UEL takes centre stage at smart cities congress in Barcelona
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Published
18 November 2025
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Academics from the University of East London (UEL) joined international experts and innovators at the recent Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, presenting research that explores how cities - and the systems within them - can become more sustainable, inclusive and connected.
Representing the schools of Architecture, Computing and Engineering (ACE) and Arts and Creative Industries (ACI), as well as the Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability, Armor Gutierrez Rivas and Wesley Hartwell were invited to take part in the event as part of the UK Pavilion, coordinated by Catapult Connected Places in partnership with UK Research and Innovation and Innovate UK.
UEL featured alongside major organisations, including London & Partners, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Thames Freeport, Hammersmith and Fulham Council and the Greater London Authority within the Smart London Hub, highlighting the University’s growing contribution to global conversations on smart and sustainable cities.
As part of the three-day expo, Gutierrez Rivas presented Sugarcrete®, a low-carbon construction material developed through UEL’s Master of Architecture programme and the university’s world-leading Sustainability Research Institute. Made from sugarcane by-products, Sugarcrete® offers a circular alternative to concrete and clay brickwork - providing affordable, insulating blocks that reduce emissions and support ethical local manufacturing. The material has already been used in the world’s first Sugarcrete® building, completed in India earlier this year.
Alongside this, Wes Hartwell presented the groundbreaking Regenerative Fashion Archive (RFA), a project exploring fashion as part of a city’s living infrastructure. The RFA’s research includes the idea of energy as design material: investigating the development of solar-powered textiles in collaboration with UEL’s London Sustainable Materials Lab. The project links material innovation, design and data through an innovative Data Visualiser built in collaboration with the UEL games department. Through this, the RFA demonstrates how creative practice can help make sustainability visible and actionable across sectors.
Reflecting on the experience, Wes, course leader for MA Fashion at UEL, said,
Smart cities are about more than technology - they’re about people, culture and creativity. Being part of this global conversation shows that our interdisciplinary approach at UEL seeks to actively shape what that future looks like creating connections and pathways between academia, public sector and industry.”
Armor, senior lecturer in UEL’s School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, added,
Being invited to represent the UK Pavilion in Barcelona highlights that our research is recognised internationally for turning creative ideas into tangible, sustainable solutions, which are having a positive and equitable impact in communities across the globe.”
From renewable materials to regenerative fashion, UEL’s presence at the Smart City Expo World Congress reinforces the University’s position as a driver of innovation, sustainability and cross-disciplinary collaboration - ensuring that its expertise continues to inform the global agenda for smarter, fairer cities.