Zero waste construction/Circular economy

Research conducted during the preparation of WMCA's Circular Economy Routemap found that the construction industry is responsible for over 50% of the waste produced in the West Midlands. The move to a circular economy can extend the life cycle of the resources used to make products, reducing or eliminating waste. It can also drive clean economic growth and the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs in low carbon and green technologies.

The transition to a circular economy-one which encourages the repair, reuse and regeneration of resources and materials as well the use of renewable energy-is seen as critical if the West Midlands is to achieve its target of becoming a net zero carbon region within the next 20 years. Homes for the Future will support the move towards more sustainable construction materials, generating skills and talent within the region, and will encourage a shift to more locally and sustainably sourced construction materials with a consequent reduction in the waste of construction materials.

Retrofit

WMCA has ambitious plans to retrofit 50,000 homes across the West Midlands, targeting older homes that have low energy efficiency and cause households to pay far too much on their energy bills.

As well as supporting WMCA's ambition to become net zero by 2041, modern construction techniques will also contribute to improvements in local employment and training. The Homes for the Future Strategy also helps to ensure that we are not constructing more homes that will need to be retrofitted in the future.

Climate adaptation and resilience

Rising temperatures bring changing weather patterns and climate-related hazards, including (but not limited to) longer and more frequent heatwaves, increased flood risk, disrupted supply chains, power cuts and water scarcity. The West Midlands built environment is designed for past and current – rather than future – climate scenarios. There is a need to adapt how we design properties and the materials we use to build them to ensure that they are resilient against climate-related impacts.

The Homes for the Future Strategy will improve the resilience of new developments to heat-related risks through consideration of:

• passive design options, protecting properties and occupants from the risk of heat stress and overheating
• ventilation and airflow to prevent overheating and improvement of air quality
• comprehensive overheating analysis to ensure all habitable parts of the property are comfortable and liveable for occupants
• fabric performance under future climate scenarios
• the BRE Home Quality Mark to demonstrate that property design has accounted for climate risks to health and wellbeing and running costs of the build

Homes for the Future