The construction industry and buildings in general are some of the most wasteful and least sustainable industries in the world. For example, having most residential buildings being artisan built on site generates up to 30% wastage of raw materials (ScienceDirect). In fact, the World Green Building Council found that buildings' construction and operation are responsible for 39% of global carbon emissions and 71% of global electricity consumption. This is due to several factors, such as inefficient use of building materials, lack of recycling or reuse of waste, large amounts of energy required to run buildings, and short building lifespans.
Helping to fix this is part of the reason why I am really excited about the ZURU tech project. ZURU tech is an innovative construction company that is making housing into a production line process without compromising architectural freedom.
By manufacturing most finished materials on-site with mm precision, ZURU Tech can eliminate most on-site waste and reuse the remaining waste from the production process in the factory. A great example of this is our autoclaved, aerated concrete walls (AAC walls). When the pre-autoclave “green cake” material is trimmed, it can be reused in the next batch of walls. The post autoclave product is machined to get its final accuracy and again this waste can be blended back into the raw materials. These walls are then finished and shipped to site where they will fit together like building blocks on site with no waste. This is the type of sustainable thinking we are putting into all our materials and design plans.
One of the goals for the full-scale factory is to have no waste discharge from site for water or materials. This may be challenging, but we are committed to setting ambitious sustainability goals. Things like protective films will be reformed into damp proof membranes. Steel offcuts will be recycled back into product. Solar will be generating power on the roof. The long term goal after this is to produce net zero carbon housing but that is something for another article.
Beyond the factory, we also want to promote sustainability by making houses last as long as possible while still being affordable, energy-efficient, and fully featured. Our goal for the structure of the house is to have a 100-year lifespan, twice as long as most current houses. At the same time, our houses will be well insulated (the walls that are the structure are also the insulation) to reduce energy use and will have smart home systems to better optimise making the house comfortable. Having a full digital model for thermal performance, air flow, HVAC etc with details of the local weather opens up many opportunities for optimization.
ZURU Tech's mission to change the world by reinventing housing and promoting sustainable manufacturing is inspiring. While their goals are ambitious, we are already making great progress towards achieving them. Stay tuned for more updates from ZURU Tech.
If you are interested in what ZURU Tech is doing, have a look at our website, ZURU.tech. If you would like to get in touch with us, our email is Info@ZURU.tech
ZURU Group:
ZURU is on a quest to reimagine tomorrow. Founded in 2003, ZURU Group has rapidly grown and now spans three core divisions ZURU Toys, ZURU Edge (consumer goods) and ZURU Tech (construction).
Known for its cutting-edge software and world-leading automation and manufacturing systems, ZURU has over 5,000 team members in over 30 global locations, making it perfectly placed to continue building its reputation as one of the fastest-growing and most disruptive companies in the world.
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