• Join
  • Login
  • Membership
    • Why join IOM3?
    • Become a member
    • Chartered status
    • Our communities
     
    IOM3 Membership Badges x3 SM.jpg

    Membership benefits

    Our membership benefits are designed to support you at every stage of your career

    Find out more

  • News
    • Industry news
    • IOM3 news
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Policy
     
    Policy - web image.jpg

    IOM3 policy & influence

    You can find all our latest consultation responses and latest policy news.

    Find out more

  • Events
    • M3P3 | Join our flagship event
    • IOM3 Events Calendar
    • Webinars
    • Awards & Prizes
    • Competitions
    • Sustainable Future
     
    INFORM website image.jpg

    INFORM webinars

    Showcasing the latest advances in technology from those working in research and manufacturing

    Find out more

  • Resources
    • Publications
    • Information services
    • Technical themes
    • Website resources list
    • IOM3 for business
    • Student & Early Career Hub
     
    MW MEGA MENU Oct2020.jpg

    Materials World

    Our flagship members' magazine covering all aspects of the materials cycle

    Explore Materials World

  • Careers & Learning
    • Schools outreach
    • Accreditation & approval
    • Education & Outreach Trust
    • Training Academy
    • Jobs
     
    IOM3 Approved with BG.png

    IOM3 Approved

    Recognising the importance of ongoing learning, training and qualifications for professional development

    Find out more

  • About IOM3
    • Governance
    • History
    • Venue hire
    • Contact us
    • Partnerships
     
    FAQ icon.png

    Need help?

    See our Frequently Asked Questions and links on how to contact us if you need help

    See FAQ

  • Join
  • Login

Construction Materials Group

The technical network covering the application, use and reuse of all construction materials and systems

  1. You're here:
  2. Homepage
  3. Membership of IOM3
  4. Our communities
  5. Communities finder
  6. Construction Materials Group
Return to groups listing
  • Overview

The Construction Materials Group is a multidisciplinary group providing a forum for the exchange of information, knowledge and state-of-the-art industrial practice on all aspects of construction materials including iron and steel, polymers, heavy clay, cement and concrete, timber and wood products.
 

Latest construction materials news & resources

erik-mclean-aCshJn3y93s-unsplash copy.jpg
21 May 2025

Knauf Insulation to invest £170mln in Shotton manufacturing site

Delivering 140 new jobs for north Wales.

News
MW May 2025 p12_shutterstock_2520012291_for web.jpg
21 May 2025

Coral reefs inspire carbon dioxide sequestration in composite building materials

An electrochemical process sequesters carbon dioxide to create resilient, self-healing and fire-resistant mineral-polymer materials.

News
FCBS-PAR-001.jpg
14 May 2025

Six-storey timber building opens in London

The mass timber office building includes 2,100m3 of cross-laminated timber.

News
See more resources

 

Meet the Construction Materials Leadership Team

Dr Flavie Lowres FIMMM

Dr Flavie Lowres FIMMM

Chair of the Construction Materials Group

Dr Graham Ormondroyd FIMMM

Dr Graham Ormondroyd FIMMM

Head of Materials Research, BioComposites Centre

Marion Ingle

Marion Ingle

Sandberg LLP

Dr Morwenna Spear FIMMM

Dr Morwenna Spear FIMMM

Chair - IOM3 Wood Technology Group

Dr Su Varma FIMMM

Dr Su Varma FIMMM

Academic Director, R & D

Andrew Dunster

Andrew Dunster

Principal Consultant, Building Research Establishment (BRE)

Richard J. Ball, BEng, PhD, FHEA, CEng CSci, FIMMM

Richard J. Ball, BEng, PhD, FHEA, CEng CSci, FIMMM

Reader in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering , University of Bath

Antonios Kanellopoulos

Antonios Kanellopoulos

Reader (Associate Professor) in Innovative Construction Materials, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire

Dr. Giovanni Pesce

Dr. Giovanni Pesce

Associate Professor , School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics at Northumbria University, Newcastle

Nok Hang Enoch Wong

Nok Hang Enoch Wong

Senior Engineer, Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI)

Dr Flavie Lowres FIMMM

Dr Flavie Lowres FIMMM

Chair of the Construction Materials Group

Flavie Lowres has a PhD in Materials and Metallurgy Science and Engineering from the University of Birmingham. Flavie chairs the Construction Materials Group and is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. Flavie spent 18 years at BRE where she was an associate director and specialised in materials sustainability related to LCA, circular economy, health and wellbeing and biophilia. Flavie is now working for Green Thinking Ltd and her first mission is to support the FIS in driving their sustainability strategy.

 

Dr Graham Ormondroyd FIMMM

Dr Graham Ormondroyd FIMMM

Head of Materials Research, BioComposites Centre

Dr Ormondroyd completed his PhD (Wood Science) at Bangor University, UK and has been the Head of Materials Research at the BioComposites Centre for 18 years and Reader in Biobased materials since February 2020. In that time has written many proposals, papers and undertaken commercial works in all aspects of biomaterials science. Dr Ormondroyd has over 100 publications including peer reviewed papers, conference proceedings, book chapters and edited books, he continues to publish regularly. Dr Ormondroyd is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining, a member of the International Research Group on Wood Protection. 

Marion Ingle

Marion Ingle

Sandberg LLP

I have been a member of IOM3 since the Plastics and Rubber Institute merged with the Institute of Materials.  I have worked in polymers for over 30 years in various sectors including: product development; manufacturing; general consultancy; ad education.  I currently work at Sandberg LLP where most of my work involves investigating failures in polymer materials and products used in construction. Such failures, which are often foreseeable and avoidable, can result in large volumes of materials ending up in landfill as well as the huge costs associated with replacement or remedial works. I am particularly interested in supporting activities to disseminate technical information and share experience within the construction industry relating to polymers.

 

Dr Morwenna Spear FIMMM

Dr Morwenna Spear FIMMM

Chair - IOM3 Wood Technology Group

Dr Morwenna Spear has a PhD in Natural Fibre Composite Materials. Her research interests include the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of wood and has applied a wide range of techniques to understand and develop wood modification technologies. She also has experience of scaling-up new technologies for industry, and value-adding for timber. Morwenna also has a strong interest in the use of timber as a renewable and sustainable construction material, considering availability, embodied and sequestered carbon, and the route to net-zero for the industry. She has a keen interest in the timber industry in Wales and the UK, and has conducted market studies on the forest products sector, the use of timber in construction and the bio-based composites sector.

Dr Spear has supervised a number of MSc and PhD students in topics relating to timber and bio-based materials. She is involved in the Places of Climate Change research group and Plastics Research Centre Wales within Bangor University. She has written many book chapters on topics including: natural materials, wood based composites, timber properties and recycling. Morwenna is Vice-Chair of the IOM3 Wood Technology Group.

Dr Su Varma FIMMM

Dr Su Varma FIMMM

Academic Director, R & D

Dr Su Varma CChem FRSC FIMMM has a PhD in Chemistry and has over 30 years of experience in leading industrial materials research especially in relation to advanced glass products such as fire protection glazing. More recently he was primarily responsible for the development of an in-house R&D Incubator at Pilkington (NSG Group) with the remit and vision to collaborate extensively with start-ups, established industries and universities globally to access new materials and technologies for the development of potentially new and novel glazing products. This has involved significant interactions with other materials manufacturers used in construction.

He is currently the Academic Director, R&D Incubator focussing on and increasing NSG’s Global partnerships with Academic Institutions, Research Technology Organizations, and funding bodies. He is particularly keen on cross sector collaboration and innovation and sits on several large university research advisory boards.

Su is a Chartered Chemist, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of IOM3. 

 

Andrew Dunster

Andrew Dunster

Principal Consultant, Building Research Establishment (BRE)

Andrew Dunster works at BRE, a construction-related RTO. He is active in the fields of sustainable use of construction materials, particularly cements, construction aggregates and concretes. He also has a wider interest in the foundation industries and their impact on construction. Andrew has been a member of the SDG since 2010. He is interested in learning from non-construction industry sectors and contributing to occasional papers, webinars etc. Andrew has other links with IOM3, including to the Cementitious Materials Subgroup, part of the Ceramics Group; and also to the Construction Materials Group. 

Richard J. Ball, BEng, PhD, FHEA, CEng CSci, FIMMM

Richard J. Ball, BEng, PhD, FHEA, CEng CSci, FIMMM

Reader in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering , University of Bath

Richard holds a BEng in Materials Science and Engineering (1997) and a PhD on failure mechanisms in valve regulated lead acid batteries (2000), both from the University of Bath. He held research roles at the Universities of Bath and Bristol before joining his current department in 2010.

Richards research focuses on microstructure–macrostructure relationships in construction materials, particularly how these influence performance and durability. He has worked extensively on cementitious binders, degradation mechanisms, water transport, and sensor integration, as well as on materials for 3D printing, conservation, and improving indoor air quality.

Richard has led research projects funded by UKRI, the Leverhulme Trust, Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Society, British Council, Historic England, and industry.

He has received awards, including the Howard Medal (ICE), the Outstanding Service Award (IOM3), the Elsevier Atlas Award, and a prize for Excellence in Doctoral Supervision from the University of Bath.

Richard is President of the West of England Metals and Materials Association, affiliated with IOM3, and a member of the Bristol Scientific Club.  He is also Senior Editor of the Elsevier journal, Construction and Building Materials.

 

Antonios Kanellopoulos

Antonios Kanellopoulos

Reader (Associate Professor) in Innovative Construction Materials, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire

Antonis is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Innovative Construction Materials at the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire. He is the Director of the Centre for Engineering Research and the head of Civil Engineering & Built Environment.

Previously he held the position of research fellow at the University of Cambridge (2013-2017) working on self-healing cement-based materials at the division of Civil Engineering (2013-2016) and on graphene modified construction materials at the Cambridge Graphene Centre (2016-2017). 

His research revolves around innovative construction materials with a focus on upcycling technologies for mineral wastes, high performance cementitious composites and biomimicry for construction materials.

Antonis is chartered engineer (CEng), chartered scientist (CSci), a member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, a senior member of the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM) and a member of the Institute of Concrete Technology and Fellow of Higher Education Academy.

Dr. Giovanni Pesce

Dr. Giovanni Pesce

Associate Professor , School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics at Northumbria University, Newcastle

Giovanni holds a Doctorate in Materials Engineering for the Sciences of Construction from the University of Genoa (2006) and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Bath (UK, 2014). Prior to joining Northumbria University, he held research positions at both the University of Genoa and the University of Bath.

At Northumbria, Dr. Pesce has undertaken several leadership roles, including serving as Unit of Assessment Lead for the Architecture and Built Environment department and as Head of Research and Knowledge Exchange in the Mechanical and Construction Engineering department.

His research focuses on the development of sustainable building materials aimed at reducing the significant environmental impact of the construction industry. With over 20 years of experience in lime and lime-based materials, his interests also extend to gypsum- and clay-based systems.

Dr. Pesce is an active member of several professional and scientific organisations, including the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3), the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the Royal Microscopical Society, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), and the International Union of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and Structures (RILEM).

Nok Hang Enoch Wong

Nok Hang Enoch Wong

Senior Engineer, Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI)

Enoch is a Senior Engineer at the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI), dedicated to advancing Hong Kong’s technology and innovation ecosystem. Since joining NAMI in 2020, he has supported the development and commercialization of low-carbon and multifunctional concretes—conducting materials research; coordinating technology transfers; driving life-cycle assessments; drafting patent applications; and preparing technical submissions. His work has been recognized with medals at international invention exhibitions.

Enoch envisions that, by scaling academic research and fostering collaboration among academia, industry and government, Hong Kong can surmount economic and logistical barriers to innovation. He believes repurposing industrial by-products will not only reduce environmental impacts but also bolster the resilience and sustainability of the built environment.

 

 

Join the IOM3 construction materials community (logged in members only) and receive updates about the latest relevant news, technical content and events. 

Get in touch

If you would like to know more, please contact us

Contact us

 

IOM3 Investigates... Challenges for construction

This podcast provides an insight to the challenges facing the construction industry hosted by the Chair of the IOM3 Construction Materials Group.

The construction industry and the materials it uses faces huge challenges in the next few years, not only to support the UK Government Net Zero Strategy in the short, but also in the long term. This podcast provides an insight into the more immediate challenges such as the upcoming plastic packaging tax and digitisation and how the industry might respond. Flavie Lowres discusses the topic with expert panel Andrew Dunster, Alison Nicholl and Su Varma.

Listen now

Forthcoming events

  • Conference
  • 11 November 2025

Timber 2025

A conference for the timber industry, wood technologists, wood scientists and related trades, presenting many new and interesting concepts and developments in timber, wood science and related fields.

London
  • Free
  • Conference
  • 21 May 2025

Women in Science Promoting Energy Research (WISPER)

1-day meeting to celebrate Emerging Female Leaders in Energy

London
  • Technical visit
  • 21 May 2025

Visit to Skinningrove Distribution and Processing Centre

A technical Visit from the Cleveland Institution of Engineers

Saltburn-by-the-Sea
See more events

 

On-demand webinars

Our preparedness for the renaissance of pumped storage hydro power, web image.jpg
13 November 2024

Our Preparedness for the Renaissance of Pumped Storage Hydro Power

Pumped storage hydro power renaissance: Angus talked about a possible construction pipeline, leaving a lasting legacy, and how we must approach construction with net zero in mind.

On-demand webinar
Circular Economy De-risking web image.png
29 June 2023

Circular Economy: De-risking Reuse - Standards, Warranties & Insurances

This webinar is a part of a year-long collaboration between IOM3 and Constructing Excellence exploring the transition to a circular economy for construction.

On-demand webinar
Circular Economy Fit-Out web image.png
26 April 2023

Circular Economy : Re-use in the Fit-Out Sector Webinar

This webinar is a part of a year-long collaboration between IOM3 and Constructing Excellence exploring the transition to a circular economy for construction.

On-demand webinar
See more on-demand webinars

More IOM3 Technical Communities

shutterstock_1387455956 Ceramics.jpg
Technical Community Group

Ceramics Group

The network for professional people working with advanced, engineering or industrial ceramics including cementitious materials

shutterstock_1776744002 Polymers.jpg
Technical Community Group

Polymer Group

A community of professionals with a shared technical interest in polymers, supporting the development of sustainable polymer supply chains

Steel2.jpg
Technical Community Group

Iron & Steel Group

Representing the iron and steel community, we provide technical expertise and advice related to all aspects of the manufacture, use and reuse of iron and steel based metals and alloys

See all our communities

 

 

297 Euston Road, London NW1 3AD, UK 

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7451 7300

  • Contact us
  • Website issues
  • Copyright
  • Privacy notice
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & conditions

The Institute is a body incorporated by Royal Charter (company no RC000267) and a charity registered in England & Wales (269275) and in Scotland (SC050586). Patron: HM The King.
© 2025 IOM3

 

Design & Development by Pixl8