2023
Architect Elena Vlasceanu decided to write a proposal for EU funding based on an idea she had nurtured for years.
Despite having no prior experience writing such proposals, she believed in her vision. She invested months of consistent effort to assemble a consortium of partners, and they submitted the proposal together.
2024
The consortium secured the EIC Pathfinder grant. The four-year project officially began in October 2024, with a kick-off meeting in Vienna.
2026
The first reporting period established the framework for lightweight, natural and biodegradable loam wall elements, the first reinforcement prototypes, and a sustainability matrix for materials. A patent application was filed in July 2026.
2028
Functional loam wall prototypes, ready for the next step towards market.
The team
An interdisciplinary team, working through collaborative, iterative processes that create critical interactions between disciplines.
Mission
We pioneer fully biodegradable loam walls, reinforced with natural fibres.
By combining traditional earth construction techniques with innovative natural reinforcements, we aim to reduce the environmental footprint of the building industry, enhance resource efficiency, and contribute to a circular, sustainable future.
Vision
Buildings that breathe, biodegrade, and harmonize with nature.
We aim to make eco-friendly, high-performance building materials the new standard: sustainable architecture that is accessible, and a built environment that contributes positively to the health of both people and the planet.
On the road
01
In the first reporting period we set the framework for lightweight, natural, and biodegradable loam wall elements, with target values for thickness, density, thermal performance, and weight. Early prototypes of reinforcement and loam layers, custom mechanical tests of the fibres, and finite element simulations showed how the system behaves, while preliminary LCAs produced a sustainability matrix and materials catalogue.
Renderings illustrate a possible future appearance of AlgoLoam walls. They are not photographs and do not reflect the current stage of wall development.
02
Suitable natural fibres for 3D reinforcement and loam composites were identified and tested. The new reinforcement structures offer high stability, low stretchability, and material distribution adapted to specific loads, showing that synthetic materials can be replaced by biodegradable alternatives.
Renderings illustrate a possible future appearance of AlgoLoam walls. They are not photographs and do not reflect the current stage of wall development.
03
The EU’s regulatory push, driven by the need to eliminate hazardous H2S emissions from landfilled gypsum, is creating a significant market opportunity for sustainable alternatives. Textile-reinforced earth-based interior walls offer a compelling solution by providing a circular, low-carbon, non-toxic material.
Their alignment with the Circular Economy Action Plan, potential for local sourcing, and inherent biodegradability make them a strong candidate to meet and exceed future EU regulations on construction material sustainability and waste management. As standards mature and production scales, these wall elements are predestined to become a mainstream, environmentally responsible substitute for gypsum boards in a wide range of construction applications.
The innovation contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: