[This is a short request for contacts in Germany from a fellow researcher, please contact Kirstie directly …]

Germany is frequently cited as being a world leader in green building (along with parts of Scandinavia), often inspiring action in other parts of the world.  To understand why Germany has developed green or more sustainable building practices in advance of other countries, I will visit Germany in February 2013 to investigate this issue through research interviews with green building businesses and policy makers involved in encouraging green building.  I am particularly interested in whether green building practices are being incorporated by the mainstream construction industry.  This research follows on from an extensive study that I have been involved with in the UK, examining green building businesses, many of whom referred to German products or practices which had inspired them.

Green building is an important component of a low carbon economy, and a critical element in helping to meet climate change targets in the UK. By using Germany as a case study I intend to explore how and why Germany’s green building sector is more advanced than in the UK, and to identify how the UK could benefit from Germany’s experience.

If you have suggestions of businesses which it would be useful to contact as part of my research, then I would really like to hear from you.

Kirstie O’Neill

Research Associate

Department of geography, Environment and Earth Sciences

University of Hull

k.oneill@hull.ac.uk

01482 465922