Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
International conference to explore sustainable design for society
The international conference, Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society (SEEDS) will take place on 17-18 September and is hosted by the Leeds Sustainability Institute at Leeds Beckett, with keynote speakers, workshops and presentations focusing on how to address the balance between the built and the natural environment.
As Director of the Leeds Sustainability Institute, Professor Chris Gorse explained: “With US President Barack Obama restating his ambitions for action against man induced climate change and many businesses show support, there is still much opposition and the suggestion that such change would be economically damaging. Through this conference we will tackle key challenges at the heart of the sustainability agenda. One theme of the conference will be to explore how buildings and spaces are designed to reduce negative impacts on the environment and how innovation can help with resource and renewable energy.”
Keynote speakers already confirmed for the conference include Tom Cox - Research & Development Manager at Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction market, Simon Robinson, Professor of Applied and Professional Ethics at Leeds Beckett University, Professor Eric Rondeau from the University of Lorraine and Mike Ormesher, Technical Director Northern Europe for construction experts KNAUF.
Other keynote speakers include Professor Malcolm Bell and Professor Chris Gorse from Leeds Beckett University and Professor Paul Chatterton and Dr Alice Owen from the University of Leeds. Sponsors already confirmed for the SEEDS International Conference are Saint-Gobain; CIOB and ARC Building Solutions Ltd.
Professor Gorse continued: “While the issues surrounding sustainability are challenging and diverse, this conference will focus our attention on key topics, exposing applied research, technology and innovation that are having a positive impact. Having such a high profile event in Leeds is excellent and the knowledge gained and shared will help to take the whole sustainability agenda forward. It’s encouraging that many industrial partners are interested in the conference and examples of research being led by industry are being put forward. The engagement between academics, industry and the community is essential if we are to embrace the level of change needed.”
The built environment has a greater impact on natural resources and produces more waste than any other industry. However, beyond the green rhetoric, research at Leeds Beckett and other institutions internationally, is being applied on the ground to address the balance between the built and natural environment.
The SEEDS Conference will bring together experts from around the world to focus on the impact of the built environment, the changes that are taking place in the industry, and the benefits and consequences of change that are being predicted and measured. The focus of discussion and debate will be on understanding how buildings and spaces are designed and nurtured to obtain the optimal outcome.
As well as addressing technical issues, measuring energy efficiency and modelling energy performance, emphasis will be placed on the health and wellbeing of the users of spaces occupied. This approach will draw together the research themes of energy, building performance and physics while placing health, wellbeing and ecology at the heart of the conference.