UP students board Holcim’s Circular Explorer for a sustainable design project

Engineering students from the University of the Philippines (UP) recently boarded the Circular Explorer, a solar and recycling research vessel made by Holcim that is currently traveling around the coast of the Philippines.

Held in partnership with One Earth-One Ocean and the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST), the fieldwork is part of the Sustainable Design and Construction elective offered by the UP Diliman College of Engineering, in partnership with Holcim Philippines. , Inc.

This course educates aspiring engineers about sustainable practices in design and construction that balance economic, environmental, and social interests – the principle of the Circular Economy, the main advocacy of Holcim Philippines.

Louis Vincent Lee, a student of the Institute of Civil Engineering of the University of the Philippines Diliman, shared his experience with Circular Explorer, saying, “It was an eye-opening and eye-catching experience to see all these advanced technologies. It is integrated in solving a big problem like plastic pollution in the notorious area like Manila Bay. I hope to incorporate these things into my field of sustainable housing and sustainable infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, Assistant Professor John Christian Quero of the University of the Philippines Institute of Engineering expressed his gratitude to Holcim Philippines and One Earth-One Ocean for providing the opportunity to see its revolutionary background, he said, “Circular Explorer gave us the idea that science. can be used to solve these problems and help raise the lifestyle and living conditions of our fellow Filipinos.”

A true testament to Holcim Philippines’ commitment to the circular economy is the Circular Explorer, a first-of-its-kind 100% solar-powered catamaran that recycles four tons of plastic waste per day to sustainably preserve the precious marine environment. . Using data collected through built-in sensors, Holcim also provides valuable ocean data to support the research programs of the UP Marine Science Institute (UPMSI), the Department of Science and Technology, and its international partners.

In addition to the trip to the Circular Explorer, the course students recently completed presenting their final projects on sustainable infrastructure using Holcim’s Sustainable Building pillars – Healthy Planets, Thriving Communities, Lively Economies, and Developing Environments.