Last week, I attended Greenbuild International Conference + Expo 2026 in the North Hall of the Javits Center here in NYC.
๐ The Core Development
After being overwhelmed by shows like CES and InterSolar Europe , the smaller scale of Greenbuild was a welcome break. At the show, there were a few heat pumps and Copper brought their battery-backed induction range, but less emphasis was placed on renewable energy storage and energy efficiency than other events. Many of the people I talked to had not heard the emissions reduction requirements of New York Cityโs LL97 , which was a major motivator of Build Expo in the Spring. I also did not see much media presence at the show.
However, what stood out at Greenbuild was an emphasis on green materials. Although some of these companies had appeared at other shows, I had more opportunity to discuss and really get into the details at Greenbuild. A few exhibitors stood out.
๐ Background & Sector Context
Durra Panel was the first product to really attract my attention. Throughout history, straw has gotten a bad rap in parables. In contrast to the โThree Little Pigsโ folktale, Durra Panel is using straw to create a building material that is not only more sustainable but, in many ways, better than traditional materials.
The standard boards are 96% compressed straw and 4% recycled craft paper. The process uses heat and pressure to bond the straw together with naturally occurring lignin, with no added binders needed. In the process, the straw panel gains a 1-hour (60-minute) Fire Resistance Level (FRL). The panels are 99.9% VOC-free, but the resulting panel, which incorporates biochar, actually absorb VOCs from the environment where they are installed. Standard panels are 50 or 58 mm thick (~2โ).
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
Due to the mechanical strength of the panel, it can replace a partition wall or form a walkable roof without additional reinforcement or studs. Compared to a stud wall, the embodied energy drops from 153 MJ/m 2 to 12.6 MJ/m 2 . It simply needs a header and footer to be mounted as a wall. According to Durra Panel, these walls provide an 84% time savings and 21% cost savings versus traditional building materials.
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
In a place like NYC, where rented commercial real estate and offices frequently have partition walls added and removed with high labor costs, those savings could add up quickly. In addition, the walls can be dismantled and re-used, further reducing cost and environmental impact.
The technology was developed in Australia decades ago, but it is expanding globally. Due to the acoustic performance, it is often used to build recording studios . Durra Panel recently selected Brocton, Massachusetts for their first US manufacturing facility.
