Biomaterials

In the face of the ever-increasing depletion of natural resources, regenerative materials are very advantageous. They are organic, can be made from by-products of agricultural processes, or can be grown and harvested responsibly.

Biobased: compostable grown materials

Regenerative materials can be safely returned to the natural cycle at the end of the lifecycle. In terms of performance, they exhibit good moisture and thermal properties, being often used as insulating materials and improving indoor hygrothermal comfort. Biobased materials are key in the realm of designing for non-toxicity, provided they are not treated with added chemicals, and most of them have carbon sequestering properties.

A well-known additional benefit of these living materials is their reduced embodied carbon footprint. In fact, hemp, bamboo, and timber, amongst others, have the capability of capturing and storing biogenic carbon.

Timber construction

Implementing materials that have a very low global warming potential requires an effective leadership role in promoting the transition from the fossil fuel building material industry, and an equally effective advocacy role for policy change. Timber is gaining momentum as a critical climate solution.

Paul Hawken’s Regeneration project includes “Carbon Architecture” in the repertoire of solutions for regeneration, focusing on building essentially with fibers, largely through timber construction. The raw materials used in carbon architecture are primarily wood, dirt (clay), bamboo, straw and hemp, engineered to compete with steel, cement, brick and stone in durability, fire resistance, and structural strength.

In 2021, the initiative Built by Nature was launched by the Laudes Foundation and a collaborative network of partners, in the wake of COP26, to speed up the timber building transformation in Europe, connecting sector and leading timber actors to make it happen. The Americas, Asia and Australia has seen a surge of timber construction in the past years, with a number of building codes and regulations being approved that allow for high-rise timber buildings.

Healthy materials

While lifecycle analysis and the relevant Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) provide transparency as to what is the global warming, water and soil impact of building materials and components, the toxic impact remains uncovered. The production of unhealthy building materials and the manufacture processes thereof, are a threat to ecosystems, impacting water courses, soils, fauna, and flora. Those that are used for interiors and are in direct contact with building occupants, pose a direct risk to human health.

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a term coined by the WHO as back as 1986, and some national health systems (NHS) recognize it as a legitimate condition. Questions are being raised about its potential to vector SARS or Covid-19. SBS major contributor is poor indoor air quality, with indoor contaminants such as volatile organic compounds (VOC) or other building materials off-gassing and exhaust of ozone and chemicals used in ventilation systems. Our buildings are making us unwell.

Off-gassing of toxic building materials, and indoor air pollutants in particular has been proven to cause adverse health impacts, ranging from respiratory ailments and illnesses to endocrine hormonal disruption to a variety of cancers. A healthy building design can be achieved not only thought correct ventilation and illumination design, proper maintenance, and cleaning protocols, as much as building with materials that do not cause harm.

The 3rd party certified Cradle to Cradle (C2C) material label, assesses materials on the base of material health, circularity, air and climate protection performance, water & soil stewardship and social fairness. The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute (C2CPII), which administers the label, has certified in excess of 450 materials for building construction and interior design and furniture since its inception in 2011, presenting designers with proven healthy alternatives.

Other labels have followed the philosophy since, leveraging on Health Product Declaration (HPD) rather than solely Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The Declare Label and transparency platform is a product of the International Living Future institute (ILFI), considered a “nutrition label for building products”. The accompanying Red List and Watch List for dangerous toxic materials goes as far as anticipating and advocating for policy resolutions, which are increasingly phasing out dangerous and polluting materials from the industry.