This week we speak to Joanna Clarke, Design Manager of Swansea University’s SPECIFIC project. SPECIFIC focuses on energy technologies and systems, from the fundamental science of materials and products to full-scale demonstration on buildings. These principles link together in one design concept called Active Buildings, in which buildings are designed to generate, store and release their own renewable energy. We discuss with Joanna the challenges that designers face when designing energy efficient buildings and how innovative projects such as SPECIFIC can lay the foundation for greener, cleaner housing.

Joanna has developed the ‘Active Buildings Toolkit’ in order to share the principles and learnings from Active Buildings, with the aim of encouraging others to adopt or improve on them and to support wider uptake of low carbon designs.

Learn more about SPECIFIC and Active Buildings: www.specific.eu.com/what-are-active-buildings