Sustainable Glass Innovation: New Teaching Content and CPD Launch on LearnFormula

Dr Tyra Oseng‑Rees delivering Sustainable Glass in Architecture: Beyond the Bottle – Recycled Glass & Circularity in Architecture to architecture students at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

I’m excited to share that I’ve developed a new set of teaching materials exploring one of the most important questions in sustainable construction: How do we engineer, validate, and deliver truly sustainable glass?

This content formed the basis of a recent lecture I delivered to architecture students at UWTSD, where we explored why recycled glass matters in architecture, emerging innovative uses of glass, and the frameworks shaping low‑carbon design—including the LETI 2030 Targets, the Material Bank approach, LCA as a design tool, and the influential role architects play as specifiers. This lecture was supported by Big Ideas Wales and the Welsh Government, and delivered as part of my work as a Big Ideas Wales Role Model championing innovation and sustainable material development across Wales.

A major part of the session was a deep dive into the Buttermarket case study. We examined how the fused recycled glass shingles were developed, scrutinised, technically validated, and installed—and how the LCA evidence demonstrated the sustainability and carbon‑saving potential of the manufacturing process. Alongside this, I shared wider case studies and research publications from other practitioners, highlighting the growing body of work pushing glass innovation forward across the industry.

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Seeing students engage with the realities of material testing, lifecycle impact, and circular design was incredibly rewarding.

This new lecturing material will now form a core component of the CPD session I’ll be delivering to architects next month. The session addresses a critical challenge in the built environment: the role of glass in architecture and why, despite being theoretically 100% recyclable, it remains one of the most difficult materials to decarbonise. The CPD will be delivered through LearnFormula, making it accessible to a wider audience of practitioners committed to low‑carbon design.

Stay tuned for details on how to book your place at the live CPD event next month.

Fused recycled glass material by Oseng-Rees Reflection