Tag: Dubai

COP28 – Let’s talk about a just transition

Delivering on the Promise of Climate Finance at Last: Edinburgh Science presents the latest in their Climate Co-Lab series at COP28 in Dubai in partnership with Wood Mackenzie

Edinburgh Science, a charity known for its annual Science Festival and education programmes, teamed up with Wood Mackenzie to deliver next in its series of Climate Co-Labs to take place in Dubai during COP28: Delivering on the Promise of Climate Finance at Last on Monday, 4 December.

Edinburgh Science’s Climate Co-Lab series is an established programme of round table meetings that bring senior leaders and decision makers together to share inspiration and come up with solutions to our climate emergency with cross-sectoral approach. 

The focus for this event is on the 2009 pledge that developed nations made to deliver $100bn annually for climate action in developing nations. This pledge has never been met.

Accordingto the net zero 2050 scenario* within Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Transition Outlook, we need to spend approximately $75tn between now and 2050 if we are to achieve the net zero by 2050.That equates to around $2.7tn per year, around 35% higher in real terms than the industry’s average annual spend for the past 12 years.

The $100bn pledge’s replacement, the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) is set to take centre stage at COP28 and its success is vital as a means of tackling the climate crisis. 

The Co-Lab will be chaired by Ed Crooks, Vice-Chair Americas at Wood Mackenzie and a host of a popular WoodMac podcast The Energy Gang, with provocations from:

  • Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Former UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Ambassador Emeritus of Mexico, CEO and Founding partner of onepoint5;
  • Nigel Topping, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion at COP26 where he launched global initiatives like Race To Zero and Race To Resilience, Member UK CCC;
  • Mohamed Sultan, Africa Lead at the Global Methane Hub, he coordinates the strategic development of the organization’s Africa portfolio, overseeing impactful projects at the intersection of development and mitigation efforts within the energy, waste, and agricultural sectors.

Hannah Schlesinger, Director of Development and Marketing at Edinburgh Science said: “Climate Action is not a spectator sport; everyone has a role to play in solving the climate emergency.

“Since our beginning in 1989, Edinburgh Science has been dedicated to programming for the planet, we do this through educating, collaborating and, in this case, convening those who can take rapid and effective action.

“We are going to COP28 because we know we can help engage those with power and resource to engage with difficult questions, in this case how exactly it is we unlock the finance needed to catalyse a global just transition.

“We believe we have the technology and understanding to beat climate change, what we need now is the rapid and determined investment and action to move the dial. We hope this gathering will contribute positively to this.”

Ed Crooks, Vice-Chair, Americas at Wood Mackenzie said: “Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement requires a colossal global programme of investment in low-carbon energy and natural resources. 

“On our calculations, it means spending about $75 trillion between now and 2050, or about $2.7 trillion a year. That is about 35% higher in real terms than the industry’s average annual spending in the past 12 years.

“The scale of the challenge raises some important questions. Where will the capital to finance this level of investment come from? What new financial frameworks do we need to help money flow to where it can have the most impact? How can private and public sectors work together to accelerate this urgently needed investment?

“Wood Mackenzie is very pleased to be teaming up with Edinburgh Science for its Climate Co-Lab to tackle these crucial questions.

“We will explore the lessons of past attempts to direct capital flows, and look for new thinking on financing a just transition. We are bringing together a group of climate leaders with a remarkable breadth of experience and expertise, and we expect to make a real contribution to the debate around COP28.”

During the Co-Lab, participants will be asked:

  • What lessons from past negotiations can ensure the success of the NCQG?
  • What systemic change to global financial architecture are needed to scale and deliver on climate finance?
  • How can we design affordable and attractive financial packages?
  • What instruments are required for a just transition to the net-zero target of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement?
  • How can policy, public finance, private finance, and regulation collaborate to seize climate-positive opportunities?
  • Whilst communities lack a seat at the negotiating table, their role is pivotal in adopting climate-positive solutions. How do we include and mobilise this powerful collective?

FM joins world leaders at COP28

Official opening of the Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus

First Minister Humza Yousaf has joined global leaders to set out Scotland’s ambitions and objectives for COP28 as the climate conference opened in Dubai yesterday.

His first engagement was the official opening of the new Heriot-Watt Dubai Campus with His Majesty King Charles III, showcasing Scotland’s influential higher education sector. The First Minister said the campus helped showcase the leading role Scotland is playing in finding solutions for the biggest challenges facing the planet. 

The First Minister also opened the Scottish Government-supported Multi-Level Action and Urbanisation Pavilion, and met with Global South partners and youth activists to discuss priorities for COP28.

The First Minister later joined senior business and trade leaders, Scottish university representatives, and representatives of the Global Scots network at a St Andrew’s Day reception, with industry-leading Chef Adam Tracey showcasing the best of Scotland’s food and drink.

First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “I am proud of Scotland’s leadership in advocating for climate justice and progressing a just transition to net zero, so it is fitting the official opening of Heriot-Watt University Campus in Dubai takes place on the first day of the world’s largest global climate conference. 

“This new campus will play a leading role in demonstrating the skills and ideas we have in Scotland to help find solutions for the biggest challenges facing the planet.

“The ambitions, enthusiasm and dedication of young people around the world are crucial in tackling climate change and advocating for climate action.

“Globally we need to harness this energy and ensure we are using our collective talent, innovation, and enthusiasm to contribute to finding the solutions that will deliver a net zero future.

“The Scottish Government will continue to call for loss and damage funding that prioritises the needs of vulnerable communities and take a lead on addressing the biodiversity and the climate crisis. I am confident these shared ambitions will be keenly felt by those who attend this vital climate summit, and at home.”

Team Esteem’s in Dubai …

A Team Esteem update from JAIRIS ALVARES

Construction​

Working on our adaptable strategy for modern construction solutions to meet the world’s carbon agenda, we manufactured a world first: a house fully constructed from Scottish-grown and pressed cross laminated timber. A huge collaborative student success of proving the existence and ability for the new industry in the UK, contributing to the development of the local economy.​

The students played a key part in all of the processes in designing and working with industry at all stages, introducing over one hundred young professionals to the sustainable benefits of mass timber production and the solutions required to overcome the technical complexity and associations with using timber as a building material.

The immense effect of celebrating the positive environmental impact and carbon reduction across social media has spread the message to many thousands more people worldwide.​​

Designing to the constraints of transportation via containers, the design required flexibility and de-mountability which challenges the wasteful approach of single-use residential properties that ultimately lead to demolition. ​

Our commitment to reduce embodied carbon is matched with the need to operate a thermally and energy efficient house. Priorities were placed on minimising energy use from manufacture to as-built and continually improving the resilience to the changing climate requirements across both Scotland and Dubai.​

The innovation and solution to creating a low carbon design is further aided with the use of recyclable, natural materials such as hemp insulation and wood fibre rigid insulation. These work with the timber structure to create an organic, safe environment for the occupants, free of emissions and VOC’s often associated with alternative materials. We believe this is a key driver for the success of the design solution and the achievement felt by the students constructing this.

Windcatcher

​The courtyard is integral to the experience of the house as it provides a private outdoor recreational area. Therefore, we had to think creatively to make it a comfortable space.

We looked to regions with warmer climates for inspiration as it was evident that conventional air conditioning systems and fans would not be suitable. The Windcatcher is a hallmark of traditional Persian architecture, but it had to be adapted to fit our design philosophy.​​

When designing our ideal windcatcher, our team reimagined what is usually quite an active, angular structure to one with complex curves and soft edges. Our design incorporates an entirely passive functionality of natural airflow through our concrete model, in alignment with our ethos.​​

Along with the tower, we designed a conformal bench to close off the courtyard. This is an example of creative integration; the bench follows the curves of the tower while fulfilling the criteria for courtyard privacy. ​​

This design was made possible by using 3D printed concrete, provided by Concreative in Dubai. This manufacturing process is truly at the leading edge of construction. ​​

We therefore achieved a creative outdoor cooling solution that requires no power, has almost negligible running costs and is extremely reliable. Fundamentally, the windcatcher is a creative redesign of an age-old concept in order to create an outdoor cooling system in harmony with a modern house.​​

Architecture

​Our house exploits architectural strategies to embrace a balance of open, celebratory community areas and small, focused private spaces. The living room and dining/kitchen area flank the external courtyard, facing each other across retractable triple-glazed doors. ​

The living room and the dining area benefit from luxurious high ceilings, giving an expansive feeling to these rooms, encouraging gathering and communal engagement. Conversely, the bedroom and study are enclosed spaces, wrapped in the thick CLT walls (both internal partitions and external) providing thermal, acoustic and visual separation for quiet enjoyment and focus. ​

Reconciling traditional Emirati architecture and its emphasis on privacy with the open-planned character of Western design posed an even greater challenge for the team. Hence we created a hybrid by using the courtyard as a space that divides the two halves, whilst keeping them connected. ​

The interior design celebrates its engineering: we leave the timber walls visible and tactile where possible,  and enjoy the aesthetic of revealed services runs and some of our high-tech energy-saving solutions; the HVAC runs above the kitchen, the recycled waste brick wall; the water conservation in the bathroom.​

Windows can open, enabling users to decide to welcome in an evening breeze when suitable and to pull hot air from high levels through the house.​​

Website

​To ensure smooth and efficient management of our construction process, we built our own bespoke web-based tracking systems; our talented developers coded internal tools from scratch that allowed us to work smarter. ​​

https://panel.esteem.house​​

QR code stickers were placed on each panel and scanning them would take you directly to that panel’s page. Members could track and monitor the condition of panels to ensure all knowledge was up to date and centralised. Moreover, the intelligent system aids communication with working with the often-unfamiliar material and/or building methodology.​​

We also re-made our website from the ground up to be faster and more aligned to the ESTEEM brand. Using React, we’ve built a modular and component-based foundation that allows us to more easily expand upon as things change.​​

Minecraft

​What started as a crazy idea, quickly evolved into reality as we took on new members to help create an experience of our house unlike any other. We recreated our house in our own Minecraft world, making it accessible to everyone.

It took around 3 months of working out the dimensions – we wanted to make it realistic, but not compromise on the feel – and retexturing the Minecraft assets, pixel by pixel, to show the actual materials that we will be using.

AR/VR

​With the COVID-19 pandemic and continuing travel restrictions, we used augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) to bring the ESTEEM House and its experience to everyone around the world. It is a means to showcase and describe the story behind our innovative ideas and solutions to visitors of the house in an engaging and educational way.​

To make the experience of using the AR experience seamless, we hosted it on Zappar which eliminated the need for users to download an app before use.​

Our creative solution to make VR accessible is to use Mozilla Hubs. It’s web-based and allows several visitors to communicate and discuss amongst themselves during a virtual tour given by a tour guide.

It supports VR headsets but doesn’t require one.

For visitors who meet us in person, we use the Oculus Quest to showcase the VR experience.​These technologies are instrumental in preserving the hard work that we’ve put into the ESTEEM House, especially to showcase areas that aren’t immediately visible.

These experiences will still be accessible even after the competition is over.​

JAIRIS ALVARES

TEAM ESTEEM is the Heriot-Watt Edinburgh Team participating at the Solar-Decathlon Middle East

#SDME2021

We will design a home that adapts to your needs.

“Pride in where, and how, we live”

Team ESTEEM: news from Dubai

The prototype construction phase started on October 24th with the Welcome Ceremony in Dubai, where all the teams participating were introduce to everyone. It was a great experience and something we have been waiting since 2019.

The assembly started on October 25th in which we had to take all the materials, equipment, CLT panels and more from the containers. 

In case you missed our ship journey to Dubai, we had 5 containers, that arrived in London Gateway on September 10th, 2021, and then all containers got transferred to the NAGOYA EXPRESS, which arrived in Dubai on Sunday 12th, of September 2021. 

Alex MacLaren, faculty leader, said: “I have been delighted by the support afforded us by the university and am excited to develop other experiences like this in future years; as a learning experience, but also as an urgent mandate to transform the ‘norm’ in our construction practices. So, who knows- next stop, Solar Decathlon Europe in 2023?”

The calendar you see below will be our journey everyday while in Dubai.

We will be building the house from October 25th to November 8th, which give us a total of 15 days to construct the ESTEEM house.

After that we will have the Opening ceremony where the public is welcome to see our house and interact with all the technologies and innovations we added to the design. 

The exhibition time runs from November 11th to November 25th at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, Dubai.

However, we will have virtual tours for anyone that is not in Dubai, you can book it with our Eventbrite link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/virtual-tours-at-team-esteem-house-dubai-tickets-202875916327

Immagine che contiene tavolo Descrizione generata automaticamente

Martin Juricek, Architecture Leader, said: “Our build in wardrobe was completed and the kitchen fit out is well underway as well. We started fitting plasterboard onto walls in the bedroom.

“We focused on underfloor insulation, cladding and plant room equipment fit out. We run into a lot of issues and as it kept delaying our work we had to have a break where we discussed new more efficient ways of going forward. Overall, it was another difficult day on site but it got us further on the way of construction”

Alakbar Zeynalzade, AudioVisual Leader, added: “Working at the construction site is hard work in the heat of Dubai, especially near midday. Regardless, it’s meaningful work and I enjoy my time there.

“My role is to take pictures and videos whilst I’m there, but I also take part in the construction too. It’s fun solving problems on the site as they arise, e.g. missing piece of equipment so we have to be creative and work around it”

Ahmed Usaamah Ifthikhar; Construction Leader, explained: “The work we did on site helped insulate and cover some of the gaps from the inside and outside. It was useful in understanding how it works.

“We witnessed the wall panels get positioned into place and once this was done, we tightened the bolts. Every day on site helped me learn and understand more about how our building will function and how it will perform in terms of heat gain wise”

Pranav Chachara; Web Developer, said: “While this was a first time experience for me, I had a blast on site.

“Getting hands on with helping out around the house is super fun. I’ve also finally achieved my dream of being Bob the Builder!”

Zuhair Ahmed, Health and Safety Leader, agred: “We faced many challenges such as the inavailability of the labours on afternoon, while we managed to have good progress by ourselves looking forward to complete our house perfectly and win. Count down started and any minute would be valued.” 

As you all might know; at Team ESTEEM, we like to innovate.  Therefore, we have created our ESTEEM house in Minecraft. I know! It is amazing.

We work for almost 3 months planning, building, and refining our design which has allowed us to bring you the ESTEEM House in Minecraft. With the help of Apex Hosting, we are hosting this world for anyone to explore at mc.esteem.house.

We have also hide some little easter eggs for you to find along the way. You can find more information with this link ESTEEM Minecraft House! We wanted to show to everyone our house and give the opportunity for kids to see how engineering can be fun as well. 

Have you heard of Augmented Reality (AR)? Yes? With the help of VRCraftworks, we have created a world where you can come visit the house virtually, interact with the materials and have a meeting with other people. Did I mentioned you can share your screen as well? 

Our house was built by a team of innovative and inspired students and staff, and to showcase their hard work we developed augmented reality interactions placed around the house.

By scanning one of our many QR codes, users will be shown a beautiful 3D image on their smartphone, alongside text describing in detail the planning and decisions our team made in order to create a modern home.

And for those who won’t be able to view the house in person, our virtual reality model of the house will be available on Oculus devices for an immersive off-site tour of the house.

With the help of VRCraftworks, we have created a world where you can come visit the house virtually, interact with the materials  and have a meeting with other people. Did I mentioned you can share your screen as well?

Use this link:

https://hub.link/vnLgAPW

and you will be able to experience it yourself, TeamESTEEM members jump in and out of the world all the time so you might be able to speak to us as well! 

We are working harder than ever as we approach the end of the construction phase.
In order to make the most of our time, we’re installing multiple parts of the house at once. Nearly all of our cassettes (insulation panels) have been attached to the house and we’re working with our sponsors to get the systems and electricals installed.

We need to be exact in the way that we connect our house up as DEWA will be monitoring and measuring our usage and generation which will impact our score! All of the parts of our 3D printed concrete Windcatcher have arrived and we are so excited to see it all together soon!

We are posting everyday about our progress on social media, please follow this link to see the #ESTEEMHouse: 

https://linktr.ee/teamESTEEMHouse

Bon Voyage, ESTEEM House: See you in Dubai!

The prototype construction phase is over, which means the ESTEEM house is on the way to Dubai!

The NAGOYA EXPRESS is currently carrying our 5 containers. It left London for Dubai on Sunday (12 September).

Alex MacLaren, faculty leader, said: “This sort of experience is transformative. The excitement of playing an instrumental part in a project of this size whilst studying for a degree will stay with these students forever; and inform their ambition and confidence in their future careers.

I have been delighted by the support afforded us by the university and am excited to develop other experiences like this in future years: as a learning experience, but also as an urgent mandate to transform the ‘norm’ in our construction practices. So, who knows – next stop, Solar Decathlon Europe in 2023?”

Sustainability is essential to the future comfort of people on this planet. We’re glad to have been able to work with our partners, university and course leaders to develop, innovate, and now can share that on a global stage.

We have been working on the project for over 2 and a half and with the competition starting in less than a month. We are getting the team ready and trained to showcase the innovative ideas and technologies our ESTEEM house has. 

Jessica Haskett, Construction Manager, said: “This prototype experience has been the culmination of over 2 years of collaborative design work.  The interdisciplinary working has allowed me to share thoughts and challenges with students that study a variety of subjects and, together, engineer some of the best solutions.

“Being hands-on with construction work is a professional opportunity – I have placed some knowledge given through academia into practicality, in a way that my courses hadn’t done previously.

“Team ESTEEM has connected me with many industry professionals and offered an opportunity that I was not able to get due to my academic placement cancellation. Managing the team on site every day is a challenge but with the support of the student team, we have ensured that nothing is insurmountable, and we continue to celebrate our pride in the project every day”

There were many challenges on the way, but we managed to accomplish the prototype and shipping stage of our project with collaboration and teamwork. 

Alex explained further: “Shipping a whole house, in prefabricated components, was always going to be a major challenge.

“We were working with key sponsors and partners who have experience of this, so we used that expertise in every possible way: from advice about import/export and Customs (a very complex area now!) to strategies for container loading and the very significant haulage logistics”

We asked Alex some other questions and this is what she shared with us:

-How was working with students and recent graduates from Heriot Watt University? 

This really was an experience of learning alongside the students: the logistics of deconstruction and shipping were new to me as well. There were some very tough times; changes in scheduling and unexpected challenges with freight timetable changes and container availability: and it was being part of the wider Team ESTEEM that helped to keep my spirits up, and my outlook optimistic.

“This is a really ‘can do’ team: and also, a team of hard grafters. There are 78 timber CLT panels and 43 prefabricated insulated cassettes in this build: making each one of those is a combination of focus, precision, manual labor – and of course it gets repetitive and exhausting! But that didn’t stop anyone: and the camaraderie on site was wonderful.

-What was the most exciting thing that happened during the construction?

We have one very large CLT component; it forms the upstand for our south-sloping roof and has a number of window apertures; it’s a really core part of the three-dimensional experience of the house. But it’s a fragile and complicated panel in its own way, and the lifting plan was complicated and required input and advice from structural engineers and the crane operatives. Seeing that panel rise overhead and then be bolted into position was a very big moment for all of us.

There was also something wonderful about seeing the panels squeeze into place in the containers; we’d been rehearsing a three-dimensional virtual jigsaw puzzle in our computer drawings (we called it ‘container jenga’) to ensure that we were making the most efficient packing schedule we could, reducing our carbon footprint and optimizing our operation. It worked: at times only just-!- but it was almost unbelievable to see those little 3d jigsaws in their massive, real-life scale!

-The collaboration with sponsors, logistics and organization.

My list of people ‘without whom we couldn’t have done this’ just grows and grows. This project has been an edifying reminder of how good people are. From our colleagues on site and in the factory to our sponsors overseas and around the country, people pulled out all the stops to get this project ready and get their kit to us for shipping against a very tight deadline. We’ve called in favours from all over the university and from friends and partners beyond the many logos displayed on our webpage. A massive, massive thank you to everyone involved- you know who you are!

Some team members shared their experiences of being on site:

Simon Klekot, head of HR & Recruitment: “Being involved in Construction Site gives me a different perspective of the project than doing my HR and Recruitment job. I learn so many technical aspects of engineering which I even will be able to use in the future in things like my own house refurbishment“

Srivathsan Karunanithi, Health and Safety Officer: “I had an amazing time with the prototype, and I learned a lot. With the house now being off to Dubai I feel really excited and thrilled to see that happening”

Carlos Fitzpatrick, Audiovisual: “I’ve learnt so much on this construction site. From practical skills to theoretical knowledge, simply being a part of the construction has been extremely fruitful for me and the way I think about engineering. Having just finished the first year, being able to learn a lot from older students was a great bonus”

This is the beginning of a new chapter for team ESTEEM, with the competition starting soon we are preparing and finalizing the design, planning and deliverables.

This is the second time Heriot-Watt University has participated in a Solar Decathlon Competition and it might not be the last time that we see HWU students transforming the construction industry!

TEAM ESTEEM

Heriot Watt University