February 25, 2021

“Modern World, Recycled Glass” Guest lecturing for Architectural students at Wales Institute of Science and Art, UWTSD

Delighted to have delivered two sessions of lectures to first year Architectural students from University of Wales Trinity Saint David with the topic “Modern World, Recycled Glass”.

The topic was [of course] all about my passion of recycled glass, our future economy, wellbeing, sustainable living and locally sourced materials/products. I want to inspire the future architects to make sustainable choices using recycled, sustainable, and short travelled building and construction materials for their future architectural projects. The students got an insight of the development of the fused recycled glass material, its integrity, material testing and product development, followed up by how the research and interdisciplinary project of the IQ reception desk was formed.

In 2015, [at the time of the planning permission of the new IQ building were granted], I presented a unique research and teaching project for the senior management of UWTSD.  My project proposal created a chain of changes and important amendments in the Sustainability Principles for the SA1 Waterfront Development, June 2015.  “The amendment developed the opportunity to use the creative design and environmental skills of staff and learners within UWTSD for the development of the new academic building at the Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter” And this became the starting point of the IQ reception desk and subsequently the formation of my business.

If our future generation is to make good choices, it is not only about presenting the material or the solution and say to them, “use this” but to allow the younger generation to get an insight in how things have developed and how they can make good choices of their future career.

Circularity of the materials, sustainable choices, and not at least, choosing locally sourced material is all important decisions that we all need to make. I hope I have inspired the students to “dig little bit deeper” into what recycled material are available in Wales, who produces the material/products, when will the material/products be used, where will the material/product fit within the existing market, why using a local material/product, and how much will it cost?