Zero Ambitions Podcast

This week we spoke to Barbara Lantschner of John Gilbert Architects. JGA have been dealing with retrofit for many years and specifically with developing monitoring processes that allow them to get to know the existing buildings that they are working with in order to come up with the most appropriate retrofit interventions and solutions. We discussed these processes and some of the publications rel...

This week Rachael Owens, head of sustainability at BGY and coordinator at ACAN and Peter Smith of Beyond Zero Homes talk to us about all things embodied carbon and moving towards circular principles in construction. Rachael was involved in the campaign to regulate embodied carbon in the construction industry launched by ACAN earlier this year, without which the construction industry will not be ab...

It's easy sometimes to forget the human element of fuel poverty, and whilst recent energy cost rises are an annoyance to the vast majority reading this post, they are nothing more than that. However, we need to understand the human cost to over three million households in the United Kingdom who can't afford to heat their home and the misery and despair that fuel poverty can bring. This week we hea...

Internet of things company IoPT have been providing remote monitoring equipment to social landlords now for several years. We hear the benefits that this type of monitoring can bring to both tenants and landlords and how it can help identify where help is needed, and savings can be made.

Conversation with Sara, Dan, Jeff and Alex on the work that ACAN are doing and how we can look to a grassroots movement in promoting the retrofitting of our homes in a sustainable way to tackle climate change.

Discussion with Jeff, Alex and Dan from User Experience is Everything on CoP26 and how communication is critical to how we progress sustainability and radical change in the built environment.https://www.everythingisuserexperience.com/

The episode features lessons learnt from district heating and the work that West Dunbartonshire have been doing on developing heat networks.

Professor of Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University Kevin Albertson makes the point that we can't put off the change that is required now for future generations and that we need to change our socio-economic systems in a way that we use less energy and the energy we do use is done in a sustainable and equitable for everyone in society.

Dave Pearson from Star Renewables talks about district heating during CoP26

Bankers Without Boundaries (‘BwB’), an innovator in finance, is a not-for-profit powered by former investment bankers to assist high impact projects that benefit the environment and social good. BwB works with governments, institutions, cities and foundations to provide advisory and research services to mobilize capital. They apply financial concepts and structuring expertise to projects to align...

Professor of Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University Kevin Albertson makes the point that we can't put off the change that is required now for future generations and that we need to change our socio-economic systems in a way that we use less energy and the energy we do use is done in a sustainable and equitable for everyone in society.

Christina Gaiger is the current President of The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) and is committed to the creative reuse of buildings, alongside the construction of a supportive network for the profession, to give traction to the value of good design. Following graduation, Christina has worked on a wide variety of projects, including universities, education facilities, museum d...

This week Professor of Economics at Manchester Metropolitan University is giving us a concept or idea on economics the environment and climate change each day.

Dr Jan Rosenow joins us on the first day of CoP26 to talk about the decarbonisation of our buildings and how we transition to zero carbon heating. The conversation includes the electrification of heat and how we ensure a just transition. As the director of European programmes, Dr. Jan Rosenow leads RAP’s initiatives in Europe on power market design and Efficiency First.  He is responsible for all...

This week we are joined by Bex Porter who is the Built Environment Lead for the High-Level Champions TeamThe UN High-Level Climate Champions are spearheading the race to a cleaner, safer, healthier and more resilient world. Through our campaigns, Race to Resilience and Race to Zero, we are elevating ambition and mobilizing credible climate action among cities, regions, businesses and investors. A...

Morten is the Business Development Manager at DBDH (Danish Board of District Heating) in charge of all activities in Western Europe. The DBDH is a Danish member organization with members from the entire Danish district heating sector. Thier mission is to “Promote District Energy for a Sustainable City Transformation”. Morten works with governments, cities and other relevant stakeholders to strengt...

Conversation with Michael Jones, the Head of Housing Delivery and Asset Management at York City Council. Michael is the strategic lead for all asset elements of housing at the authority. He is passionate about zero-carbon housing delivery and the energy efficiency of retrofit. Part of a team tasked with leading initiatives that improve the health and wellbeing of residents, he is involved in the d...

This week I caught up with Scott McAulay, from the Anthropocene Architecture School. Scott is an architect who has been writing about climate change and the built environment, and the need for radical change and to reshape the architectural education model. I discussed Scott's journey and what has caused him to rebel and how the Anthropocene architecture school has developed and grown over the pas...

Discussion with Professor Kevin Albertson on the UK Energy Market and the causes of the current energy issues regards increased costs and supply, as well as some of the policy solutions that might be available to us. Prof. Kevin Albertson is an eclectic economist with a background in statistics and economics. He is a member of the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre, is author/co-author o...

Peter Rickaby qualified as an architect at Cambridge University and holds a doctorate in energy studies from the Open University. He worked in leading architectural practices in New Zealand and London before a thirty-five-year career as an energy and sustainability consultant in buildings and housing. He has published numerous technical guides to energy efficiency and was Managing Editor of the In...

Interview with Scott Foster, who is the Director of Sustainable Energy at the United Nations Economic Council for Europe (UNECE), and Jenna Cramer who is Executive Director at the Green Building Alliance in Pittsburgh and part of the UN Centre of Excellence programme.