Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2021-535/ Naturally occurring materials, such as soil, mineral masses and rock masses from construction projects and infrastructure projects represent a high resource potential and potential for CO2-savings if used more efficiently. Large amounts of these materials are managed on an annual basis in the Nordic countries, but to enable a more resource efficient management of naturally occurring materials, several regulatory as well as practical challenges must be solved. Existing legislation in the Nordic countries is not a direct barrier that prevents optimal utilization of resources, but there are several untapped opportunities in regulation as well as problem areas that appear as barriers in practice. Efficient utilization of naturally occurring materials in the Nordic countries faces also a wide range of challenges in practice and from different angles.

This book gathers peer-reviewed contributions presented at the 5th International Conference on Bio-Based Building Materials (ICBBM), held in Vienna, Austria, on June 21-23, 2023. Focusing on bio-based building materials (3BM) as well as their applications in sustainable building constructions, the contributions highlight the latest findings in this fast-growing field, addressing topics such as natural fibres- and aggregates, ramped earth, innovative hybrid composites based on bio-based ingredients, novel sustainable binders, energy efficiency aspects- and life cycle analysis of these materials.

A summary of recent significant scientific and economic results accompanied by a list of geologic and hydrologic investigations in progress and a report on the status of topographic mapping.