The Geographies of Sustainable Bio-Based Materials for Modern Methods of Construction

This chapter outlines a research agenda around material flows and geographies involved in the adoption of bio-based materials by modern methods of construction (MMC). In doing so, we argue that supply chains for bio-based materials are not only a matter of technical specification and procurement, but are influenced by broader societal, economic, and environmental forces that detach digital innovation from its physical, place-based manifestations. This challenge is particularly acute in post-industrial communities aiming to transition from localised manufacturing industries to knowledge- and creativity-based economies. The research is contextualised within a stream of research projects, of which four are presented as illustrative case studies. These projects have focused on local bio-based materials and communities often considered peripheral to mainstream digital innovation and MMC discourse: automation in earthen construction, participatory housing design in a rural community, the development of digital infrastructures for timber manufacturing, and MMC housing procurement in a government-funded rural housing programme. These projects are framed by the investigation on geographies of making set forth by Carr and Gibson. The Chapter concludes by identifying further work opportunities for this research agenda and suggests a wider and multidisciplinary approach to investigating the adoption of bio-based materials in construction.