Today, BIOARC joined our sister project CIRCBUILT’s first public webinar, organised to mark the project’s first year of implementation and to bring together several European initiatives working towards a more sustainable built environment.

Held in collaboration with the BIOARC, INGUMA and BIO4EEB projects, the webinar provided participants with an overview of the New European Bauhaus initiative and showcased how EU-funded projects are contributing to the development of innovative bio-based construction materials and solutions.

The session opened with welcoming remarks from CIRCBUILT coordinator Amit Sonker, Senior Scientist and EU Project Coordinator at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Participants were then introduced to the New European Bauhaus initiative by Borut Cink, Policy Officer at the European Commission, who presented the vision behind the initiative and its role in supporting sustainable, inclusive and beautiful transformations of Europe’s built environment.

The webinar continued with project presentations highlighting different approaches to bio-based construction innovation.

Representing BIOARC, Julia Ihls, Project Coordinator from the Technical University of Munich, introduced the project’s work on transforming locally available agricultural residues into bio-based construction materials through Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP). The presentation highlighted BIOARC’s bioregional approach, which builds on resources from four European regions: rice in Italy, wheat in Poland, sunflower in France and hops in Germany. These materials are being explored for applications including insulation boards, wall boards, acoustic panels and modular partition systems.

Participants also learned about BIO4EEB, presented by project coordinator Klaus Luig. The project focuses on improving residential building performance across multiple construction levels while amplifying environmental benefits and reducing VOC emissions through the development of innovative bio-based building solutions.

The final project presentation featured INGUMA, represented by Dr. Javier García Jaca from TECNALIA. The project demonstrates how wood-processing by-products can be upcycled into innovative materials, including mycelium-based products, resin-free insulation, bio-adhesives and green plywood, which can then be integrated into applications such as vegetated roofs and insulation panels.

Beyond the individual project updates, the webinar highlighted the value of collaboration across the European bio-based construction ecosystem. By bringing together projects at different stages of implementation, the event provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and explore complementary approaches to reducing the environmental footprint of the construction sector.

As Europe continues to seek more sustainable and circular building solutions, initiatives such as CIRCBUILT, BIOARC, BIO4EEB and INGUMA demonstrate the growing potential of bio-based materials to support the transition towards a more resource-efficient built environment.

We thank CIRCBUILT for organising the event and all speakers and participants for contributing to an engaging discussion on the future of sustainable construction.