TV architect George Clarke teams up with Grimshaw and Mace to fire the imaginations of young people with the launch of the Eco-Fix challenge.
Renowned architect and TV presenter George Clarke and his education charity MOBIE (Ministry of Building Innovation and Education), international architecture practice Grimshaw and global construction and consultancy business Mace are inviting young people from across the UK to imagine ingenious ways to upgrade our existing homes, or to re-use old or vacant buildings, to help us reduce our need for energy and our impact on the climate — to Eco-Fix our homes.
The challenge which launches today is all about saving home energy, saving precious resources and saving our planet. We are asking young people to explore what it takes to make our homes more energy and resource efficient, to reduce the costs of heating and lighting, to emit little or no carbon emissions, to help protect ourselves against climate change and to create affordable, functional, comfortable places in which to live.
Most of us live in homes designed and built many years ago. Yet the way we live our lives has changed dramatically over recent years, especially the costs of living, energy prices and the demands on our natural, scarce resources. To secure future living standards, save the environment and save expenditure we must act urgently to massively improve energy efficiency in our existing homes.
40% of carbon emissions come from our existing built environment, from the energy used to build and run the building. By 2023 it is expected that householders will have to spend between 12 and 15% of incomes on energy — gas and electricity. The Government estimates that between 25 and 27 million homes in the UK need improvement in their energy efficiency by 2050, which means that 2,800 homes per day, or 117 homes every hour, need to have their energy efficiency improved to meet the 2050 target.
The term retrofit means applying new thinking, design, technologies, and materials to existing properties. It is a process of adding new features, services and facilities that were not available, or thought necessary, at the time of construction. Although the retrofitting of homes usually means improving their energy efficiency, it can also mean adapting to new ways of living and meeting the current and future needs of the occupants. It is a massive task that needs everyone’s help. That is why we are asking young people for their ideas about how to make our existing homes and neighbourhoods more energy-efficient.
Inventive students will unleash their creativity by selecting a building or buildings they know that are energy inefficient and in vital need of improvement. This could be their home, apartment block, street, wherever they live, or they can pick any homes they know of that need attention. Entrants will apply their design skills and imagination to present proposals for a retrofit scheme that will update, upgrade, repurpose, and possibly extend the home(s). Designs should provide an efficient, functional, comfortable, safe home for the future. In developing their retrofit scheme, they need to:
- achieve a significant reduction in energy use and carbon emissions from an existing home;
- adapt homes to protect them against the impacts of the climate crisis, for example overheating, storminess, flooding;
- use renewable energy sources to power the home;
- think about what new and local materials they will use in their retrofit project;
- improve and update the home for the way people live today and will live in the future;
- consider if the retrofit design can improve and strengthen the surrounding community
George Clarke, MOBIE Founder and Trustee, said: “Home is the most important piece of architecture in our lives. It crafts the way we live, and how we grow as families and communities. A well-designed home and neighbourhood can enhance the way we live and promote good health and wellbeing.”
George added: “We need younger generations to define how they want to live now and in the future. Most of the homes in which we will live in the future exist now. That is why we are asking young people for their ideas on how we can adapt and change our homes to be more energy efficient and to reduce our climate impact. Young people are vital to the future of housing and it is important that their ideas influence home design and shape our communities of the future.”
George went on: “MOBIE challenges are a launch pad for student creativity. That is why I am delighted to be launching this Eco-Fit home challenge with Grimshaw and Mace. I cannot wait to see how young people respond to the challenge — based on previous challenges I know we will be amazed by their imagination and creativity!”
Andrew Thomas, Managing Partner at Grimshaw London, said: “Our Net Zero commitments are dependent on the creativity and innovation that can be brought to the reimagining of the UK’s 25 million existing homes to suit the needs of the future. The Eco-Fix challenge is a fantastic opportunity for young designers to share their ideas for solving one of the greatest sustainability challenges of our times, and Grimshaw is proud to come together with MOBIE and Mace to help re-think what retrofit can achieve, in terms of design, community, place making and sustainability.”
Rachel O’Donnell, Consult Lead for Retrofit at Mace, commented: “We are pleased to be part of the Eco-Fix competition and we look forward to assessing the engineering capabilities from entrants from across the UK. Decarbonising our buildings and infrastructure is essential to tackling the climate crisis, as well as creating cities and places that are resilient and fit for the future. We are excited to play a part in inspiring young people to tackle this vital challenge, think about what makes a place really matter and contribute towards the shaping of their local communities.”
The challenge will introduce young people to the environmental considerations in home design and the range of careers in design, engineering, construction and green technology in the built environment sector.
To see the challenge brief please visit: https://www.mobie.org.uk/challenges
