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Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a fast-curing, environmentally friendly alternative to conventional concrete designed specifically for 3D printing in construction. The material replaces cement—which is responsible for a significant share of global CO₂ emissions—with a mix primarily made from soil, sand, hemp fibers, and biochar, and hardens almost immediately through a chemical process known as frontal polymerization. This allows printed structures to support their own weight during fabrication, enables complex forms such as overhangs, and achieves structural strength suitable for housing within days rather than weeks. The innovation has strong potential for low-carbon construction and rapid deployment, for example in disaster-relief housing, although further work is

Buildings as a carbon sink Under the auspices of the ReConstruct research platform, on 28 October 2025, the Second CEPS Construction Day took place at the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels. Framed under the topic “buildings as a carbon sink”, contributions focused on how the built environment in all its facets – including planning, design, building materials, energy supply, and mobility – must change to achieve the EU’s goals regarding CO₂ reduction, affordable housing, and resilience. Rethinking the built environment and what the EU can do Session 1 Buildings and whole life carbon Session 2 Proposals for

Cement has a major climate impact, and U.S. researchers have now developed a method to use carbon dioxide itself as a raw material in the production of more environmentally friendly cement. Instead of simply capturing CO₂ as waste, the team from the University of Michigan converts it into metal oxalates, which can serve as precursors for alternative cement formulations, potentially reducing the energy-intensive processes and greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional Portland cement manufacturing.  Telepolis (in German)

Making steel is one of the largest industrial sources of carbon dioxide, emitting more carbon than all of India (the world’s third largest emitter) and far more than air travel. The first industrial green-steel plant, which uses hydrogen made with renewable power, is being built by Stegra, a $7 billion startup that is scheduled to begin operations 2026 in northern Sweden. Technology Review

Towards an EU Agenda for Low-carbon Buildings High-Level Seminar In her Political Guidelines, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a European Affordable Housing Plan. New and innovative housing can contribute, for example, by reducing the need for heating and cooling through innovative materials, better design and planning, and re-using and recycling materials as a tool for carbon storage and a localized component of the energy system. High-Level Seminar Workshop on Showcases The built environment will be one of the priorities on the agenda of the new Commission. Following the focus on operational carbon, i.e., the carbon emitted

How can we build more with fewer materials and greenhouse gas emissions? How can low-resource and low-emissions buildings become an EU standard? These were the topics at a top-class panel discussion chaired by the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), which took place in Brussels on 6 July 2023 in the framework of the ReConstruct platform, which is a joint initiative by the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) and CEPS. The updated EU Industrial Strategy emphasizes a rapid transition to low-carbon, digital, and more resilient construction. This will require cooperation among many stakeholders, including governments, both at the EU

Back in the 20th century, in order to reconcile the need for affordability and reliability, electricity operators ran big, inflexible plants flat out to cover the minimum demand level, or “baseload”. This they supplemented with smaller, flexible “peaking” plants to match demand at all times. It worked well as long as those big baseload plants delivered the cheapest power. Three things have changed, however, and the concept of baseload is in effect dead. The Economist