iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Innovators and early adopters, they are venturesome and interested in new approaches. Willing to take risks, they run into obstacles and are often the first to develop new ideas to overcome these challenges. In 2026, the accolade went to Waugh Thistleton Architects! builtbn.org/news/waugh-t...

builtbn.org

Waugh Thistleton Architects win Frontrunner of the Year 2026 - Built by Nature

This year’s Frontrunner of the Year shortlist showcased six outstanding organisations from across Europe, each helping to accelerate the transition to a biobased built environment....

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

We call these organisations BbN Frontrunners. Over the years we've recognised some Frontrunners go above and beyond, so in 2025 we established an annual award to celebrate an organisation demonstrating exceptional leadership in the biobased transition.

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Built by Nature starts from a position that industry can be a force for change, believing that the way we achieve a transformational shift towards a biobased built environment is by working closely with organisations on the demand side of value chain.

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Thanks for saying this Sian, I agree

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I find it hard to believe that Andy Burnham would announce this big, bold statement policy to the nation (National Care Service) if he wasn't going to start to deliver it sooner than 2029-2034. What will he do for the next 3 years? My money is on a May 2027 general election.

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Reposted by Joe Giddings

Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Awful. Capital overrides communities once again. Frome's bid for a community-led housing & regeneration project at Saxonvale lies in tatters: the council's agreed a deal with a London-based real estate company instead. Similar story in Totnes with Atmos project www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

theguardian.com

‘Devastating’: council rejects Frome residents’ bid for regeneration project

Locals raised £1m for Mayday Saxonvale scheme involving homes and park but Somerset officials agreed deal with London-based real estate company

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Reposted by Joe Giddings

Michael Burchert @michaelburchert.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

People often think I work for an industry, big straw? The reason I promote straw bale construction in particular is that it is currently the most sustainable building practice available to humankind. This is clear to anyone who takes an open-minded look at the figures and our collective past.

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

81 housing units, Mellinet development zone, Nantes - built with hempcrete and a timber frame I've posted this before but reposting as there's a lot more info and images on the architects website: palastarchi.fr#/mellinet-na...

Exterior view of hemp and timber apartment block in Nantes

Exterior view of balconies at timber and hemp apartment block, nantes

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"The results of our life cycle assessment (LCA) demonstrate the potential of combining wood, clay, and reused materials. Compared to conventional constructions, material-related greenhouse gas emissions were significantly reduced: across all five components, the total GWP was reduced by 77%"

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"Floor systems pose a challenge in regenerative multi-storey construction as they bridge considerable spans while providing sufficient mass for performance. The timber-earth hybrid floor combines beams from pine with earth blocks: timber provides structural capacity while earth adds mass"

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"The project is among the first in Germany to pioneer load-bearing earth block construction, with two-storey earth block walls realised at two locations in the building... central innovation is the partially prefabricated construction method developed together with brick manufacturer August Lücking"

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

More images from the timber-earth-hybrid construction in Berlin, by B&O, Sauerbruch Hutton & Bauhaus Earth. More details and further research around the project published by Bauhaus Earth www.bauhauserde.org/projects/hol...

Earth block used in the floor construction of a B&O building in Berlin

Earth blocks being craned in to the building site of B&O's timber-earth campus in BErlin

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

In the UK this summer, of the 10,000 mentions of wildfires in the press, 4280 linked the fires to Net Zero, and 1620 to arson. Climate disinformation on an industrial scale open.spotify.com/episode/6uNL...

open.spotify.com

The Weaponisation of Disaster: Inside the New Security Thinking

Outrage + Optimism · Episode

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

logging back in to LinkedIn after 8 weeks off it is quite stark how much of the content now is AI slop

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Wow. That building keeps getting more interesting

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Non-load-bearing interior walls are constructed from straw or paludiculture materials. When fully completed, the building will provide 2500m2 of space for B&O Bau und Gebäudetechnik GmbH www.sauerbruchhutton.de/en/project/bow

Isometric drawing of timber earth campus

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

"The objective was to maximise the use of local pine wood. The supporting structure consists of columns and load-bearing wall panels, both made of timber, in the façade area. The firewall to the neighbouring building is also made of timber."

Timber earth structural floor system from above, showing earth blocks infilling between pine beams

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Sauerbruch Hutton's latest project looks set to be an incredible demonstrator of timber, earth and straw construction in Berlin All ceilings are load-bearing timber beams infilled with extruded earth blocks. Two load-bearing bracing walls are built using an earth block construction.

Sauerbruch Hutton timber and earth structural floor system from below

Construction site image of Sauerbruch Hutton's Timber Earth Campus. Presumably non load bearing earth wall at the far end of a space with timber beams spanning above

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

So how come Germany can make modular timber work - whilst it has struggled so much in the UK? Multiple high-profile UK modular housebuilding factories have shut down or wound down their operations due to severe financial losses, high startup costs, and slow market adoption.

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Several years ago, modular specialist Kaufmann Bausysteme in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg opened an additional production facility in Berlin. “At the time, we had been awarded a contract for three schools, and it wouldn’t have made any sense to haul the modules all the way from Austria”

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The modules are 3.20 x 6.75 metres in size and were stacked on top of each other like building bricks. The timber modules, each weighing six tonnes and seven metres long, were manufactured on the production line at Köpenick industrial park in the south-east of Berlin.

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

In Berlin there was amazement when the new building for the German parliament was ready for use after construction of only 15 months. achieved by modular timber construction. The new building consists of 470 prefab modules British parliamentarians take note! www.ubm-magazin.com/en/luisenblo...

ubm-magazin.com

Luisenblock West uses modular timber construction - ubm magazin.

The German Bundestag chose prefabricated timber modules by specialists Kaufmann Bausysteme in Vorarlberg, Austria, for Luisenblock West.

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Yes, there absolutely has to be a membrane beneath it. But even so, I was a bit surprised to see wood used like that up there - my gut says it will not weather well around the fixings, whatever they are

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I quite like the look of these, biobased homes designed by Orga Architects in Marknesse in the Netherlands, but I question the logic of having timber cladding laid on the roof like that. It looks to be struggling with the moisture exposure already? www.archdaily.com/1041137/orga...

archdaily.com

ORGA Completes Carbon-Negative Biobased Housing Prototype in Marknesse, Netherlands

Explore affordable homes in Marknesse, featuring sustainable design and biobased materials, by Netherlands-based ORGA architecture.

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Reposted by Joe Giddings

James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

This is a critical point that’s repeatedly ignored. If you’re under 45 there’s a good chance you’re still working in 2050 when we should be at net zero. If you’re under 25 there’s a good chance you’re alive in 2100 when current trends suggest we’ll be at 3C of warming and all that comes with it.

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Green member here, albeit not involved or even close to the decision making. Based on what they have posted about why they were suspended ("bringing the party into disrepute") I suspect the decision had nothing to do with their gender identity, but was due to antisemitism

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Now this is smart! A new tool by Russel Curtis of RCKA Architects with an exceptionally clever use of AI for societal purpose More than a decades worth of planning appeal decisions ingested and regurgitated into a fully searchable database Inc. live feed of planning appeals needles.cloud

needles.cloud

Needles — Planning Appeal Cases

Browse planning appeal cases from the Planning Inspectorate — searchable by LPA, inspector, procedure and outcome.

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Electrification of transport, heating & industry Decentralised solar powered clean cooking Fixing methane leaks Global deforestation-free product regulation High impact rapid climate solutions highlighted by @exeter.ac.uk Global Systems Institute: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

theguardian.com

Climate solutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists

Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Yes, I agree. But the problem is, most developers won't build it their profit margins are not sufficient. For the scheme pictured the city was the developer. Like the good old days, no profit required = 100% social rents

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

In Paris an extraordinary building is nearing completion above Austerlitz where developer Cogedim is building 177 apartments with a hybrid timber/steel structure. Innovation spurred on by progressive environmental regulation introduced in 2022 which mandates developers reduce embodied carbon.

External view of Woodeum Paris Rive Gauche, a residential development in Paris by the developer Cogedim, which when completed will provide 177 apartments built using timber and steel

Internal view of Woodeum Paris Rive Gauche, a residential development in Paris by the developer Cogedim, depicting the ongoing construction. The image shows timber structure of CLT floor slabs, Glulam columns hybridised with steel structural elements and a concrete core.

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

In Barcelona the city commissions and builds public housing schemes which are 100% for social rent and just look at the quality. They do this for around €2400 per m2 which is very cheap compared to UK! Oh - and this project has a secret. The structure is timber. Low-carbon. Quick to build.

View of the internal courtyard at a public housing scheme in Barcelona with a bold colour scheme of pale green render, bright red window frames and dusty pink external shading. Terracota tiles provide the floor finish of the external deck access.

View of the external deck access at a public housing scheme in Barcelona showing the generous and tastefully designed front entrance for the apartments, with set back bright red entrance doors and external furniture.

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Reposted by Joe Giddings

Nina Markl 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @ninamarkl.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

this is what happens when centrist parties run with the far-right talking points until they’re entirely normalised — the only people who win in that scenario are far right extremists and everyone else gets hurt (yes, every time, trust me, i’ve witnessed many austrian elections)

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Reposted by Joe Giddings

Sian Berry MP @sianberry.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Trying to find a compromise position with the physics of extreme weather and climate chaos is not the winning strategy the new Prime Minister thinks it is…

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Reposted by Joe Giddings

Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

EXC - Andy Burnham will face an immediate test of his backing for electoral reform in his first week in parliament as prime minister, with almost 100 Labour MPs supporting a bid for a new national commission. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.com

Labour MPs will push Burnham to back voting reform in first 100 days

Exclusive: Nearly 100 Labour MPs support commission on changing the system used for Westminster election

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Reposted by Joe Giddings

Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 21/08/2026

Bloomberg just estimated that planned data centre gas plants will increase US power emissions by 20%. For some perspective: by my calcs, that is the same as the UK's entire economy-wide 2025 emissions.

Bar chart comparing annual country CO2 emissions (gray bars) to emissions from proposed gas-powered data centres (purple), highlighting that planned gas data centres would produce roughly the same emissions as the entire United Kingdom.

Ninety-nine proposed plants tracked by BloombergNEF would emit about 318 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually if run at industry-standard rates, according to a Bloomberg News analysis. The entire US electric power industry emitted about 1,485 million metric tons of carbon last year, according to Energy Information Administration data, meaning one slice of data center infrastructure has the potential to lift US power sector emissions by 20%, and as much as a third should the new plants run flat out.
The data center building boom has already strained the US electricity system, prompting reliability concerns and moratoriums on new project approvals. With even greenlit facilities facing yearslong delays connecting to regulated electricity grids, data center developers are seeking alternatives. These include so-called behind-the-meter projects that can be permitted and built without the approval of utilities or the independent system operators charged with ensuring grid reliabilit

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

There will always be positive anecdotes. A broker at one of the major insurance companies told me this. Based on data from across all their insured buildings. (UK)

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I get where your coming from but the biggest win in embodied carbon terms is a buildings superstructure. External facade is another big hitter. Biobased materials can be used for both of these + they store carbon. We're talking billions of tonnes of potential mitigation effect worldwide

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Plastic plumbing is the main cause of insurance claims in buildings (repair of water damage). It's crap. What's sustainable about that?

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Good. Gov now needs to go further in the other direction: to boost social housing construction. 1.3 million on waiting lists for council homes 2 million council homes sold through right to buy 300k + homeless 180k children in temp accommodation

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Repeat: Until we stop burning fossil fuels this summer will be one of the coolest of our lifetimes.

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Reposted by Joe Giddings

Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Summer 2026 on course to be UK’s hottest on record, says Met Office. Until we stop burning fossil fuels, this summer will be one of the coolest of the rest of our lifetimes. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

theguardian.com

Summer 2026 on course to be UK’s hottest on record, says Met Office – latest news

Prediction comes amid warning of ‘extreme heat’ this week with temperatures of 38C possible

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

The density of Paris is c. 20k people pet km2 London = 5k / km2 In Paris most streets are lined with shops, bakeries, cafes etc In London high streets are 15 minutes apart and empty shops exist Density works

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Joe Giddings @joegiddings.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Are the BBC going to sanitise Restore in the same way they have sanitised Reform? Where does it end?

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