Innovation — Building materials

New Sustainable Building Materials Developed from Trees Two new trees grown in the eastern United States have been identified for cross-laminated timber, a sustainable building material. Elizabeth Montalbano | Apr 07, 2020 Researchers have identified two tree species that they think are a good source of wood for a new sustainable type of building material that could promote a more environmentally friendly construction industry. The eastern hemlock and eastern white pine—two trees found natively in forests of the northeastern United States—potentially have the structural stability to be used as cross-laminated timber, or CLT, researchers at the University of Massachusetts (UMass)...

Joint Venture for Sustainable New Building Materials The joint venture dedicated to producing and distributing Durabric, a low-carbon and affordable alternative to traditional bricks made from burnt clay. The size of the initial joint investment is $10 million from both partners with the intention of additional finance for the company’s ongoing growth. The LafargeHolcim research and development (R&D) centre will be used to help 14Trees address the rising need for affordable homes for the billions of people across the globe who occupy earth-based dwellings. Several countries in Africa are dealing with climate change as a result of mass deforestation created by a demand for...

Building materials made from organic waste could help boost bio-economy Organic waste could be used to make building materials and then fed back into the biological cycle at the end of their service life, claims a new report from Arup. Currently managed through landfill, incineration and composting, certain forms of organic waste could be diverted to help the global construction industry reduce its use of raw materials. In the UK alone, WRAP estimates that the construction industry accounts for 60 per cent of all raw materials consumed. Capturing organic waste streams from cities and the countryside could provide the industry...