Worksop firm part of Government's £350 million green recovery plans

The multimillion pound investment package announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, will drive forward progress on the UK’s target to reach net zero by 2050, by helping businesses to decarbonise across the heavy industry, construction, space and transport sectors and to secure the UK’s place at the forefront of green innovation.

For the construction industry, £36 million is being made available for projects using state-of-the-art technology to reduce build costs, design errors and carbon emissions in the construction industry.

Laing O’Rourke is leading a new project that includes Cambridge University and Sheffield University to produce a product-based approach to design and construction that will cut operational carbon emissions through a reusable structural system, demonstrate productivity improvements in each delivery phase and use a product-based architecture with repeatable interfaces to provide quality and certainty in delivery.

The project is one of nine across the UK that will share £26 million to demonstrate the feasibility of new techniques – such as highly advanced digital blueprints or ’clones’ of buildings, which will make advanced predictions about a building’s energy performance and improve efficiency.

Mr Johnson said: “We’ve made great strides towards our net zero target over the last year, but it’s more important than ever that we keep up the pace of change to fuel a green, sustainable recovery as we rebuild from the pandemic.

“The UK now has a huge opportunity to cement its place at the vanguard of green innovation, setting an example worldwide while growing the economy and creating new jobs.

“That’s why we’re backing cutting edge research to cut costs and carbon across our great British industries, and even paving the way for the first ever zero emission long haul passenger flight – so that our green ambitions remain sky high as we build back better for both our people and our planet.”