Challenge Prize launched to examine construction and freight emissions

Following the success of last year’s Breathable Cities, Growth Studio have announced they will be working with Impact on Urban Health on a new project: The Air Quality Challenge Prize.

The Prize is designed to understand polluting emissions from construction and freight, scoping the challenges facing industry and identifying the opportunities available to ignite change.

The Growth Studio team will be working with business leaders, industry decision makers and operational decision makers in construction and freight. The research feedback will identify which areas could be addressed to improve air quality, what barriers there are to adopt possible new approaches, how industry might work with innovative companies to accelerate change and which areas Impact on Urban Health could best support.

The team are keen to speak to all the interested parties involved in building, construction, freight and transport as well as the innovators focused on lowering emissions in these sectors. The contact for this in the first instance is paul@growthstudio.com.

The Air Quality Challenge Prize aligns with Impact on Urban Health’s mission to improve the health of people in Lambeth and Southwark and hopes to impact better health outcomes as a result.

This project is part of Growth Studio’s wider set of air quality initiatives, including a new air pollution knowledge and innovation hub, currently being developed to launch Breathable Cities 2.0 later this year.

Breathable Cities launched in 2023 in partnership with Impact on Urban Health as the world’s first and largest startup accelerator programme dedicated to supporting UK startups committed to resolving air pollution.

By the end of the 14 week programme, 11 air quality startups had raised over £6 million and many had commenced test pilots with local government & industry partners. The Breathable Cities programme secured the support of the London Mayor’s office and air pollution campaigner, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah.

Paul Finch, co-founder of Growth Studio and lead architect for Breathable Cities. said: ‘We are excited to be working with Impact on Urban Health in 2024. Research shows that construction sites, freight and transport are major causes of urban air pollution. We are committed to understanding the challenges facing industry, together with the solutions to improve air quality for disadvantaged communities. This analysis work will help us curate Breathable Cities 2 and the development of a global set of activities, placing London at the heart of air quality innovation.’

The Air Quality Challenge Prize has already commenced and Breathable Cities 2.0 will launch in Autumn 2024.

Ben Pearce, Portfolio Manager for the Health Effects of Air Pollution Programme at Impact on Urban Health, said: ‘Air pollution devastates people’s health in urban areas, and it disproportionately affects minoritised communities, people in lower income areas and children. Construction and freight are two of the major sources of air pollution in London.

‘From our previous work with Growth Studio, we know they’re experts in working with innovators in the clean air space. So we’re delighted to be working with Growth Studio again to explore the potential for scalable solutions to reduce air pollution within the construction and freight sectors.’