Opening Conference & 1st Experimental Workshop Linking “Mind over Mater – Hemp Edition” with the EUKI Project ReBORN
Bucharest, 30.-31.10.2025
Hemp as a Strategic Material for the Green Building Transition
Industrial hemp is re-emerging as a strategic material for the green transition in the built environment. The Romanian cultural project Mind over Mater – hemp edition explores the potential of hemp not as a consumer product, but as a research-driven, heritage-based and innovation-oriented material for contemporary design and sustainable construction.
Through education, hands-on experimentation, and interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, the initiative empowers professionals, students, architects and local stakeholders to understand and apply hemp-based solutions in construction and renovation. Particular emphasis is placed on hemp’s low carbon footprint, its carbon sequestration capacity, renewability, and its contribution to regional value chains.
During the opening conference, the EUKI-funded ReBORN initiative was introduced by its project partners, strengthening the bridge between cultural experimentation and technical climate solutions:
- Horia Petran, Senior Researcher at INCD URBAN-INCERC and President of the pRO-nZEB Cluster, highlighted the relevance of hemp within the transition from nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) to Zero Emissions Buildings (ZEB) in Romania.
- Roxana Boboruta, Deputy General Manager of Steinbeis Transfer Management Romania and Senior Project Manager at Steinbeis Donau Zentrum, underlined the importance of structured technology transfer to move biomaterial innovation from experimentation to scalable implementation.
This interaction positioned hemp not only as a creative material, but as a viable component of climate-resilient construction strategies aligned with European energy and climate objectives.
From Cultural Experimentation to Scalable Construction Solutions
The initiative, launched by Nod Makerspace together with the Ivan Patzaichin – Mila 23 Association and supported by the Caneparo Industrial Hemp Cluster, bridges traditional craftsmanship with advanced bio-material research. Through conferences and intensive hands-on workshops, designers, architects and material researchers explored hemp fibres, shives and hempcrete, testing pressing, casting, pigmentation and prototyping techniques in real-time laboratory settings.
These experimentation formats transformed theoretical sustainability debates into tangible material innovation. Participants developed acoustic panels, structural samples and application concepts suitable for real building contexts. By combining cultural research with material science, the project created a practical platform where design curiosity meets performance-driven construction requirements.
This is precisely where the connection to the ReBORN initiative becomes strategically relevant: while Mind over Mater – hemp edition acts as a creative and experimental incubator, ReBORN translates these insights into technical validation, regulatory alignment and scalable implementation pathways for carbon-neutral construction solutions.
Applied Material Research and Prototype Development
Between October and December 2025, three intensive three-day experimentation workshops were held at the MATER Materials Library in Bucharest. More than 50 participants from creative, artistic and technical disciplines engaged directly with hemp in a collaborative, open-research setting.
The first workshop was coordinated by Viltė Adomavičiūtė (Lithuania), biomaterials researcher at the New European Bauhaus Center – Vilnius Academy of Arts. The focus was on hemp as a structural base material, combining traditional processing techniques with contemporary construction applications. Participants worked with hemp fiber and shives, experimented with hempcrete, and tested pressing, pigmentation and casting methods using molds developed on site.
The outcome included experimental samples and functional prototypes, such as sound-absorbing panels and application concepts suitable for real construction contexts — demonstrating that hemp-based materials can move beyond conceptual design into performance-oriented building components.
Roxana Boboruta and Horian Petran, representing the ReBORN project, actively participated in the first workshop, testing different applications and discussing pathways toward regulatory validation and broader implementation.
Building Market Readiness for Bio-Based Construction
1. From Prototyping to Standardization
Mind over Mater – hemp edition functioned as a creative incubator for material experimentation. Through hands-on workshops at Nod Makerspace, participants explored the aesthetic, structural and functional potential of hemp, developing prototypes that demonstrated both versatility and performance.
ReBORN builds on these experimental insights and translates them into structured technical implementation. The project advances carbon-neutral construction solutions — including hemp-and-reed building components — and aligns their development with emerging Zero Emissions Buildings (ZEB) requirements under the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). In this way, experimental material innovation is embedded into regulatory and standardization pathways.
2. Capacity Building and Professional Education
While Mind over Mater raised awareness and sensitized the creative community to the architectural potential of bio-based materials, ReBORN expands this momentum into systematic capacity development. Architects, engineers, and public officials in Romania, Croatia and Germany are trained in sustainable building practices, regulatory frameworks and lifecycle-oriented construction approaches.
This complementary dynamic ensures that creative exploration is supported by institutional competence. The integration of bio-material solutions into Long-Term Renovation Strategies (LTRS) strengthens their relevance within national and EU climate policy frameworks and facilitates practical uptake.
3. Strengthening the Local Circular Economy
Both initiatives promote the strategic use of local natural resources to reduce transport-related emissions and enhance regional resilience. By valorising locally available biomass such as hemp and reed, they contribute to shortening supply chains and embedding carbon storage within the built environment.
The cooperation with the Caneparo Industrial Hemp Cluster plays a pivotal role in this context. It provides the industrial and supply-chain backbone required to move from pilot applications to scalable market solutions, transforming bio-based public building renovation into a viable economic model.
Opening conference of Mind over Mater – hemp edition: Full session recording available. On YouTube and here.
Embedding Innovation into Long-Term Implementation
ReBORN project partners will continue to collaborate closely with Romanian entities involved in Mind over Mater, particularly in expanding stakeholder engagement and strengthening pathways toward practical implementation. The exchange initiated through the workshops forms the basis for structured cooperation between research institutions, industry actors and public authorities.
Funded by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), ReBORN aims to improve energy efficiency and accelerate the transition toward sustainable construction practices in Romania and Croatia. By advancing the use of locally sourced natural materials and strengthening professional competencies, the project creates the framework required to integrate bio-based solutions into mainstream construction processes and market deployment.
Interested in integrating bio-based materials into your construction projects or regional development strategy?
Join the ReBORN initiative and explore cooperation opportunities in applied research, pilot projects and market deployment across the Danube region.