Novel materials: using construction waste

Author: Various

Date published

6 December 2023

Price

Members: £45 + VAT
Standard: £70 + VAT

The Institution of Structural Engineers The Institution of Structural Engineers

Novel materials: using construction waste

Tag
Author
Date published
Price
Training
Author

Various

Date published

6 December 2023

Author

Various

Price

Members: £45 + VAT
Standard: £70 + VAT

This webinar focuses on reusing waste materials, such as rammed earth and recycled bricks, in design and construction.

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.

Other webinars on this series

<h4>Novel materials and solutions webinar series 2023</h4>

Novel materials and solutions webinar series 2023

Gain on-demand access to all four webinars of the 2023 series, which explore some of the alternative solutions available to engineers striving to achieve net-zero targets.

Read more
<h4>Novel materials series: low-tech solutions</h4>

Novel materials series: low-tech solutions

This webinar focuses on low-tech construction materials solutions such as structural stone, unfired mud bricks and roundwood timber.

Read more
<h4>Novel materials: using next-generation timber</h4>

Novel materials: using next-generation timber

This webinar explores best practices in design and construction using new-generation and reused timber.

Read more
<h4>Novel materials: structural glass and composites</h4>

Novel materials: structural glass and composites

This webinar explores the use of structural glass and fibre-polymer composites (FPC).

Read more

Related Resources & Events

Lecture
<h4>South Eastern Counties AGM and talk by Guusje Ubachs and Christopher Noble</h4>

South Eastern Counties AGM and talk by Guusje Ubachs and Christopher Noble

A technical talk on the history and reuse of a historic thin shell roof.

Date – 26 November 2024
Location – London South Bank University (LSBU)
Price – Free
Lecture
<h4>Network Rail modular, composite flow footbridge</h4>

Network Rail modular, composite flow footbridge

Technical lecture looking at the new modular, composite Network Rail footbridge design

Date – 5 December 2024
Location – Mercure Chester Abbots Well Hotel
Price – Free
Lecture
<h4>Technical talk: A comprehensive case study of a high-rise building in Foshan</h4>

Technical talk: A comprehensive case study of a high-rise building in Foshan

This technical talk examines the structural optimization of a high-rise building in Foshan, China

Date – 19 November 2024
Location – Online
Price – HK$50