We imagine the future, rather than working within the present, says Islam, describing the approach of design and research consultancy Material Cultures. We speculate on the potential for woodlands to produce certain materials, even though today we import them from mainland Europe.Material Cultures, co-founded in 2019 with Paloma Gormley and George Masoud, advocates greater use of bio-based materials in construction and bio-regional material sourcing. Bio-regional mapping involves in-depth research to find out what resources, products and skills are local to a site, such as visits to sawmills and interviews with nearby foresters and farmers to build local supply chains.Through built projects, hands-on workshops, research, teaching and films, Material Cultures has emerged as a significant disruptor of business as usual. The practices main message is that our extractive construction industry needs a radical overhaul. Our experience is that people want to make choices that align with their values, Islam explains. They just arent informed, because we deliberately obscure, as an industry, the impact of certain processes and materials.Hands-on workshops with builders and community residents have evolved to be one of Material Cultures most impactful workstreams, simultaneously addressing lack of industry understanding of how to build with bio-based materials and empowering builders and local residents with new construction skills.Straw is the ultimate equitable material. Everyone can pick up a bale and build with straw, says Islam. In addition to straw, Material Cultures advocates greater use of hemp and wood fibre. These are three regenerative materials which could be scaled in the British context, according to Islam.In this episode, we also discuss Material Cultures work with Civic Square in Birmingham, developing a neighbourhood microfactory for community retrofit. In terms of retrofit, Islam cautions that more insulation is not always the answer. An awning or a minor modification to the plan might result in a more impactful outcome for a given cost.To catch up on all episodes of AJ Climate Champions, click here.Find Climate Champions on your favourite podcast app: subscribe via Spotify,Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Deezerand PodbeanAbout Summer IslamSummer Islam is a founding director of Material Cultures. She co-teaches 'Construction in Detail' in the Spatial Studies department at Central St. Martins. She has also taught at ETH, the Bartlett, and London Met.Prior to setting up Material Cultures, Summer worked at 6a architects and Caruso St John.Summer is currently pursuing a PhD in the Riot Lab at EPFL in Lausanne.Resources mentioned in this episodeMaterial CulturesMaterial Reform bookRice University Spotlight AwardPeter Davey Prize for Emerging PractitionersCivic SquareBuilding Skills reportAfter Sand filmEmma Rishj HolmSand Stories by Kiran PereiraFeral by George MonbiotMaterial Matter[s] workshopsWoodland Goods - V&A exhibitionClearfell HouseAmerican Hardwood Export CouncilBauhaus Earth Dark Matter LabsJericho Wood ShackThe Embodied Biodiversity Impacts of Construction Materials report by Expedition EngineeringArchitecture 00Inbuilt ProjectFish TankCharlotte Malterre-BarthesCreditsPodcast produced and edited by May RobsonMusic:Edmilson do Pfano, Forr de dois Amigos. Interpretation:Felipe Tanakae banda Balaio de Baio