€50,000 prize for UEL’s Sugarcrete® project

The University of East London’s Sugarcrete® project has won 50,000 euros, in the world’s first awards programme focused on biobased construction materials. The Built by Nature Prize is designed to identify, highlight and reward scalable, market-ready innovations in the sector. Sugarcrete® was the competition runner-up, with the judges saying the project was an outstanding achievement that “stood out for its innovation and achievement.” 

Alan Chandler, Co-Director of the University’s Sustainability Research Institute (SRI), is leading the project and welcomed this recognition. He pointed out that it’s not just Sugarcrete® that is innovative but also the way his team are looking to share production methods. Sugarcrete® is purposely ‘open access’ to enable partnerships to produce bio-waste-based construction materials in regions where sugar cane is grown, and the benefit is greatest. He said, 

Our Sugarcrete® model is one of a central knowledge hub that both generates new knowledge for dissemination, and also organises community engagement to co-create product opportunities through directly understanding context-specific needs. Our open-source model then shares best practice and grows its partner base to create as many producers as possible at large and small scale. Built By Nature has recognised our commitment and innovation, which both validates what we are doing and encourages us to do more.

The awards aim to help promote low-carbon material innovations. Reflecting the global reach of the Built by Nature Prize, the judging panel comprises experts from a wide range of fields including architecture, finance, and biomaterials.

SRI Senior Research Fellow Dr Bamdad Ayati was pleased that the institute’s innovative work on the use of biomass in construction had been recognised. He said, “This is very important for the future of the industry as bio-based building materials offer a significant carbon saving compared to conventional alternatives.”

Sugarcrete® is a low-carbon alternative to bricks and concrete blockwork which uses sugarcane fibres left over after sugar production to produce low-carbon construction materials. The project is a collaboration between UEL’s MArch programme and the SRI with the support of Tate & Lyle Sugars and Chemical Systems Technologies (India) Pvt. Ltd.

Oluchukwu Okonkwo, Sugarcrete® PhD student and researcher, noted that the award was a testament to the potential of Sugarcrete®. She said, 

This incredibly intelligent biomaterial is one of its kind. Sugarcrete® is more of a concept, a way of thinking and building rather than a single brick prototype. It can be personalised to suit the building needs of the end user and the climate in which the building is being constructed.

UEL Senior Lecturer Armor Gutierrez-Rivas was excited about how the award will contribute to the future of the project. He said, “The team is actively seeking new partnerships to establish manufacturing facilities in sugarcane-producing regions. This will help to deploy the material as proof-of-concept community buildings. The Built by Nature Prize will allow us to develop these partnerships to the next stage, aiming to triple Sugarcrete®’s current production capability globally.” 

More information about Sugarcrete®, and the team behind the project can be found on the UEL Sugarcrete® website.