World first research hub to create Living Buildings Published on: 19 June 2019 Experts from Â鶹´«Ã½ and Northumbria Universities will develop new technologies to revolutionise how buildings are constructed and how they operate. A new concept The institutions have been jointly awarded £8m from Expanding Excellence in England fund to establish the world’s first research (HBBE). It will lead to a whole new concept of the way we design and construct our buildings. Its aim is to create a new generation of ‘Living Buildings’, which are responsive to the natural environment, grown using living engineered materials, which process their own waste, reduce pollution, generate energy and support a biological environment that benefits health. Hub Co-Director Dr Martyn Dade-Robertson, a Reader in Design Computation in the School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “This is incredibly exciting opportunity to create a new field of research. By bringing together architects, engineers and bio-scientists, working with industry and investing in state-of-the-art facilities we are aiming to rethink the building industry.” Hub Co-Director, , a Professor in Protein Biochemistry, Northumbria University said: "We want to use the very latest biotechnologies to create living homes that are responsive to, and protective of their environment and the people who live in them. The current construction of buildings is unsustainable due to its carbon footprint, the hope would be to use this model in housing in the future." A concept image of the interior of The OME A new generation of buildings Universities and Science Minister Chris Skidmore said: “Pushing the boundaries of knowledge and conquering new innovations are what our universities are known for the world over. This programme led by Â鶹´«Ã½ and Northumbria Universities, will look to create a new generation of homes and offices that consume their own waste and are healthier for people using them. “The Expanding Excellence in England Fund will support projects throughout England to master new and developing areas of research and industry. “Made possible through our record R&D spend delivered by our modern Industrial Strategy, the investment will support researchers to develop solutions and opportunities for UK researchers and businesses.” The HBBE will develop new microbial technologies which will act as a metabolism, processing a building’s waste and generating energy. The hub will create living materials, using microbes, and investigate how healthy environments can be developed by better understanding the way the microbiome of the built environment and humans interact. Experimental biological house The new hub will include The OME, an experimental biological house, which will be built on Â鶹´«Ã½’s campus. A living lab, the OME will be used as an experimental facility to test and showcase the hub’s ground-breaking research. The HBBE will also comprise a Micro-Design Lab, based at Northumbria University and a Macro Bio-Design Lab at Â鶹´«Ã½, which will allow the team to develop new technologies from molecules up to buildings. The HBBE will officially launch on the 1st August 2019, it is currently recruiting 22 new staff and will be led by a multidisciplinary team across both Universities; Dr Martyn Dade-Robertson (NCL), Professor Rachel Armstrong (NCL) Professor Gary Black (NU), Dr Ben Bridgens (NCL), Dr Meng Zhang (NU) and Dr Darren Smith (NU). Share: Latest News Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Student leader drives misogyny law change A Â鶹´«Ã½ student leader has helped change the law after creating a petition to make misogyny a hate crime, which gathered over 114,000 signatures, prompting action in Parliament. published on: 12 June 2026 Freemen of Â鶹´«Ã½ see construction of new Castle Leazes The Freemen of Â鶹´«Ã½ and other key stakeholders have become an indelible part of new student accommodation at Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Castle Leazes. published on: 12 June 2026 Facts and figures
![Â鶹´«Ã½ logo](/gomobileassets/img/logo.svg" "Â鶹´«Ã½"){kind=logo}