In 2014 the BRE Innovation Network explored the process of innovation within the built environment. The series will look at solutions at different stages of the innovation cycle and learn from the people behind those innovations.
Our first interview with magnetised flooring technology company IOBAC, explored how to commercialise an innovative solution that challenges the modus operandi of an established sector. The next interview with Ecologic studios a spinout from UCL looking at how to use algae to create living building facades.
We are seeking to showcase the different ways in which innovation occurs within the sector and the different interventions that are needed at each stage along the innovation process. Innovation doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to suddenly change overnight, it can be incremental, it can be subtle changes in products, processes and practices that enable our industry to function better, safer and more profitably.
If the sector is to meet the exacting challenges that have been laid down in Construction 2025, we need to innovate. We need to find ways to more effectively bring innovation through to mainstream practice.
– What are the best innovations that you have seen in the sector?
– What do you see as the key challenge that innovators in the built environment face?
– What lessons would you like to share with innovators in the sector?
– What support do you think the sector needs to ensure the widespread uptake of new ideas and processes?