Natura Matéria

Natura Matéria sells natural building materials and advises on how to use them: hempcrete, hemp wool, hemp blocks, hemp shives for mortars, cork and hydrated lime. It's a spin-off company of the University of Minho, based in Guimarães, and works to advance sustainable and healthy construction through bio-architecture. The team is made up of engineers and architects with extensive research experience. The company turns knowledge from R&D into practical solutions for the building sector. The materials are valued for their thermal and acoustic insulation, for the way they regulate moisture and for their potential to store carbon. Hempcrete alone can sequester more than 10 tonnes of CO2 per hectare over its lifecycle. Natura Matéria also gives specialised technical support across the whole life of a project, from choosing the materials to applying them on site. Its clients are both professionals and private clients. The company has taken part in collaborative projects with architecture studios, construction firms and the University of Minho's Structures Laboratory (LEST). These include rammed earth (*taipa*) constructions monitored with humidity and temperature sensors, triple masonry walls of compressed earth blocks (BTC), and hemp house renovations. To share what it knows, the company took part in the first international hemp congress in the Azores. It has also run hempcrete construction workshops at industry events such as Encontro Build. Its stated mission is to encourage a culture of innovation in modern architecture through natural materials, in line with circular economy principles and healthy housing standards. Through this it contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals on sustainable resource management and waste reduction.