Ecological Building Network
Ecological Building Network (EBNet) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that develops and disseminates climate-friendly building knowledge through standards, research, and educational programs serving architects, engineers, building officials, and underserved global building communities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersSan Rafael, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ecological Building Network does
Ecological Building Network (EBNet) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1999 and headquartered in San Rafael, California (PO Box 6397, San Rafael, CA 94903; EIN 20-2986662), that develops and disseminates climate-friendly building knowledge through research, standards development, and educational programs. The organization focuses on natural, recycled, and low-carbon construction materials—straw bale, rammed earth, earthen building systems, and low-carbon concrete—and has produced foundational engineering guides, online resource libraries, and international conferences. EBNet's work has influenced international building codes, including the ASTM E2392 earthen building standard, IRC Appendix S for straw bale construction, and the Marin County Low-Carbon Concrete Code.
EBNet's core offerings include the BuildWell Conference series (international conferences on climate-friendly building since 2001/2010), BuildWell Media (video and PowerPoint teaching resources launched 2023 in collaboration with Stanford and other universities), the BuildWell Source online library (launched 2014), and the Straw Bale Code Supporting Documents repository. As a nonprofit, the organization generates revenue through donations, charitable contributions, and government and foundation grants rather than commercial sales; only $250,000 in funding from 2003 (State of California plus private donors) is publicly quantified. Its served audience consists of design and construction industry professionals, building officials and code authorities, and global building communities—particularly underserved populations in regions such as Haiti and Rwanda where earthen construction is prevalent. Geographic operations explicitly span the U.S. (California), Haiti, and Rwanda.
The organization is led by founder Bruce King, a registered structural engineer with 45 years of experience, alongside co-founder Sarah Weller King, and governed by a board that includes members from Columbia University, Carbon Leadership Forum, Gensler, and NexCore Group. EBNet has no paid customer relationships and does not sell products, instead distributing its research and standards documentation freely via its website (ecobuildnetwork.org), through academic and standards-body partnerships (ASTM International, ICC), and via conferences.
Ecological Building Network firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ecological Building Network
- Legal name
- Ecological Building Network
- Website
- https://ecobuildnetwork.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Ecological Building Network (EBNet) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1999 that develops and disseminates climate-friendly building knowledge through standards, research, and educational programs serving architects, engineers, building officials, and underserved global building communities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ecological Building Network industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Building Advocacy and Education
- NAICS
- Landscape Architectural Services (541320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Residential Green / High-Performance Home Construction (Net-Zero, Passive House) (IMAFABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Construction Management & General Contracting (EPCM, Scheduling, QA/QC, HSE) (EUAMAFAJ), Avoided Conversion & Ecosystem Protection (REDD+, Blue Carbon Conservation) (EUABABAC)
Keywords
Where Ecological Building Network is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Rafael
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ecological Building Network business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EBNet depends on donor support. The organization accepts PayPal, credit card, and check donations.
- Government and Foundation Grants: EBNet has received funding from government sources (State of California) and private supporters. In 2003, secured $250,000 in funding from the State of California and private supporters for straw bale testing.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ecological Building Network product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ecological Building Network (EBNet) is a nonprofit organization that develops, promotes, and disseminates information about climate-friendly building materials and low-carbon construction methods such as straw bale, rammed earth, and low-carbon concrete. It connects researchers, designers, engineers, building officials, and innovators through conferences, technical publications, online resource libraries, and building standards development, including the world's first low-carbon concrete building code.
Product overview
The Ecological Building Network (EBNet) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1999 that develops and promotes climate-friendly architecture. Their portfolio consists of educational and advocacy products rather than a unified software platform. Key offerings include: the BuildWell Conference series (international conferences on climate-friendly building materials since 2010); BuildWell Media (video and PowerPoint teaching resources launched 2023); BuildWell Source (online resource library since 2014); technical documentation for straw bale construction supporting the 2015 IRC Appendix S; and the ASTM E2392 earthen building standard. EBNet also developed the world's first low-carbon concrete building code in 2019. The organization connects researchers and innovators with designers, engineers, and building officials through conferences, publications, and online resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BuildWell Conference: International conference series focused on climate-friendly building materials
- BuildWell Source
- BuildWell Media
- Earthbound
Products and services
- BuildWell Conference International conference series focused on climate-friendly building materials, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and building officials to address embodied carbon in buildings and health implications of building chemicals.
- BuildWell Media Video and PowerPoint teaching resources that explain climate-friendly architecture concepts and direct viewers to reliable technical resources, developed with Stanford and other universities.
- BuildWell Source Online library of resources for natural and climate-friendly building technologies, launched as a comprehensive reference for the building industry.
- Straw Bale Code Supporting Documents Repository of testing reports, research papers, professional and academic journal papers, support letters, and other references supporting Appendix S – Strawbale Construction in the 2015 International Residential Code.
- Marin County Low-Carbon Concrete Code The world's first building code addressing climate emissions embodied in building materials, developed by Bruce King with Marin County, California in 2019, serving as a template for subsequent provisions adopted worldwide.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 70% avoided embodied carbon emissions through building reuse compared to new construction
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Ecological Building Network
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ecological Building Network technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Ecological Building Network partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered notable, minor and core.
- Clinton FoundationnotableAfter the 2010 Haiti earthquake, EBNet was among a small number of finalists in the Clinton Foundation's 'Building Better Haiti' competition with a proposal for rebuilding using local materials.
- EarthEnableminorEBNet is working with EarthEnable in Rwanda to develop safe, sanitary floors, walls and plasters using earthen construction methods that can be used anywhere in the world.
- ASTM InternationalcoreEBNet worked with ASTM International to expand and improve the international Earthen Building Standard (ASTM E2392) that provides safe building guidance for the poorest billion people around the world.
- Tides FoundationcoreEBNet was originally established in 1997 as a project of the Tides Foundation before becoming an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2004.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ecological Building Network competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- International Living Building Institute: Operator of the Living Building Challenge and other regenerative-design certification programs. Comparable as a mission-driven nonprofit focused on advancing holistic, climate-positive building practices through standards and certification — closely aligned with EBNet's low-carbon materials advocacy.
- Carbon Leadership Forum: Industry-academic research network hosted at the University of Washington focused on reducing embodied carbon in buildings through data, policy, and practice. Directly comparable to EBNet's focus on embodied carbon; notably, EBNet board member Andrew Himes serves as Director of Collective Impact at Carbon Leadership Forum, evidencing overlap in mission and community.
- New Buildings Institute: Nonprofit working to advance energy-efficient and zero-net-energy buildings through policy, codes, and program design. Comparable as a mission-aligned nonprofit operating in the same code-and-policy advocacy lane as EBNet, with a focus on building performance and clean-energy pathways.
- Architecture 2030: Nonprofit organization founded by Ed Mazria focused on the role of the built environment in climate change, especially embodied carbon reduction in buildings. Directly comparable to EBNet as a small, mission-driven advocacy nonprofit driving building-sector decarbonization through policy and standards work — Mazria is explicitly featured alongside Bruce King in EBNet's 'Origins and Stories of Embodied Carbon Work' panel.
- Building Transparency: Nonprofit creator of the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) tool, focused on disclosure and reduction of embodied carbon in buildings. Comparable to EBNet as a peer nonprofit working on embodied carbon and low-carbon building practices.
Broad incumbents
- Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI): Independent nonprofit working on clean-energy transformation across multiple sectors including buildings. Comparable as a high-impact clean-energy nonprofit overlapping on low-carbon buildings, but with a much broader scope and larger operating budget than EBNet.
- US Green Building Council: Operator of LEED and the larger building industry sustainability standard. Comparable as a sector leader in green-building certification and standards, but operates at much greater scale and breadth than EBNet and through a portfolio of programs rather than a low-carbon-materials niche.
- International Code Council: Codes-and-standards body responsible for the International Residential Code (IRC) and International Building Code (IBC) — into which EBNet's Appendix S straw bale code was incorporated. Operates at much larger scale than EBNet and is both a peer (code steward) and a customer channel.
Emerging players
- EarthEnable: Social enterprise developing low-cost earthen floors for rural households in East Africa. A direct operational peer to EBNet's earthen-building work and explicitly named as a current EBNet partner in Rwanda for safe, sanitary earthen floors and plasters.
Others
- Global Cement and Concrete Association: Industry association working to decarbonize cement and concrete — the exact material class EBNet's Marin Low-Carbon Concrete Code targets. Functions as an adjacent industry body whose members may be both users and counter-parties to EBNet's low-carbon concrete standards.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ecological Building Network social profiles
Digital presenceEcological Building Network compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Ecological Building Network financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ecological Building Network leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Ecological Building Network funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ecological Building Network M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ecological Building Network
What does Ecological Building Network do?
Ecological Building Network (EBNet) is a nonprofit organization that develops, promotes, and disseminates information about climate-friendly building materials and low-carbon construction methods such as straw bale, rammed earth, and low-carbon concrete. It connects researchers, designers, engineers, building officials, and innovators through conferences, technical publications, online resource libraries, and building standards development, including the world's first low-carbon concrete building code.
Is Ecological Building Network a public or private company?
Ecological Building Network is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ecological Building Network founded?
Ecological Building Network was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Ecological Building Network based?
Ecological Building Network is headquartered in San Rafael, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ecological Building Network make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are government and Foundation Grants.
Who are Ecological Building Network's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are International Living Building Institute, Carbon Leadership Forum, New Buildings Institute, Architecture 2030 and Building Transparency. Broad incumbents are Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), US Green Building Council and International Code Council. EarthEnable is listed as an emerging player. Global Cement and Concrete Association is listed as an others.
Does Ecological Building Network have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ecological Building Network.
What industry is Ecological Building Network in?
Ecological Building Network's product category is Sustainable Building Advocacy and Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAFABAH, Residential Green / High-Performance Home Construction (Net-Zero, Passive House), with a secondary code of EUAMAFAJ, Construction Management & General Contracting (EPCM, Scheduling, QA/QC, HSE). Its NAICS code is 541320.