Why the Future of Architecture Is Grown, Not Manufactured

According to the UK Green Building Council, operational and embodied carbon together from the built environment contributes to 25% of the UK’s carbon emissions. Operational carbon covers emissions from a building’s use, maintenance, and operation, while embodied carbon encompasses emissions from raw material extraction and manufacturing to construction, maintenance, and end-of-life processes.

The recently published UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard provides a voluntary framework for decarbonising the built environment.Net zero carbon refers to reducing energy and materials demand to a level that can be entirely met by sources that do not produce greenhouse gas emissions, such as renewable energy. The standard introduces ‘upfront’ embodied carbon targets, covering emissions generated during material production and construction before occupation. Against this backdrop, attention is increasingly turning to the materials themselves- not just how buildings operate, but what they are made from and how those materials are produced.

Bio-based materials offer a significant opportunity to reduce embodied carbon. Sourced from renewable biological resources, materials such as timber, hemp, straw, and mycelium typically require far less energy to produce than conventional alternatives, such as brick and steel. Derived from plants, microorganisms, or agricultural by-products, many of these materials also store CO₂ through photosynthesis, locking carbon into their structure. When used in buildings, this carbon remains sequestered for the lifespan of the structure, lowering carbon emissions. This dual benefit—lower production energy and carbon storage—makes bio-based materials a compelling alternative.

Research from Radboud University shows that bio-based materials deliver, on average, 45% lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than fossil-based alternatives. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) can reduce whole-life emissions by around 40% compared with steel or concrete. Timber structures combined with bio-based insulation—such as wood fibre or hempcrete—can reduce upfront embodied carbon by a similar margin. Mycelium composites can achieve reductions of up to 70%, while straw bale construction can reduce emissions by up to 76% relative to conventional masonry. Beyond these measurable carbon savings, bio-based materials also align with broader shifts in how resources are valued and managed across a building’s lifecycle.

In addition to reducing emissions, many bio-based materials also support circular economy principles where materials never become waste. They transform agricultural by-products into valuable construction resources and can biodegrade safely at the end of their life, reducing landfill waste.

Their benefits also extend to indoor environmental quality. Conventional construction materials often release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), contributing to poor indoor air quality and are associated with respiratory illness, allergies, skin irritation, and impacts on the nervous and circulatory systems. Bio-based materials typically emit minimal VOCs supporting healthier indoor environments. Their natural breathability also helps regulate humidity and moisture levels, reducing condensation risk, and improving overall comfort. These performance characteristics are reflected across a growing range of bio-based products now available to designers and specifiers.

Cellulose insulation, made from recycled paper, provides excellent thermal performance, moisture regulation and recyclability. Hemp-based insulation is breathable and—when used as hempcrete—can even be carbon-negative. Meanwhile, flax insulation is fully biodegradable.

Beyond insulation, bio-based thinking is informing an increasingly diverse palette of construction materials such as Marmoleum, flooring made of linseed oil and recycled wood; hempcrete, a composite of hemp and lime-based binder with strong thermal regulation properties; and Sugarcrete®, which uses sugar-processing residue to form blocks. Reed roofing, cork cladding, seaweed-based panels and mycelium-grown insulation or acoustic tiles further expand the natural options available to designers.

Crucially, these materials are not limited to finishes or secondary elements but are increasingly being used in primary structural systems. Engineered timber products such as CLT and glulam enable structural applications at scale, offering significantly lower embodied carbon than steel or concrete. Their mechanical fastenings also allow disassembly and reuse.

Green roofs and living walls improve thermal regulation, filter pollutants, absorb carbon dioxide, and enhance stormwater management and biodiversity. Studies show they can significantly reduce surface temperatures and cooling demand. Research at TU Delft provides evidence that green walls help mitigate urban heat island effects and contribute to reducing particulate matter air pollution.

Taken together, these approaches are moving beyond theory, with a growing number of built projects demonstrating their feasibility at scale. The WISE Building at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales uses a timber frame with hempcrete infill. The Flat House by Practice Architecture in Oxfordshire uses hemp-based construction. Prefabricated straw façades have been used by Henning Larsen Architects on the Feldballe School in Denmark which incorporates timber, straw, and seagrass. While their Logistics centre in the Netherlands is the largest ever Straw project, built with 40,900 m² of straw wall panels. Vandkunsten Architects’ summer house in Denmark uses eelgrass and seaweed to create a breathable, naturally insulating envelope.

Bio-based materials offer a combination of low embodied carbon, natural breathability, moisture regulation and low VOC emissions. These materials are no longer limited to small or experimental builds, but they are now being adopted across a growing number of medium- and large-scale projects. In this context, material selection becomes a critical strategy in reducing the environmental impact of the built environment. Rather than relying solely on reducing operational emissions, architecture is increasingly looking to materials that actively contribute to carbon reduction, resource efficiency, and occupant wellbeing—pointing towards a future where buildings are not simply constructed but grown from renewable systems.

Article submitted by Julie Winrow: Julie is an architect and environmental designer specialising in sustainable design. She studied Bioclimatic Architecture at the Manchester school of architecture and an MSc in Energy-Efficient and Environmental Building Design at Lund University, Sweden. She is a certified European Passivhaus Designer, BREEAM Accredited Professional (AP), and WELL (AP). Her professional interests centre on the integration of sustainability, health, and wellbeing in the built environment, with a particular focus on environmental modelling to inform early‑stage design.

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