NATURAL MATERIALS EVENT SERIES
We want to support an industry-wide transition towards towards the mainstream use of natural building materials by helping others to understand the definition of natural materials, and setting out the benefits that using these materials in our buildings can create.
The Natural Materials Event Series has been created to support these aims.
Launched in July 2021, a monthly panel of expert speakers explain a material theme, demonstrates their use through case-studies, and demystify how the construction industry can become ecologically-regenerative, low-carbon and wellbeing-focused.
Intermittently the series features a myth-busting session, where we take some common misconceptions or perceived problems and dispel the myths! And sessions on retrofitting using natural materials.
We will also be included a ‘bottom-up’ approach to creating buildings from foundation to roof using natural materials.
All of these events are free to attend.
You can watch all the past events on this page and download the follow up 'Party Bags' containing a summary of the event, further information and recommended resources which we send out after each event. Or you can watch the full playlist of past events on the ACAN YouTube channel.
INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL MATERIALS
NATURAL MATERIALS
MYTH-BUSTING
NATURAL MATERIALS MASTERCLASS
RETROFIT WITH NATURAL MATERIALS
INTRODUCTION TO NATURAL MATERIALS
Our first event includes a broad introduction to natural building materials, where we learn from experts about natural materials including hemp, straw, earth, lime and timber, and how to use them in construction projects.
Speakers:
Timber - Tabitha Binding (TDUK, Timber Development UK) Earth - Rowland Keable (EBUKI, Earth Building UK & Ireland)
Straw - Phil Christopher (SBUK, Straw-bale Building UK) Hemp - Will Stanwix (The Hemp Block Company)
Lime - Simon Ayres (LimeGreen)
Natural fibre insulations - Chris Brookman (Back to Earth)
This event took place on 01/07/21
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
NATURAL MATERIALS MASTERCLASS:
BUILDING WITH STRAW
An evening with experts in straw construction with a showcase of the material in action including case studies and a virtual site visit.
We hear from a panel of experts the many different forms and roles that straw can play in construction, and the many benefits and opportunities it can bring.
Learn from industry leaders championing straw as an important natural construction material, see a showcase of case studies and even visit a live construction site using straw.
Speakers:
Barbara Jones - SNaB, The School of Natural Building
Craig White - ModCell, White Design, and Agile Property & Homes
Cypren Edmunds - STBA, Sustainable Traditional Building Alliance, and SBUK, Straw-bale Building UK
John Butler - John Butler - Sustainable Building Consultancy
Phil Christopher - Huff and Puff Construction
Dana Olărescu
Joe Duirwyn - Hartwyn
This event took place on 29/07/21
NATURAL MATERIALS
MYTH-BUSTING:
COST & DURABILITY
(BITE-SIZED MYTH-BUSTING)
A brief myth-busting session, discussing the following:
1) Does building with natural materials cost more?
2) Are natural materials durable?
Speakers:
Barbara Jones - School of Natural Building
Chris Brookman - Back to Earth
Joe Duirwyn - Hartwyn
Mark Lynn - Eden Renewable Innovations Ltd & ASBP
This event took place on 02/09/21
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
NATURAL MATERIALS MASTERCLASS:
BUILDING WITH EARTH
Learn about clay plasters, earth blocks, rammed earth and chalk, cob, and most importantly, how you can use these materials in your building projects.
Speakers:
Rowland Keable - EBUKI & Rammed Earth Consulting
Becky Little - EBUKI & Rebearth
Tom Morton - Arc Architects
Paul Mallion - Conker Conservation
Clare Whitney - Clayworks
This event took place on 07/10/21
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
NATURAL MATERIALS MASTERCLASS:
BUILDING WITH HEMP
We're excited to be back with a masterclass in Building with Hemp. Hemp plants are low-maintenance and fast growing, taking only 100 days to reach full growth, and during the growth stage lock away up to 2 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of fibre harvested.
Hemp has huge potential as a bio-material, from paper to plastics and in many different construction uses from insulation to structural elements.
Speakers:
Paloma Gormley - Material Cultures, Practice Architecture
Sonia Sifflet - Lemoal Lemoal
Alex Sparrow - UK Hempcrete
Will Stanwix - The Hemp Block Company
This event took place on 02/12/21
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
NATURAL MATERIALS
MYTH-BUSTING:
PASSIVHAUS & NATURAL MATERIALS
A myth-busting session, discussing the following:
1) Can Passivhaus be built from natural materials?
2) Are airtight buildings breathable?
3) Are Passivhauses always healthy?
Speakers:
Duncan Baker Brown - BakerBrown Architects
Sarah Lewis - The Passivhaus Trust
Mhairi Grant - Paper Igloo
Sam Foster - Rural Housing Scotland & Scottish Wood
This event took place on 10/02/22
NATURAL MATERIALS MASTERCLASS:
BUILDING WITH CORK
Cork is strong, durable, provides thermal and acoustic insulation, and is resistant to fire, water and rot. The Cork Oak replaces its bark every 9 years, which means that it can be harvested without damaging the tree. The tree itself can live for up to 250 years!
Did you know Cork Oak forests support one of the highest levels of biodiversity among forest habitats?
Speakers:
Matthew Barnett Howland - CSK Architects and The Bartlett UCL
Tom Perkins and Sergio Vaz Correia - SECILTEK
Tim O'Callaghan (standing in for Nimi Attanayake and Allie Mackinnon) - Nimtim Architects
Joe Fitzgerald and Dave Judd – Ecological Building Systems
Nick Newman - Studio Bark
This event took place on 10/03/22
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
RETROFIT WITH NATURAL MATERIALS:
INTRODUCTION TO RETROFIT
Watch to learn from experts about the importance of retrofit and the benefits of doing so with natural materials. In this event we looked at the importance of retrofit, how deeply we should be retrofitting our building stock, and which Natural Material products can be used and where.
80% of today's buildings will still exist in 2050. Successfully retrofitting these buildings will play a critical role in collectively taking action to address the twin crises of climate and ecological breakdown.
Retrofitting with Natural Materials can deliver energy saving measures that provide healthy, comfortable buildings for the occupants without causing damage to the building fabric. Simultaneously reducing energy demand (and therefore energy bills) whilst using materials that cause can be ecologically regenerative.
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
Speakers:
Chris Brookman - Back to Earth
Chris Morgan - John Gilbert Architects
Grigor Mitchel - Grigor Mitchell Architects
This event took place on 05/05/22
NATURAL MATERIALS MASTERCLASS:
BUILDING WITH LIME
Lime has been used for over a thousand years in this country alone, but the use of building limes have increased considerably in recent years. Limes offer positive environmental benefits: Being ‘weaker’, limes allow the re-use of salvageable materials such as brick and stone. Limes are produced using much less energy than cement. Lime allows the walls of buildings to breathe, preventing moisture from becoming trapped in the walls which can cause significant damage over time. By helping to regulate the moisture in walls, lime reduces the humidity in a room and minimises the risk of moisture-related contaminants such as mould or condensation.
Speakers:
Barbara Jones - School of Natural Building
Edd Walker - Cornish Lime
Tom Robinson - Adaptavate
This event took place on 09/06/22
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
NATURAL MATERIALS MASTERCLASS:
NATURAL FINISHES
Natural materials are durable, improve the microclimate of indoor spaces, and are better for your health and the environment! Natural materials and finishes are not only VOC free but can also offer better performance than their chemically-engineered counterparts. For example, the hygroscopic behaviour of some natural finishes allows them to passively regulate the humidity of your indoor environment, minimising mould and fungal growth. And it's not just physical health, research has shown that natural materials have a beneficial effect on our mental health too.
Speakers:
Simon Corbey - ASBP
Michiel Brouns - Brouns & Co.
Clare Whitney - Clayworks
Rachel Fowler - Rachel Fowler Interiors
This event took place on 14/07/22
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
NATURAL MATERIALS MASTERCLASS:
NOVEL NATURAL MATERIALS
Learn about some of the unique challenges working with novel natural materials from our expert panel about the technical aspects of specifying and using these interesting products in construction projects.
These diverse materials are explored through examples and a series of case studies.
Speakers:
Duncan Baker Brown - BakerBrown Architects
Kathryn Larsen - The Seaweed Girl
Ward Massa - StoneCycling
This event took place on 08/09/22
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
RETROFIT WITH NATURAL MATERIALS:
RETROFIT IN DETAIL
Join ACAN to learn from experts about the importance of retrofit and the benefits of doing so with natural materials.
We will look in detail at which Natural Material products can be used and where. Find out more about the key ways you can retrofit floors, walls and roofs using natural materials, including plenty of case studies and examples. Retrofitting with Natural Materials can deliver energy saving measures that provide healthy, comfortable buildings for the occupants without causing damage to the building fabric. Simultaneously reducing energy demand (and therefore energy bills) whilst using materials that can be ecologically regenerative.
We have put together a “party bag” of information for you all to digest over your morning coffee or during your commutes. This gives a brief summary of the event, the names of all the speakers, and gives some reading recommendations if you’d like to find out more:
Speakers:
Ilias Igoumenidis - Ecological Building Systems UK Ltd
Adam Illes - Eco-Renovation UK
Richard Oxley - Oxley Conservation
This event took place on 05/12/22
NATURAL MATERIALS MASTERCLASS:
UNNATURAL MATERIALS - BARNABAS CALDER
Barnabas Calder, author of Architecture: From Prehistory To Climate Emergency talks about how the rise of fossil fuels has produced today's architectural norms and material palette. He discusses the potential for history to help us steer a path away from the worst impacts of climate change.
Barnabas Calder is the author of Architecture: From Prehistory to Climate Emergency (Pelican, 2021). He is head of the History of Architecture Research Cluster at the University of Liverpool - the largest architectural history research group in the world - and a trustee of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain.
You can purchase a copy of Baranabas' book using the link below:
This event took place on 22/05/23
RETROFIT WITH NATURAL MATERIALS:
LOW-CARBON FOUNDATIONS
Join ACAN to learn from experts about different types of low-carbon foundations and the benefits of using them. In this video we explore the decision-making process around choosing a foundation solution, as well as structural philosophies, all illustrated with a multitude of case studies!
Building structures contain on average around 50% of the upfront embodied carbon, with a significant proportion of that in the foundations. We are presented a range of alternatives to typical concrete foundations that are far lower in carbon than standard.
Speakers:
Beth Williams - Build Collective
Steve Webb - Webb Yates
Ben Bosence - Local Works Studio
Toby Maclean - Allt Environmental Structural Engineers
This event took place on 19/06/23
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