Connecting bio-based materials: Inside the BBMC

Connecting bio-based materials: Inside the BBMC

On a November morning in 2023, more than 60 individuals across the bio-based construction value chain descended upon the MASS Design Group office in Boston to address one question: How can we begin to rapidly scale regionally produced, renewable building materials across the Northeast? This intrepid group, which included designers, developers, builders, farmers, foresters, educators, suppliers, manufacturers, engineers, and policy makers, formed what is now known as the Bio-Based Materials Collective (BBMC) [https://biobasedcollective.org/]. And in less than two years since that November convening, the focus and size of the Collective have broadened dramatically. No longer focused on just the Northeastern US, the Collective is now attempting to solve the scaling challenge across North America. Luckily, the membership base has scaled alongside that expanded focus, growing more than 12-fold since its inception. In this episode, James Kitchin, director of the Abundant Futures Design Lab at MASS Design Group [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kitchin-a5578a70/]; Catherine Murphy, director of education for the Parsons Healthy Materials Lab [https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-murphy-2a559433/]; and Jacob Waddell, president of the Hemp Building Institute [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-waddell-7a38b295/], describe how the BBMC came to be, how the members are working to advance the use of bio-based materials in the built environment, and where the group is headed.

Rewilding Through the Art of Storytelling with Joel Caldwell

Writer, photographer, filmmaker, grassroots organizer…Joel Caldwell dons many titles, but at the heart of it, he is a storyteller––and a powerful one at that. An avid outdoors person, Joel grew up in rural Washington, worked on a dude ranch in Montana for a bit, then moved to Colorado, where, as he puts it: was a backcountry-skiing, motorcycle-riding, mountain bike guy in full send. Eventually, Joel found his way into documenting environmental stories from all around the world. But years of covering environmental destruction started to weigh on him. Around that same time, following a trip to the Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, Joel discovered the miraculous world of eco restoration and rewilding––suddenly that helpless feeling shifted to one of empowerment. And every story since has been from that vantage point. Through the art of storytelling, he's on a mission to demonstrate there's no gesture too small, particularly in the built environment. Material choices, plant choices, sourcing choices all have an impact. In this interview, Joel talks about some of his most recent documentaries, why he believes storytelling is so powerful, particularly the rewilding of our damaged ecologies, and how he finds stories.

Circularity in Interior Design: The New Designer Mindset

In talking about the embodied carbon and waste burden of the built environment, much of the focus has traditionally been on the structure and enclosure––or the core and shell––of the building. But in more recent years, some of the attention has shifted to the interior. And early studies show that interiors can actually surpass the embodied carbon impact and waste burden of the initial building over its average 60-year life. This is because of the rate of interior renovation, which in commercial environments is now occurring every five to 10 years, roughly. And because materials used in interiors tend to be more complex––they're often mixed, bonded or composites––they're typically harder to recycle. Rather than given a second life, things like carpet, wall systems, FF&E, ceiling tiles, and mechanical and electrical equipment are relegated to the landfill. Enter, David Bergman. A self proclaimed eco-optimist, David has built a career around inspiring those in the design field and beyond to consider a mindset shift––that sustainable design and lifestyle choices don't have to equate to sacrifice. From his ecology club days in high school and college to authoring a book on sustainable design, and helping bring more sustainability courses to the Parsons School of Design in New York, to his latest venture, the Center for Circularity in Interior Design, sustainability and circularity have simply been a way of life for David. To him, these should be the standards of design, rather than considered part of the "green movement". And though the interest started in childhood, it was a fortuitous exhibit of eco-materials in the 90s that challenged him to shift his thinking. In this interview, David shares what it will take to make circularity the standard in interior design rather than an afterthought. David Bergman is the program director of the Master of Professional Studies in Interior Environments at the New York School of Interior Design, founder and director of the Center for Circularity in Interior Design, and adjunct professor at the Parsons School of Design, author of "Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide".

Forging Transparency Pathways to Responsible Wood With Evan Schmidt and Oliver Ogden, Sustainable Northwest

For a material as seemingly straightforward and simple as wood, it has a very complex, layered and often opaque supply chain. While certifications like FSC, SFI and PEFC may tell you the wood came from responsibly managed forests, it's a very small part of the story. Like organic labels on produce, these certifications can offer some peace of mind, but they don't tell you the lineage, where specifically the wood came from, the forest management practices, or how it was handled along its journey. As the use of wood and mass timber continues to grow, sustainability leaders across the design and construction industry are starting to require more transparency to meet rigorous sustainability goals. And that's where organizations like Sustainable Northwest come in. This environmental conservation nonprofit does many things, but one of them is connecting responsible forest owners with buyers and specifiers, creating transparent, regional supply chain networks…from forest to frame. Seeing the impact Sustainable Northwest was having on forestry, mass timber and local, rural economies, compelled Evan Schmidt and Oliver Ogden to join the organization as part of the wood market team. Though each took different paths to the nonprofit, they ultimately started from the same place: a lifelong passion for nature. In this episode, Evan and Oliver discuss some of the challenges and barriers that exist in the responsible wood procurement process, how they're working to connect responsible forest and land owners with designers and builders, and how those person-to-person connections impact the wood products industry.

The evolution of material transparency with Lona Rerick

Like many of today's architects and designers, Lona Rerick wasn't taught material health in school. She had some exposure to sustainable design in college at the University of Oregon, which seeded her interest, but it wasn't until a lecture she attended as a young practicing architect that she was exposed to the idea of materials as nutrients. The talk was presented by none other than William McDonough, one of the pioneers behind Cradle to Cradle Design, and it set Lona on an exciting new path. Now, nearly any exploration into material health will eventually lead back to Lona. She helped lead the creation of the AIA Materials Pledge, is the co-chair of the mindfulMATERIALS board, a member of the Living Future Material Health technical advisory group, and a founding co-leader of the Portland Materials Transparency Collaborative. She was also part of the group that created the standardized format for the health product declaration (HPD). And today, Lona serves as an architect and the director of regenerative design materials at Perkins&Will, where she leads the firm's efforts to specify materials that meet the five impact areas: human health, climate health, ecosystem health, social health + equity and circular economy. In this episode, Lona talks about the early days of material transparency, how it has evolved and what she's paying attention to know.