Sustainable Construction Tech

Hey everyone!

This week I wanted to cover one of the most important industries from a technical innovation perspective, construction. When you factor in all the materials, transport and energy required to build everything we do, it’s quite literally the biggest source of global emissions.

Given the speed the world is developing, and the growing pressure to keep costs down it’s an incredibly tough industry to try and clean up, but as always, there are some inspiring companies trying to turn things around.

Here are 5 of my favourite innovations that will shape the future of construction:

Low-Carbon Concrete

One of the more shocking statistics I’ve seen recently is that other than water, we use more concrete than any other material on Earth, period.

Cement (one of the key ingredients in concrete) requires an outrageously high amount of energy during production, meaning its emissions are pretty poor. Not exactly ideal for a material we use as much as we do.

That said, companies are working to develop modern forms of concrete that are low-carbon, or in some cases even carbon-negative. Take CarbonCure, they inject captured CO₂ into their concrete during production, where it then mineralizes and is permanently stored in the material, creating a carbon store that actually strengthens the end product as well!

Other alternatives, like bio-cement and geopolymer concrete, are also gaining traction, with some capable of slashing emissions by up to 80%.

As more sustainable energy sources are scaled up, this will also help to bring down the overall emissions from the concrete industry.

Sustainable Timber

Timber and construction have always gone hand in hand, but in recent years there has been a real push to start turning to timber in place of steel and concrete.

Engineered woods like cross-laminated timber (CLT) have the strength and durability needed for large-scale projects, but store carbon instead of emitting it. Companies like Metsä woods are working to make CLT a mainstream alternative to steel and concrete at scale and are doing a great job of increasing it’s adoption.

Beyond timber, materials like hempcrete (made from hemp fibers and lime) and mycelium-based insulation are proving that nature-based materials can be durable, energy-efficient, and highly sustainable.

3D Printing in Construction

One of my favourite bits of tech that’s starting to develop is the use of 3D printing within construction. Companies like Mighty Buildings and ICON are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with this, creating entire homes using 3D-printed components, massively improving the speed of development alongside removing almost all waste from the process.

Another point on this that’s exciting is the potential for 3D printing to start making the most out of recycled materials, but more on that to come…

Smart Energy-Efficient Buildings

Whilst constructing buildings has a massive impact on the environment, so does keeping them running!

There are countless examples of really cool technology being developed to help combat this, but one of my favourites is the dynamic glass being produced by the team at View. These smart windows use an electrochromic coating that’s controlled by AI to adjust the tint based on the weather outside. This lets people enjoy the benefits of natural sunlight, whilst preventing glare and helping maintain temperatures more naturally without the need for AC or heating!

Circular Construction and Recycled Materials

One of the worst parts of construction is the staggering amount of material that ends up in landfill sites. But there is a real push to create a more circular construction industry with companies like Madaster helping to track and manage the full lifecycle of components, ensuring they can be disassembled and reused at the end of their life.

It’s also reassuring to see a growing demand for materials like recycled steel, reclaimed bricks, and plastic-based insulation, with start-ups driving this growth by creating new and innovative ways to turn waste into valuable construction resources.

The construction industry is one of the hardest to decarbonise, but the tech and companies tackling this challenge give me hope it can still be achieved.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you next week!

— James