BC materials

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the women shaping the future of construction—architects, craftswomen, and material innovators pushing for a more circular, inclusive built environment. Women Leading the Way  Alia Bengana Architect specializing in biobased and low-carbon materials. (Author of Béton - Enquête en sables mouvants) Annika Seifert Architect and researcher on circular economy and sustainable construction. Charlotte Malterre-Barthes Architect, urban designer, and advocate for responsible practice that challenges spatial and social inequalities. (Author of A Global Moratorium on New Construction). Ilze Wolff Architect, writer, and researcher from Cape Town, whose work engages the use of indigenous materials and construction methods. Lauranne Coornaert Degré 47 Works on participatory construction projects using natural materials like earth and straw, empowering communities through hands-on building. Lea Magdalena Scholz Researched bio-based construction from industrial by-products in her thesis, exploring innovative uses of agricultural waste in architecture. Maria & Arianna - Acruma Craftswomen dedicated to earthen construction. Marie-Laure Pacquet - B-ARCHI & @VIBE vzw Architect specializing in straw bale construction and board member of VIBE, promoting sustainable building practices in Belgium. marina tabassum Architect and founder of Marina Tabassum Architects, designing context-driven, climate-responsive architecture in Bangladesh. Martha Lewis Director of Materials at Henning Larsen, conducting groundbreaking research on material sustainability and non-toxic building components. Meriem Chabani Founder of NEW SOUTH, an architecture practice focused on sustainable, low-energy, and bioclimatic design that integrates local materials and methods. Nina Ouchinsky & Sarah El Yousefy - Cru atelier Architects working with rammed earth and other natural building techniques. Victoria Caubet Architect, mason, and currently working on rebuilding efforts in Ukraine using sustainable materials. Initiatives Supporting Women in Architecture & Materials  Celles qui font le design - Maak & Transmettre Platform showcasing women-led design and architecture. Material Cultures A research organization led by Summer Islam, Paloma Gormley, and George Massoud, focusing on natural materials and regenerative construction. Matri-Archi(tecture) An association connecting African and diasporic female spatial practitioners, exploring histories and imaginaries through design while promoting gender equality in architecture. paf.community Supporting and empowering women in architecture and construction. Terre, Femmes & Savoir-Faire A network connecting and supporting women in earthen construction, fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration. Women in Architecture Belgique A Belgian network advocating for gender equity in architecture through mentorship, visibility, and professional support. Who else should be in the spotlight?

Join us at this learning network on circular and low-carbon materials in construction, organized by Buildwise with support from VLAIO - Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship. The sessions will explore bio-based materials, urban mining, innovations in traditional materials, and the role of procurement in sustainability. Dates & locations: 20/03/2025 - C-biotech, Cordeel, Temse 01/04/2025 - Recypark & COOP, Anderlecht 29/04/2025 - Soprema, Grobbendonk 08/05/2025 - Embuild Oost-Vlaanderen, Zwijnaarde From 12:30 to 17:00 Ken, one of the co-founders of BC architects&studies&materials, will share his experience in the practice and use of organic, geological and urban materials. Register now: https://lnkd.in/ebXZvZ_9 Photo of the Paoli project, with the use of rice straw bales as external insulation.

"There's a big need to create extra living units, and this will require lots of materials, while there is great pressure on primary raw materials, which also often have a large carbon footprint due to extraction, processing and transport. Therefore, efforts are due to reduce fossil emissions throughout the building life cycle and increase biogenic carbon storage in buildings. As a construction industry, we believe that bio-based and geo-based building materials will help provide a solution within circular construction to reduce the climate impact of buildings. Moreover, there are more and more insights that such materials offer additional benefits." With BC we're happy to support the BioCircular charter, recently launched by Embuild Vlaanderen & Buildwise, as this is a win-win for both the economy and the environment. For future inhabitants, and for our landscape, farmers and builders. The ambitions are significant, with an aim of by 2030: ➢ 20% of material choices in new construction projects and tenders are bio-circular ➢ Structural elements and/or main insulation materials are bio-circular in 1 in 5 new construction projects ➢ Renovations are carried out with predominantly bio-circular materials. By 2050, the Flemish construction sector will be climate neutral. Where technically possible, bio-circular building materials will be the norm." We invite you to join in this great and empowering odyssey, and if you're a Belgian company to sign the charter here https://lnkd.in/eB9WX8KF , and if you're elsewhere :) , to set up similar initiatives 🙏 (Thanks to all who contributed, and especially: Caroline Deiteren, Wim Garmyn, Charlotte Cambier, Jeroen Vrijders, Johan Van Dessel, Ilse Claeys, Lisa Wastiels, Earth Plant & Fiber, Axel Segers, .. and many more!) Picture: Usquare: renovation with classic clay plaster, and acoustic clay plaster (enriched with hemp & cork). Bio-circularity in action 😊 . (c) Sander Lambrix PS: Special shout out also for the educational part: "The content of construction training courses in Flanders needs to be scrutinised taken. In consultation with the different educational levels (secondary schools, colleges and universities), the necessary learning content and finalities need to be adapted for bio-circular construction to become mainstream. Training courses and learning networks that bring knowledge on bio-circular building to current professionals, from policy and initiative to design should be established." Let's take to the class to the construction site!

Onlangs bezocht ik onderstaande architectuurparel door BC architects & studies in Antwerpen. Een ware heldendaad is de totstandkoming van dit kunstenaarsatelier met starterswoning. Fotograaf Van Giel, Katrijn zocht een plek om te werken en om een jonge vluchteling onderdak te geven. BC architects & studies ontwierp het project met zoveel mogelijk hergebruikte en biobased materialen. 'Het pand is opgevat als één groot op maat gemaakt meubel', aldus projectarchitect Wes Degreef. Midden in Antwerpen, in een smalle steeg, maakte een arbeiderswoning plaats voor een nieuw pand waarin twee werelden samenkomen: het atelier van fotograaf Katrijn Van Giel en de leefwereld van Abdulfatah, een jonge vluchteling uit Somalië die al jaren in België woont, maar moeilijk een vaste woonplek vond. Ze kennen elkaar via een Vlaams initiatief waarbij mensen een anderstalige nieuwkomer onder hun hoede nemen. ‘Wij kennen Abdulfatah – of Abdi – al tien jaar, sinds zijn vijftiende toen hij uit Somalië was gevlucht.’ 👉🏻 Lees hier het artikel verder: https://lnkd.in/erZiZcWJ 📸: Tijs Vervecken en mezelf

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. That’s why we cordially invite you to sign the petition of House Europe! to stimulate (I) tax reductions for renovation works and reused materials, (II) fair rules to assess both potentials and risks of existing buildings, and (III) new values for the embedded CO2 in existing structures. This will also become incorporated into the Brussels building code to privilege renovation over new buildings (when we have a new government 😇 ), but we should also have a European movement towards it. It’s very simple: the carbon emissions we avoid now, are actually more important than the ones we avoid in ten, twenty, thirty,.. years time. CO2 is cumulative – the more we emit, the warmer it will get. Keeping existing buildings, renovating, insulating them & extending them saves up carbon in comparison to demolishing and building new buildings.  Pictures: exemplary renovation of neglected town house to fresh living space in Koekelberg by BC architects, with our red clay plaster. Copyright: Jasper Van der Linden, application by Grond Studio. You can sign the petition here : https://lnkd.in/eaeUdguk , find the full initiative here : https://lnkd.in/em_RKPV9 .

Building Beyond Borders 2025 – Registrations Open Soon We are excited to officially launch the next edition of Building Beyond Borders, an immersive learning experience that pushes the boundaries of sustainable design and circular construction. Registrations open on March 1, 2025, and close on May 1, 2025. Only 25 spots are available, this year !  Become a Building Beyond Borders postgrad and embark on a unique, hands-on journey, engaging in the renovation of an innovative bio-geo-based project in Helchteren, Belgium, in collaboration with DE GOUDEN LINIAAL ARCHITECTEN and MAGMA architecten. You will learn earth construction techniques alongside BC materials, gaining a deeper understanding of sustainable building methods. At the Pastorie, you will be at the forefront of a dynamic transformation. You will be helping to revive the garden by creating an outdoor workshop space and a sustainable vegetable garden, while also harvesting and transforming materials into exciting new interior objects. You will be working in collaboration with the Friends of the Pastorie and local inhabitants, helping to shape the Pastorie into a welcoming home for the community—and so much more. If you are eager to learn by doing, engage with experts and local communities, and contribute to meaningful projects, this is your opportunity to be part of something transformative. Great poster by laura Ghabris

We’re pleased to share that all our leem products have been tested and confirmed to meet the strictest standards for VOC emissions. With results below the minimum threshold, our clay-based materials are officially VOC-free. This achievement reflects our ongoing commitment to offering materials that are safe, sustainable, and contribute to healthier spaces. Photography Tim Van de Velde

I come from Romania, a country where there is almost no awareness of resource depletion, the carbon embedded in buildings, the housing crisis and the fact that neoliberalism has led to much less freedom for the majority. Belgium, my adopted country, is different in the sense that at least it has a tradition of adaptive reuse, with VAT on renovation/conversion to housing reduced from 21% to 6%. So I couldn't be happier to be an ambassador for the European Citizens' Initiative HouseEurope!, which is lobbying for new EU legislation to make renovation and conversion easier, more affordable and more social. Because demolishing existing buildings is as outdated as food waste, animal testing, fast fashion and single-use plastics. The initiative, which was launched yesterday, calls for a right to reuse for existing buildings based on three key pillars: (I) tax breaks for renovation work and reused materials, (II) fair rules for assessing the risks and potential of existing buildings, and (III) new values for the embedded CO2 in existing structures. Find out more about HouseEurope! and tell your friends: https://lnkd.in/eK4g_jz6. We need 1 million signatures from across the EU to help Member States stop demolition and renovate - to house Europe in our existing buildings. Sign now and share after: https://lnkd.in/e9A6gcpT Co-initiated and managed by Olaf Grawert, coordinated by Alina Kolar, and supported by Lacaton & Vassal, Herzog & de Meuron, Ruth Schagemann, Architects4Future, Barbara Metz, Enlai Hooi, Marion Waller, Saskia van Stein, Verena Konrad, Theresa Keilhacker, Rasmus Andresen, Elias Molitschnig, myself and many more. #houseeurope #stopdemolition #renovation #transformation #europeanunion

This weekend in BauNetz, Florian Heilmeyer looks back at Luma's Lot 8 project in Arles. He explores LUMA Arles's ambitious transformation of the site, focusing on how Atelier Luma is stimulating research and innovation in sustainable materials. Lot 8, a collaborative project with Assemble, is an integral part of this ongoing research process, pushing the boundaries of bio-regional architecture. full article: https://lnkd.in/dTY2vB2s Retrospective on the exploration of materials through the region's landscapes, highlighting the unique resources discovered and incorporated into the project. Photography Morgane Renou, Adrian Deweerdt, Joana Luz, Joseph Halligan/Assemble and Baptiste Chatenet/BC architects&studies&materials

Often we get the question if earth is very different in different regions. Well, even at small distances there can be different tonalities of color. We can see that in the Crèche Roodt project, a new daycare in Luxembourg built with local materials and utilizing the earth available on-site. Our work began with soil testing, which revealed an abundance of reddish rusty clay. This allowed us to produce blocks and mortar and, after a second phase of research and development, transform the excavated earth into Clay Plaster (base coat) and Clay Finish (top coat). The final plaster mix included 0.5% straw fibers, a small addition that enhances its performance while staying true to natural materials. After completing 61 tonnes of plasters, 55.000 blocks & 50tonnes of mortar, a small amount of this unique clay remains. Its distinctive reddish-purple tones make it perfect for use in plasters or paint. #SustainableArchitecture #LocalMaterials #ClayPlaster #EarthBasedConstruction