Population ageing presents significant challenges for many countries, one of which is the provision of adequate housing. Developing understanding of the needs and preferences of ageing societies will be crucial in order to assist in the provision of suitable housing and communities that are sustainable in the long term. While a preference to ‘age in place’ is clear in the literature, comparatively less academic research is available on older people’s preferences for more specific housing and environment attributes. The aim of this study is to identify the main housing and environment characteristics that are linked to the health and wellbeing of the elderly and determine the preferences for such characteristics via a survey with UK residents aged 55+. The results indicate a strong preference for independent living and an increasing desire for bungalows in later life. Housing conditions, energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and home adaptions to facilitate ageing in place are particularly important housing characteristics to older people. The location and environment are also key drivers of housing preferences; a safe neighbourhood, accessibility to amenities, public transport, and a clean and walkable environment are particularly important. Preferences varied with age, but gender has a less significant impact on the preferences expressed. The findings of this study will be valuable for stakeholders engaged in housing policy and provision for older people.

Under the India “Housing for all” scheme, 20 million urban houses have to be constructed by 2022, which requires the rate of construction to be around 8000 houses/day. Previous results by the team show that present design methods for affordable buildings and structures in India need improvement. The challenges are the disposal of solid waste generated from agro-industrial activities and the energy peak demand in extremely hot and cold seasons. The development of bio-based urban infrastructure which can adapt to the climatic conditions has been proposed. Inclusion of sustainable materials such as agro-industrial by-products and insulation materials has resulted in effective environmental sustainability and climate change adaptability. Precast components are highlighted as a suitable solution for this purpose as well as to fulfil the need of mass housing. India has a lesser record in implementing this prefab technology when compared to a global view. For the first time, a novel and sustainable prefab housing solution is tested for scale-up using industrial waste of co-fired blended ash (CBA) and the results are presented here. A model house of real scale measuring 3 × 3 × 3 m³ was considered as a base case and is compared with 17 other combinations of model house with varying alignment of prefab panels. Comparison was made with commercially available fly ash brick and CBA brick with a conventional roof slab. A simulation study was conducted regarding cost and energy analysis for all the 18 cases. Various brick and panel compositions with CBA for housing were tried and the superior composition was selected. Similarly, 18 model houses of real scale were simulated, with different combinations of walls made of bricks or panels and different building orientations, to check the impact on energy peak cooling and cost. Results show that peak cooling load can be reduced by six times with bio-based prefab panels. Prefab construction can be considered for mass housing ranging above 100 housing units, each consisting of an area of 25 m².

Reinforced concrete crack repair and maintenance costs are around 84% to 125% higher than construction costs, which emphasises the need to increase the infrastructure service life. Prolongation of the designed service life of concrete structures can have significant economic and ecological benefits by minimising the maintenance actions and related increase of carbon and energy expenditure, making it more sustainable. Different mechanisms such as diffusion, permeation and capillary action are responsible for the transport of fluids inside the concrete, which can impact on the structure service life. This paper presents data on microbially induced repair and self-healing solutions for cementitious materials available in the contemporary literature and compares results of compressive strength test and capillary water absorption test, which are relevant to their sealing and mechanical characteristics. The results of the repair and self-healing solutions (relative to unassisted recovery processes) were “normalized.” Externally applied bacteria-based solutions can improve the compressive strength of cementitious materials from 13% to 27%. The internal solution based solely on bacterial suspension had 19% improvement efficacy. Results also show that “hybrid” solutions, based on both bio-based and non-bio-based components, whether externally or internally applied, have the potential for best repair results, synergistically combining their benefits.

The UK faces an urgent challenge to simultaneously accelerate housing delivery and reduce whole-life carbon emissions, yet robust empirical evidence on the carbon performance of modular steel housing remains limited. This study aims to quantify the carbon impacts of a modular light-gauge steel frame social housing dwelling in the UK and to benchmark its performance against contemporary low-carbon construction typologies. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment was conducted using primary project data from a real modular housing development, with embodied carbon modelled in One Click LCA and operational energy assessed through SAP 10.2-verified datasets. The results indicate a total whole-life carbon footprint of 91.3 tCO₂e over a 50-year period, with embodied emissions (A1–A3) accounting for 38.2% and operational energy and water use contributing 48.1%. The normalised embodied carbon intensity of 366 kgCO₂e/m² (A1–A5) is comparable to recent high-performing cross-laminated timber buildings, demonstrating that optimised modular steel systems can allow for low-carbon outcomes typically associated with bio-based construction. Sensitivity analysis shows that low-carbon foundation concrete, bio-based insulation, and steel optimisation can reduce upfront emissions by approximately 8–10%. Dynamic energy simulations were also used to assess how different design choices influence operational carbon emissions. This study provides transparent, real-project evidence of the whole-life carbon performance of UK modular light-gauge steel frame housing and identifies practical design strategies for further decarbonisation. The findings support informed decision-making for policymakers, designers, and housing providers seeking scalable, low-carbon residential solutions.