Die Professur für Nachhaltiges Bauen gewinnt mit dem Projekt „NEWood“ den DGNB-Nachhaltigkeitswettbewerb

The NEWood project by Nazanin Saeidi and Alireza Javadian (2nd and 4th from left) wins in the "Research" category of the DGNB Sustainability Challenge. Photo: © DGNB

The German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) announced the winners of this year's Sustainability Challenge at the DGNB Sustainability Day in Fellbach on July 8. In the "Research" category, the "NEWood" project led by Nazanin Saeidi and Alireza Javadian from the Chair of Sustainable Building, Dirk E. Hebel, at KIT in Karlsruhe came out on top.

In total, more than 100 projects and companies applied for the three categories of the award this year.
The selection of the award winners in the DGNB sustainability competition was different this year than in previous years. In addition to the finalists, the eleven-member jury also directly determined the winners in the categories "Innovation", "Start-up" and "Research".
"The decision was enormously difficult for us as a jury," says Dr. Christine Lemaitre, Managing Director of the DGNB and member of the selection committee. "All finalists* presented themselves excellently, which is why I can only congratulate them all. They are the best proof that there are smart, forward-thinking people in our industry who can combine sustainability with innovation."

"NEWood" is a novel type of biobased, resource-efficient and CO2-negative material based on mycelium. Since NEWood has comparable properties to MDF and particleboard, it serves as a substitute for wood and wood-based materials. The wood alternative is developed exclusively from available organic waste, including wood and agricultural waste, and is produced using fungal mycelium as a natural binder.

More information on all award winners* and finalists can be found online in the DGNB press release or on the DGNB blog. (Text © DGNB)