‘World first’ as recycled glass innovation approved for Scottish housing scheme
“We are really proud that a product made in Scotland starts its journey right here on home soil in a country renowned for its pioneering innovations” – Eddie Black, VASO Global
A world first has been claimed after a recycled glass building system was approved for a new housing scheme in Scotland.
Dumfries-based VASO Global is behind a construction innovation which enables sustainable homes to be built at speed, supporting Scotland’s net zero and sustainability goals, while also offering a housing solution to the rest of the UK and further afield.
The firm’s tech allows buildings to be built using panels manufactured from recycled glass, providing low carbon homes that are efficient to keep cool in summer and warm in winter. It has been heralded as a potential solution to the housing crisis, following the Scottish government’s declaration of a national housing emergency in 2024.
The company combines digital design, integrated manufacture and semi-autonomous construction, to provide low carbon homes that are swift to construct.
The innovation - developed at VASO’s manufacturing HQ in Dumfries and Galloway - has now been given the green light for an affordable housing project on a brownfield site at Closeburn, north of Dumfries, consisting of four homes plus a home working space and visitor bedroom.
The project has benefitted from support from a range of national and local partners, including South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) - the region’s economic and community development agency.
The Closeburn homes are designed to be available for residents from the local area looking for thermally comfortable, safe, cheap-to-heat and to cool homes at affordable rents.
Eddie Black, VASO Global’s co-founder and chief executive, said: “It’s a real milestone moment for us. VASO Global has been three years in the making and Closeburn marks the first of many developments across the world which will utilise this solution.
“We are really proud that a product made in Scotland starts its journey right here on home soil in a country renowned for its pioneering innovations. It’s a really exciting moment for us all.
“VASO’s thermally efficient, affordable housing solution, delivered quickly, efficiently and economically, will create the quality homes which residents deserve,” he added.
“This innovation allows us to design homes for the future which are thermally comfortable in all conditions. We engaged early on with those involved with the construction industry and we are pleased that Dumfries and Galloway Council has seen the potential of VASO and has given this scheme the go-ahead.
“It shows the value of us listening and being flexible when it comes to understanding what is required by stakeholders, including governments, councils, housing bodies, environmental organisations and communities, and also believing in a solution which brings so many benefits to society including to residents and the planet.”
The VASO panels for the homes will be manufactured and constructed off-site at the company’s new 60,000-square-feet manufacturing site, flat-packed, and then reassembled on site.
South of Scotland Enterprise commissioned a feasibility report for development of the Closeburn site, as a partnership between Nith Valley Leaf Trust (NVLT), South of Scotland Community Housing and VASO Global.
Jane Morrison-Ross, chief executive at South of Scotland Enterprise said: “SOSE is excited to be on this journey with VASO Global, which is just the sort of innovative company we want to work alongside. In doing so, we can unlock solutions which can benefit not just the south [of Scotland], but the UK and rest of the world.”
Mike Staples, chief executive of South of Scotland Community Housing, said: “We have been working in partnership to plan and deliver housing innovation with Nith Valley Leaf Trust over a number of years and therefore it seems fitting that this project should be central to testing the pioneering VASO housing solution.
“It's exciting to be part of a really positive collaboration with VASO Global, South of Scotland Enterprise, the community and other key partners and we’re now looking forward to working towards getting the project on-site.”
Mike Steele, of Nith Valley Leaf Trust, added: “We are really pleased to have obtained planning permission for this exciting new affordable housing project. This means we can now move forward to seek funding, buy the land and work with partners to build these state-of-the-art modern homes.
“We are particularly keen to retain or attract young people with a connection to Closeburn who will enhance our community as well as showcase community led housing.’’
VASO Global recently secured more than £5 million to help develop manufacturing processes at its new manufacturing site, while creating up to 70 jobs within the next five years. The cash injection will also help the business find strategic routes to market over the next two years and plan for future investment.
The firm secured £1.4m seed investment from PXN Ventures along with £621,000 from Scottish Enterprise. The company also secured a £2m loan approved by Innovate UK Loans, a division of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and some £800,000 from ECO Group, which will be the delivery partner for the initial VASO Global build projects.
VASO by Eco had previously secured £330,000 from South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) to advance the commercial roll-out of its innovative recycled-glass building technology.
The firm also recently made two senior appointments to its board. Graham McDonald, a business leader with extensive board-level experience, has joined VASO Global as chairman. Douglas Morrison, deputy chief executive of BE-ST, which has a mission to accelerate Scotland’s transition to a zero-carbon built environment and construction sector, has joined the company in a non-remunerated strategic advisor role.
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