Experts from Newcastle and
Northumbria Universities will develop new technologies to revolutionise how
buildings are constructed and how they operate.
The institutions have been jointly
awarded £8m from Research England’s Expanding Excellence in England fund
to establish the world’s first research Hub for Biotechnology in the Built
Environment (HBBE). It will lead to a whole new concept of the way we design
and construct our buildings.
Its aim is to create a new
generation of ‘Living Buildings’, which are responsive to the natural
environment, grown using living engineered materials, which process their own
waste, reduce pollution, generate energy and support a biological environment
that benefits health.
Hub Co-Director Dr Martyn
Dade-Robertson, a Reader in Design Computation in the School of Architecture,
Planning & Landscape at Newcastle University, said: “This is incredibly
exciting opportunity to create a new field of research. By bringing together
architects, engineers and bio-scientists, working with industry and investing
in state-of-the-art facilities we are aiming to rethink the building industry.”
Hub Co-Director, Professor Gary
Black, a Professor in Protein Biochemistry, Northumbria University said:
"We want to use the very latest biotechnologies to create living homes
that are responsive to, and protective of their environment and the people who
live in them. The current construction of buildings is unsustainable due to its
carbon footprint, the hope would be to use this model in housing in the future.
Universities and Science Minister
Chris Skidmore said: “Pushing
the boundaries of knowledge and conquering new innovations are what our
universities are known for the world over. This programme led by Newcastle and
Northumbria Universities, will look to create a new generation of homes and
offices that consume their own waste and are healthier for people using them.
“The Expanding Excellence in England
Fund will support projects throughout England to master new and developing
areas of research and industry.
“Made possible through our record
R&D spend delivered by our modern Industrial Strategy, the investment will
support researchers to develop solutions and opportunities for UK researchers
and businesses.”
The HBBE will develop new microbial
technologies which will act as a metabolism, processing a building’s waste and
generating energy. The hub will create living materials, using microbes, and
investigate how healthy environments can be developed by better understanding
the way the microbiome of the built environment and humans interact.
The new hub will include The OME, an
experimental biological house, which will be built on Newcastle University’s
campus. A living lab, the OME will be used as an experimental facility to test
and showcase the hub’s ground-breaking research.
The HBBE will also comprise a
Micro-Design Lab, based at Northumbria University and a Macro Bio-Design Lab at
Newcastle University, which will allow the team to develop new technologies
from molecules up to buildings.
The HBBE will officially launch on
the 1st August 2019, it is currently recruiting 22 new staff
and will be led by a multidisciplinary team across both Universities; Dr
Martyn Dade-Robertson (NCL), Professor Rachel Armstrong (NCL) Professor Gary
Black (NU), Dr Ben Bridgens (NCL), Dr Meng Zhang (NU) and Dr Darren Smith (NU).
