"Building partners instead of building shops", for bio-based building materials as future model

People used to regularly choose bio-based materials for economic reasons. But there are still many reasons to choose bio-based, says Dries Hubrechts, purchasing manager and advisor at Eurabo: "A lot of bio-based materials have technically superior properties. Think of insulation materials, for example. Today's hot summers pose a challenge for the future. Bio-based insulation products not only keep out the cold in winter, but also the heat in summer, because they have a heavier mass density and better heat storage capacity."

More than that, bio-based building materials also simply perform their function very well. "Wood is stronger than steel relative to its own weight. So we can do a lot with that," says Dries. "For example, in Scandinavia you have apartment buildings built from wood up to 85 metres high, with 18 floors. Similarly, there are wind turbines up to 200 metres high, whose tubes are also made of wood."

Moreover, ecological reasons also still play a role. "The ecological reasons start with the extraction of the products and are also important in the further processing of the materials. Bio-based construction is less energy-intensive. It is also the case that a lot of bio-based materials will capture CO2, which is a nice solution to the climate challenge we face."

Evolution

The market for bio-based materials is on the rise. Demand is rising and there are several reasons for this, Hubrechts knows: "Previously, bio-based materials were not as readily accessible. There was a price gap and an availability problem. Now there is a lot of catching up going on. This is partly due to the European policy that drives all member states to implement the materials on a large scale."

Eurabo itself also plays a role in marketing bio-based building materials. "We sometimes cannot keep up with the requests we get from colleges and universities to give guest lectures," it echoes. "We highly value sharing our knowledge, because only in this way can evolution be rolled out further. That is one of our missions: to make sustainable construction as accessible as possible." To that end, Eurabo has a clear vision. "We consider it important to act as a construction partner and not as a construction trade. Only in this way can we move towards a more efficient system, because you can never separate building materials from their application."

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