New approaches to construction needed to achieve UK targets
The construction industry needs to adopt modern methods to reach UK government targets on decarbonising heat, as well as housing provision.
At a seminar hosted by Mitsubishi Electric in December 2018, speakers discussed the government’s goal of decarbonising the UK’s heating and highlighted the need for better quality buildings as well as changes in heating technologies.
George Clarke, who appears regularly on television talking about architecture and building, spoke about his concerns for housing in particular: “We need to build new homes, but the industry is not set up to produce 300,000 new homes a year. What worries me more though is the quality of those homes. Housing is now seen as a commodity – a numbers game.”
The future of heating technologies was also discussed. Mitsubishi Electric head of sustainability Martin Fahey said: “We have been burning fuel for centuries and now it’s time to change. Gas has been reliable for 40 years, but we cannot produce the gas we need in the UK any more. We are importing 57% of our gas already.”
For more details see our News Analysis.
Image: L to R: Stuart Bell; Professor Nick Whitehouse; Martin Fahey ; George Clarke and Max Halliwell
