Category Archives: News

BGD PI, Prof. Čedo Maksimović, to participate in the 2014 China Development Forum

Prof. Prof. Čedo Maksimović, Principal Investigator (PI) of the Blue Green Dream Project, will participate in the 2014, China Development Forum in Beijing (22-24 March, 2014). This influential forum provides an unique opportunity for business and academic leaders from around the world to meet with Chinese government leaders and business peers.

Blue Green Dream makes a splash at world’s largest showcase of sustainable building products

On Wednesday, March 5th, 2014, Prof. Cedo Maksimovic, leader of the Blue Green Dream Project, delivered a talk at Ecobuild: the world’s largest showcase of sustainable building products and solutions – www.ecobuild.co.uk

In 2013, Ecobuild attracted 43,542 professionals from 121 countries, with 67% of the Top 30 Clients in Barbour ABI’s Building’s Business Barometer attending, who represent a project value of £27billion.

In response to Prof. Maksimovic’s talk at Ecobuild 2014, Dr David Lowry, consultant and policy analyst for Sustainable Building, the premier resource for news on the sustainable building and energy sector, wrote a letter to London’s leading newspaper The Evening Standard, stating:

“One of the most fascinating presentations came from the Urban Water Research Group at Imperial College.  Professor Maksimovic unveiled his vision of the Blue-Green Dream for re-engineering London, to minimize the impact of future flooding with an innovative and integrated use of vegetation (tree cover for shade and to absorb rainfall, water system management, including all London’s rivers, and land, along with smarter landscape architecture and building planning).

He made the point that we have to stop paving or concreting over gardens for ca-parking, as London is losing the equivalent of 25 Hyde Parks every ten years – a staggering loss of green space and building up urban flooding problems.”

The Blue Green Dream (BGD) is now calling for a full BGD feasibility Study for London.

A key aim of this investigation would be to amass an unimpeachable evidence base for the use of Blue Green Solutions to manage overflows from London’s sewer system. Blue Green Solutions represent a robust, low-cost and eco-innovative alternative to the planned £4.6billion, Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Subsequently, an article by David Lowry on the Blue Green Dream – Is blue-green infrastructure the way forward? – has been published in Sustainable Building.

At the event, Prof. Maksimovic gave an an interview which is available from this link.  You can also view a video of his presentation.

For further information about the Blue Green Dream, contact BGD Project Manager Dr Karl Smith: kmsmith@imperial.ac.uk