Widuz Wins Grand Prize at Built by Nature 2024
4 June 2024 | Singapore
Widuz is thrilled to have been awarded the €250,000 Grand Prize by Built by Nature® for its innovative bamboo-based construction materials. Selected from nearly 300 entries, Widuz stood out as the singular Grand Prize winner in the first global competition aimed at accelerating sustainable, biobased building solutions.
Our winning entry, BVL™, is a range of structural biocomposite products crafted from bamboo fibres and biobased adhesives. BVL™ is up to three times stronger than engineered timber and 20% lighter compared to traditional building materials like concrete and steel. With bamboo’s rapid four‑year maturity, Widuz’s patented process preserves inherent strength while offering a renewable, low‑carbon alternative.
Widuz also champions social and environmental responsibility by sourcing from FSC‑certified plantations and ensuring fair compensation practices across its supply chain.
The prize reflects Built by Nature’s commitment to bring market-ready biobased materials into mainstream construction. It follows a structured competition that awarded three runners-up — KuNa (bamboo-adobe housing, Nicaragua), Elementerre (clay‑typha bricks, Senegal), and Sugarcrete® (sugarcane waste composites, UK/India).
- “This Prize demonstrates that we have more to learn and share, to turn brilliant ideas and innovations into mainstream low‑carbon construction solutions,” said Paul King, Built by Nature CEO.
This prestigious recognition accelerates Widuz’s mission to deploy bamboo as a climate-smart building material globally — from urban infrastructure to low-carbon housing.
About Built by Nature
Built by Nature is a network and accelerator fund established by the Laudes Foundation to advance timber and biobased construction across Europe. Its mission is to transform the built environment by mainstreaming biobased materials through innovation funding, policy support, and a growing network of industry frontrunners.