NMG Lunchtime Seminar Series: Focus on Biogenic Materials in Construction

 

You are invited to join us for our monthly virtual event where the focus will be on Biogenic Materials in Construction.

You will hear from

Prof Michael H. Ramage FSA MIStructE CEng

Director, Centre for Natural Material Innovation

Growing the Future

• Wood is the most important material for the future of our buildings, our cities, and our planet. Achieving net-zero in construction demands a major shift toward timber. Engineered timber offers the first significant structural innovation since reinforced concrete 150 years ago, enabling us to build bigger and more sustainably. Concrete and steel production are responsible for significant carbon emissions, with concrete alone contributing 8% of global greenhouse gases. Instead of relying on these high-impact materials, we can grow our building materials.
• The construction sector accounts for nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, with embodied energy in materials representing 25% of that. Engineered timber drastically reduces this footprint, while also being faster to construct, environmentally beneficial, and highly energy-efficient in operation. Forests act as nature’s most effective carbon capture system, with each tonne of timber sequestering 1.8 tonnes of CO2.
• Timber construction not only reduces emissions but also supports biodiversity and promotes a regenerative future. By embracing wood, we can align construction with natural systems, creating buildings that are better for people and the planet.

Ele George

Founding Director of Elevate

Building with Nature: Exploring UK-Grown Hemp Insulation

• In this webinar, Ele will introduce IndiNature’s UK-grown and manufactured industrial hemp insulation, a pioneering biogenic material for the construction industry.

• She will discuss the innovative processes behind its production, its practical applications, and the significant environmental and social benefits it offers. The session will highlight how such materials contribute to reducing embodied carbon, enhancing building performance, and supporting the shift toward sustainable construction practices..

Robert Hairstans

Director of the Centre for Advanced Timber Technology at New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering / Professor at Edinburgh Napier University

Timber in Construction – Research onto education

• Edinburgh Napier University has undertaken significant research to encourage the use of timber in construction with an emphasis of adding value to UK grown resource. The Transforming Timber project in collaboration with Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) and EcoSystems Technologies accelerated this effort and resulted in the commercialisation of mass timber systems.

• Running concurrently with Transforming Timber, Edinburgh Napier also established a partnership with the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE)  to set up the Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT) to implement a new approach to upskilling and reskill for timber in construction.

• CATT drew upon this research and combined it with new research efforts to enhance the use of English hardwood resource for construction purpose including the exploration of wood fibre insultation. This presentation will explore this journey and articulate the key findings from the collaboration.

Preliminary agenda

13:00 – Start and greetings
13:05 – Presentations
14:00 – General discussion
14.30 – Close