CaféScientifique is a nationwide network of groups for the informal discussion of scientific issues
With buildings being responsible for more carbon emissions than any other sector in an industrialised nation, one might think that the Government, architects and the construction industry would be making great strides to reduce emissions from buildings. The data suggests that this is not happening. In this talk I will suggest one of the problems might be that too much emphasis is put on this being an engineering issue, whereas climate change might be best framed as a moral issue. Hence, I suggest we need to shine a moral light upon the buildings we design and occupy and think about what our buildings say about us both now and to future generations.
David Coley is Professor of Zero Carbon Design at the University of Bath,
Head of the Centre for Energy and the Design of Environments and Director
of the Building Research Park in Swindon. His research focuses on: (i)
minimising the energy use of buildings through a process of physical design
and an understanding of occupant behaviour; (ii) the future of weather
as distinct from climate; (iii) helping the aid sector design better forms
of shelter for refugees and other displaced peoples.
David Coley received a BSc in Physics in 1985 and a PhD in theoretical
nuclear physics in 1989. During this time he also worked briefly for the
UK Atomic Energy Authority. He joined the Centre for Energy and the Environment
at Exeter University in 1998, where he worked until joining Bath as Professor
of Low Carbon Design in 2011. Whilst at Exeter, his main interests were
in low energy design (including Passivhaus), renewables, estimating the
impact of climate change on the built environment and evolutionary computation.
He was also a founding member of a London based hedge fund. Before joining
Bath, he was heavily involved in the design and construction of Montgomery
School, Exeter. This 450 pupil school is solely heated by the body heat
of the occupants, with the PV on the roof providing all the electricity
needed by the school, making it the first zero-carbon school in the UK.
Most recently, he designed the freely available ZEBRA platform, which
allows architects simultaneously to see how close to zero carbon their
design might be, but also understand which elements are responsible for
the greatest emissions. His work on the Shelter Assessment Matrix has
provided a framework for United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
and others to better understand how shelter can be improved, especially
from the viewpoint of the occupant.
Alongside academic papers and reports for Government, David has written
books on energy and climate change, genetic algorithms and rock climbing.
Here are the Zoom meeting co-ordinates:
Topic: CaféSci, Launceston April Meeting
Time: Apr 20, 2021 06:45 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83688087215
Meeting ID: 836 8808 7215
One tap mobile
+441314601196,,83688087215# United Kingdom
+442030512874,,83688087215# United Kingdom
Dial by your location
+44 131 460 1196 United Kingdom
+44 203 051 2874 United Kingdom
+44 203 481 5237 United Kingdom
+44 203 481 5240 United Kingdom
+44 203 901 7895 United Kingdom
Meeting ID: 836 8808 7215
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kvQ2YOitw
For any queries contact: Cherry Warne on 01566
772701
or email: cheerywatsonovna@btinternet.com
or through our website