AMSTERDAM, June 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Built by Nature
is pleased to announce the winners of its inaugural global Prize to
stimulate uptake of innovative biobased construction
materials, with a €250,000 first prize awarded to Singapore-based company Widuz for its bamboo
product solutions.
Widuz manufactures BVL™, a range of structural biocomposite
products using bamboo fibres and biobased adhesives for superior
strength, durability, and environmental benefits compared to
traditional materials such as concrete and steel. With up to a 40%
smaller carbon footprint compared to conventional materials, Widuz'
patented processing ensures that BVL™ retains and enhances bamboo's
natural strength, making it up to three times stronger than typical
engineered timber and 20% lighter. Bamboo's rapid growth cycle of
around four years makes it more renewable than most timber species,
addressing the urgent need for sustainable materials while
capturing and storing carbon as it grows.
Widuz contributes to local socio-economic development by
partnering with FSC-certified bamboo plantations and factories that
employ fair compensation practices to ensure their supply chain
upholds high standards of social responsibility.
Three Prize runners-up will also receive €50,000 each in
funding:
- KuNa – a bamboo-adobe programme in Nicaragua developed by Casa Congo, provides
affordable, sustainable, and resilient housing for communities in
emerging economies. Featuring modular scalability and technical
simplicity, KuNa offers designs tailored to different housing
needs, ranging from emergency shelters to social housing.
- Elementerre, based in Senegal,
uses clay and typha (known as bullrush, or cattail) to manufacture
load-bearing bricks and insulating boards. Offering advantages over
conventional materials such as concrete in terms of carbon
footprint and thermal performance, Elementerre presents a promising
solution to address the region's housing deficit while promoting
sustainability and environmental stewardship.
- Sugarcrete®, developed by University College London, is a
material made from upcycled sugarcane waste, transforming the
fibrous material into sturdy building elements using mineral
binders to achieve different degrees of structural strength. Its
applications range from new-build construction to retrofit of
existing buildings, offering exceptional thermal, acoustic, and
fire-resistant properties.
Built by Nature has also allocated an additional €100,000 for a
support programme of mentoring and networking for all winners and
selected finalists.
"When Built by Nature launched the Prize, we had no idea what we
might find, but were delighted when we received almost 300
submissions from around the world, with half coming from
Africa, Asia and the Americas," according to
Paul King, Built by Nature CEO.
"This Prize demonstrates that we have more to learn and share, to
turn brilliant ideas and innovations into mainstream low-carbon
construction solutions – another step towards a built environment
that works in unison with nature."
Materials featured in the Prize submissions included seaweed,
mycelium, sheep's wool, hemp, sugarcane and coconut waste,
secondary timber, seashells, and invasive water weeds. Fifteen
finalists performed highest against the Prize criteria:
presenting biobased materials intended for use in the built
environment; proving that the product can be successfully
manufactured using current technology, demonstrating that the
product is already in the marketplace and delivering favourable
approaches to carbon, nature and social impacts.
About Built by Nature
Built by Nature is a network and grant-making not-for-profit
organisation supported by Laudes Foundation and LTPP Foundation
with a mission to accelerate the timber building transformation and
a vision for a built environment that works in unison with nature.
BbN supports innovators in their journey to decarbonise our built
environment and protect nature. The Built by Nature Fund makes
grants to projects that can increase the uptake of biobased
materials and sustainable timber and improve their climate impact,
overcoming the most challenging barriers. https://builtbn.org/
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