In its shift toward a circular economy, the construction industry will increasingly rely on the many sustainable qualities of bio-based materials. Bohemia Hookham describes the options – some of which have been used for thousands of years, others more recently developed, and some we’re likely to see in the near future.
Architects are in a unique position today to facilitate a global push toward a circular economy with lower embodied carbon within the construction industry using bio-based materials.
For centuries, human beings used natural materials to construct our built environments. Timber, bamboo, earth and straw were all renewable natural materials readily available for use. However, with the advent of the industrial era and the modernization of societies and technology, renewable resources were replaced by other polluting materials such as cement and steel. Today, only around 3 percent of global building materials are bio-based; but this number is changing.
Bio-based materials are derived from living organisms such as plants, animals and fungi. Certain resources, such as wood and hemp, can be used in their raw state, while others, such as
