switchable smart glass has been around for a while, however the University of Cincinnati, in partnership with Hewlett Packard and Merck Research Labs have developed tuneable window technology. The patent-pending technology enables occupants to change the brightness, colour and opacity of the windows.  The researchers claim this is a low cost solution that can eventually … Continue reading “Tune your windows to suit your mood”

17th September 2015

New material to conquer the urban heat island effect

Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney have developed a new material that stays cooler than the ambient air temperature even under the heat of the Australian summer sun. As temperature rise globally and more and more people move to cities the Urban Heat Island effect is becoming an increasing issue.  Dark coloured surfaces such … Continue reading “New material to conquer the urban heat island effect”

17th September 2015

Creating sustainable rubber from the humble dandelion

Those of us who do battle with dandelions in our gardens every year will be pleased to know that the prolific weed can be used to create a sustainable natural rubber. Researchers at Fraunhofer in Germany have developed a new process for large-scale production of high quality rubber using Russian dandelions.  Rubber is used in … Continue reading “Creating sustainable rubber from the humble dandelion”