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Celebrating the best conceptual and eco-friendly construction ideas, Kevin McCloud’s Green Heroes lead the way with innovative, useful, revolutionary gadgets and products. Personally selecting his top green heroes, Kevin has revealed his shortlist for 2022 with the winners displaying their products at Grand Designs Live at NEC Birmingham in October 2022 and Excel London from 29 April to 7 May 2023.

Kevin’s new Green Heroes comprise innovations that conserve wildlife such as insects and bees, use recycled materials, and help to make eco-choices more affordable, and will be displayed throughout the shows in a dedicated showcase. All entries on the shortlist are taking strides forward in developing products for the future that will have an impact on our lives, as well as the planet.

Vestre Habitat Leaf

‘Leaf’ is an insect hotel, designed for urban neighbourhoods. Its minimalist design has a sculpture-like character to sit within planters, flowerbeds or borders. ‘Leaf’ is part of the Vestre Habitats series, with products designed to protect and increase biodiversity in cities.

Alvearium

Handcrafted bee houses provide shelter for solitary bees. The design pairs a delicate aesthetic with a strong environmental function, with log discs creating nests for individual bees, protecting them from weather and prey.

PepperSq - Bell pendant lamp

A new collection of lights handcrafted from recycled cardboard. These elegant lamps provide warm, intimate, and functional lighting for any occasion or space.

Lakeland paints

Air Purifying Paint is a protective finish that dries to a hard, washable, durable film. Ideal for interior or exterior walls, furniture, and trim, including use in kitchens and bathrooms. This paint absorbs and neutralises chemicals, pollutants and VOCs for improved indoor air quality.

Kelp Collection

Combining recycled fishing nets with wood fibre to create 3D printed chair designs. The products can stay within the same material ecosystem once they reach the end of their life-cycle. They can be ground down to create new bio-materials to be reused again and again, creating entirely new objects within a closed design loop.

Snug Chair

Designer Olivia Ricketts uses felt to express the beauty of aging within the chair design, this product encourages us to keep furniture longer.

Teule

Providing a modular roof tile system to make green roofs more accessible, affordable, and widely used. Made from coconut fibre, its installation is similar to a conventional tile.

Pureair

A sustainable zero waste air purification system, harnessing the natural power of plants and activated substrates, maximising home working productivity. The designer is a recent Graduate at New Designers.

Floc

A recycled wool light, using hyper-sustainable recycled wool. Adding value to the fibres and promote the forgotten industry.

Aura

A light made of live mycelium, a sustainable and biodegradable material create from fungi.

The showcase will also include a selection of Kevin’s favourite Green Heroes shown at Grand Designs Live at London Excel in May 2022:

• Bubble Shower by Kelda Showers – highly efficient showers using 50% less water, leading to energy and water savings.
• Heated Desk by OKOFORM – cost saving, energy saving solution to heat the desk user.
• Acoustic Pulp  by Baux  – 100% bio-based material combining sound absorption, safety and durability with sustainability and modern aesthetics.