How can sustainable urban development be promoted and quality of life be enhanced in a dynamic emerging economy like Cambodia? This is going to be explored in the multidisciplinary joint project “Build4People”, which entered the research phase on April 1, 2021. While the University of Hamburg (UHH) is leading the project, the University of Stuttgart is responsible for the work package “Sustainable Building”.
The overall goal of the project is to explore and promote potential sustainable building and urban development practices in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. It also aims to identify ways to implement them in order to promote urban sustainability and provide city dwellers with a higher quality of life. Project objectives also include more energy- and resource-efficient buildings and neighborhoods, significantly reduced pollutant emissions, an increase in urban green spaces, a healthier urban climate, heightened awareness among decision-makers, and more environmentally conscious behavior among citizens.
The University of Stuttgart is researching on the topic of sustainable building
Dirk Schwede from the Institute for Building Energetics, Thermotechnology and Energy Storage (IGTE) at the University of Stuttgart is the head of the work package “Sustainable Building”. The subproject aims to answer the question of how buildings in Phnom Penh can be designed, constructed, and operated to improve quality of life and keep their environmental impacts within sustainable limits now and in the future. The focus here is on people in their built environment. At the same time, the technical dimensions of sustainable building under changing conditions in Cambodia are also to be considered. Locally relevant dimensions of sustainable building are identified by means of research as well as careful consideration of local construction practices and their environmental impact. A roadmap for sustainable technology development will be developed for selected technology fields. To this end, the researchers from the University of Stuttgart will be working together with colleagues from various disciplines at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) in Phnom Penh as well as other scientists from the multidisciplinary project consortium.
“Build4People” subproject partners are the University of Hamburg (general coordination and work package: “Sustainable Urban Transformation”), the Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg (work package: “Behavioral Changes”), the University of Stuttgart (work package: “Sustainable Building”), the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (work package: “Urban Green Spaces”) as well as the industrial partners Eble Messerschmidt Partner (EMP) from Tuebingen (work package: “Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods”) and the INKEK Institute for Climate and Energy Concepts in Kassel (work package: “Urban Climate”).
The “Built4People” joint project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with a total of EUR 2.95 million within the framework of the funding line “SURE: Sustainable Development of Urban Regions”. The project period is from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2025.
Further information can be found on the website of the “Build4People” project.