The British Board of Agrément (BBA) has announced the six finalists for the first BBA Sustainable Innovator Award, which recognises innovative construction products with the potential to advance sustainability. Selected by a panel of industry experts, the shortlist spans wide-ranging technologies and applications, from a low-impact modular highway drainage system to hemp-based blocks. The winner will be announced live on Wednesday 25 November at London Build.
The award entries were evaluated on their ability to deliver substantial improvements in quality, safety and sustainability, with the potential to make a lasting impact on the construction products sector. To assess the entries, the BBA brought together a panel of experts with extensive experience across architecture, construction, technical innovation and the wider industry. The panel includes Sunand Prasad OBE, former president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA); Quentin Farrow, Managing Director of HybridMMC; Chris Hall, Technical Innovation Manager at NHBC (the National House Building Council); Andrew Gaved, Editor-at-Large at London Build; and Julie Bregulla, Chief Operating Officer at the BBA.
Julie Bregulla, Chief Operating Officer at the BBA, comments: “We created this award to celebrate the real-world innovations already making a difference across the construction sector, and it is fantastic to see the level of quality and ambition demonstrated across the submissions. This made the judging process extremely difficult, but our six shortlisted entries stood out for their forward-thinking approach to tackling the sector’s environmental footprint while delivering market-ready solutions. I look forward to celebrating their achievements and announcing the winner at London Build in November.”
The six shortlisted entries include:
Active 'Weep' Vent: Active ‘Weep’ Vent
The Active Weep Vent is a wind-driven cavity ventilator that replaces the standard weep vent in the outer leaf of a masonry cavity wall. It is an active device that uses no electricity, fan or moving parts, and uses wind as the power source. One unit performs the supply and extraction process together, providing cross-ventilation of the cavity from a single elevation with no matched opening required elsewhere in the building. This makes it as straightforward to retrofit into an existing wall as to specify in new build.
The judges praised the ‘functional innovation’ of the product’s design, noting the value and impact it could bring in reducing moisture in residential applications, particularly in windy or rainy conditions.
AgriCycle Innovation: ReHarvest
ReHarvest™ Gypsum-Free Circular Construction Board is a sustainable, bio-based building panel manufactured from agricultural residues and renewable plant fibres that would otherwise be treated as waste. The technology transforms underutilised agricultural resources into high-value construction materials for low-carbon buildings and circular manufacturing. It can be used in wall systems, ceilings, interior fit-outs, furniture, acoustic panels and modular construction.
Impressed by the product’s strong focus on sustainability and reuse of waste materials, the judges highlighted the product as ‘a good example of a new generation bio-based solution.’ They also praised the wide application potential of the product as an alternative to cement-based materials.
Civil Water Management: Modular Drainage System, Hydrotrench, TED Bloc, RDS
Modular Drainage Systems (MDS) is a factory-manufactured modular highway drainage system that intercepts, distributes and conveys surface and subsurface water. Developed for new-build, maintenance and retrofit works, it introduces or restores drainage where conventional systems are absent, poorly connected, difficult to access or would require disproportionate excavation.
The judges commended the product as an ‘innovation which combines sustainable methods with a thought-through approach to drainage’ that could have a real impact on highway construction. They also praised the product’s recycled tyre material as well as the testing and data that showed ‘real-world usage at scale.’
HEMPBLOCK
HempBLOCK® is a bio-based construction system for building load-bearing walls in residential and commercial buildings. Factory-manufactured hemp-lime blocks are dry-stacked without mortar, with fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) posts and beams integrated within the wall using a lightweight perlite-cement infill and finished with a breathable lime render. The 300mm wall provides structure, thermal, acoustic, fire and moisture performance in a simplified three-layer build that can reduce wall construction time by up to 70% compared with conventional walling systems, with a calculated net embodied carbon of −56kg CO₂e/m² of wall.
Described as a ‘highly innovative bio-based structural system’, the product was praised by the judges as a ‘well-researched and tested alternative to traditional methods’ that addresses skills issues by simplifying the build process. They also highlighted its sustainability credentials across the building’s lifecycle and the benefits it offers for occupant wellbeing.
RABLE Group B.V: RABLE4ROOFS
RABLE4Roofs is a flat roof mounting system for photovoltaic modules (PV). The product is a "roof on roof" structure which, due to its structural stiffness and strength, transfers the additional loads of the mounting structure and PV modules directly to the main roof structure. Compared with existing alternatives, the product eliminates reinforcement costs, is fast to install, weather-independent, and reversible, and requires up to 95% fewer roof penetrations.
Praised for its ‘innovative structural PV system’, the judges were impressed by the product’s ‘strong real-world evidence, great sustainability impact and excellent readiness.’ They also highlighted its potential impact on the reduction of damage to waterproof roof coverings.
Mayan Roofing Systems: Armoured Roof System
The Armoured Roof System is a high-performance, low-pitch, fire-rated (BROOF(t4)) natural slate and stone roofing solution that incorporates a single-lap design to reduce the amount of concealed, unutilised material found in traditional double-lap roofs. This reduces overall roof weight, lowers the number of slates required per square metre, and significantly increases installation speed. The larger batten gauge further reduces material usage, lowers installation costs and improves efficiency.
The judges commented on the impressive, lightweight product design and its sustainable credibility. They also noted its ‘strong market traction’, and the ‘definable difference to slate roofing efficiency’ it offers the market.
The winner will be the first recipient of the BBA Sustainable Innovator Award and will receive access to a full BBA Agrément assessment, worth approximately £50,000. The announcement of the winner will take place on the Sustainability Stage at London Build 2026 on Wednesday 25 November at Excel London. The award ceremony begins at 16:50 and will also feature a short panel discussion and Q&A with the judges, exploring how innovators can successfully bring sustainable products to market and secure specification.
Entry to London Build is free to register at www.londonbuildexpo.com.
To find out more about the award, visit www.bbacerts.co.uk/sustainable-innovator-award.
