UCL is launching a world-class research centre focused on developing sustainable practices in the construction industry and the built environment, with sponsorship from Puma Property Finance.
The Centre for Sustainable Governance and Law in the Built Environment will be the first of its kind in the UK. It will focus on addressing the challenge of building more with fewer emissions as the demand for more and better-quality housing increases.
The two-year partnership with Puma will see the development of pioneering research aimed at driving forward solutions. This includes research to identify the best measurement tools to accurately measure the environmental emissions and social impact of construction projects and buildings; develop innovative financing models for construction projects; improve knowledge transfer; and decarbonise building stock.
The centre will sit within the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction with a 10-person research team led by Armando Castro, an associate professor at UCL and expert in the field.
Castro said that connecting and fostering the dialogue between academics and practitioners of the built environment was “greatly needed”. Research by universities “can be used for the greater good and should be shared more widely”, he added.
Paul Frost, managing director of Puma Property Finance and member of the centre’s advisory board, said: “Progress cannot be achieved through policy and regulation alone; it requires collaboration across industry and academia, innovation, creativity and ambition if we are to drive truly impactful change.
“This new centre offers an exciting opportunity to put that into practice. The finance sector has enormous influence over the real estate that we build in this country and around the world. We can and must use that influence for the benefit of both current and future generations.”
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