Sugarcrete® project highlights
Sugarcrete® Blocks India
Sugarcrete® has been used to build India’s first school constructed from the innovative material. This milestone highlights UEL’s commitment to addressing global challenges through research and innovation.
Leading the way in low-carbon construction
Sugarcrete® is a low-carbon alternative to traditional bricks and concrete blocks, crafted from sugarcane by-products (bagasse) and sand-mineral binders. With a carbon footprint six times smaller than conventional clay bricks, Sugarcrete® offers a sustainable solution to the construction industry’s environmental impact. The school, located in a sugar-producing region of India, serves as a Skill Development Hub and provides an opportunity to test the material’s buildability, operational performance, and environmental benefits.
Global partnerships and real-world testing
The Sugarcrete® project, developed through a collaboration between UEL’s MArch Architecture programme, the SRI, and Chemical Systems Technologies (CST) in India, exemplifies the power of global partnerships. CST’s founder, Sunil Singhal, emphasised the impact: “With India producing 400 million tons of sugarcane annually, the potential for large-scale positive change is immense. This partnership is pioneering a sustainable innovation that can transform construction practices.”
After the school’s completion in September 2024, Chandler visited the site to collaborate with monitoring partners at the University of Delhi School of Architecture and Planning. Data collection on insulation, moisture buffering, and acoustics will validate Sugarcrete®’s performance in real-world conditions. The project also involves feedback from students and staff, with the school’s principal, Dr Neeraj Tandan, noting, “The building’s design aligns with our ethos, showcasing sustainability in action and providing a unique learning experience for our students.”
Expanding sustainability worldwide
UEL is extending Sugarcrete®’s reach to other sugar-producing regions, including Brazil, Costa Rica, Kenya, and Mexico. The material’s versatility is further demonstrated by its use in projects such as a prototype at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, USA, showcasing its potential across different contexts.
Recognising excellence
Sugarcrete® has received numerous accolades, including an Honourable Mention at the 2024 Design Intelligence Awards, the Built by Nature Prize, and recognition in the circular economy section of the Climate Positive Awards. It has also been nominated for the Earthshot Prize and the Green Gown Awards, among others.
The Sugarcrete® project is a shining example of UEL’s dedication to sustainability and innovation, advancing global efforts to tackle climate change through practical, scalable solutions.
Sugarcrete® India
Sugarcrete®, a low-carbon alternative to bricks and concrete blockwork developed by the University of East London (UEL), has been used to build a school in India in collaboration with Chemical Systems Technologies. The building is the first Sugarcrete® prototype which will enable the team to test the operational performance of the material. As part of the Panchsheel Inter College, it will be used as a sustainability laboratory for the students in this sugar-producing region of India.
Reviving Spain’s ‘Green Sea’ with Sugarcrete®
In a groundbreaking collaboration, the University of East London’s (UEL) Sugarcrete® team joined forces with the Bagaceira Project to develop high-performance acoustic panels from agricultural biowaste. During UEL’s live construction workshop, students gained hands-on experience working with bio-based materials, advancing sustainable building solutions that improve indoor air quality and acoustic performance.
Pioneering Sustainable Architecture
Led by Bagaceira Project founder Julia Steketee and Sugarcrete® co-creators Alan Chandler (Impact Leader), Armor Gutierrez Rivas (Senior Lecturer in Architecture), and Dr Bamdad Ayati (Senior Research Fellow at the Sustainability Research Institute), the team explored the potential of bagasse, the fibrous residue left after sugarcane processing, for creating functional, eco-friendly acoustic panels. They were joined by PhD students Georgemma Hunt and Oluchukwu Okonkwo, all focused on pushing the boundaries of bio-based design.
A vision funded by innovation
This collaboration builds on the Built by Bagasse initiative, one of 69 winners of the EU Worth Partnership II funding. Thanks to this support, the team is developing sustainable interior design products made from bagasse.
A transformative research trip to Spain
A recent visit to Spain’s Costa Tropical region strengthened international collaboration and furthered research into bio-based materials. The Sugarcrete® team and the Bagaceira Project examined local sugarcane availability, ran hands-on workshops, and refined the design, durability, and performance of bagasse-based acoustic panels.
Discussions with local planners, industry leaders, and sugarcane farmers highlighted the possibility of industrial-scale Sugarcrete® production, potentially restoring up to 8 million sqm of sugarcane in a once-thriving region that not long ago operated 12 sugarcane factories. This revival could capture 48,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually - equivalent to the emissions of 46,000 cars - while restoring a cherished green landscape that helps regulate humidity and salinity. It would also boost tourism, strengthen community identity, and support local family-run sugarcane businesses currently forced to import molasses.
Reviving sugarcane cultivation aligns with government and EU priorities to revitalise Granada’s industrial base. Many precast concrete factories closed after the 2008 crisis, but their existing facilities and machinery could be repurposed for Sugarcrete® production—one entry-level machine alone can produce 1,800 blocks per hour.
Advancing material science and acoustic design through research-based teaching
The new acoustic panels took shape during a two-week Master of Architecture workshop at UEL, held 30 September - 11 October. Students explored the transformation of sugar bio waste into high-performance acoustic systems, guided by experts in bio-based materials and fabrication techniques.
Andrew Long, Director of Sandy Brown, the UK’s largest independent acoustic consultancy, advised the team on sound absorption capabilities. Students used parametric design, and CNC fabrication, and tested acoustic absorption, moisture buffering, thermal conductivity, and fire resistance, finding that bagasse panels outperform conventional petroleum-based products.
From concept to market-ready innovation
Following extensive testing, the team finalized computer-aided designs (CAD), created scaled models, conducted acoustic simulations, and refined assembly techniques. They produced a full-scale bagasse-based acoustic panel prototype that is now ready for market applications. This prototype will be showcased at Milan Design Week 2025, demonstrating its potential to revolutionise sustainable interior design.
A step towards a greener future
By transforming waste into valuable, long-lasting materials, this project embodies circular design principles. Compared to petroleum-based acoustic foam panels, Sugarcrete® panels reduce carbon footprints by 160%, offering:
- Superior acoustic absorption
- Moisture buffering benefits for healthier indoor air
- High thermal conductivity and fire resistance, exceeding industry standards
“Working with Bagaceira has opened new opportunities for both our research and teaching,” said Armor Gutierrez Rivas. “We look forward to concluding the project with an exhibition at Milan Design Week 2025.”
About the partners
The Sugarcrete® Project is a pioneering carbon-sequestering alternative to carbon-intensive materials. Developed at the University of East London, Sugarcrete® combines leftover sugarcane fibres with sand-mineral binders to produce panels, components, and blocks that meet industry standards.
The Bagaceira Project, founded by Julia Steketee in Barcelona, focuses on transforming sugarcane bagasse into innovative, sustainable materials for the built environment.
Built by Bagasse team
- UEL Student Team: Paula Bedoya, Alvan Lock, Romina Abdi, Shadi Rostami, Teca Nsamba, Sara Bonito, Ridwan Salman, Temitope Ogunbiyi, Rudson Valacio, Katerina Hudakova.
- UEL Research Team: Armor Gutierrez Rivas, Alan Chandler, Bamdad Ayati, Georgemma Hunt, Oluchukwu Okonkwo (with support from Paul Nichols).
This project not only advances sustainable architecture but also paves the way for scalable, eco-friendly building materials with real-world impact.
Reviving Spain’s ‘Green Sea’ with Sugarcrete®
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Over the tracks
Objectives: To co-create and co-build a community garden in North Woolwich using Sugarcrete®.
Details: Students from UEL’s Architecture Department worked on the “Over the tracks” project, with students from Newvic, the local Newham Sixth Form College, to build a new community garden.
The garden will be built on unused land near Crossrail tracks in North Woolwich. It will include seating, planters and birdhouses built using Sugarcrete®. The initiative was developed in partnership with Newham Council. The space will be used by the local community centre, the Royal Docks Learning and Activity Centre, and neighbourhood residents to hold community events, and to grow food for the local food bank.
In October 2023, students from UEL and Newvic participated in a workshop to design the seating, planters and birdhouses. After that, both students worked on building the structures.
The building phase on the project will last until Spring 2024 and the space will be open to the public from Summer 2024. It is supported by the Greater London Authority, Crossrail, government levelling up funding, and the University of East London itself.
Project collaborators:
- UEL’s MA in Architecture students: Sinan Adulaymi, Francesco Stefan, Cristian Severin, Shushant Jadhav, Twinkle Shah, Jason Tshibangu
- Newvic college students
- London Borough of Newham (Megan Charnley and Sofia Khan)
- Tate & Lyle Sugars
Read the Over the Tracks report (PDF).
Sugarcrete® Slab
In collaboration with Grimshaw, the team built a demountable, reusable, fire-resistant composite floor slab called Sugarcrete® Slab.
The Slab is one of a series of prototypes developing innovative construction applications which can be applied, disassembled, or extended in new or existing structures. It stems from Grimshaw's interest in interlocking geometries.
Objectives: The aim of the project was to develop ultra-low carbon building components using sugarcane bio-waste (bagasse), allowing the storage of biogenic carbon from fast-growing plants in construction materials as an effective strategy to delay carbon emissions.
Details: Sugarcrete® Slab adapts Abeille’s 1699 design for dry assembly flat vaults - the system is made of interlocking components which transfer loads across the slab between blocks, restrained using post-tensioned perimeter ties, reducing the steel content of the slab up to 90 per cent. Reducing steel, combined with the use of sugar cane fibres of different densities in a modular system allows the slab assembly to avoid the potential risks of cracking which occur with traditional concrete in extreme situations, absorbing the effects of seismic shock – a characteristic vital in earthquake-prone regions where sugar cane is cultivated.
Prototype testing conducted at UEL's SRI laboratories shows that Sugarcrete® Slab can offer an alternative to concrete slabs while demonstrating exemplary environmental benefits including carbon emissions 20 times lower than traditional concrete. The system also minimises curing time to one week compared to standard concrete which takes at least 28 days, it is five times lighter than concrete and is substantially cheaper compared to concrete production.
Project collaborators:
- Elena Shilova - Grimshaw
- Paris Nikitidis - XR Developer, Grimshaw
- Philip Singer - Computational Design Specialist, Grimshaw
- Robert Sims - Model shop Manager, Grimshaw
- Sky Henley - Computational Design Specialist
- Louis Bird - Video editing and filming, Grimshaw
- Ellie Saunders - Video editing and filming, Grimshaw
- Chromaphotography - photography
Read the Sugarcrete® Slab report (PDF).
Grimshaw and UEL develop sugarcane-waste blocks
Architecture studio Grimshaw and the University of East London have collaborated to create Sugarcrete, a biomaterial construction block with an interlocking shape made from the sugarcane by-product bagasse.
Sugarcrete was developed to be a low-cost and low-carbon reusable construction-material alternative to brick and concrete.