A solid foundation to reach new heights
“Our vision at Built by Nature is for a built environment in unison with nature”, CEO Paul King pointed out at it’s third anniversary during this year's Annual Summit hosted in Amsterdam.
Built by Nature was founded by Laudes Foundation in 2021 with the ambition to accelerate the timber and bio-based building transformation. With buildings accounting for 40 percent of global emissions, and materials accounting for a fourth of this, the sector is projected to squander its remaining carbon budget without radical and rapid intervention on low carbon alternatives to steel and cement. So Built by Nature certainly has their work cut out. The good news is that in just three short years, significant progress has been made towards their goals.
Root level movements: Built by Nature supports over 100 organisations across more than 13 countries and has built four national European networks in the U.K., the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, with networks in France and Germany planned for 2025.
Mobilising funding for action: The Built by Nature Fund has committed EUR 5.75 million, secured an additional EUR 6.42 million in co-funding, with IKEA Foundation joining as its third major funder since LTPP Foundation joined. Laudes Foundation has recently committed to continue support for the coming four years. The Fund currently has 23 active grants with 18 grants having been completed.
Enlightening the industry: Built by Nature launched their Knowledge Hub which aims to become the world's largest interactive resource hub of material innovation in construction. The library of content continues to grow with pioneering tools such as The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook, a groundbreaking resource that has significantly transformed mass timber construction in the UK and which is slated to be republished for a U.S. audience, as well as the New Model Building Guidebook.
Propelling frontrunners: The Built by Nature prize attracted 300 entries across four continents and encompassing almost 30 different innovative materials. This year’s winner of the EUR 250,000 prize Widuz, was a Singapore-based innovator for a range of structural bamboo bio-composite products that offer superior strength, durability and environmental benefits compared with traditional materials.
Informed policy: Built by Nature actively contributed to the first EU-level certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming, and carbon storage in products (CRCF). BbN provided direct input from their network of developers, and information from co-funded pilot projects to address methodological and technical challenges in monetising construction-stored carbon. This, in combination with strengthened regulations like the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) – revised in May to contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions by at least 60% in the building sector by 2030, is a significant step towards the EU's 2050 climate neutrality goal.
To learn more about Built by Nature and the Built Environment reach out to us at builtenvironment@laudesfoundation.org
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By James Drinkwater
Head of Built Environment Programme
