Engineers Collective’s latest podcast episode features Future Build author discussing how next‑generation construction materials could move beyond low‑carbon to actively restore ecosystems and sequester CO₂. The conversation covers bio‑based composites such as cross‑laminated timber and mycelium blocks, plus cement alternatives using supplementary cementitious materials and carbon‑mineralising aggregates. For civil and geotechnical designers, the focus is on specifying materials with quantified embodied‑carbon data, durability comparable to C40/50 concrete, and verifiable carbon‑capture or regenerative performance over the asset life.

Concretene has secured £4.5m to scale production of its biogas-derived graphene admixture, designed to cut cement content in standard mixes by 10–20% with no loss of strength, durability or changes to batching and placement. The University of Manchester spin-out will use wastewater biogas from United Utilities to manufacture carbon-negative graphene at multi-tonne scale in Manchester under a circular production model. Backed with £2m from NPIF II – PXN Equity Finance plus follow-on investment from LocalGlobe and Molten Ventures, the funding will support industrial-scale admixture manufacture and large concrete trials with partners including Arup.

Royal Engineers have trialled low-resource concrete mixes using crushed recycled brick as aggregate, salt water as mix water and on-site 3D printing to build structures in conflict and disaster zones where fresh water and conventional materials are scarce. The work focuses on rapidly deployable field production, aiming to print blast walls, shelters and foundations without fixed batching plants or potable water supplies. For civil and military engineers, the approach raises design questions around chloride-induced reinforcement corrosion, variable brick aggregate grading and verifying strength without standard laboratory testing.