Implementation of the Course “Green Construction with Bio-Composite Materials”

Within the framework of the Erasmus+ BIO-FIBRE project, the course “Green Construction with Bio-Composite Materials” was developed and implemented by seven participating universities in Denmark, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Portugal and Spain. The Specific objectives were to implement the newly developed course at participating higher education institutions and internationally and to improve the course and e-learning platform basing on feedback form target groups. Specific objectives directly contributed to the third general objective of the project: “To educate students in sustainable construction practices with bio-composites”. The intensive short-term transnational courses took place in Thessaloniki in October 2024 and in Eindhoven in March 2025. Four students from each participating university were attending with their professors. The lab work had few steps considering to organize international groups and work with bio-fibres, decide the materials to work with (e.g. cement, just to have quicker curing, river sand and local fibers), produce casted mortars and record fresh properties of mortars (workability ) and harden properties (strength), produce 3D-printed specimens, perform mechanical tests and make comparisons. Through this process the aim was to familiarize the students with bio-composites, increase their social skills, teach principles of sustainability, and validate methodologies to be applied on the course program resulting from the project and international collaboration. Laboratory sessions and online lectures in between helped students understand the key principles of bio-composite production and increased their awareness of the environmental benefits and challenges associated with these materials. Based on their feedback, most students indicated that they will consider bio-composite building materials more in the future and that they would recommend such workshops to their peers.