Hi everyone! Welcome to “the uncommon senses” Podcast. In this series, “Sustainable Living Pod”, we collaborate with Sustainable Smart Campus as a Living Lab in HKUST and explore technologies and projects by faculties and students that create a change to sustainability on campus and beyond. I'm your host, Telia.
Construction, an essential sector driving economic growth and infrastructure development, unfortunately, comes with a heavy environmental cost. The construction industry is notorious for its significant contribution to pollution, resource depletion, and waste generation. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), it contributes to nearly 39% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. In Hong Kong, the construction sector is estimated to generate over 20 million tons of construction waste annually, making it one of the major waste streams in the city.
Joining us today are Samuel and Zac from the department of civil engineering in HKUST, the co-founders from TerraGreen, which is a startup supported by SSC. Their product, Eco-Brix, is a sustainable construction material produced using wastes. Let’s dive in and see how Eco-bricks was developed, and how it promotes circularity in construction.
00:00 Introduction of eco-bricks
7:25 Technology behind eco-bricks
12:38 Making of Terra Green Start-up
15:40 Zac and Samuel’s PhD journey
21:27 Eco-bricks awards: 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva
26:41 Delving into the business world as engineers
28:51 Eco-bricks & other sustainable construction materials
34:43 The Uncommon Senses!
36:38 Ending!! Samuel and Zac reflecting their 10-year Journey in HKUST