BIOBASED AND GEOSOURCED MATERIALS : A DECARBONIZATION SOLUTION ALREADY REVOLUTIONIZING THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Today, construction accounts for 43% of France’s annual energy consumption and generates 23% of greenhouse gas (GHG)1 emissions, making it one of the sectors with the greatest impact on climate change. Faced with the urgent need for ecological transition, innovation is imperative to decarbonize the sector. What if the solution lies in building systems based on bio and geomaterials? As a pioneer in this field, ESTP is committed to supporting students, researchers and industry professionals in the transition to sustainable construction using bio- and geosourced materials.

Innovation is making progress in making building materials less polluting. Some buildings are even able to absorb more CO2 than they emit. This is made possible by the properties of biosourced materials, derived from biomass and animals (wood, wool, hemp, flax, etc.), and geosourced materials, derived from the soil, such as raw earth.

Unlike traditional concrete materials, which requires large amounts of carbon-based energy (crushing and heat treatment), producing biomaterials mobilizes marginal quantities of energy, even allowing them to be used as “carbon sinks” due to their ability to store CO2 emitted into the air during their life cycle.

However, the industry faces a fundamental challenge: some cementitious materials are difficult to replace with 100% biological alternatives. This is particularly true of concrete, without which it remain highly complex to build structures of more than five storeys. The challenge lies in integrating these bio-based materials into traditional concrete structures, incorporating new mechanical and hygrothermal functionalities, while paying attention to preserve the natural resources that are used.

Our conviction is that using biomaterials must be part of a wider, more global architectural approach: regenerative architecture, going beyond the recycling of deconstruction materials at the end of a building’s life. In biology, regeneration refers to the ability to renew and rebuild tissues. Applied to architecture, it involves reversing ecological damage to have a positive impact on the natural, biological, social and economic environment. Ultimately, it goes beyond sustainability, shifting from “doing the least harm” to “doing good” for the environment. The advantage of bio- and geosourced materials is that they can really be recycled to infinity, either by reusing them, or by reinjecting them into a natural cycle, like through composting.

[1]Source : Ministère de la Transition écologique et de la Cohésion des territoires / Ministère de la Transition énergétique

REGULATORY AND TAX INCENTIVES

In recent years, to accelerate the development of biomaterials, the government has strengthened its regulatory framework. In 2012, the “Biosourced Building” label was introduced to certify the compliance of new buildings incorporating biobased materials.

Another regulation has now been added to this framework: the 2020 Environmental Regulation (RE), provided for by the Elan law (Housing, Planning and Digital Technology Evolution) issued by the Grenelle Environment Forum. This latter came into force in January 2022, and plans to go further in improving the energy performance and lowering the consumption of new buildings through the integration of bio-sourced materials, in order to reduce the climate impact of new buildings and to enable occupants to live and work in environments suitable for future climatic conditions. A great opportunity for bio and geomaterials!

In addition to the regulatory framework, there are numerous incentives for professionals and individuals. The exceptional recovery plan deployed by the French government in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis is having a strong positive impact on the sector, through 2 main strands: “energy renovation”, which encourages the use of bio-sourced materials in renovation projects, and “agricultural, food and forestry transition», which provides support for investment in response to climatic hazards, reforestation of French forests and support for the timber industry.

INVESTING IN EDUCATION AND RESEARCH TO STRENGTHEN THE INDUSTRY

Knowledge and skills are essential to build sustainable buildings… We believe that the industry’s development will depend on training – for engineers, architects and building professionals alike – as well as on research. It is necessary to promote the acquisition of expertise through professional rules, implementation guides and training courses drafting.

At ESTP, we are committed to training highly qualified experts who understand sustainable construction and housing regulations, to make them ambassadors for regenerative construction. Our training programs lead experts to design new buildings with low energy consumption and high environmental quality. Sustainable construction is not just about building green and eco-friendly. This environmental approach goes further, taking into account the future experience of users, the energy costs of buildings, the use of industrial waste, the recycling of materials after dismantling, and the economic development of local industries within a circular and regenerative economy model.

This approach means that bio and geomaterials are given pride of place in engineering curricula, right from the first year. This is one of the reason why we have created a number of Specialized Post- Graduate Degrees such as: “Expert in Sustainable Construction and Housing”, “Project Manager in Ecological Engineering Works” and “Low-Carbon Construction Manager”, as well as an apprenticeship program for engineers in sustainable construction energy.

Research is just as crucial to progress in the field of bio and geomaterials. Since its creation, ESTP has mobilized substantial resources to take part in major research projects. In particular, it will soon take part in a European pilot building project, in partnership with other academic and industrial players, aimed at creating a bio and geosourced building system for hydrothermal comfort and improved indoor air quality.

ESTP is also involved in other emblematic projects, such as the development of 100% natural insulation panels based on plant fibers and biomass binders.

Another key area of research focuses on cementitious materials. In this field, less polluting alternatives to concrete are currently being developed. In particular hemp brick (a mixture of hemp and lime) which has demonstrated good mechanical performance, similar to concrete while improving overall thermal balance. To further reduce its carbon footprint, we are currently working on replacing lime with biobased binders, which is an effective response to improve the environmental performance of buildings.

In this respect, ESTP has launched, in partnership with Vicat and FRD, a project named “FibraBéton”, aimed at bringing to market an innovative technical plant fiber solution for the ultra-high-performance screed and fiber-reinforced concrete sector. The goal is to replace the polymer fibers used until now with a biosourced material.

There is now a consensus in the industry that bio and geosourced materials are an essential innovation in sustainable construction. Integrated with a regenerative architecture approach, this vision, now widely shared, will help accelerate the decarbonization of our society.