When it comes to climate change, what we build and how we build it play a massive role.
Overall, the built environment accounts for 39% of energy-related carbon emissions, according to the World Green Building Council. Most of this is from building operations like heating, cooling and lighting. The rest is from construction processes and building materials.
As a result, the built environment is a key theme for our innovation roundup this month. First up is electricity-conducting concrete that could pave the way for buildings that act as batteries.
But traditional concrete is an emissions-intensive material. Our second innovation is, therefore, looking to replace concrete in floors and ceilings with timber structures strengthened by clay infill.
Beyond materials, AI is streamlining the construction process, and this is the focus of our third and fourth innovations.
Away from the built environment, our penultimate innovation is hoping to making superconducting computing an energy-saving commercial reality.
And finally, capping of this month’s roundup is an AI-optimised, battery-powered microgrid platform. This system replaces diesel generators, which, to bring us full circle, are commonly used in the construction industry.