Pirrouet: The Carbon Negative Brick Shaping the Future of Sustainable Construction

The construction industry is at a turning point. With climate change intensifying and regulations tightening, the pressure is on for developers, architects, and manufacturers to rethink how we design and build. At the heart of this change is innovation in sustainable building materials and one company leading that charge is Vandersanden, Europe’s largest family-owned brick manufacturer.

In a recent episode of The Heald Approach Podcast, I sat down with Mat Davies, National Specification Manager at Vandersanden, to dive into their groundbreaking product Pirrouet, a carbon negative brick that could transform the way we approach façades and sustainability in construction.

Vandersanden: A Family Business Driving Big Change

Vandersanden may now employ over 800 people across 14 locations in Europe, but at its core, it still operates with the ethos of a family business. This culture of care and long-term thinking has fuelled their expansion into the UK since 2017 and positioned them as an industry leader in sustainability and innovation.

Mat joined the company in March 2020, just as the pandemic hit. Instead of cutting back, Vandersanden doubled down on supporting employees, prioritising wellbeing and flexibility. For Mat, a working father, this flexibility made all the difference, and it’s part of why he’s become such a strong advocate for the company’s mission.

“Those little things go a long way in keeping you motivated. It’s quality over quantity and I believe in what Vandersanden is doing with their journey to net zero.” – Mat Davies

This people-first approach doesn’t just build loyalty, it builds momentum. And it’s exactly this mindset that allowed Vandersanden to take bold risks with innovation.

The Challenge: Regulation vs Innovation

One of the biggest challenges in sustainable construction innovation is navigating regulation. For example, in the UK, you cannot publish an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) until a product has been on the market for a year. That creates a catch-22 for innovators like Vandersanden: how do you launch a breakthrough product if the market won’t accept it without data?

Mat calls it the “chicken and egg” problem:

• Architects crave innovation but hesitate to specify unfamiliar products.

• Clients demand sustainability but may abandon it when costs tighten.

• Contractors resist unfamiliar products due to perceived risk.

  
  

This is where Pirrouet comes in and why its story is so important for the future of sustainable construction.

Pirrouet: The Brick That Absorbs CO2

Pirrouet is part of Vandersanden’s Together to Zero journey, their strategy to reach net zero by 2050. Unlike traditional clay bricks, which are fired at over 1,000°C and carry a heavy carbon footprint, Pirrouet actually removes CO2 from the atmosphere during production.

Here’s how it works:

• Waste from the steel industry containing calcium oxide is repurposed.

• The material is hydrated, pressed into a mould, and cured.

• During curing, CO2 is sequestered, transforming the product into a calcium carbonate brick (artificial limestone).

  
  

The result? Each tonne of Pirrouet absorbs 60kg of CO2, making it carbon negative from cradle to gate (A1–A3 lifecycle stage).

This is more than innovation. It’s disruption. In an industry where bricks are often seen as “just bricks,” Pirrouet challenges perceptions and opens the door to a new standard for carbon negative building materials.

Overcoming Barriers: Cost, Aesthetics, and Culture

Of course, no innovation comes without scepticism. Some of the most common questions Mat hears include:

• Is Pirrouet really carbon negative? Yes, without CO2, the product can’t exist. The chemical bond between CO2 and calcium oxide is the very foundation of Pirrouet.

• What about aesthetics? In the UK especially, aesthetics matter. Pirrouet is being developed to mimic the beauty of clay, though its real strength lies in shades like greys, whites, and blacks, where it can compete directly with traditional options.

• Is it affordable? Yes. At around £60 per m², Pirrouet is competitively priced with other premium façades. Vandersanden knows innovation won’t be adopted if it’s unaffordable.

  
  

But perhaps the biggest barrier isn’t cost or colour, it’s culture. Contractors often resist new materials, architects hesitate without client backing, and design-and-build models risk stripping out innovation. For Pirrouet to succeed, clients, architects, and contractors must collaborate and commit to seeing sustainability through from design to delivery.

Beyond Bricks: Education and the Next Generation

Vandersanden’s commitment doesn’t stop at product innovation. They’re investing in the future talent pipeline, running the Vandersanden Academy on the continent and engaging with UK schools of architecture.

Mat and his colleague Sarah regularly deliver sessions to educate students about sustainability and innovation in construction. They also sponsor the RIBA London Student Awards, recognising inclusion and diversity in the sector.

This investment in people reflects a bigger truth: sustainability isn’t just about materials, it’s about mindset. By engaging the next generation, Vandersanden is planting the seeds for a more inclusive, innovative construction industry.

Collaboration is the Key to Real Sustainability

A recurring theme in my conversation with Mat was collaboration. Too often, great ideas fail because they sit in silos..an architect specifies a sustainable material, but contractors push back, or a client initially champions innovation but later cuts costs.

True sustainability requires alignment across the entire chain:

• Clients must lead with conviction.

• Architects must specify boldly and stand their ground.

• Contractors must be open to change.

• Manufacturers must continue to innovate and educate.

  
  

As Mat put it:

“It’s easy to put barriers up. It’s hard to knock them down. But someone has to lead the way, otherwise nothing changes.”

The Road Ahead: Scaling Pirrouet in the UK

So what’s next for Pirrouet and Vandersanden?

• Short term: Deliver the first UK project using Pirrouet, proving it works at scale.

• Medium term: Achieve sales of 10 million pieces in the UK market within five years.

• Long term: Establish Pirrouet as the go-to choice for carbon-conscious architects, developers, and house builders.

  
  

With Europe already embracing the product, the UK is the next frontier. Once the first project is built, the domino effect could be significant, creating proof, building trust, and showing that carbon negative bricks aren’t just possible, they’re practical.

Why Pirrouet Matters for the Future of Construction

The climate crisis is not waiting. Construction, responsible for roughly 40% of global emissions, must take bold steps to cut carbon. Innovations like Pirrouet are more than products, they’re proof that change is possible.

Pirrouet matters because:

• It redefines what a brick can be.

• It challenges cultural barriers in the industry.

• It offers a real path to net zero construction.

• It shows that family-owned businesses can outpace PLCs by thinking in generations, not quarters.

  
  

Final Thoughts

Talking with Mat made one thing clear: sustainability in construction isn’t just about technology, it’s about leadership. Vandersanden is proving that when you combine family values, bold investment, and a commitment to collaboration, you can reshape an industry.

Pirrouet isn’t just a carbon negative brick. It’s a signal of where construction is heading – towards innovation, inclusion, and long-term thinking.

The question now is: who’s ready to specify it, build with it, and lead with it?