Algae-grown limestone provides route to carbon-negative concrete
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a way of using algae to create carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative concrete. More
-
Space Forge to launch satellite factory to manufacture components in space
Welsh startup Space Forge has developed the ForgeStar-0 satellite, which will make electronic components and materials that are "impossible to manufacture on Earth" in space. More
-
ETH Zurich creates dramatically contoured concrete slab ceiling
Researchers at technology university ETH Zurich have created a deeply ridged ceiling called the HiRes Concrete Slab, which they claim saves energy while offering a spectacular aesthetic. More
-
Studio Lionne van Deursen exhibits material created by microorganisms at Milan Design Week
Material research firm Studio Lionne van Deursen has showcased its Unfold designs, made from a material created by bacteria, as part of the Isola Design District exhibition at Milan Design Week. More
-
Prometheus Materials uses algae-based cement to make masonry blocks
Colorado-based Prometheus Materials has developed masonry blocks from a low-carbon cement-like material grown from micro-algae. More
-
SFMOMA exhibition explores the architectural provocations of Neri Oxman
Melanin-enriched building materials and decomposing pavilions are among the pieces on show in San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's exhibition of Neri Oxman's work, Nature x Humanity. Curator Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher discusses five key works. More
-
MIT engineers build load-bearing structures using tree forks instead of steel joints
Discarded tree forks could replace load-bearing joints in architecture projects using a construction technique developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. More
-
Smart Circular Bridge built with flax completes in The Netherlands
The Eindhoven University of Technology has led a project building a bridge that is partly made from flax in The Netherlands, aiming to demonstrate the material's potential to replace steel in construction. More
-
Five designers in Mexico exhibit new uses for biomaterials
An exhibition in Mexico curated in collaboration with Danish research lab Space10 has showcased five novel uses for local biomaterials. More
-
A hemp alternative to steel rebar features in today's Dezeen Agenda newsletter
The latest edition of our Dezeen Agenda newsletter features a hemp alternative to steel rebar, which could avoid the problem of corrosion and cut carbon emissions from construction. More
-
Flat-pack wood furniture uses "nature-powered shaping" to self assemble
The Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) at the University of Stuttgart has released prototypes for self-forming wood furniture that requires no assembly. More
-
Ten future materials that could change the way we build
Following news that hemp could be used as a low-cost, low-carbon way of reinforcing concrete, here are 10 promising new construction materials including plastic that's stronger than steel and 3D-printed mushroom columns. More
-
Hemp rebar could offer low-cost non-corroding alternative to steel
Researchers at the USA's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have invented an alternative to steel rebar made from hemp, which they claim avoids the problem of corrosion while cutting carbon emissions from construction. More
-
Doppelgänger creates polystyrene substitute from plastic-eating mealworms
Charlotte Böhning and Mary Lempres of Doppelgänger have developed a bioplastic version of polystyrene foam that is made from the exoskeleton of mealworms and breaks down in soil in a couple of weeks. More
-
ICON and Lake Flato build 3D-printed House Zero in Austin
Construction technology outfit ICON and architecture studio Lake Flato have completed a 3D-printed, modern ranch-style home in Austin to be displayed during the SXSW festival. More
-
New concrete vaulted floor suggests path to cutting carbon emissions
A type of flooring that uses 75 per cent less concrete than the current standard has been invented by researchers at the universities of Bath, Cambridge and Dundee, who say it could make a "major difference" to the construction industry's carbon footprint. More
-
MIT engineers invent plastic that is stronger than steel
Massachusetts Institute of Technology chemical engineers have invented a new type of plastic that is twice as strong as steel and could one day be used as a building material. More
-
Souhaïb Ghanmi uses animal bones instead of plastic for minimalist sockets and light switches
Waste bovine bones from the meat industry have been ground into a powder and turned into a collection of light switches and electrical outlets by ÉCAL graduate Souhaïb Ghanmi. More
-
Previously unrecycleable clothing made into Fibers Unsorted textile
Design studio Envisions has worked with engineering company Imat-Uve to make a recycled textile from used clothing usually considered unfit for recycling. More
-
Natural Material Studio and Frama showcase algae and terracotta fabrics
Danish designer Bonnie Hvillum's Natural Material Studio has collaborated with multidisciplinary studio Frama on a collection of biodegradable materials made from algae, clay and foam. More
