Living in a house made of fungi and bacteria may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but researchers are now one step closer to eventually making it a reality, according to a new study.
The ability to create durable, load-bearing structures with living material is still many years away. However, this discovery is an important step toward creating a sustainable alternative to cement, the binding agent in concrete, said Chelsea Heveran, senior author of the study published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.
More than 4 billion metric tons (4.4 billion tons) of cement is manufactured annually, contributing about 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to London-based think tank Chatham House. This means if cement production were a country, it would rank third after China and the United States based on 2023 emissions.
"We asked 'what if we could do it a different way using biology?' That's the vision," said Heveran.
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📸: Maren Stubenvoll
The sustainable construction sector is shifting rapidly from incremental improvement to verified decarbonisation. New material technologies demonstrate that embodied carbon reductions no longer compromise structural or aesthetic performance. The adoption of low carbon construction materials such as advanced concretes is driving progress toward net zero whole life carbon performance, supporting the transition to genuinely sustainable building design. These innovations enable life cycle thinking in construction, where the carbon footprint of construction is assessed across supply chains and operational stages through whole life carbon assessment and robust lifecycle assessment tools.
Policy reform is reinforcing this transformation. The UK government’s ongoing review of construction product safety and environmental performance standards indicates stronger alignment between regulatory accountability and environmental sustainability in construction. Transparent environmental product declarations (EPDs) and consistent carbon reporting will underpin future requirements for sustainable building practices. This signals a move toward life cycle cost optimisation and resource efficiency in construction, advancing the shift to circular economy principles and circular economy in construction frameworks.
Global market trends add momentum. With energy security driving demand for renewable energy systems, wind-assisted shipping and floating solar are reshaping the environmental impact of construction logistics. The sector’s progress towards net zero carbon buildings depends increasingly on low carbon design, carbon neutral construction methodologies, and integration of eco-design for buildings within green infrastructure planning. As the industry adopts sustainable material specification and end-of-life reuse in construction strategies, the link between embodied carbon in materials and overall building lifecycle performance becomes measurable.
Firms slow to embed whole life carbon strategies risk losing credibility as regulation and client priorities converge around measurable sustainability outcomes. Sustainable construction now requires more than branding; it demands scientifically defensible evidence of carbon footprint reduction and adherence to circular construction strategies that support the long-term decarbonising of the built environment.
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