IGNITION Living Lab Fosters Collaborative Research
The IGNITION Living Lab at the University of Salford is transforming urban sustainability. It is an open air research center — a hands-on laboratory where Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) like Living walls, Green roof, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) trees and Rain garden are tested in real time. These projects are practical, measurable, and designed to combat climate change. The laboratory offers researchers a unique chance to work on real-world sustainable urban development. It is open for collaboration, inviting researchers, public, stakeholders in industry and government to join in creating lasting change.
IGNITION’S Growing Impact: Visits from Schools, Universities, and International Academics
The IGNITION Living Lab has captured widespread attention, drawing visitors from across the UK and beyond. These visits highlight the growing interest in NBS and how they can be implemented in real-world scenarios. Recent visitors include primary schools from the Northwest, keen to explore similar green infrastructure projects that align with the Department for Education’s (DfE) National Education Nature Park initiative. The enthusiasm from these young learners is a testament to the importance of educating future generations about sustainability.
Academics from universities based in Italy, Brazil, China, and many others came to visit IGNITION to learn how our facility can be adapted to their own university campuses
and in cities worldwide. Internally, staff and students from the University of Salford have made IGNITION a focal point for their research, with many incorporating the Living Lab into their academic projects. Students from other universities in the Northwest visit IGNITION as part of their academic curriculum to learn about sustainable urban design. These examples show the facility’s
influence as a leading example of how NBS can shape the cities of tomorrow.
Data-Driven Success
The IGNITION team has made progress in collecting and analysing data from the Living Lab’s diverse systems. The development of a unified dashboard that integrates data from various sensors, allowing researchers to track and visualise energy and water usage seamlessly. This platform provides clear, actionable insights that enhance the lab’s research and operations. In addition, 24/7 monitoring through CCTV cameras captures real-time data on the green wall and roof, offering researchers continuous access for detailed analysis. All data is securely stored on a cloud-hosted platform, ensuring easy export and facilitating further research efforts. These advancements mark a key step in IGNITION’s mission to drive sustainable urban solutions through data-driven research. We are happy to collaborate with researchers and students on topics such as thermal performance, hydrology, environmental perceptions, and experiences, for which we have unique data, further enriching these research areas.
Our research team continues to analyse data from the IGNITION project, focusing on human interaction, ecology, thermal performance of green infrastructure, and hydrology. We are always open to interdisciplinary collaboration. If you are interested in exploring new research avenues together, please let us know.
Our research team is in discussions with Manchester City Council (MCC) to develop a project exploring environmental perceptions of streetscape greenery among culturally diverse communities in Manchester. In collaboration with MCC and the communities in Rusholme and Moss Side, the project aims to understand their needs and values around greenery and empower them to design their ideal streets. While still in the planning stages, our researcher’s acceptance into the Research Development Cohort is helping us explore funding opportunities to bring this initiative to life, underscoring our commitment to growth and expanding our research capabilities.
We are also excited about our recently published paper on water stress ”Thermographic Analysis of Green Wall and Green Roof Plant Types under Levels of Water Stress” and ongoing work on environmental perceptions and experiences. Stay tuned for more updates.
Snapshots of IGNITION: Photos from Meetings and Events
Professor Elkadi representing Salford Mayor,
Paul Dennett, at the Mayoral meeting in
Anderson, SC. The meeting focused on
sustainability, with thematic labs covering:
- Mobility for All
- Renewable Energy & Sustainability
- Start-Ups & Incubators
- Economic Equity
- Arts & Culture
- Sports & Health
Professor Elkadi was featured as an invited
speaker on the Dutch blog “Building Green”,
where he shared insights on sustainable
urban development and how ecological
principles can create smarter, more resilient
cities.
Professor Elkadi delivered a keynote speech
at Tsinghua University on Urban Green Infrastructure, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of green walls, alongside the CIB Board meeting in Beijing. Tsinghua University, ranked first in Asia and within the top 20 globally in the 2024 QS World Rankings, provided a prestigious platform for this discussion on sustainable urban development.
Professor Elkadi led a panel discussion on
“Nature-Based Solutions in Middle Eastern
Cities: Steps to Rebuild Back Better” at the Blue Zone during COP28 in Dubai. The session focused on innovative approaches to urban sustainability and the potential for nature-based solutions to address climate challenges in the region.
Professor Elkadi delivered a keynote speech
titled “Green and Smart Urban Futures:
From Prevention to Protection in a Climate
Change World.” The event was attended by University of salford Pro Vice Chancellor Jo
Purves and the Director of the British
Council in Hà Nội, Donna McGowan.
RELEVANT PROJECTS
New Successful Project Bids
Elkadi, H., Biscaya, S. and Biona, J (2024). Air Quality Improvement and Resilience through Urban Morphology and Environment (AIRWISE), De La Salle University, Philippines.
Biscaya S. and Elkadi H. (2024). Bolstering Resilience and Environmental Air Quality Through Transformative Healthy Emission Transport in Cities, RIDA, UK Government (BREATHE).
Kenawy I and Elkadi H (2024). The participatory approach addressing artificial intelligence in Architecture (BE-0), Going Global Fund, The British Council, Napier University.
Elkadi, H. (2023). Autonomous Vehicles for Maintenance of Urban Green Infrastructure (ALERT), UKRI
support Fund.
Submitted Projects
Elkadi, H. and Pongpiachan, S. (2025). Decarbonisation of Urban Transit Oriented Development in Bangkok, (CURE) ISPF, British Council Thailand, Under review.
Almaiyah, S and Elkadi, H. (2025). BASRA CLEAN AIR STRATEGY: Monitoring air quality in the Al Zubair District and residential properties, Collaboration with Loughborough University, Basra Regional
Government, Government of Iraq, Under review.
Elkadi, H. and Le Thui, H. (2024). Decarbonisation of Urban Transport Development (CURE), Hanoi University of Transport and Communication, Department of Innovation Science and Technology, under
review.
SOME REFEREED ARTICLES AND CONFERENCES/KEYNOTE SPEECHES
Relevant Refereed Articles
Elkadi H, Seifhashemi M, and Lauwerijssen R. (2024). Thermographic Analysis of Greenwall and
Green Roof Plant Types under Levels of Water Stress, Sustainability, 16, 8685. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198685
Heysham, N. and Elkadi, H. (2024) Social Capital Geospatial Network for Furniture-making: impacts of long-term social bonds on city fabric and industry competitiveness, Sustainability, in press
Elmarakby, E. and Elkadi, H. (2024). Comprehending Particulate Matter Dynamics in Transit-Oriented Developments: Traffic as a Generator and Design as a Captivator, Journal of Science of
Total Environment, Volume 931, 172528, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172528
Elmarakby E. and Elkadi H. (2024). Impact of urban morphology on Urban Heat Island in
Manchester’s transit-oriented development, Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 142813,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140009
Elmarakby E, Elkadi H (2024). Prioritising urban heat island mitigation interventions: Mapping a heat
risk index, Science of the total environment 948, 174927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174927
Almaiyah, S., Martinson, B., and Elkadi, H. (2024). Evaluation of the indoor environment in a historic
museum during the lockdown period in Northwest England, Building Research and Information,
Routledge, https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2024.2339207
Elmarakby E, Elkadi H, (2023). Assessing Non-Exhaust Emissions (NEE) and Traffic Flow
Correlation in Transit-Oriented Developments: A Case Study in Manchester City, Proceeding: The
11th International Conference On Sustainable Development ICSD 2023, 164
Biscaya, S. and Elkadi, H. (2023). A Catalyst Approach for Smart Ecological Urban Corridors at
Disused Waterways, The European context, Journal of Urban Planning, Volume 8, Issue 3, Pages
X–X, ISSN: 2183–7635 https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6866
Gabr, M. and Elkadi, H. (2024). The Impact of Investment in University Campus Open Spaces on the
Student Experience: An Assessment of Universities in the UK and USA. https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202304.0390/v1
Seifhashemi, M. and Elkadi, H. (2023). Aesthetic Appealing Wall Insulation: A novel approach for uptake of solid wall insulation in the UK. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109550
Relevant Conferences/ Keynote speeches
Elkadi, H., Lauwerijssen,R. and Seifhashemi M. (2025). Monitoring green wall and green roof plants
using thermal cameras: Analyse plant temperature under levels of drought stress, World Building
Congress, 19-23 May 2025, Purdue, USA.
Elkadi, H. and Heysham N. (2025). IGNITION Living Lab: Lessons Learnt from Retrofit Nature-based
Solutions, World Building Congress, 19-23 May 2025, Purdue, USA.
Elkadi, H. and Biscaya S. (2025). Clearing the Air: Comparative Analysis of Transport Pollution in
Manchester, Bangkok, and Yangon, World Building Congress, 19-23 May 2025, Purdue, USA.
Seifhashemi M. and Elkadi, H. (2024). Addressing Water Stress: Implications for Green Infrastructure
Planning and Sustainable Design, 7th International Conference on Water, Waste, and Energy
Management, Lisbon 20-24 July 2024, Conference proceedings.
Elmarakby, E. and Elkadi, H. (2024). Catalysts for Changing Travel Behavior in Transit-Oriented
Development: The Community Engagement, The 22nd Transport Practitioners’ Meeting (TPM),
Manchester 22-24 July 2024.
Elkadi, H (2024). Urban Green Infrastructure: challenges and opportunities of green walls, Keynote
speech, Tsinghua University.
Elkadi H (2024). GREEN SMART URBAN FUTURES: From Prevention to Protection in a Climate
Change World, Organised conference, Chair, Hà Nôi University of Mining and Geology, 29 Nov 2023,
Vietnam.
Elkadi H (2023). IGNITION: Development of Integral NBS Living Lab for Greening Manchester,
Keynote speech Purdue University, 31 March 2023, USA.
Elkadi H (2023). Greening Up Communities in Urban Futures, Invited keynote speaker, The annual
international research conference of the Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa, Colombo 1-3
Dec 2023, Sri Lanka.
Elkadi H. (2023). Toward Smart Urban Green Future, Green Connect Symposium, University of
Salford, UK.
Meet the Team
Dr. Rachel Lauwerijssen – Research Associate
Rachel brings a multidisciplinary background in environmental sciences, sociology, and humanities to the IGNITION project. He specialises in translating complex research into practical insights for policymakers and community groups, with a particular interest in qualitative methodologies like oral history and life-course analysis to explore intergenerational connections to nature.
Dr. Tayo George – Project Officer
Tayo contributes over a decade of experience in project coordination and research in environmental studies, agriculture, and sustainability. Her work focuses on stakeholder collaboration, sustainable urban food production, and is interested in role of women-led urban agriculture initiatives in fostering development and inclusive resilience.
Zubia Khan – Digital Data Analyst
Zubia specialises in real-time data collection from various sensors and integrating data across platforms. With expertise in machine learning, cloud computing, and data visualisation, she uses tools like Python to support data-driven research and ensure efficient project outcomes.
LOOKING AHEAD: WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON?
Collaboration is at the heart of IGNITION’s mission, and we are actively seeking partners for groundbreaking research. Our research team is working on projects involving environmental perceptions and experiences, contributing to the ongoing exploration of sustainable urban development. Whether you are interested in data-sharing, co-authoring papers, or securing joint funding, we welcome the opportunity to work together!