Sustainable Housing Research Centre launched

PESHAWAR: The Sustainable Housing Research Centre (SHRC) was launched at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) on Wednesday to address the challenges of construction causing environmental hazards and economic problems.

The project is funded by the Higher Education Commission under the Technology Development Fund.

Prof Dr MA Irfan, Dean Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, UET Peshawar, inaugurated the centre in presence of senior officials. The researchers have introduced innovative low-cost construction material with mud and concrete panels possessing multiple benefits and sustainability aspects. Because of its lightweight and rapid construction time, the mud-insulated panel technology is capable of resisting high magnitude earthquakes and is energy efficient and culturally acceptable. These are the features with which project team, led by Dr Muhammad Adil, principal investigator of SHRC, is confident of giving desired results after performing successful experimental testing of SMIP in collaboration with Norwest Group Ltd.

Dr Adil said the SHRC is aimed at providing low-cost sustainable construction material and technology to the general public. The facility incorporates applied research as it has introduced new approaches to retrofitting techniques for residential places. He said, located at the heart of Peshawar city, this small centre is alive with student researchers and thrives on collaboration with industry, adding, “the centre is geared to engage policymakers and industry for sustainable construction and make it a policy agenda for Pakistan in coming years”.

On the sidelines, an awareness workshop was also arranged to brief the government officials and professionals about the centre’s objectives and its current activities. Dr Adil said the two projects are already underway in Buner and Peshawar which will open a new way for sustainable construction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The workshop participants appreciated the environment-friendly features of these technologies.