A bridge between research, responsibility, and the reality of building differently.
Tuesday, 3 June 2025
Hybrid event
Event location: GZS – Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) – Dimičeva 13, 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia & Online
Organised by: Non Tox Uni Kum in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) Division: Chamber of Construction and Building Materials Industry of Slovenia (CCBMIS)
• Event language: English
• Participation: No Fee
• Secure your spot:
▫️ Online attendance: register by 2 June 2025 – 12.00 CEST
▫️ In-person attendance: register by 30 May 2025 – 24.00 CEST
Hybrid event
Event location: GZS – Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) – Dimičeva 13, 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia & Online
Organised by: Non Tox Uni Kum in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS) Division: Chamber of Construction and Building Materials Industry of Slovenia (CCBMIS)
• Event language: English
• Participation: No Fee
• Secure your spot:
▫️ Online attendance: register by 2 June 2025 – 12.00 CEST
▫️ In-person attendance: register by 30 May 2025 – 24.00 CEST
Every structure begins with a choice – not just of form, but of substance, method, and meaning. If we want to build differently, we need to start differently – with the questions we ask, the materials we choose, and the values we embed in the process.
Bio-based materials offer more than incremental change. They shift how we think about projects, how we relate to space, land, and health.
This gathering brings together pioneers, researchers, doers, funders and facilitators to explore:
How do we move from innovation to real implementation – and why does it matter so deeply?
Bio-based materials offer more than incremental change. They shift how we think about projects, how we relate to space, land, and health.
This gathering brings together pioneers, researchers, doers, funders and facilitators to explore:
How do we move from innovation to real implementation – and why does it matter so deeply?
Event Agenda (All times in CEST)
10:30–11:00
Arrival & Welcome Coffee
Registrations and Meet & Greet – Coffee. People. Materials.
11:00–11:10
Opening Words
Mag. Gregor Ficko, Chamber of Commerce and Industy, Chamber of construction and building materials industry – GZS ZGIGM.
Introduction by the organiser – setting the tone for material culture, health and responsibility
Why it matters?
Petra Marinko, Architect & Founder, Non Tox Uni Kum
Introduction by the organiser – setting the tone for material culture, health and responsibility
11:10–11:15
The GREET CE Project
Valentina Kuzma, GZS ZGIGM
Presentation of the international I3 project GREET for establishing an eco-construction pilot, GZS ZGIGM.
11:15–12:00
Keynote Lecture – “Materials of the Future – From Innovation to Implementation”
Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters, Founder of Haute Innovation – Germany
A guided journey through plastic-free biomaterial innovations — with insight into what is ready now, and what has the potential to reshape the way we build.
12:00–12:10
Material Health Matters – Special Intervention
Leila Behjat, Director of Material Ecology, Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH – Germany
Why material health matters – and how it shapes the spaces we inhabit and the people within them.
12:10–13:05
Pitches and presentations: Good Practice in Action
Perspectives. Materials. Steps toward a better building culture.
• Mycological Biomineralisation for Self-Healing Concrete – Sabina Dolenec & Dr. Polona Zalar, UL BF & ZAG, Slovenia
• Mycelium-Based Systems for Construction and Packaging – Matjaž Božič, Mycopor, Slovenia
• Circular Approaches to Heritage Architecture – ACNT, Tradi-Innovation, Romania
• Hemp Cluster – Dusan Knezovic, Slovakia
• Building with Hemp: From Field to Wall, Primož Zorec, Cogreen, Slovenia
• Natural Fibre Materials for Sustainable Construction – Branko Kašman, KO SI, Slovenia
• House of straw – Marina Zajec, Arhitektura E.L.I., Croatia
• Bio-Stabilisation of Marine Sediments for Coastal and Terrestrial Use – doc. dr. Stanislav Lenart, ZAG, Slovenia
13:05–13:50
Panel Talk: From Potential to Practice
A moderated conversation with experts of their fields on what it really takes to scale biomaterials – from vision to regulation, production to policy.
Moderated by: Petra Marinko
Panelists: Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters • Dr. Andrej Kržan • Dr. Alenka Mauko • Marina Zajec • Primož Zorec • Matjaž Božič
13:50–13:55
Audience Q&A
An open floor for questions, reflections, resonances.
13:55–14:05
Break
14:05–14:15
Designing for Endless Cycles – Cradle to Cradle in Practice – Special Intervention
Albin Kaelin, EPEA Switzerland
What if materials were never waste, but nutrients in a continuous loop of value creation? And what if we could trace every step of that loop—from origin to reuse?
14:15–14:45
Funding & Scaling Opportunities
• From national schemes to EU instruments – what’s available now, Katja Bučan, GZS, Slovenia
• Crowdlending for Green Construction – new finance tools for SMEs across Europe Manuel Nina, GoParity – Portugal
14:45–15:00
Closing Reflections
Valentina Kuzma, GZS ZGIGM And Petra Marinko, Architect & Founder, Non Tox Uni Kum
To shift not only how we build—but how we think projects. From materials to mindsets, from structure to story. Together.
15:00–16:00
Biomaterials Library & Lunch & Networking
Explore. Touch. Connect.
Curated material library to engage with, projects to learn from, people to meet.
Meet and greet with producers, researchers, and guests – hosted in an open, tactile atmosphere.
10:30–11:00
Arrival & Welcome Coffee
Registrations and Meet & Greet – Coffee. People. Materials.
11:00–11:10
Opening Words
Mag. Gregor Ficko, Chamber of Commerce and Industy, Chamber of construction and building materials industry – GZS ZGIGM.
Introduction by the organiser – setting the tone for material culture, health and responsibility
Why it matters?
Petra Marinko, Architect & Founder, Non Tox Uni Kum
Introduction by the organiser – setting the tone for material culture, health and responsibility
11:10–11:15
The GREET CE Project
Valentina Kuzma, GZS ZGIGM
Presentation of the international I3 project GREET for establishing an eco-construction pilot, GZS ZGIGM.
11:15–12:00
Keynote Lecture – “Materials of the Future – From Innovation to Implementation”
Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters, Founder of Haute Innovation – Germany
A guided journey through plastic-free biomaterial innovations — with insight into what is ready now, and what has the potential to reshape the way we build.
12:00–12:10
Material Health Matters – Special Intervention
Leila Behjat, Director of Material Ecology, Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH – Germany
Why material health matters – and how it shapes the spaces we inhabit and the people within them.
12:10–13:05
Pitches and presentations: Good Practice in Action
Perspectives. Materials. Steps toward a better building culture.
• Mycological Biomineralisation for Self-Healing Concrete – Sabina Dolenec & Dr. Polona Zalar, UL BF & ZAG, Slovenia
• Mycelium-Based Systems for Construction and Packaging – Matjaž Božič, Mycopor, Slovenia
• Circular Approaches to Heritage Architecture – ACNT, Tradi-Innovation, Romania
• Hemp Cluster – Dusan Knezovic, Slovakia
• Building with Hemp: From Field to Wall, Primož Zorec, Cogreen, Slovenia
• Natural Fibre Materials for Sustainable Construction – Branko Kašman, KO SI, Slovenia
• House of straw – Marina Zajec, Arhitektura E.L.I., Croatia
• Bio-Stabilisation of Marine Sediments for Coastal and Terrestrial Use – doc. dr. Stanislav Lenart, ZAG, Slovenia
13:05–13:50
Panel Talk: From Potential to Practice
A moderated conversation with experts of their fields on what it really takes to scale biomaterials – from vision to regulation, production to policy.
Moderated by: Petra Marinko
Panelists: Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters • Dr. Andrej Kržan • Dr. Alenka Mauko • Marina Zajec • Primož Zorec • Matjaž Božič
13:50–13:55
Audience Q&A
An open floor for questions, reflections, resonances.
13:55–14:05
Break
14:05–14:15
Designing for Endless Cycles – Cradle to Cradle in Practice – Special Intervention
Albin Kaelin, EPEA Switzerland
What if materials were never waste, but nutrients in a continuous loop of value creation? And what if we could trace every step of that loop—from origin to reuse?
14:15–14:45
Funding & Scaling Opportunities
• From national schemes to EU instruments – what’s available now, Katja Bučan, GZS, Slovenia
• Crowdlending for Green Construction – new finance tools for SMEs across Europe Manuel Nina, GoParity – Portugal
14:45–15:00
Closing Reflections
Valentina Kuzma, GZS ZGIGM And Petra Marinko, Architect & Founder, Non Tox Uni Kum
To shift not only how we build—but how we think projects. From materials to mindsets, from structure to story. Together.
15:00–16:00
Biomaterials Library & Lunch & Networking
Explore. Touch. Connect.
Curated material library to engage with, projects to learn from, people to meet.
Meet and greet with producers, researchers, and guests – hosted in an open, tactile atmosphere.
About Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters
Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters is one of Europe’s leading experts in sustainable materials and emerging technologies. He is the founder of the Berlin-based agency Haute Innovation and a long-standing advisor, author, juror, and educator in the field of biobased innovation, circular design, and future production systems.
About Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH
A European non-profit sister organization to the Parsons-based Healthy Materials Lab, dedicated to accelerating the transition toward healthier, non-toxic material practices in architecture, design, and education.
Through research, education, and curation, the lab supports a new material paradigm grounded in transparency, health, and regenerative systems thinking.
About Albin Kaelin
Albin Kaelin is a leading European voice in circular design and the founder of EPEA Switzerland. As an early pioneer of Cradle to Cradle® in industry, he has helped shape a regenerative approach to material innovation rooted in safe chemistry and closed-loop systems. His work bridges environmental vision with technical precision, supporting the development of products that retain material value across multiple life cycles.
Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters is one of Europe’s leading experts in sustainable materials and emerging technologies. He is the founder of the Berlin-based agency Haute Innovation and a long-standing advisor, author, juror, and educator in the field of biobased innovation, circular design, and future production systems.
About Healthy Materials Lab EU gGmbH
A European non-profit sister organization to the Parsons-based Healthy Materials Lab, dedicated to accelerating the transition toward healthier, non-toxic material practices in architecture, design, and education.
Through research, education, and curation, the lab supports a new material paradigm grounded in transparency, health, and regenerative systems thinking.
About Albin Kaelin
Albin Kaelin is a leading European voice in circular design and the founder of EPEA Switzerland. As an early pioneer of Cradle to Cradle® in industry, he has helped shape a regenerative approach to material innovation rooted in safe chemistry and closed-loop systems. His work bridges environmental vision with technical precision, supporting the development of products that retain material value across multiple life cycles.
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