hector.archila@bath.edu

Dr. Héctor Archila is a professor of construction technology and materials at the University of the West of England in Bristol, United Kingdom (https://people.uwe.ac.uk/Person/HectorArchila). Héctor is a founding partner and Director of Research, Development, and Innovation at Amphibia BASE Ltd, a UK-based tech company that leads research and development of industrialized products using biogenic materials. In this area, Héctor leads the SmartBioC research project (www.smartbioc.com), which develops sustainable construction solutions using carbon-neutral biogenic materials such as wood, bamboo, hemp, and flax. This project integrates carbon cycle assessment of these solutions with digital tools, virtual reality (VR), and gamification.

Héctor trained as an architect in Colombia and has built, researched, and led academic and industrial ventures in the use of structural bamboo over the past two decades. His professional and academic career has revolved around disciplines such as architecture, materials science, and structural engineering, which were key to his Ph.D. at the University of Bath, United Kingdom. His research interest lies in the pursuit of tech-based, sustainable, economically feasible, and context-adapted solutions for the extensive use of biogenic and renewable materials like bamboo and wood in the construction industry.

Héctor is part of various scientific and professional networks, as well as standardization committees, including the ISO 365 technical committee on wood structures. Some of his affiliations include the INBAR (International Network on Bamboo and Rattan) Bamboo Construction Task Force and the Natural Materials Association in the UK. Héctor is also a World Bamboo Ambassador for the World Bamboo Organization.