Challenge
Accounting for more than 50% of global resource extraction, the construction sector is one of the most material-intensive sectors in the world.
The ATRIUM project (full name: Advancing bio-based materials and circular technologies for Reconfigurable, Urban and Modular construction) co-funded by the European Union and UKRI, sets out to tackle key impactful aspects of the sector, such as reducing energy consumption of historical buildings, improving indoor air and humidity quality, reducing renovation waste by 50%, enhancing water efficiency with green-wall systems, and cutting buildings' carbon footprint.
By leveraging renewable resources such as hemp, mycelium, and bio-polymers, ATRIUM aims to replace traditional construction materials with eco-friendly, durable, and scalable alternatives.
Approach
The project brings together a multidisciplinary group of 13 consortium partners with experts from engineering, chemistry, biology, materials science, data engineering, and environmental science. The 42-month project, launched in July 2024, follows the below broad action plan:
- Identification and up-scaling of six bio-based materials suitable for the construction sector: sourced from bio-based EU sources aligned to cascading use of biomass principles, aligned to end-user raw material requirements and adjusted to their specific innovation processes.
- Up-scaling of four intermediate bio-based intermediate products: based on bio-polymers and natural sourced materials.
- Adapt and optimize the four processing manufacturing technologies: a biotechnological approach that transforms the individual materials into intermediates and final products, drafting guidelines for their safe handling and industrial manufacturing.
- Design, develop and validate four final products: demonstrating them in 3 different sites, namely Austria, Spain, and Israel:
- Terrace decking,
- Flooring tiles (with protective Bio-PU top coat),
- Acoustic Panels with improved fire retardancy,
- Green walls: planting pots and water collection systems and Building blocks by applying SSBD principles
- Co-design of creative & innovative solutions by adapting and applying novel digital solutions: integrating information on the project materials and bio-composite products (their properties and processes) into a materials database complemented by AI-driven software, to improve the system’s outcome on bio-based construction materials.
- Validate the overall Safety, Sustainability & End-of-Life (EoL) of the obtained products: adapting and adding health and safety recommendations during the production stages of materials and chemicals (e.g.: REACH) and products (e.g.: fire resistance) but also for the final end-user experience (e.g.: VOCs, flammability)). In terms of EoL, the materials and products will be subjected to the associated recycling technologies.
Outcomes
In its first year, ATRIUM:
- Initiated material development and testing of various bio-based formulations including mycelium, hempcrete, recycled wood dust, and bioplastics
- Started to develop bio-based flame-retardant coatings for interior applications
- Advanced additive manufacturing techniques, such as large-format 3D printing of hempcrete
- Explored aesthetic and functional improvements to mycelium-based panels and flooring designs
- Produced early wood-fiber composites using recycled wood dust
In its second year, the project focus will shift toward scaling prototypes, further refining materials and processes, and preparing for real-world testing at demo sites. Watch this space for further updates.
Partners
Aitiip, Wood K Plus, Hartika, Tecnopackaging, Enco, Sqim, Circe, Institut Techniki Budowlanej, Ibercivis, Centexbel, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Alchemia Nova
Learn more
- Discover the ATRIUM website
- Read ATRIUM's 1-year press release
Cover image: ATRIUM
