SFC news published since 2018. See SFC archived content for earlier news articles.

As world leaders meet for COP26 in Glasgow, SFC is taking a look at some of the key themes of its recent climate change activities. Today the spotlight is on construction.

Construction plays a vital role in our lives and in our economy but also has a significant impact on climate change. In the UK, construction and the built environment account for as much as 47 per cent of total carbon emissions. In response, academics, professional bodies and the public sector are joining forces to actively promote zero carbon practices and design standards.

In Scotland, the fulcrum of this activity is the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC). CSIS is funded by the Scottish Government through SFC and Scotland’s enterprise agencies and supports a culture of innovation to drive transformational change across the construction industry.

During COP26, the CSIC Innovation Factory near Glasgow will be teeming with innovative exhibits, events and experiences designed to provide inspiration for the built environment to accelerate to net zero. Among the innovations on display is the K-briq made from 90 per cent recycled construction waste and developed by a clean tech spin out from Heriot-Watt University.

Meanwhile, on Sunday 7 November in the COP26 Universities Network Green Zone, Professor Ken Gibb will be sharing lessons from an SFC-funded demonstration project to evaluate a green retrofit of a typical Glasgow tenement. This ground-breaking project tackles the problem of decarbonising existing older housing stock – and there are more than 75,000 pre-1919 tenement dwellings in Glasgow alone. You can get a feel for what has been achieved from this specially-produced University of Glasgow video.

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