September 2024
Top green construction expert joins university in new sustainable innovations role
By Melanie Hall
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A top green building expert has joined University College Birmingham in a new and innovative role designed to educate construction students on the latest sustainable methods and technologies.
Zachary Small, Director of the Alliance of Green Builders, will be sharing his expertise with the new pipeline of talent coming through from the University in an industry crying out for young professionals with modern building skills.
Birmingham born and bred Zachary has run SMEs based around sustainable construction since 2019 and is currently formalising this by studying an MSc in green building at the Centre for Alternative Technology.
He said he was excited about his new role in the construction team.
“We need more than 200,000 new construction workers to meet demand in the UK by 2025 and it’s crucial they have the right skills to know how to build sustainably, from conversations around waste in the industry to how to incorporate innovative new materials and practices into their projects,” he said. “It’s a great time to be joining the University. We’re looking at lots of things, including introducing college level courses around retrofitting, which has a vital role to play in sustainable building practices.”

Deborah Bunce, Head of Construction at University College Birmingham, said Zachary, son of former Warwickshire and England cricketer Gladstone Small, was an indispensable member of the team.
“Zachary brings a wealth of experience to the team, ensuring our students – and our teaching staff – are always bang up-to-date with sustainable construction methods,” she said. “Our courses are all taught in our Centre for Sustainable Construction, a former printworks which, in itself, was retrofitted, parts of it by our students.”
Visitors to this year's Construction Week show at the NEC, Birmingham, on 1-3 October, employers will be able to meet Zachary and the team and find out how they can can work together to meet regional construction needs. They can also discover more about University College Birmingham’s range of apprenticeships, as well as its Higher National Certificates, where students spend one day at the University and the rest in the workplace.
They can also meet construction students themselves at the stand and see some of their work on the digital screens.
Find out more about University’s college and degree level courses, HNCs and apprenticeships.
"Zachary brings a wealth of experience to the team, ensuring our students – and our teaching staff – are always bang up-to-date with sustainable construction methods."
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