Construction materials stand out at Greenbuild 2026

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Last week I attended the Greenbuild International Conference + Expo 2026 in the North Hall of the Javits Center here in New York.

After being overwhelmed by trade shows like CES and InterSolar Europe, Greenbuild’s smaller scale was a welcome break. At the show, there were some heat pumps and Copper brought its battery-backed induction cooktop, but there was less emphasis on renewable energy storage and energy efficiency than at other events. Many of the people I spoke to had not heard of New York City’s LL97 emissions reduction requirements, which was a major motivator of Build Expo in the spring. I also didn’t see much media presence at the fair.

However, what stood out at Greenbuild was the emphasis on eco-friendly materials. Although some of these companies had appeared at other shows, I had more opportunities to discuss and go into detail at Greenbuild. Some exhibitors stood out.

Build better with straw

Durra Panel was the first product that really caught my attention. Throughout history, straw has had a bad reputation in parables. Unlike the popular tale “The Three Little Pigs”, Durra Panel uses straw to create a building material that is not only more sustainable but, in many ways, better than traditional materials.

Standard boards are 96% compressed straw and 4% recycled craft paper. The process uses heat and pressure to bond the straw with natural lignin, without the need for added binders. In the process, the straw panel gains a fire resistance level (FRL) of 1 hour (60 minutes). The panels are 99.9% VOC free, but the resulting panel, which incorporates biochar, actually absorbs VOCs from the environment where they are installed. Standard panels are 50 or 58 mm (~2”) thick.

Due to the mechanical resistance of the panel, it can replace a partition or form a walkable roof without additional reinforcements or studs. Compared to a stud wall, the embodied energy drops by 153 MJ/m² at 12.6 MJ/m². You simply need a header and footer to mount it on the wall. According to Durra Panel, these walls provide 84% time savings and 21% cost savings compared to traditional building materials.

In a place like New York, where rented commercial properties and offices often have dividing walls added and removed with high labor costs, those savings could add up quickly. Additionally, the walls can be dismantled and reused, further reducing costs and environmental impact.

The technology was developed in Australia decades ago, but is expanding globally. Due to its acoustic performance, it is often used to build recording studios. Durra Panel recently selected Brocton, Massachusetts, for its first U.S. manufacturing facility.

Approximately 40% of global CO2 emissions come from the built environment, more than all transportation combined. Additionally, much agricultural straw is burned as waste, returning more CO2 to the atmosphere than all commercial air travel, according to the Durra Panel. If agricultural straw could be used in construction, up to 3.7 Gt of CO2 could be sequestered. The carbon is locked in for the entire useful life of the building. At the end of their useful life, the panels can be recycled or shredded and composted.

There were also several companies promoting wood-related products. However, even if forestry is properly managed, waste utilization is still preferable to felling trees. The use of agricultural waste for construction makes one wonder what other waste streams could be put to good use.

Clean the concrete

Up to 8% of global emissions come from concrete manufacturing. That’s more than air travel and global shipping combined. However, concrete has clear mechanical advantages as a strong and durable building material.

ZeroTwelve is incorporating biochar as a substitute for some of the cement. In the process, the company claims that more carbon can be sequestered than is emitted, making concrete carbon negative. At the same time, concrete can become stronger and more resistant, depending on the mixture. Additionally, biochar gives concrete a dark gray, slate-like appearance, making it well suited for decorative applications such as poured concrete floors or countertops.

Nearby Pozzotive showed another solution, replacing a portion of cement with powdered glass, or pozzolana, from post-consumer recycled glass in what they call “urban mining.” Currently, much of the glass that is thrown into recycling bins ends up in landfills. By eliminating the need to sort by color and size, more glass can be recycled. And it can be manufactured locally with low energy requirements, close to where waste glass is generated. In the process, 94% of CO2 emissions are eliminated with respect to the cement that is replaced. The resulting pozzolana powder glass can replace up to 50% of the cement. The resulting concrete is stronger and more resistant to chemicals. Additionally, powdered glass makes concrete more reflective, potentially reducing the heat island effect.

Beyond cement, Glavel showed its foamed glass aggregate. Made from recycled glass using renewable energy, the aggregate replaces crushed stone in concrete and provides a level of insulation to replace separate foam insulation. It also lightens the concrete structure while maintaining high compressive strength.

Part of a larger system

Many more construction material options were presented at the fair. Something like a composite may have a lower initial carbon footprint and lower durability, but poses challenges at the end of its life. Some natural materials may have degradability benefits but durability challenges. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and what works for one application may not be ideal for another. However, there is clear potential for different materials to suit different applications and priorities.

While at the show, I briefly met with “legend” David Gottfried, co-founder of the US Green Building Council and founder of the World Green Building Council. He was promoting his new book, Regen360, which is positioned as “An operating system for a regenerative Earth.” Although I just started the book, it lays out frameworks to use to ask the right questions and align what we do with what we value.

I won’t say that any material I saw at the fair is he answer. But if we change the way we think about construction and start asking the right questions, green materials have the potential to contribute to a net positive impact.