Tag: building materials

Design, Design & Technology, Design Delights, Sustainable Design

Woodland Waste

Developing alternatives to wood-derived sheet materials like plywood and OSB, design and research studio Material Cultures has taken to the British woodlands for inspiration. Their research addresses the heavy reliance on coniferous trees in the production of building materials—a practice that promotes monoculture forestry, leaving large areas vulnerable to environmental damage and harming biodiversity. To move away from this unsustainable system, Material Cultures has been … Continue reading Woodland Waste

H.L. SimpsonLeave a comment
Design & Technology, Sustainable Design

Carrots and Concrete

Weird and wonderful solutions to building and decoration problems are something we love learning about and although this is not ‘new’ news, we believe it is still something worth sharing.  This strange solution involves using carrots to strengthen concrete. Research from Lancaster University suggests that extracted nanoparticles from root vegetables can be used within the concrete as a cheap alternative to strengthening concrete, with lower … Continue reading Carrots and Concrete

H.L. SimpsonLeave a comment
Paprica by Marca Corona
Design & Technology, Sustainable Design

Exploring the sustainability of ceramic surfaces

Ceramic products can be certified as complying with the main international green building assessment protocols (LEED, BREEAM, etc.). Ceramic products may be compliant because they possess many of the characteristics required to earn credits, such as: a content of at least 20% by weight of post-consumer recycled material or the equivalent percentage of pre-consumer recycled material, the absence of VOC emissions, sector or product EPD certification, and optimised energy performance. Continue reading Exploring the sustainability of ceramic surfaces

diaryofatileaddictLeave a comment