Recycled brick innovators, Kenoteq, has been announced as the only Scottish company in the running for a prestigious sustainability award.

Kenoteq, inventor of the K-Briq – a brick made from more than 90% construction waste material – is one of just 15 companies shortlisted for a 2022 Dezeen Sustainability Award and is now down to the final five in the Sustainable Design category with over 5,400 entries from 90 countries entering the awards in total.

One of the most significant architecture and design awards in the world, the entries were judged by experts drawn from across the sustainability sector. The Kenoteq team is now seeking the public's support to back them in the final stage – a public vote.

The shortlisted projects in the running for the sustainability categories come from studios and companies located across 15 different countries including Germany, Japan, and Rwanda. 


Kenoteq was set up by co-founders Professor Gabriela Medero and Dr Sam Chapman in 2019 after more than a decade of research into sustainable building materials and practices at Edinburgh's Heriot-Watt University.

Dr Sam Chapman, managing director, Kenoteq said: "This is a hugely exciting achievement for Kenoteq and a great honour to be included in this prestigious shortlist. We hope the Scottish and wider public will feel we're worthy of their vote. Including the K-Briq in the Dezeen shortlist is a clear testament to Scotland as a nation of innovators as well as the country's ongoing focus on circular economy approaches.

"The K-Briq has successfully driven ‘sustainability in construction' into the public consciousness and we are now working in partnership with the construction, architectural and design industries to support their shared ambitions in the drive to net zero. We'll shortly be rolling out production from our new facility just outside Edinburgh and we hope to scale up operations across the UK in future years."

The K-Briq won the STEM Research Project of the Year at the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards 2020. It is also currently shortlisted in the Scottish Environment Business Networks 2022 VIBES Awards in recognition of championing sustainability through the development of the K-Briq.

People can vote for Kenoteq by visiting the Dezeen website – choosing the Sustainability Design category. The public vote closes on 10th October.