Climate-adaptive building materials: laying the groundwork for collaboration

On 17 September 2026, the MateriNex Project Accelerator brought together stakeholders from across the construction and materials ecosystem to explore how to accelerate the application of climate-adaptive building materials.

Co-organised with VITO and KeyMotion, the event at the Provinciehuis in Antwerp combined keynote contributions with roundtable discussions. Participants explored barriers to adoption, shared practical needs and considered opportunities for research and collaboration.

The keynote contributions connected the urgency of climate adaptation with the realities of building practice. David Weinberger from CERAC set the scene by highlighting why we need climate-adaptive materials to respond to a changing climate. Architect Joost Declercq  from Archipelago Architects offered a glimpse of the solutions already available and the needs that remain, bringing an architectural perspective to the opportunities for materials innovation.

These insights provided a starting point for the roundtable discussions, where participants explored barriers to adoption, shared practical needs and considered opportunities for research and collaboration. The conversations laid the groundwork for the focus group sessions in October.

The Provinciehuis Antwerp provided an inspiring setting for the exchange of perspectives from research, industry and policy. These conversations laid the groundwork for a continuing process: moving from shared challenges towards more focused discussions and potential research partnerships.

Thank you to all participants and speakers for their valuable contributions, and to VITO and KeyMotion for their collaboration.

Next step: focus groups on 22 October

The MateriNex Project Accelerator continues with focus group sessions on 22 October 2026. Building on the September discussions, participants will further explore the needs identified and consider how these could translate into innovation opportunities and potential research projects.

We will share further insights as this work progresses.

Couldn’t join us in September but would like to contribute? Contact us to express your interest in the focus groups.

TBP