Ben Bridgens

Ben Bridgens is Professor of Regenerative Architecture in the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape at Newcastle University, and Co-Director of the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE, www.bbe.ac.uk). Ben’s work is driven by the question: “Can we move beyond ‘sustainability’ and create a built environment which has positive impacts: that is beneficial and enriching to the natural environment, that does not degrade but performs better as it ages, that is a pleasure to construct, and is delightful to inhabit?”

Ben works at the interface of structural engineering, architecture and design, critically examining ‘sustainable’ technologies and exploring the potential for combining traditional construction practices with biotechnology and natural systems to go beyond sustainability and create a regenerative built environment.

Recent projects include The Living Room, a large-scale freestanding structure made from mycelium, waste materials and wool which is on display in the Farrell Centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (http://bbe.ac.uk/a-poetic-marvel/) and RESPIRE, a research project funded by the Leverhulme Trust which aims to develop passive, responsive breathable building skins (http://bbe.ac.uk/respire-project/).

Ben led the design and construction of an experimental house on the Newcastle University campus called 'The OME’, and co-leads the HBBE’s ‘Responsible Interactions’ theme which seeks to ensure that HBBE research is ethical and responsible, developed through extensive interaction and collaboration, and can be scaled up and applied beneficially in the built environment.