Top 10 Building Materials Industry Trends & Innovations [2026]

Executive Summary: What are the Top 10 Building Materials Industry Trends in 2026?

This data-driven snapshot highlights ten innovations that re-engineer building materials to cope with the changing regulations and design requirements:

1. AI Integration: The AI in the construction market is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.6% and is expected to reach USD 22.68 billion by 2032. AI enables solutions like generative design, predictive maintenance, and autonomous equipment.
2. Smart & Adaptive Materials: Sensor-embedded concrete and dynamic glazing are leaving R&D labs and entering bids. They enable self-monitoring structures that reduce life-cycle costs. The smart construction materials sector is growing at 12.66% by 2030.
3. Prefabrication & 3D Printing: Layer-by-layer additive construction improves delivery, lowers labor demand, and minimizes waste. It is already producing full-scale bridges and houses. Developers stateside and abroad report cost savings up to 30%.
4. Bio-based Materials: Startups are scaling mycelium panels and agricultural-waste composites. They tap into a bio-based materials market forecast to exceed USD 112.3 billion by 2032.
5. Recycled & Reclaimed Materials: Steel and aluminum contribute to 51% and concrete contributes to 17% of embodied carbon in the construction materials industry. Recycled and reclaimed materials avoid the emissions related to primary raw material extraction, which reduces embodied carbon.
6. Robotics & Automation: From bricklaying bots to drone site surveys, automation offsets persistent construction labor shortages while improving safety metrics. 55% of construction companies are adopting robotic solutions.
7. Lightweighting: Advanced alloys and engineered timber reduce structural dead loads to enable taller spans and lower embodied energy per square meter.
8. Living Materials: Search interest for living building material is up 76% in five years as self-replicating biocement targets cement’s 8% share of global CO2 emissions.
9. Advanced Composites: Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers migrate from aerospace to facades and rebar. They offer higher strength-to-weight ratios and corrosion resistance. The global construction composites market is expected to reach USD 32.29 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 5.91%.
10. Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS): Carbon-infused concrete and carbonateable aggregates could lock away up to 16 billion tonnes of CO2 annually.

Read on to explore each trend in depth – uncover key drivers, current market stats, cutting-edge innovations, and leading building material innovators shaping the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the future of building materials?

Building materials are shifting toward low-carbon bio-based options, manufactured off-site or through 3-D printing, and enhanced with self-healing and smart-surface capabilities to offer lighter, more durable, and energy-efficient structures.

2. How big is the construction materials market?

The global construction materials market is currently valued at over USD 1.3 trillion and projected to reach USD 1.74 trillion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 3.8%.

Methodology: How We Created the Building Materials Industry Trends Report

For our trend reports, we leverage our proprietary StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 7M+ global startups, 20K technologies & trends, and 150M+ patents, news articles, and market reports.

Creating a report involves approximately 40 hours of analysis. We evaluate our own startup data and complement these insights with external research, including industry reports, news articles, and market analyses. This process enables us to identify the most impactful and new trends in the building materials industry.

For each trend, we select two exemplary startups that meet the following criteria:

• Relevance: Their product, technology, or solution aligns with the trend.
• Founding Year: Established between 2020 and 2025.
• Company Size: A maximum of 200 employees.
• Location: Specific geographic considerations.

This approach ensures our reports provide reliable, actionable insights into the building materials innovation ecosystem while highlighting startups driving technological advancements in the industry.

Innovation Map outlines the Top 10 Building Material Trends & 20 Promising Startups

For this in-depth research on the Top 10 Building Material Trends & Startups, we analyzed a sample of 4780 global startups & scaleups. The Building Material Innovation Map created from this data-driven research helps you improve strategic decision-making by giving you a comprehensive overview of the trends in the building material industry & startups that impact your company.

Tree Map reveals the Impact of the Top 10 Building Material Industry Trends

Based on the Building Material Innovation Map, the Tree Map below illustrates the impact of the Top 10 Building Materials Trends. AI-driven digital twins refine material formulations, anticipate logistics constraints, and guide real-time site decisions. Smart and adaptive materials like self-healing concrete and phase-change panels respond to stress or temperature. This extends durability and improves energy performance.

Further, robotics and on-site automation handle tasks like bricklaying and autonomous lifting to improve consistency and safety while streamlining material use. Foamed concrete, aerated blocks, and fiber-reinforced panels reduce transport loads without sacrificing strength.

Moreover, advanced composites offer high strength-to-weight ratios and corrosion resistance for demanding infrastructure. CCUS solutions allow cement and concrete producers to neutralize process emissions and mineralize CO2 within finished products.

Global Startup Heat Map covers 4700+ Building Material Startups & Scaleups

The Global Startup Heat Map showcases the distribution of 4700+ exemplary startups and scaleups analyzed using the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform. It highlights high startup activity in the USA and India, followed by the UK. From these, 20 promising startups are featured below, selected based on factors like founding year, location, and funding.

Want to Explore Building Material Innovations & Trends?

Top 10 Emerging Building Materials Industry Trends [2026]

1. AI Integration: Market to Grow at 24.6% by 2032

Forecasts put the market for AI-driven generative design, building information modeling (BIM) automations, and digital-twin software at USD 4.86 billion in 2025. This figure is projected to grow to USD 22.68 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 24.6%.

Apart from the construction sites, AI-based solutions enhance the operational efficiency of material manufacturing plants and quarries. AI also improves material discovery by mining huge datasets to propose novel chemistries. This reduces years off the search for stronger, lighter, and more sustainable building products.

For example, AI-powered computer vision systems offered by Ripik.AI reduce process variations, increase efficiency, and reduce fuel costs by up to 10%. It also extends refractory life by 30% and minimizes downtime. Additionally, Basetwo‘s solution optimizes cement production processes to reduce energy consumption by up to 20% and production costs by up to 40%.

Additionally, AI-based systems optimize concrete mix designs and automate quality control, using machine-learning (ML) models. And, computer-vision inspections slash cement content, predict performance, and catch defects in real time. This drives down costs while improving safety and durability.

ML models also enhance the transparency of building material supply chains. Such solutions provide predictive alerts for delays caused by weather, traffic, or supply chain disruptions. It also recommends alternative sourcing when supply chain disruptions occur.

In this way, AI solutions convert energy, carbon, inventory, and labor efficiencies into quantifiable gains through energy reduction, productivity jumps, and cost savings.

Flume AI deploys an AI-powered Building Materials Platform

US-based startup Flume AI provides an AI agent that streamlines building-material procurement. It takes in project specifications and analyzes global supplier data in real time.

The platform then returns factory-direct quotes matched to quality and lead-time requirements. Its algorithm vets suppliers for performance, price stability, and logistics capacity. It also coordinates sourcing, negotiation, and end-to-end delivery tracking inside a single interface.

Additionally, the startup allows buyers to reduce manual request for quotation (RFQ) hours and mitigate tariff or supply-chain risks. Further, Flume AI offers data-driven sourcing that minimizes expenses while assuring reliable, on-schedule supply for construction projects.

Allie enables Construction Material Optimization

Allie is a US startup that provides a production optimization suite for manufacturing units. The proprietary platform streams controller data through its secure edge Gateway and syncs it to the cloud. This allows the immediate visualization of availability, performance, quality, and overall equipment effectiveness in the dashboard.

Moreover, the startup’s ML models continually retrain on live signals to forecast downtime probabilities and pinpoint likely root causes.

Allie’s generative AI module, called Factory GPT, lets frontline teams query historical, current, or anticipated events in plain language. They also receive chart, table, or text answers for rapid diagnosis.

Additionally, the production optimization suite unifies edge connectivity, real-time analytics, predictive algorithms, and conversational intelligence. This integration raises equipment effectiveness and shortens decision cycles for manufacturers.

2. Smart & Adaptive Materials: Market to Grow at 12.66% by 2030

Sustainability mandates, energy efficiency requirements, and technological innovations drive developments in smart and adaptive materials beyond laboratory experiments into mainstream building practice.

Smart materials integrate built-in sensing, actuation, or adaptability. These materials monitor their own condition, including parameters like stress, moisture, and temperature. Some smart and adaptive materials also respond autonomously to environmental changes and communicate data to building-management systems.

As the built-up environment grows more complex, stakeholders seek materials that offer multifunctional capabilities beyond basic strength and durability. Reflecting this demand, the smart construction materials market, currently valued at USD 56.52 billion in 2025, is expected to reach USD 102.92 billion by 2030. This market is also growing at a CAGR of 12.66%.

The project involving Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge includes thousands of self-powering sensors embedded into concrete and other structural materials. These sensors communicate data on stress, strain, and structural failure to a cloud command center for analysis. The data makes the infrastructure more resilient in the event of an earthquake or critical climate events.

Moreover, thermochromic glass installations for facades, skylights, and smart sun shades offer energy savings up to 25% compared to conventional glass systems. Phase change materials (PCMs) also improve the thermal performance of buildings by increasing the thermal efficiency by 30%.

Additionally, self-healing concrete detects microstrains as low as 10 με, which enhances fracture toughness by 50%. It also improves corrosion resistance by 40% and provides fire stability up to 1200 degrees Celsius.

Further, embedding sensing, self-healing, and climate-responsive functions directly into concrete, glass, facades, and insulation converts static structures into data-rich, self-optimizing systems. These structures last longer, demand less maintenance, and deliver high returns on investment (ROI).

Helios Power offers Photovoltaic Tiles

Chinese startup Helios Power manufactures low-voltage, fireproof photovoltaic tiles. The startup embeds high-efficiency solar cells within waterproof ceramic layers and wires each module into a low-voltage direct-current network. It feeds inverters anchored to the building’s electrical infrastructure.

Moreover, the startup’s tiles generate electricity while replacing conventional roofing or cladding materials. It also withstands fire and water exposure and operates safely without high-voltage risk. These building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solutions turn exterior surfaces into reliable power assets. This reduces construction complexity and enables owners to meet energy targets.

Suncol provides Aesthetic Solar Cladding

Suncol is an Italian startup offering aesthetic solar cladding that embeds high-efficiency photovoltaic cells within durable glass-glass modules. It converts building envelopes into energy-producing surfaces.

The aesthetic solar cladding deposits colored or textured layers onto the front glass that allow architects to match 36 predefined hues or custom patterns without degrading electrical performance. Moreover, the cladding’s integrated wiring on the rear connects each module in standard photovoltaic (PV) strings. These uniform dummy panels preserve visual continuity across non-active areas.

Additionally, Suncol’s cladding withstands prolonged ultraviolet (UV) exposure and weathering and retains up to 96.9% of conventional panel efficiency.

The claddings also come in different sizes, ranging from 200×300 mm tiles to 2×3 m facade sheets for design freedom. They also turn facades and roofs into revenue-generating assets. This enables businesses to meet green energy targets without compromising architectural intent.

3. Prefabrication & 3D Printing: Resulting in 24-53% Lower Production Time

Prefabrication and construction-scale 3D printing have moved from experimental to mainstream in recent years. The modular and prefabricated construction market is estimated at USD 173.5 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 302 billion by 2035 at a CAGR of 5.7%.

A case study on using prefabricated structures in industrial buildings revealed that tilt-up prefabrication construction reduces costs by around 23.55% on average. It was also found that prefabricated frame walls provide cost and time savings of around 39% and 10.5%, respectively.

Precast concrete (PC) is a major contributor to the trend. PC is mainly used in the construction of tall buildings. The integration of BIM and 3D printing in PC production increases the precision and accuracy of finalized elements. Moreover, 3D-printed PC production reduces production time by 24% to 53%.

Meanwhile, the cost of a 3D-printed house varies from project to project based on the hired companies and materials used. It also depends on geographic location, size, amenities, and design complexity. But even in that case, building material developers report cost savings of up to 30%.

Additionally, prefabrication reduces resource consumption, waste generation, and energy use. A case study on a five-story commercial building in Reggio Calabria, Italy, revealed benefits in construction time, reduced emissions, and less construction disturbance.

Also, combining 3D-printed and precast building materials compresses schedules, reduces waste, lowers carbon, and introduces new design freedom. They improve the operating metrics that matter most to building-materials stakeholders today.

Medusia specializes in 3D Printed Concrete

Canadian startup Medusia offers robotic 3D-printing heads to layer high-strength concrete and bio-concrete into precise architectural components. The solution extrudes custom mix designs through multi-axis robots.

The startup’s parametric design software guides each layer of material and optimizes material placement and geometry for structural integrity and minimal waste.

Moreover, Medusia’s solution increases fabrication and allows complex free-form shapes. It also reduces raw material consumption versus conventional casting.

The startup also trims on-site labor and delivers sustainable, cost-efficient building elements for developers seeking faster project turnarounds and lower embodied carbon in construction.

StructureBot enables Custom 3D Construction Systems

StructureBot is a US-based startup that manufactures customizable large-format gantry printers. The startup’s printer deposits its BotCrete cementitious mix in consecutive layers to fabricate full-scale building shells. The printers assemble on-site, traverse millimeter-accurate rails, and follow AI-driven toolpaths that automate walls, foundations, and infrastructure components.

Moreover, the startup enhances safety and limits rework. It also accommodates build volumes ranging from accessory dwelling units to multi-bedroom homes. The printers further integrate PrintManager AI software for real-time quality control and permit leasing as a service. This lowers capital hurdles for builders.

4. Bio-based Materials: Market to Reach USD 35 B in 2025

The bio-based building-materials market is expanding at a CAGR of 19% and is expected to reach around USD 35 billion in 2025. Bio-based insulation products made from hemp, straw, and mycelium are the fastest-moving sub-sector. Structural materials like mass timber, bamboo, and cross-laminated timber (CLT) also continue to lead.

Additionally, Stora Enso committed EUR 79 million to increase CLT output by an extra 120 000 cubic meters a year. Reacting to the rise in demand. US-based company Hempitecture, which offers hemp building materials, also raised USD 1 million in two days through online registration crowdfunding to set up its Idaho hemp-wool insulation facility.

Likewise, mycelium-based insulation boards are achieving thermal conductivities near 0.03 W/mK with a much lower average and peak heat release rate. This makes them competitive with mineral wool in curtain-wall spandrels.

Further, bio-based building materials allow the construction industry to comply with tightening climate regulations. They also enable businesses to tackle the challenges created by new designs and developments.

MYCEEN offers Mycelium-based Building Materials

Estonian startup MYCEEN produces carbon-negative building insulation and acoustic panels by combining mushroom mycelium with lignocellulosic leftovers from other industries. It inoculates the organic substrate that allows the mycelium to digest and weave through the fibers. It then dries the grown mass to lock the hyphal network into a lightweight, rigid structure.

The startup’s ambient-temperature process embeds biogenic carbon. This eliminates synthetic binders and yields materials with high thermal resistance, strong sound absorption, and full biodegradability. Myceen enables the construction sector to replace petroleum-based plastics and composites with circular, waste-valorizing alternatives that cut embodied emissions and support carbon-neutral building goals.

HEMSPAN provides Hemp-based Building Materials

HEMSPAN is a UK-based startup that delivers hemp-based building systems. The BIOHAUS system integrates pre-engineered hemp-lime wall panels, insulation, and timber frames to form airtight, thermally efficient shells. The startup’s panels sequester CO2 by employing industrial hemp shiv bound with lime to mineralize plant carbon into a durable monolithic matrix. It maintains breathability to regulate indoor humidity without mechanical intervention.

HEMSPAN’s products enable developers and housing associations to meet tightening embodied-carbon regulations and reduce whole-life emissions while offering occupants stable indoor air quality. It also lowers energy bills and promotes circular community living.

5. Recycled & Reclaimed Materials: Market to Grow at 6.5% by 2033

Building materials contribute to a high percentage of construction and have high embodied energy (EE). Steel and aluminum contribute to 51% of the total EE, with concrete responsible for another 17%, approximately. This is increasing the focus on the reclamation and recycling of building products.

The global building materials recycling market is expected to reach USD 750 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 6.5%.

Also, the global recycled plastics in green building materials is expected to reach USD 12.24 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 8.71%. Moreover, the global recycled concrete aggregates market is expanding, with it expected to be worth USD 18.74 billion, expanding at 6.75%.

Close the Loop is a company based in Australia that develops TonerPlas, an asphalt additive made from materials that would otherwise go to landfills. Every 300 m of road uses 530 000 plastic bags, 168 glass bottles, toner from 12 500 used printer cartridges, and 134 tonnes of reclaimed road asphalt. The tests to date show that asphalt made from recovered materials has improved wear and deformation resistance compared to standard asphalt.

Moreover, Heidelberg Materials commissioned a dedicated demolition-concrete recycling hub in Katowice, Poland. The plant processes up to 100 tonnes of concrete per hour, and it is the first company to introduce high-quality, selective concrete separation at this scale.

Additionally, recycled and reclaimed materials shift from niche to norm as policies, capital programs, and data align to cut emissions, stabilize supply, and reduce costs. These recycled materials act as a margin lever, with near-source materials cutting haul exposure, which stabilizes input prices. This reduces working capital tied up in long, fragile logistics chains.

Fiber Global manufactures Reclaimmed Fiber Boards

US-based startup Fiber Global manufactures forged fiberboard panels from reclaimed corrugated cardboard. The startup feeds shredded fibers through a proprietary heat-compression line that bonds them without added formaldehyde and outputs uniform sheets for furniture and construction use.

The process recovers post-consumer boxes and mills them into consistent fiber and blends the pulp with plant-based binders. It then presses the mixture under controlled temperature and pressure to achieve structural density comparable to medium-density fiberboard while lowering embodied carbon.

Moreover, the startup’s boards provide a high strength-to-weight ratio and resist moisture and warping. It also works with standard woodworking tools, which streamlines adoption in existing production lines.

Fiber Global also supplies circular building panels that divert cardboard waste from landfills. It further provides architects and manufacturers with a reliable, lower-emission alternative to conventional wood composites.

Recoma provides Recycled Building Materials

Recoma is a Swedish startup that converts discarded waste into low-carbon, circular construction boards. The startup’s raw material consists of packaging material collected as waste and rejects from production in the manufacturing and filling of packages.

It replaces plywood and other traditional boards without extra cost or effort and with high acoustic properties. Recoma’s product is strong and stable, and good for fastening screws, and has a surface suitable for any treatment.

Additionally, Recoma prevents the CO2 emissions that would have been generated if the composite packaging had gone to recycling, where it would have been incinerated. The startup also offers a return system for all its products, making it possible to return waste materials after use.

6. Robotics & Automation: 55% of Construction Companies Utilize Robots

Labor shortages, efficiency demands, and sustainability imperatives are pushing the adoption of robotics and automation solutions in the construction industry. The construction robotics market size is USD 6.55 billion in 2025. It is expected to reach USD 12.99 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 18.7%.

ABB interviewed 1900 construction companies, of which 55% reported utilizing robotic solutions. The same survey also shows that over 80% of construction companies intend to implement or expand their use of automation and robotics in the coming decade.

This demand offers investments in startups offering robotic solutions. For example, Canvas secured USD 24 million in Series B funding for its drywall-finishing robots. These robots deliver better finishing and reduce finishing times by up to 2.5 times.

Another application is the use of industrial robots to handle load transportation and packaging tasks in cement and clinker production plants. Robots make the transportation and palletizing of heavy cement bags much faster and more efficient.

Robotic gantries that tie rebar (TyBot 3.0) in precast yards perform about 1200 ties an hour, in contrast to the 150 to 250 ties per hour a worker performs.

Moreover, robotics and automation tackle labor scarcity, cost volatility, carbon compliance, and schedule risk. Lines that swap manual stacking, inspection, or maintenance for around-the-clock robotics enable reductions in scrap and downtime, while freeing capacity without new kilns or presses.

Fiber Elements enables Resource-optimized Textile Reinforcement

Austrian startup Fiber Elements utilizes industrial robots on fully automated production lines that wind basalt fiber rovings around custom mandrels.

The startup uses finite-element analysis to build three-dimensional reinforcement grids with micron-level precision. These robots lay fibers continuously without manual intervention. This eliminates splice weak points and drives cycle times below 30 seconds per part.

Additionally, the startup’s vision sensors and closed-loop controls adjust tension and placement in real time, which raises uniformity and trims material scrap. Integrated automated quality-inspection stations scan each grid for defects before it leaves the cell. The AI-driven workflow schedules robots and calibrates parameters to improve equipment effectiveness.

Rematter offers Ceiling Element Manufacturing

Swiss startup Rematter deploys industrial robots and proprietary automation software to mold excavated clay. The startup embeds dowel-like timber ribs and attaches precision steel connectors in a single production cell. This ensures millimeter-level tolerances while decreasing labor hours.

The programmable grippers handle earth blocks gently yet quickly, while vision systems monitor moisture for consistent compaction. Also, the automated milling unit then routes service openings without manual rework.

Moreover, the startup’s robotics-driven workflows enhance throughput, reduce material waste, and support just-in-time, project-specific fabrication. This provides architects with a scalable, circular ceiling system that delivers low-carbon performance at a cost competitive with concrete.

7. Lightweighting: New Concrete Mixes are 40% Lighter

The global market for lightweight aggregate concrete is growing at a CAGR of 4.9% and is expected to reach USD 5.5 billion by 2030. By replacing conventional coarse aggregates with lightweight alternatives such as expanded clay, shale, perlite, or sintered fly ash, lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) lowers the dead load of buildings. This reduction in load allows smaller, less expensive foundations.

Moreover, lightweight construction materials require fewer resources than concrete, steel, or brick construction. This produces energy-efficient buildings with a minimal CO2 footprint over their lifetime.

The easy access to lightweight construction materials is another major benefit, as it makes production much easier. It also simplifies the transport of solutions, particularly to remote locations.

Structural lightweight construction reduces the density of concrete mixtures, which allows structural engineers to achieve a density as low as 90 pounds per cubic foot (pcf). This results in a 40% reduction in weight from normal-weight concrete that has a density between 140 pcf and 155 pcf.

Testing done on lightweight concrete proves comparable or even better mechanical strength, drying shrinkage, and thermal conductivity than traditional concrete. One study revealed that lightweight mixes exhibit 55% to 73% of the cracking potential of normal concrete.

Positive Composites manufactures Lightweight Wood

Positive Composites is a French startup that offers lightweight balsa-core composite panels to industrial buyers. The startup couples sustainably sourced balsa with fiberglass skins to create structural sandwich boards that weigh less than plywood of comparable strength.

The composite panels bond end-grain balsa blocks into uniform sheets and infuse them with bio-based resins. These panels then apply vacuum-assisted curing, which locks moisture out and raises compressive strength to about 9 MPa. Moreover, they keep resin content below 35% for a reduced carbon footprint.

Moreover, the startup’s material resists rot, distributes loads evenly, and meets ISO 12215 marine and EN 13830 facade standards. This enables thinner hulls, decks, and façades that trim vessel fuel consumption and building dead loads.

Positive Composites, thus, supplies architects with a ready-to-install core that shortens procurement cycles, reduces life-cycle emissions, and supports durable, lower-weight designs.

Klik-Klik Walls specializes in Lightweight Walling

Klik-Klik Walls is a Latvian startup offering the KLIK-KLIK Wall System. It is a patented cross-laminated timber module that forms exposed massive wood walls for single-story homes. The system interlocks sixteen lightweight prefabricated elements through a screwless sliding mechanism. This allows crews to assemble walls rapidly with only handheld tools.

Each element packs compactly, and the modules ship on standard trucks. This reduces site logistics and removes the need for heavy-lifting machinery.

8. Living Materials: Self-healing Concrete offers 25.9% Higher Strength

Living material products embed microorganisms or biologically active agents to grow, repair, or sequester carbon. These materials include bio-based construction materials that harness biological processes and organisms to create sustainable, self-repairing, and environmentally responsive building components.

The global self-healing concrete market is growing at a CAGR of 36.8% and is expected to be USD 1.04 trillion by 2032. The market growth indicates the increasing utilization of healing mechanisms, such as bacteria, microcapsules, and polymeric agents. These mechanisms activate upon the formation of cracks, allowing the concrete to repair itself.

Moreover, self-healing concrete using bacteria demonstrates 25.9% higher compressive strength while autonomously repairing cracks through biological processes.

Biotechnology also enables the development of structures that are not only environmentally friendly but also adaptive and resilient. For example, algae-grown facade tiles capture carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. This improves indoor air quality and reduces building carbon footprint.

Plantaer provides Biocompatible Materials

US-based startup Plantaer introduces a carbon-negative biocompatible panel that anchors vegetation directly onto building facades and roadway surfaces. It fuses recycled plant fibers with biochar and mineral binders to create a porous matrix that absorbs CO2 and retains moisture. This supplies roots with sustained moisture and nutrients.

Moreover, the startup’s panel lowers adjacent surface temperatures and achieves runoff reductions during peak storms. The solution adds no structural load beyond 25 kg/m², which allows installers to retrofit existing structures without reinforcement.

Respyre creates a Green Facade

Dutch startup Respyre provides bioreceptive concrete panels that support and sustain moss growth on exposed building surfaces. The startup turns static facades into self-regenerating green skins. It engineers a porous cement matrix whose micro-texture traps moisture, binds spores, and supplies capillary water. This enables moss to spread without soil, irrigation, or adding structural load.

Moreover, the living layer passively filters particulate matter, absorbs CO2, and reduces urban noise while lowering exterior surface temperatures through evaporative cooling.

Respyre also provides cities with a low-maintenance retrofit solution that converts inert walls into active environmental assets. This improves air quality and thermal comfort while advancing sustainability goals.

9. Advanced Composites: Construction Composites Market to Reach USD 32 B by 2030

The global construction composites market is valued at USD 24.32 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 32.29 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 5.91%.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are 5 times stronger and twice as stiff. This makes it suitable for large-span structures like stadium roofs.

Schools in Japan retrofit walls with CFRP wraps and plates to increase shear capacity by almost 60% without any architectural layout. This makes structures earthquake-resistant.

Housing projects in Rotterdam also utilize hybrid sandwich panels for wall assemblies. This results in a 35% reduction in construction time and a 28% improvement in terms of thermal performance.

New materials like high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCC) exhibit strain-hardening behavior and multiple cracking under tensile loading. These materials improve the ductility and energy dissipation capacity of structures. This enhances the seismic resistance of buildings.

Additionally, composites like basalt fiber and aramid fiber reinforced composites offer an alkali-resistant, non-corrosive alternative to steel. These composites lower life-cycle maintenance and increase impact resistance.

Moreover, composites survive harsh environmental conditions, including humidity, radiation, and chemical exposure, without corroding or deteriorating. This makes them particularly valuable for harsh environments like coastal areas and industrial facilities.

Clearcrete develops Clear Concrete

Canadian startup Clearcrete introduces clear concrete panels that integrate embedded optical fibers to transmit 20% of incoming daylight. The concrete panels also maintain a typical compressive strength of 50 MPa.

The material embeds parallel bundles of 2 mm polymer fibers across a fine-aggregate concrete matrix. Also, the fibers capture light on one face, conduct it internally, and release it on the opposite face. This makes the wall appear translucent yet remain load-bearing.

Moreover, the startup’s embedded-fiber architecture produces consistent illumination without glare and reduces daytime electric lighting demand in perimeter rooms. At the same time, it preserves the thermal mass and fire resistance inherent to concrete.

The startup also enables architects to specify façade or partition elements that unite structural performance, daylight access, and distinctive visual effects.

Rebar provides Composite Reinforcement

Rebar is a Ukrainian startup that manufactures glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composite rebar and mesh that replaces steel reinforcement in concrete.

The startup converts continuous glass fibers into bars and grids through pultrusion. It embeds the fibers in a thermoset resin that bonds to concrete and resists alkaline attack. This structure delivers tensile strength roughly twice that of grade 60 steel yet weighs about one-quarter as much. This simplifies logistics and reduces installation labor.

Moreover, Rebar’s GFRP remains non-corrosive in chloride-rich environments. This eliminates the need for epoxy coatings and offers low thermal conductivity that limits heat-bridge losses. These lightweight, durable reinforcements enable infrastructure owners to extend service life, lower lifecycle costs, and cut embodied carbon across transport, industrial, and coastal projects.

10. Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage: Embed up to 16 B Tonnes CO2

CCUS technologies enable building materials like cements, concrete, and aggregates to embed over 16 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. This is increasing the relevance of carbon capture materials and carbon sequestration processes.

CCUS processes directly address process emissions from limestone calcination and kiln operations. Further, carbon-cured concrete involves injecting CO2 that mineralizes to form stronger and lower-carbon concrete. The use of recycled CO2-based materials, such as synthetic limestone and aggregates, in cement kiln CCUS systems captures flue gas emissions at scale.

Additionally, the global carbon capture construction materials market is estimated to be USD 39.74 million in 2025. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of 42.5% to become USD 961.68 million by 2034.

Experiments conducted at CC&C Solutions validate the feasibility of capturing CO2 into cement and steel production. It lowers costs compared to traditional methods, achieving less than USD 100 per metric ton. The company’s modular and compact carbon capture systems allow CO2 capture efficiencies up to 85% and reduce energy consumption to below 100 kWh per metric ton.

Additionally, Carbon Clean offers CycloneCC, which allows cement manufacturers to meet government regulations on carbon emissions. The solution is modular and scalable and provides up to 50% operational and capital expenditure reduction.

Further developments also introduce bio-based systems that utilize photosynthesis to capture CO2. These photobioreactor systems decarbonize the building envelope and improve indoor comfort.

These examples indicate a shift for CCUS solutions from pilot projects to a commercial pathway that decarbonizes materials at a gigatonne scale while meeting structural performance and cost constraints.

Earth Plus creates Carbon Capture Building Materials

Belgian startup Earth Plus produces carbon-negative building materials from CO2-absorbing plants. The startup cultivates hyperaccumulator species on polluted soils, where the roots extract heavy metals while the leaves pull carbon directly from the air.

It then harvests this biomass and presses it into engineered bio-composites through a low-temperature, low-energy process. This traps the captured carbon and stabilizes the contaminants inside the finished panels.

Moreover, Earth Plus sources feedstock locally, shortens supply chains, and integrates soil remediation with product manufacturing. This reduces both hazardous waste and embodied construction emissions.

The phytoremediation-based biomass processing restores degraded land and supplies builders with climate-positive materials. It also enables a regional circular economy that links environmental cleanup to tangible commercial value.

Tattva offers Carbon Sequestering Materials

Tattva is a UK-based startup that develops photosynthetic living building tissues to embed ancient microalgae within bioengineered scaffolds to form facade panels that actively fix atmospheric CO2.

The startup’s tissue-engineering platform grows these panels under controlled light, water, and nutrient flows. It also produces a dense algal biomass that performs continuous photosynthesis and locks CO2 while releasing oxygen.

Moreover, Tattva features integrated circulation channels that keep the organisms viable. The modular design slots into standard curtain-wall frames, which simplifies retrofits and new builds alike.

The startup’s panels lower internal cooling loads through evaporative shading and supply a measurable carbon sink that allows developers to meet embodied-carbon targets without altering traditional construction workflows.

Discover all Building Materials Industry Trends, Technologies & Startups

Self-healing concrete repairs micro-cracks autonomously, and 3D-printed components reduce build times and costs. AI-driven scheduling also offers annual efficiency gains across global projects.

Blockchain is expected to add audit-grade transparency, and bio-based cements are poised to slash embodied carbon as regulations tighten. Companies that pilot these platforms are expected to capture first-mover margins, de-risk supply chains, and shape standards that define the construction industry.

The Building Materials Industry Trends & Startups outlined in this report only scratch the surface of trends that we identified during our data-driven innovation & startup scouting process. Identifying new opportunities & emerging technologies to implement into your business goes a long way in gaining a competitive advantage.