Adaptavate, a developer of low-carbon and carbon-negative construction materials, has seen its bio-based plasterboard alternative, Breathaboard, installed at Legal & General’s new London headquarters 10 Coleman Street
Breathaboard was developed by Adaptavate founder and CEO Tom Robinson at the Centre for Alternative Technologies in Wales for a MSc thesis. Before which, Robinson worked as a builder and ran his own heritage restoration business. The board is made from food and fibre by-products bound with calcium carbonate binders, sandwiched between two layers of recycled paper.
A drop-in replacement, engineered to store carbon
Designed to work as a drop-in alternative to conventional plasterboard, Breathaboard is installed using the same methods as standard wallboard, just lighter in weight. According to the firm, it stores 2.5kg of biogenic carbon per m². This figure is calculated using the firm’s own proprietary tool that has been independently verified by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Group.
Because it is bio-based the board is fully compostable at the end of its life. Unlike other wallboards Breathaboard can also passively regulate the moisture in the internal space through its moisture buffering capabilities.Testing at UKAS-accredited laboratories has found it can be fully compliant with incumbent standard EN 520.
Building a track record
L&G is relocating its head office to 10 Coleman Street early in 2027, as part of an ambition to reach operational net zero across its occupied offices from 2030. The building is part of Stanhope’s Woolgate redevelopment scheme; L&G has taken a 15-year lease on around 190,000 sq ft – some 60% of the retrofitted building that is targeting a 4.5-star NABERS rating and BREEAM Excellent certification through retention of around 95% the existing structure.
Breathaboard has also been used at other low-carbon fit-outs including the UK Green Building Council’s office refurbishment – where Breathaboard and a companion product, Breathaplasta, were used as a complete system in its boardroom and meeting rooms – One Triton Square and 11 Leadenhall Street.
Robinson, said, “These pilot projects are critical to help bring our products into mainstream construction. Support from organisations like Legal & General and Overbury, alongside strong demand through letters of intent and offtake agreements, demonstrates clear market pull for Breathaboard. We are now focused on scaling our solution by securing production and commercial partnerships to meet that demand. The industry is ready to adopt low-carbon and carbon-negative alternatives at scale.”
To date the company has raised over £12m through a combination of investments and grants to develop and take to market a range of products aimed at decarbonising construction.
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