How innovations in biomimicry, recycled materials, and living building technologies are reshaping our built environment
Look around you—at the walls that shelter you, the floor beneath your feet, the roof overhead. For centuries, these fundamental elements of our built environment have been dominated by a surprisingly narrow palette of materials: concrete, steel, wood, and brick. Yet concrete alone accounts for approximately 8% of global CO₂ emissions 1 9 , while the building sector as a whole consumes 40% of global raw materials and 25% of global timber 7 .
These sobering statistics reveal an uncomfortable truth: our current construction practices are unsustainable. But a quiet revolution is underway in laboratories and research institutions worldwide. Scientists, engineers, and architects are reimagining the very fabric of our built environment, turning to nature's playbook and advanced technology to create a new generation of building materials.
From cardboard and soil that can replace concrete to photosynthetic bacteria that capture carbon, these innovations promise to transform not just what we build with, but how our buildings function within the global ecosystem.
Long before humans began constructing shelters, nature had already perfected elegant solutions to structural challenges. Biomimicry—the practice of emulating nature's models, systems, and elements to solve human problems—has emerged as a powerful approach in sustainable architecture 3 .
Copying natural structures for efficiency, like the Gherkin building in London whose shape mimics the Venus flower basket sponge for strength and wind resistance 3 .
Mimicking how nature works, such as the Eastgate Centre in Harare, Zimbabwe, which copies termite mound ventilation to naturally cool buildings using 90% less energy than conventional systems 3 .
Creating closed-loop systems where waste from one process becomes resources for another, mirroring forest ecosystems 3 .
Since buildings account for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of total energy demand 7 , these nature-inspired approaches offer a path to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of our built environment.
Among the most promising recent developments in sustainable construction is the rediscovery and reengineering of one of humanity's oldest building materials: earth. Researchers at RMIT University in Australia have created a breakthrough material called cardboard-confined rammed earth that combines ancient techniques with modern engineering 1 .
Researchers obtained cardboard waste and sourced soil locally, emphasizing the use of red soils abundant in regional Australia. The cardboard was transformed into tubular formwork of varying thicknesses.
The experimental setup involved compacting the soil-water mixture inside the cardboard formwork, either manually or with machinery. The cardboard served both as a mold during construction and as a permanent structural component.
The researchers developed a formula to determine how cardboard thickness affects the material's compressive strength. They systematically tested samples with different cardboard thicknesses to establish reliable strength parameters for structural design 1 .
The findings were striking. The cardboard-confined rammed earth demonstrated sufficient strength for low-rise construction while offering dramatic environmental benefits:
| Parameter | Cardboard-Confined Rammed Earth | Traditional Concrete |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon Footprint | Approximately 25% of concrete's | Baseline (100%) |
| Material Cost | Under one third | Baseline (100%) |
| Primary Materials | Soil, water, cardboard | Cement, aggregates, water |
| Reusability/Recyclability | Fully reusable and recyclable | Limited recyclability |
| Local Sourcing Potential | High (nearly all materials obtainable on-site) | Low (requires transported materials) |
The material's thermal mass properties make it particularly suitable for hot climates, where it naturally regulates indoor temperatures and humidity, reducing the need for mechanical cooling 1 . This passive cooling capability represents another significant energy saving over a building's lifetime.
In a parallel investigation, the team combined carbon fiber with rammed earth, achieving strength comparable to high-performance concrete 1 , opening possibilities for broader applications while maintaining environmental benefits.
The cardboard-confined rammed earth experiment exemplifies how innovative thinking can transform simple materials into sophisticated building solutions. Across the field, researchers are working with a diverse toolkit of natural and engineered materials to create the next generation of sustainable construction elements.
| Material Category | Specific Examples | Function and Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Alternatives | Rammed earth, bamboo | Reduce cement use; bamboo grows rapidly and sequesters carbon 9 |
| Waste-Derived Materials | Cardboard, fly ash | Divert waste from landfills; supplementary cementitious materials 1 2 |
| Advanced Composites | Fiber-reinforced concrete, geopolymer concrete | Enhance strength and durability; reduce carbon footprint |
| Living Materials | Cyanobacteria-based composites, self-healing concrete | Capture carbon; autonomously repair damage 4 9 |
| Smart Materials | Phase-change materials, electrochromic windows | Regulate temperature dynamically; reduce energy consumption 9 |
Perhaps the most revolutionary development in sustainable building materials comes from ETH Zurich, where researchers have created a living, photosynthetic material that can be 3D-printed into various forms 4 .
This innovative material uses cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) dispersed throughout a hydrogel. The hydrogel's polymer network allows light, CO₂, water, and nutrients to pass through, keeping the bacteria alive for over a year. As the cyanobacteria grow, they absorb carbon dioxide and form solid calcium carbonate minerals, gradually hardening the structures 4 .
In laboratory tests, each gram of this living material absorbed approximately 26 milligrams of CO₂ over 400 days 4 . As a demonstration, the team created tree-trunk-like structures capable of capturing up to 18 kilograms of CO₂ annually—equivalent to the carbon capture ability of a 20-year-old pine tree 4 .
This technology represents a paradigm shift from buildings as passive structures to active participants in their environmental context, potentially transforming our urban landscapes into carbon-sequestering ecosystems.
Beyond these specific breakthroughs, the broader field of materials science is producing a steady stream of innovations with profound implications for construction:
Companies like Basilisk have developed concrete that incorporates bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pseudofirmus, and Bacillus sphaericus) that produce limestone when exposed to oxygen and water through cracks. This biological repair system significantly extends the material's lifespan and reduces maintenance needs 9 .
Engineered materials with structures not found in nature can manipulate seismic waves. Steel and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer metamaterials can attenuate the intensity of seismic waves propagating through structures, offering enhanced protection in earthquake-prone regions 9 .
These substances store and release large amounts of latent heat during phase transitions (e.g., from solid to liquid). Incorporated into building materials, they help regulate temperatures by absorbing excess heat during the day and releasing it at night, reducing energy demands for heating and cooling 9 .
These innovations collectively address both the embodied energy of construction (the energy required to produce and transport materials) and the operational energy of buildings (the energy used during their lifetime), which accounts for 85-95% of a building's total life-cycle energy consumption 7 .
The transformation of raw materials into the buildings of tomorrow represents one of the most promising frontiers in the fight against climate change and resource depletion. From the rediscovery of ancient techniques like rammed earth to the futuristic development of photosynthetic building materials, these innovations demonstrate that sustainable construction is not only possible but increasingly practical.
What makes this moment particularly significant is the convergence of multiple approaches—biomimicry, advanced materials science, biotechnology, and circular economy principles—all pointing toward a common goal: buildings that give back more than they take. The experiment in cardboard-confined rammed earth from RMIT University exemplifies how simple, accessible materials can be reimagined to create structures that are simultaneously strong, affordable, and gentle on the planet.
The future of building is not just about what we build, but what we build with—and increasingly, it's made of materials that breathe, heal, and even photosynthesize, transforming our static structures into dynamic, living systems.
As these technologies continue to develop and scale, we stand at the threshold of a new era in construction—one where our buildings actively contribute to environmental health rather than deplete it. The science of turning materials into buildings is ultimately about reimagining our relationship with the natural world, creating structures that don't just shelter us, but sustain us all.