Session · Carbon and electrification · Designers and consultants · Builders and trades

Plant Based and Future-Proof: High-Performance Biomaterial Prefabs

Andrew Frederick, Croft · February 5, 2026 · Chapter · PHNE (Northeast Passive House)

Andrew Frederick of Croft, in Rockland, Maine, on combining Passive House-level energy performance, natural building, and Japanese and Scandinavian prefab methods, and what biomaterials mean for durability, moisture, constructability, and embodied carbon.

Key points

• How material choice links to durability, moisture control, and long-term performance.
• How embodied carbon shapes design decisions in high-performance buildings.
• Emerging biomaterial suppliers compared with conventional product pathways.
• How low-carbon materials fit building science and constructability requirements.

Topics: Embodied carbon, Insulation and assemblies