Bio-fabricated materials for sustainable and beautiful construction

Along with the current paradigm shift towards a sustainable[[ See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.]] and circular bioeconomy and the use of circular design principles in the built environment, new materials and innovative technologies are emerging to help reach zero-waste goals and the lowest environmental impact. Bio-fabricated materials open new avenues for reaching higher ambitions in terms of sustainability, especially if associated with high-technological solutions that can accelerate and simplify their manufacturing, retrofitting and renewal.

Bio-fabricated materials and their potential as an alternative to conventional materials are still underexplored. The widespread integration of bio-fabricated materials in the built environment[[ See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.]] faces several barriers, from technical and regulatory hurdles to high production costs, limited knowledge and expertise among construction professionals, and low acceptance by the construction ecosystem. Bio-fabricated materials and their potential as an alternative to conventional materials are underexplored.

Research is required to investigate new ways to address the main technical challenges of bio-fabricated materials.

Proposals are expected to address all of the following:

• Develop and test at least two innovative sustainable bio-fabricated construction materials that:
  • Have innovative features compared to current materials on the market (such as, but not limited to, the capacity to self-repair, to adapt to an evolving environment, to store carbon or act as a carbon sink, to heat and/or cool buildings, extended lifespan, etc.).
  • Can be used for interior, exterior or structural purposes.
  • Comply with relevant EU standards and regulatory frameworks.
• For each material developed:
  • Assess its properties, benefits, as well as design and construction applications. This should cover at least the structural, mechanical, thermal, acoustic, health-related, durability and aesthetic properties and take into consideration the variations within a changing environment (e.g. weather conditions).
  • Study the feasibility for mass-scale production to increase production volumes and affordability. This should consider the use of high-technological manufacturing techniques and processes (such as 3D printing, robotics, building information modelling (BIM), parametric design, high-performance sensor, artificial intelligence (AI), etc.).
  • Analyse the environmental footprint of the bio-fabricated materials following a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach to validate their contribution to the reduction of the whole life carbon emissions in the built environment.
  • Analyse the social and economic impacts throughout the material’s whole life cycle, for example using social life-cycle assessment (SLCA) and life-cycle costing (LCC) approaches.

Proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach[[ See definition on NEB working principles in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.]] through the integration of different actors (such as public authorities, local actors from the targeted neighbourhoods, civil society, private owners, etc.) and disciplines (such as architecture or design, arts, (civil) engineering, etc.).Proposals are expected to dedicate at least 0.2% of their total budget to share their intermediate and final results and findings with the Coordination and Support Action 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' (HORIZON-MISS-2024-NEB-01-03).