Novel alternatives to traditional at-risk heritage materials due to climate change

Abstract

Extreme weather events drive a need for more regular maintenance on heritage buildings and may cause stress to the performance of traditional materials. Developments in bio-enhanced self-repair materials is an opportunity to improve building performance and reduce the frequency of maintenance schedules. The microbial sequestration of carbon by bacteria, encapsulated and layered into several limewash coats, may facilitate capturing atmospheric carbon and reduce carbon-generating maintenance regimes. The development of hydrogels, alginates and biofilm derived biopolymers as novel bacterial encapsulation and nutrient delivery vehicles are discussed as future research projects. Microbial carbon-fixing limewash may also offer a broader application to sustainable materials such as hemp-lime bio-composites and other lime and cementitious materials, as a fast-forward projection of problems and solutions with these materials in the future.