Thinking Allowed - Natural Building Systems' Chloe Donovan and Will Kirkman

Thinking Allowed - episode 2 In construction, success often hinges on more than materials, numbers and timeliness. It’s shaped by something less tangible but infinitely more powerful: thinking. From creativity and marketing through to customer insights and behavioural economics, the way we frame problems and present solutions is the true agent of critical change – often resulting in those breakthrough moments. That’s what we’re here to explore with Thinking Allowed. In the 2nd instalment of our new Thinking Allowed strand, Will Kirkman, Ecomerchant talks to Forbes 30U30 Chloe Donovan to hear how her approach and techniques helped her develop her business, Natural Building Systems. Thinking Aloud should always be allowed – and in this series, it is. Chloe Donovan is Managing Director of Natural Building Systems and Material Research Limited. Together these ventures are working symbiotically to create an award winning carbon-negative and bio-based modular system which marks a major step forward in sustainable construction. She is also Trustee of the Food Ethics Council and a founder of a farm based social enterprise and has been recognized by Forbes as one of the UK’s top 100 female environmentalists. Will Kirkman is managing director of Ecomerchant, a company that specialises in sustainable and natural building materials for the building trade and consumers. They consider the whole product supply chain from raw material production to end use, to ensure not only the lowest possible environmental impact, but also endeavour to ensure that there are no negative impacts on human health. Issues such as building durability and indoor air quality are high on his agenda for consideration.