Tackling the Sustainable Buildings challenge

Through a comprehensive package of support, including access to a brand new environmental test chamber, Coventry University is helping West Midlands SMEs to take on new opportunities for low carbon building technologies.

The regional market in low carbon building technologies is estimated to be worth £1.7bn - with the international market presenting much greater opportunities.  However, the transition to a low carbon construction sector inevitably requires a general up-skilling of all parts of the supply chain.

The Sustainable Building Futures (SBF) project, fully funded by Coventry University and the European Regional Development Fund, is dedicated to assisting small to medium sized businesses based in the West Midlands region to ensure that they do not miss out on the new business opportunities.  Through the project, entrepreneurs and companies are able to access a broad range of free assistance they need to secure a share of the market for low carbon building technologies.

The free support encompasses product development and testing, access to state-of-the-art equipment supported by dedicated technical staff, the provision of building monitoring measurements, and an environmental data archiving service.  It also includes access to an environmental test chamber, solar tracking equipment, building performance data and portable performance monitoring equipment.

The SBF project also provides a broad range of free targeted training workshops and seminars delivered by experts in their field.