Biophilia – Nature’s Blueprint: SBUK Symposium 2025, Wales

This summer, Straw Building UK marks a major milestone. Ten years on from our founding, we return not just to celebrate progress in straw construction, but to open new conversations about how we build – and who we build for.

Co-hosted with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, the SBUK Symposium 2025 takes place on the 25th–26th June in Swansea. The theme this year, Biophilia – Nature’s Blueprint, draws on a growing recognition that our built environment must do more than reduce carbon. It must restore connection – to land, to craft, to community, and to future generations.

Across two days, the Symposium will bring together leading voices from practice, research, and activism. You’ll hear from pioneers like Barbara Jones, Bee Rowan, and Jeffrey Hart, alongside newer voices shaping the next decade of material innovation and policy reform.

Expect a programme packed with:
– Hands-on learning in straw and natural materials
– Live debates on housing, climate, and construction training
– Practical sessions for everyone from first-timers to master builders
– A curated exhibition of systems and solutions from across the UK and Europe
– And a moment to reflect on 10 years of building – and campaigning – with straw

This year’s venue is no accident. Swansea is a city shaped by materials – slate, copper, steel – and is now forging new ground in environmental research and heritage-informed design. We’re proud to partner with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David to host this national gathering on campus, rooted in local culture and open to all.

So whether you’re deep in this work or just beginning to explore it, come and join us. Come to learn. Stay to build.

SBUK Symposium 2025 – Biophilia: Nature’s Blueprint
25th–26th June, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea
Book tickets here!

For sponsorship or media enquiries, email: events@strawbuildinguk.org