Biomaterials and Nature-Based Solutions: Achieving a Sustainable, Decarbonized, and Climate-Resilient Built Environment

This project highlights research at the intersection of building materials, nature-inspired materials design, and the social, environmental, and global impact of the built environment on the climate crisis. It will bring together Penn State researchers and external speakers who are subject matter experts in the related areas of materials, architecture, engineering, social science, landscape architecture, and environmental science, with the goal of catalyzing research teams and charting a course towards a decarbonized, equitable, and sustainable built environment. External speakers will span other academic institutions, government agencies, and industry.

We propose a project on Biomaterials and Nature-Based Solutions: Achieving a sustainable, decarbonized and climate-resilient built environment. The long-term goal of the project is to position building materials, architecture and urban planning as the solutions to the climate crisis, and not the problems that they are now. The built environment is the largest consumer of raw materials, and is responsible for ~50% of annual global CO2 emissions. Of that, ~27% comes from building operations (operational carbon) and ~20% is embodied carbon. Embodied carbon refers to greenhouse gas emissions resulting from extracting, manufacturing, installing and disposing of materials and products over the life cycle of a building. Although operational carbon emissions can be reduced over time with building energy upgrades and use of renewable energy, embodied carbon emissions are locked in place as soon as a building is built. Given the unprecedented levels of projected new constructions globally between now and 2040, there is an urgent call to action to eliminate embodied carbon emissions, which in turn requires a bold new strategy that must be centered on new materials for the built environment with unparalleled performance.

Construction materials such as these would facilitate sustainable responses to the timely, crucial and global needs of societies struggling to respond to the urgency of the climate crisis, dwindling natural resources and economic and housing inequities worldwide. The sustainable construction materials we envision will catalyze significant positive and transformative ramifications, such as compliance with a net-zero carbon bio-economy and equitable, accessible, and accepted use of these materials across socioeconomic, cultural and geographical groups. Addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort from researchers, industry practitioners, policymakers, and educators to develop and promote materials and practices that are not only environmentally friendly but also economically viable and socially acceptable. The proposed project will guide discussions, identify barriers and research-based solutions, and contribute to the transformation of the built environment into a more sustainable, carbon-neutral, and resilient system.