Hisham Hafez Archives

Barriers and enablers for use of compressed earth blocks

Compressed Earth Blocks (CEBs) are a low carbon, low cost construction product that are considered by many to be the go-to sustainable masonry wall solution for low-cost buildings. However, although their use was prototyped in many Global South countries, and special building codes were issued to allow their use, the material has not yet succeeded on a commercial level. This inspired TransFIRe researcher Hisham Hafez, alongside colleagues Alastair Marsh and Deena El-Mahdy, to look into the barriers and enablers for scaled-up adoption of CEDs in Egypt. Using a combination of surveys and interviews carried out amongst architects, CEB manufacturers and academics, the researchers set out to determine the challenges that were faced. The majority of respondents agreed that socio-economic barriers for CEBs are more significant than technical barriers. These included CEBs being unfamiliar to most architects and builders, and that most clients perceive CEBs as ‘low-quality’ or ‘inaesthetic’. Most [...]

Our shared understanding: a circular economy in the built environment

We need to transition to a circular economy if we are to solve our global systemic challenges: climate change mitigation and adaption, biodiversity loss and social equity. We won’t hit our net zero targets if we don’t. TransFIRe researchers from the University of Leeds recently contributed to “Our Shared Understanding”, a report put together by a panel of world-leading experts to explore the core concepts that inform the transition to a circular economy. By holding these principles in common we can align policies, strategies and initiatives, enabling the built environment industries to work together across the globe to work together towards a common goal, with coordinated action. This report was launched at the World Circular Economy Forum 2023 and is aimed at policymakers, business leaders and future leaders in the built environment – both circular economy experts and non-experts. The launch event can be watched here. The call to [...]