Innovative Start-Up Members | UKGBC https://ukgbc.org/memberships/innovative-start-up/ The voice of our sustainable built environment Thu, 10 Aug 2023 09:14:37 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://ukgbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-UKGBC-favicon-1.png Innovative Start-Up Members | UKGBC https://ukgbc.org/memberships/innovative-start-up/ 32 32 BioTwin https://ukgbc.org/members/biotwin/ Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:27:47 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=47991 The post BioTwin appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, building materials contribute 11% of emissions. Yet only a handful of regulations have been introduced to limit embodied carbon in certain European countries. Without relying on government intervention, we need to do more and help the construction sector to do more in a quicker space of time.

The Carbon Leadership Forum’s survey interviewed more than 100 property developers and 44% of them said that they are actively working to reduce embodied carbon in their buildings. A report by the World Green Building Council found that over 80% of surveyed property developers are committed to addressing embodied carbon emissions in their projects.

Overview of start-up

Biotwin’s vision is to see the fabric of every building and structure in the world to be made up of less carbon intensive materials. From wall studs to plasterboards, beams to joists, corrugate to cladding and even screws – building every type of structure with a zero-carbon footprint.

Biotwin’s first innovation is a carbon neutral wall stud made of natural biomass. This unique combination of carbon sequestering plants and bio-resin is the key to achieving carbon neutrality. By using this recipe, we can replace light gauge steel studs in any building project, reducing the embodied carbon across the entire industry.

What makes the start-up innovative?

Biotwin’s secret sauce lies in the combination of the team’s experience in commercialising products and vast experience in the construction and manufacturing sectors. It will design and develop a multitude of products, that are a blend of biomass and recycled waste streams to help decabonise the construction sector.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

Biotwin’s team has previously started and scaled businesses, from design studios and fit out companies to online marketplaces and manufacturing. With this in mind, it will continue to add new talent that has expertise in materials and products but also has the commercial nous and innovative thinking.

The post BioTwin appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Natural Building Systems https://ukgbc.org/members/natural-building-systems/ Wed, 26 Jul 2023 09:53:29 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=49018 A unique, climate-positive, biobased, modular construction system.

The post Natural Building Systems appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

Natural Building Systems’ customers are house builders and developers who want to meet the demand from end users for sustainable, energy efficient and healthy homes. They are also under pressure to address increasing regulatory and planning policy requirements.

Overview of start-up

Natural Building Systems is combining low embodied-carbon materials with modern construction methods to transform the industry. Its comprehensive construction system is made exclusively from climate-neutral materials. It’s a breathable, high-performance thermal envelope, floor, roof and internal walls, where all parts are individually demountable so they can be adapted, reassembled and reused.

Building with regenerative materials such as hemp and timber means the carbon captured as they grow exceeds the embodied carbon created from harvest, processing and production. Natural Building Systems’ buildings remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it takes to make them, and are more energy efficient, healthier and comfortable.

What makes the product innovative?

Natural Building Systems has developed a systemized construction solution, combining climate neutral materials with cutting edge digital technologies, to create an expanding library of manufactured SIPs and building components.

Natural Building Systems uses digital tools to standardise parts and reduce lead times, cost, and waste, without compromising design flexibility.

The panels and components are made from non-toxic, climate-neutral materials. Using hemp as primary insulation encourages local production of short-cycle carbon capture crops, and factory-controlled production reduces waste. Individual panels are demountable so they can be repositioned and reassembled in different configurations, allowing buildings to be adapted without waste. Following circular economy principles, there’s no waste when the building reaches the end of its life either, because panels can be disassembled and reused elsewhere.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

The ‘kit of parts’ construction method is already well established in out-of-town distribution hubs, where steel portal frame buildings are erected in short order from a narrow range of design options.

The post Natural Building Systems appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Snugg https://ukgbc.org/members/snugg/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 08:24:06 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=49023 An easy-to-use online platform to make homes energy-efficient in the UK.

The post Snugg appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

Many people find the process of researching and improving their home’s efficiency to be a complicated and expensive process. Snugg works to decarbonise owner-occupied homes with its easy-to-use online platform, initially in the UK.

Overview of start-up

Snugg is a consumer-focused web tool that helps home owners decarbonise their homes. Using data science in the background, Snugg builds a profile of the home, creates a personalised plan to decarbonise, finds grants and other funding, connects with relevant installers and helps monitor ongoing benefits.

What makes the start-up innovative?

Snugg uses data science in the background to make the process of decarbonising homes as simple as possible. Snugg is working closely with banks to help build the finance and supporting business case to enable this.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

Snugg’s solution is web based and highly scalable. Snugg is working with B2B partners with significant customer bases and relevance so that it can reach as many people as possible rapidly.

The post Snugg appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Carbon Neutral Homes https://ukgbc.org/members/carbon-neutral-homes/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 13:50:55 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=49014 Reducing fuel poverty by delivering net-zero energy bill homes.

The post Carbon Neutral Homes appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

Carbon Neutral Homes works to reduce fuel poverty by pioneering the use of community micro-grid systems in the residential sector using green energy to make the homes 100% carbon neutral. It’s developments will reduce the reliance on an already stretched national grid and will rapidly reduce wasted generated renewable energy through the community trading platform.

Overview of start-up

Carbon Neutral Homes delivers net-zero energy bill homes that are constructed using an ‘island mode’ micro-grid (not requiring a National Power connection). The micro-grid will self-generate its energy and trade surplus energy to other buildings through a community peer2peer trading platform. The grid will also use a green hydrogen fuel cell as a secondary generator.

Carbon Natural Homes’ product provides a balanced outlook on thermal performance and airtightness to ensure a healthy home and environment, mitigating fossil fuels and energy provision with moving parts, such as heat pumps, to eliminate responsive maintenance, and with the right fabric and energy generation it is a solution for a net zero energy bill home.

What makes the start-up innovative?

The innovation behind Carbon Neutral Homes’ product is the self-sufficiency of the development and the zero-carbon energy provision in the micro-grid. It is also in the community energy trading platform allowing surplus energy to be traded throughout the grid to balance out the demand curve.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

Carbon Neutral Homes’ product has been designed on a standardised model allowing it to be integrated into projects relatively quickly. Carbon Neutral Homes has been discussing its products with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and also the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology for support and who wants to see its systems deployed quickly. Carbon Neutral Homes has its first concept site of 10 houses in Cornwall ready for construction.

The post Carbon Neutral Homes appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> CQuestr8 Ltd https://ukgbc.org/members/cquestr8-ltd/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 13:45:43 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=49028 The post CQuestr8 Ltd appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

There is currently nowhere to store CO2 in a permanent way. CQuestr8’s technology has been designed to store CO2 into rocks in a long-term durable manner. CQuestr8 also creates new low carbon or carbon-neutral building materials with the rocks once the CO2 is stored into them.

Overview of start-up

CQuestr8 takes CO2 captured or removed from the air, and stores it in new lower carbon construction materials.

What makes the start-up innovative?

CQuestr8’s product/service is able to provide a long-term storage solution for CO2 from the air or point source emissions. There is a shortage of these and CQuestr8’s technology brings to market a new way of doing so. CQuestr8 uses that stored CO2 in concrete blocks in an innovative way to offset the emissions from the cement.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

CQuestr8’s team of oil/gas engineers is designed to scale the equipment quickly. Its reactor has been designed to scale in a modular fashion reducing scaling risk. Its concrete is made from standard equipment so that will scale with ease using off the shelf equipment.

The post CQuestr8 Ltd appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Varig Technologies https://ukgbc.org/members/varig-technologies/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 11:06:52 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=48874 Varig is on a mission to empower those who own, manage, or rent commercial real estate in making their buildings sustainable and their businesses compliant.

The post Varig Technologies appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

The built environment is directly responsible for 25% of UK emissions. For this industry to become more sustainable, it needs to leverage technology to manage the inherent complexities of sustainable improvements on the built environment and fast-track the required change.

Overview of start-up

Varig’s software automatically collects, calculates, and presents your buildings’ sustainability data and generates automated reports to give owners, managers, and tenants a complete performance overview of their portfolios, assets and sections.

By converting all emissions data – from the construction materials used decades ago, to the electric heating used last winter – into comparable CO2-equivalents, Varig’s software enables users to work systematically and strategically with sustainability. Users can compare KPIs, single assets and entire portfolios to identify the most impactful measures to implement. As performance data is autonomously and continually updated in the system, VARIG’s features facilitate improvements in which the users can monitor the actual effects of the actions implemented and guide attention and efforts

What makes the start-up innovative?

Automated data collection, improvement tracking, goal setting and reporting.

VARIG drives positive change by facilitating the access and comprehension of sustainability data and significantly reducing the resources needed to work systematically and efficiently with sustainability.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

Varig is flexible in how data is gathered, not dependent on high granularity and does not depend on hardware installations.

Related Content

The post Varig Technologies appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Circuland https://ukgbc.org/members/circuland/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 10:06:07 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=48909 The Circuland Platform is enabling materials’ re-use in the AEC industry.

The post Circuland appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

Circuland seeks to tackle the following key challenges:

A. Standardised and efficient process for materials passport production: Currently, there is no clearly defined process for producing Materials Passports, resulting in a time-consuming and manual effort. Circuland brings automation to this process, streamlining and standardising passport creation. It enables the generation of passports at various levels, from individual materials to building elements, building element categories, and entire buildings, through automated data aggregation.

B. Life-cycle management of materials: There is currently lack of a comprehensive and standardised system for tracking and managing material information throughout the entire lifecycle of products and buildings. Traditionally, material information is often scattered, fragmented, or even lost over time, making it difficult to assess the environmental impact, circularity, and reuse potential of materials. Circuland offers a centralised platform to link information from manufacturers, fabricators, contractors, facility managers, deconstruction contractors and waste contractors. In Circuland Materials Passports can be created, stored, and managed by the main responsible parties at each life cycle stage. By linking these stakeholders and consolidating information, Circuland enhances collaboration and promotes a more integrated approach to sustainable and circular materials management.

C. Linking data for products, buildings and cities: Currently there is no standardised way to connect and communicate the overall performance of products, buildings and cities in terms of materials properties and specifications. Circuland addresses this challenge by establishing connections and integrating data across these levels (products, buildings, cities). The platform utilises product documentation to document the materials used in buildings. By consolidating data from different buildings within a city, the platform generates overall statistics and performance indicators.

D. Transparency in materials stock: Circuland contributes to transparency by providing a clear overview of materials used within a city. Circuland aims to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing within the industry by offering access to the UK Materials Stock Database. This database aims to provide comprehensive statistics on material usage at the council and country area levels, facilitating data-driven insights for sustainable materials management at a larger scale.

In summary, the specific challenge that Circuland addresses is the lack of a standardised system for comprehensive material tracking and management. By providing a platform for the creation and life-cycle management of Materials Passports, as well as access to a centralised materials database, Circuland empowers organizations and communities to make informed decisions, enhance resource efficiency, and transition towards circular economy.

Overview of start-up

Circuland is a digital platform for the production and life-cycle management of Materials Passports (MPs) for products and buildings. The Circuland platform aims to connect efficiently and aggregate data from MPs to generate insightful statistics at the area level. The platform is built upon the forthcoming Waterman Materials Passports framework, a collaborative effort involving Waterman, CIRCuIT and BRE.

The platform which is currently under development will offer four essential functions which are as follows:
a) Creation of Products Passports (new and used)
b) Creation and lifecycle management of Materials Passports for Buildings: The platform will show Materials Passports on different levels, such as for each recorded material, each recorded building element, for identical elements, per building element category and for the whole building.
c) Publicly available access to the UK Materials Stock Database based on the data from the recorded buildings. The platform will provide statistics on council and country area, including for the key types of materials
d) Marketplace for used materials.

What makes the start-up Innovative?

Circuland is an innovative platform that distinguishes itself from other solutions on the market through its unique selling points:

A. Comprehensive Materials Passport Management: Circuland offers end-to-end materials passport management, covering the entire life cycle of products and buildings.

B. Integration and Collaboration: Circuland allows information exchange between different stakeholders such as manufacturers, contractors, facility managers, developers, deconstruction contractors, and waste contractors, facilitating a more integrated approach to sustainable materials management. This emphasis on collaboration sets Circuland apart from siloed solutions.

C. City-Level Insights and Statistics: One of the key differentiators of Circuland is its ability to generate insightful statistics at the city level. By aggregating data from recorded buildings, Circuland offers publicly accessible information and performance indicators for urban areas.

D. Marketplace for Used Materials: Another unique selling point of Circuland is its inclusion of a marketplace for used materials, using their Materials Passports. This feature promotes the circular economy by facilitating the exchange and reuse of materials, reducing waste, and extending the lifespan of resources.

Circuland’s innovative nature lies in its comprehensive materials passport management, automation and standardization, integration and collaboration among stakeholders, city-level insights and statistics, and the inclusion of a marketplace for used materials. These unique selling points position Circuland as a pioneering solution that addresses the complex challenges of sustainable and circular materials management in a holistic and efficient manner.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

Several key features and considerations have been implemented to ensure that the Circuland platform can accommodate a growing user base and expanding requirements. The following strategies have been employed in the design of Circuland to enable swift scalability:

Unlimited Capacity: Circuland has been architected without imposing any limitations on the number of recorded products and buildings. This design feature ensures that the platform can easily handle a substantial volume of data and effectively cope with the escalating demand for Materials Passports

Flexibility in Data Management: The Circuland platform has been imbued with a flexible data management system, thereby allowing seamless adaptation to changing information requirements. As the framework for Materials Passports advances, the platform can expeditiously incorporate any necessary modifications or updates, in alignment with evolving industry standards and user expectations.

Global Accessibility: Circuland is not confined to a specific geographical location and can be utilised in diverse countries. This global scope enables the platform to be highly adaptable to international markets, catering to a wide range of user needs and facilitating the expansion of the user base on a global scale.

Integration Capability: To ensure smooth communication and collaboration with other platforms, Circuland leverages a flexible Application Programming Interface (API). This empowers the platform to seamlessly integrate with complementary systems or services, including third-party software and data sources. This interoperability enhances the overall functionality and value of the platform.

By incorporating these scalable design elements, Circuland is strategically positioned to address increasing user demands, expand into new markets, and maintain compatibility with the ever-evolving industry standards. Continuous improvement efforts will be undertaken to refine the platform, catering to the needs of users and propelling the adoption of sustainable materials management practices on a global scale.

The post Circuland appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> CYANOSKIN https://ukgbc.org/members/cyanoskin/ Wed, 05 Jul 2023 13:43:14 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=48454 Living paint for building exteriors promoting carbon sequestration.

The post CYANOSKIN appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

Construction and building industry companies are facing more pressure from the government as well as from their shareholders to be more sustainable. However implementing this can be complex and expensive. Therefore, the industry needs sustainable solutions that are lower cost as well as quick and easy to implement.

Overview of start-up

Cyanoskin is a living paint designed to absorb pollution, by utilising untapped building surfaces in mid and high-rise cityscapes. Once applied, the photosynthetic paint grows and thickens, allowing it to capture carbon dioxide in urban environments.

What makes the start-up innovative?

Cyanoskin offers cheap and effective carbon sequestration. Its application is meant to be extremely easy, unlike other alternatives which would require massive changes in the current operation of the buildings.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

First, the algae Cyanoskin is rapidly produced and at a low cost. Moreover, Cyanoskin currently estimates it could absorb over 200kg/m2 annually, with 180,025,000 m2 available in London alone. This allows for over 36 million tonnes of CO2 to be absorbed yearly, in just one city!

The post CYANOSKIN appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Map Impact https://ukgbc.org/members/map-impact/ Wed, 05 Jul 2023 13:33:59 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=47618 Map Impact provides an environmental reporting tool to allow verification and management of biodiversity targets.

The post Map Impact appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

UK legislation will soon enforce 10% biodiversity net gain during the construction development lifecycle (which must be monitored for 30 years). Evidencing consistently and at scale using only ground methods is costly and time consuming. The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) have highlighted a distinct lack of availability in ecologists. Map Impact is taking a highly collaborative approach to supporting ecologists and other stakeholders in the planning process by providing rapid access to biodiversity information, reducing the time, effort and cost needed to comply with new mandatory environmental reporting requirements.

Map Impact’s independent solution means that customers will use the product for both planning applications and compliance, as well as to support checking and verification (i.e. from both sides of the evidence requirement process).

Overview of start-up

Map Impact provides easy to use environmental reporting tools that are accessible to a wide user base empowering clear and concise decision making. Its baseline indications of biodiversity condition (plus net gain and loss of biodiversity over time), will be available nationwide, using metrics derived from satellite imagery. The unique power of satellite imagery allows an archive to be accessed to indicate trends over time.

Evidencing biodiversity change consistently and at scale using only ground methods is costly and time consuming, yet understanding the environment around us is vital to ensure harmonious interaction with nature. Map Impact provides cost-effective, timely and independent screening data to support imminent UK environmental legislation impacting property development and planning applications.

Map Impact’s outputs are highly flexible in the way they are accessed, allowing seamless data integration for existing 3rd party environmental report providers and alignment and collaboration with a wide variety of digital platforms that are already on the market.

What makes the start-up innovative?

Map Impact is taking a specific offering to market with a focus on ease of deployment and scalability. Satellites offer a unique archive for historic analysis, and an entirely objective means of measuring environmental variables. The Map Impact Team’s proven capability to simplify complex earth observation technology for environmental applications will set it apart from others.

This capability is being deployed with in-depth understanding and connections into the environmental industry. The Team’s strong portfolio of past product developments has been used to support climate impact mitigation and legislation, as well as driving environmental policy.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

Map Impact has finalised a working prototype and will be publishing a minimum viable product (MVP) for testing in late summer 2023. All its work has been created in a cloud processing environment. Following customer testing of Map Impact’s MVP, cloud processing will allow it to create a nationwide product very rapidly. It also has the capability to scale globally (its satellite imagery source is available globally).

The post Map Impact appeared first on UKGBC.

]]> Cresco https://ukgbc.org/members/cresco/ Tue, 06 Jun 2023 08:36:42 +0000 https://ukgbc.org/?post_type=member&p=47535 Cresco uses biotechnology to manufacture low carbon panelling materials for the construction industry.

The post Cresco appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>

Problem addressed

The primary aim of Cresco’s products is to reduce the embodied carbon emissions associated with the construction of new buildings and the retrofit of existing buildings. As laid out in the UKGBC Whole Life Carbon Roadmap, if we are to meet net zero goals embodied carbon associated with the construction industry must fall by 40% by 2030. Improving the design efficiency of building structures can only get us so far, low carbon materials are needed if we are to reach this goal. Current low carbon alternatives on the market are often disparate, unregulated, or fail to integrate within current manufacturing processes. Cresco is aiming to overcome this and deliver low carbon products to market that can be utilised at scale.

Overview of start-up

Cresco is creating low carbon construction materials using waste and biomanufacturing. Currently Cresco is focused on delivering low carbon panelling materials. It’s material is naturally water and fire resistant, hard wearing, and utilises high percentages of waste material (60-90%). The entire manufacturing process happens at room temperature. Being able to manufacture without the need of high energy heating processes is where the majority of the carbon savings occur compared to traditional mineral/ceramic materials. Cresco does this using a unique biomanufacturing process, based on bacterial biocalcification. The process is a way of forming strong calcium carbonate crystals, which are used to bind together waste aggregate materials sourced from ceramic manufacturing, quarrying and construction wastes, which forms a kind of synthetic limestone type material. By including biogenic fibres like hemp, Cresco can reduce its carbon footprint further, and adjust its material properties for a wider range of applications.

What makes the start-up innovative?

Cresco’s innovative method of biomanufacturing allows it to create low carbon products. Cresco’s process relies on MICP, microbially induced calcite precipitation. This process, also called biocalcification, exists widely in nature, and is the mechanism behind how coral reefs are formed, oyster beds are built, and shells are created. The process induces the formation of calcium carbonate crystals at room temperature. By mixing the bacteria that do this with waste aggregate and agricultural materials Cresco can bind them together by the formed calcium carbonate crystals, all at a low temperature. The resulting materials range from fibre bonded panels to an almost limestone like material. This innovative process allows Cresco to create mineral/ceramic like materials without the high temperatures associated with more traditional processes, and utilise large proportions of waste and biogenic materials.

How the start-up has been designed to scale-up quickly

MICP has existed in the lab for some time. Cresco is developing a process based on this that overcomes the issues seen with previous efforts to scale this biomanufacturing technique. This means Cresco’s process will involve keeping products in mould for minutes rather than days, drastically increasing it’s ability to scale. By thinking seriously about scale before begining manufacturing, Cresco aims to take the smoothest route to market possible. Primary research into ensuring scalability is being undertaken in collaboration with Northumbria university, funded by innovate UK.

The post Cresco appeared first on UKGBC.

]]>