Methods Archive - The Exploded View

Philips MyCreation

The shade is 3D printed from used fishing nets gathered directly from harbours on the Cornish coast. Repurposing the material helps to keep these ‘ghost nets’ out of the sea.

Discarded fishing nets make up 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Made from

The shade is made from 100% recycled polyamide fishing nets. These nets are sourced from 12 harbours on the Cornish coast of England.

Production Process

The nets are collected and cleaned.
The nets are chopped and shredded into small pieces.
This is then extruded into filament, this means that it is processed and transformed into a print-ready material.
Then Signify uses the filament for 3D printing.

Environmental impact

• By upcycling the fishing nets, they do not end up in the waste mountain
• Upcycling the fishing nets also prevents them from ending up in the sea
• Reduced transport due to printing and assembly in local hubs in Europe
• The lamp is made on demand, so there is no overproduction.

Good to know!

The natural irregularities and translucency create a beautiful gradient light effect when the light is on. Using 3D printing challenged Signify’s normal design process and brought new opportunities to work with recycled materials. Forms and textures are created that are unique for the 3D printing process.

Growth opportunities

The challenge for Signify is in having enough of this particular material. While there are many tons of fishing nets available, they do not all have the translucency and colour of this material. In addition, the machines to process the nets are not yet widespread.

Info & contact

Circular tiles attached with releasable adhesive clay

Tiles (ceramics) are made from natural raw materials such as clay, feldspar, sand and inorganic pigments. Clay that has been fired will never turn into clay again, but this tile can be fully reused at the end of use in Mosa’s own process or in a process elsewhere. This ensures a circular product. To make the process more sustainable, Mosa, in collaboration with Claytec and Ekoplus, is conducting research into biobased adhesive clay, investigating how the tile can be loosened without damage and can be processed as a clean product. Releasability and application of non-damaging bonds is still a major task in construction.

Made from

Tiles (ceramics) are made from natural raw materials such as clay, feldspar, sand and inorganic pigments.

Manufacturing process

The tile is baked at a temperature around 1200 degrees celcius.

Applied

These design tiles can be placed on the floor as well as on the wall. They are compatible for floors that are being walked on a lot and for spaces with a lot of water like bathrooms. They are also suitable for terraces or a facade.

Environmental impact

This tile is C2C Gold version 3.0 certified. This means, among other things, that the product consists of safe raw materials and that no toxic substances evaporate during use.

Growth opportunities

Mosa is on its way to C2C Gold version 4.0, for which ‘design for disassembly’ is a requirement: how can we fix our tiles in such a way that they can also be easily removed from a building? This is possible, for example, with technical solutions such as click systems, adhesives, but also with the biobased adhesive clay (clay glue). The advantage of biobased adhesive clay is that the tile could come out of a building clean and is therefore immediately suitable for reuse. Tiles were traditionally laid in loam and was a common technique. Clay is therefore a rapidly renewable material that is very durable compared to the traditional tile adhesives that are currently used.
Detachability is still one of the biggest challenges in construction. Mosa, in collaboration with Claytec and Ekoplus, is investigating how they can apply clay bonding to their tile products.

Contact

https://www.mosa.com/nl-nl

Printed building elements from the water treatment plant

In The Netherlands, 180.000 tons of toilet paper is flushed on a yearly basis and burned as waste. Using a special technique, Recell Group filters cellulose from the drain and processes it into Recell. Recell is currently applied in constructions, agriculture and chemical industries – as additive, raw material or end product. Omlab 3D-prints with a paste composed of the circular residues cellulose, Kaumera and calcite.

Transforming sewage water into printed stone

The printing material is made of:

60% calcium carbonate from water softening treatment by Aquaminerals
5% cellulose is screened during sewage treatment process
5% kaumera and/or alginate obtained during the Nereda sewage treatment process
30% water

Production process of the building elements

The raw materials are mixed into a firm, clay-like paste, which is 3d-printed using an extrusion printhead.
For printing the paste, it needs to be mixed and homogenized, this takes half an hour per half liter batch.
The material is then printed (half an hour per liter).
The material can receive post-treatment with calciumchlorate (5 minutes).
Forced drying of the material, to harden the object, takes 1-2 days.
The result is a breathing material that feels like stone or ceramic.

A 3D printed wall made of water treatment residuals

Applied

The toilet of The Exploded View is printed 1:4. But there are examples in which structures are printed 1:1. Check it out via the button below.

Examples of 3D printing in practice

Environmental impact

No nature-unfriendly materials
Completely made out of residual flows from water treatment that were previously largely burned
The material is not baked, and therefore regenerable

Health

The material is breathable and has a positive impact on the indoor climate. The printed shape allows extra ventilation.

Growth opportunities

This product is still being developed and awaiting test results. For large-scale production, more people, (companies that operate) larger printers and co-investors are needed.

Omlab started experimenting with adding colour to the material prototype. They wil showcase this at Coda Apeldoorn on July 3th 2021. At this moment the colours come from sewage treatment and drinking water production, which results into diffrent shades of grey. Recently they started using ocher for more colour shades. At the moment they are researching how to replace that colour by using a waste stream like pulvarized coal and coagulation slib.

In addition to that they are working on a weatherproof version of the material prototype.

Physical building qualities

Click here for more information

Contact & info

https://www.omlab.nl

Water permeable tiles

Every seven years, each waterway in the Netherlands is dredged. By extracting, drying and sieving the dredged substance, Waterweg creates a new product – tiles! The substance mixed with a binder becomes a hardened tile by using a special pressing technique. The tiles are water-passing — unlike many other tiles — allowing rainwater to sink into the ground, thus also providing a climate-adaptive function.

Made from

These stones are made from dredged material from Dutch waterways, combined with a some cement. In the near future, Waterweg expects to be able to use a more sustainable binder, based on waste streams.

Production process

All waterways in the Netherlands are dredged
The dredged material that is extracted is later matured (natural drying process) and sieved to remove unwanted particles such as plastic and glass
After that the dredge is mixed with cement
The dredge is then pressed into a tile after which it has to harden

Dredge turns out to be more valuable than you might think

Applied

The water passing tile is the first application of this material. In the future, the material could be seen as an alternative to concrete. However, Waterweg prefers to use their material to support nature.

Environmental impact

The open structure of this water-passing tile contributes to a climate-adaptive city. The tiles allow water to pass through. In this way, sewers are not overloaded, but rainwater can sink into the soil.
The pressing technique ensures an energy-saving process compared to firing bricks, as we know from conventional bricks. On a large scale, this can save up to 50% compared to the MKI (Environmental Cost Indicator) of concrete paving stones.
A residual flow, namely dredge, is given a high-quality destination.
A clinker or tile made of dredge is lighter than a conventional brick or concrete, so there is less CO2 emissions during transport and is therefore also more suitable for locations that suffer from soil subsidence.

Growth opportunities

The material is not yet certified.
At the moment the tile still contains a little cement, the intention is to replace this with a circular binder.
Waterweg is scaling up production, for which they are still looking for production partners.

More info and contact

https://www.waterweg.co
https://www.instagram.com/waterweg.co/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/waterweg010/

ZOAK

The abbreviation ZOAK (in Dutch) stands for Very Open Waste Ceramics, or Very Open Waste Ceramics paving. The small tiles are produced from ceramic waste (95%) that arises during the production of ceramic tiles. In this way, this waste gets a new life.

Due to its capillary action, ZOAK actively contributes to the water cycle (Hydrological Cycle).

Made of

95% Waste ceramics from the (for now Chinese) fine ceramics industry.

Applied

The product ZOAK is used nationally as a pavement for squares, roads, footpaths, and parking lots.

Environmental impact

The product ZOAK has a very favorable footprint. It even has a lower value than a concrete paver.
Ceramic waste is once again given a destination.
The effect of this product has a positive contribution to the water cycle, it absorbs water quickly, retains the water and allows it to evaporate again when it is warm.

Good to know

Zoak is also sound-reducing.

Growth opportunities

For now, Tilesystems only has the problem that it is still produced in China. There are no correct product locations in Europe that can produce this stone. Behind the scenes, Tilesystems is working on eventually starting up a European product location.
There is a need for a European plant for a better footprint and lower cost price. But in order to eventually realize this, Tilesystems has to make progress!

Contact

www.tilesystemx.com

Galvanized steel as supporting construction

These lightweight constructions and facade profiles are detachable and reusable because all connections are reversible. This makes reusability very easy. Producing these detachable constructions also leads to significantly reduced CO2 emissions in comparison to conventional construction methods. The system is offered as a complete service to developers, building managers and users of buildings. This means that after use, the steel is taken back by the manufacturer, who can use it again.

Demountable structures are an important building block of the circular economy

Just look at this symphony of steel and timber in the train station of Assen. The steel Jansen Viss curtain wall connects seamlessly with the wooden roof construction. One material is biobased and the other is a durable material with a very long lifespan. The key to circularity is the connection with the circular building method of “detachability” so that reuse is a possibility in the future. The materials and methods combined offer, when well designed, a very sustainable solution to the challenges we are facing in the built environment. You might call it “Stimber Building Solutions” (“Stout Bouw”/NL – “Stolz Bau”/DE – “Boicier”/Fr).

Galvanized strip steel is a metal mixture of

Iron
Carbon
Zinc

Applied

Steel as a basic material is certainly not new, its viability and applicability is known. Steel as a basic material is certainly not new, its characteristics and applicability is known. However, this method is not so much about the material, but about the principle of offering circular prefab constructions that allow detachable building methods and the reuse of the steel material. And that is a smart new way to extend the life and the usage cycles of the material. This is now being applied on a small scale. The load-bearing construction can be used in various architectural structures. Slender and high facades are the trademarks of Jansen AG but constructions like these are also used in tiny houses for example.

Environmental impact

The connections in the construction are detachable. As a result, the construction cannot only be disassembled for reuse, but the existing construction can also be expanded for a longer lifespan, making it more sustainable.
The technical lifespan of the construction is set at 100 years. However, for Jansen AG it is of greater importance that the construction can be used in infinitely short cycles.

Growth opportunities

As Jansen AG, a company that is the market leader of steel windows, doors and facades, we can only deal with one part of the problem ourselves.

The beginning of the steel chain (raw materials) must take its own responsibility. For example, by making the mining of raw materials more sustainable and by working with renewable energy in the production of steel. However, what we do know from the LCA calculations is that when iron has become steel it has a high reuse potential due to long lifespan of the material.

Together with our clients Jansen AG takes care of the construction and reusability of steel. A façade, a door or a window is only part a house or a complete building. We depend on chain partners in the circular building industry for the total solution and that is why Jansen AG focuses on collaboration for the growth or our circular ambitions, united in the platform Harvest Bay.

Contact and extra info

www.jansenstaal.nl/en/

http://www.harvestbay.be

Respace

Respace is a circular wood construction system that quickly, easily, cheaply and sustainably transforms empty buildings into spaces for living and working. The Respace building system has been developed with circularity and flexibility in mind. The wooden elements are easy to disassemble. Therefore rooms can be redesigned, or the elements can be reused in another location to create new spaces. In this way, new living spaces can be created within vacant buildings without the need for additional building land.

More than 15 tons of CO2 are stored in the materials of the skeleton of The Exploded View.

Made of

The Respace elements consist of 95% biobased materials.

76.8% of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) from Finland
16.9% from durelis wood from Belgium
5.7% from birch wood from Russia
The 0.5% non-biobased materials used are steel from the Netherlands

Production Process

The mature trees are cut down and young trees are planted in their place.
The cut wood is peeled and laminated into LVL boards.
The Respace elements are milled from the LVL sheets with as little loss of material as possible.
The elements are assembled into a building structure with as few screw connections as possible.
Afterwards, the structure can be disassembled and reassembled again with help of our material passport database.

Application

The Respace building system is used for the transformation of existing buildings to create new living spaces. From church to affordable housing, from harbor warehouse to co-working spaces, and from industrial monumental factory halls to apartments. Sustainable places to live, work and live. Respace has been used in the transformation of the Werkspoorfabriek in Utrecht and the Kabeldistrict in Delft. The first was nominated in 2020 for Building and Office Building of the Year.

Environmental impact

CO2 is stored in the Respace elements.
The main material used in the Respace elements is LVL, which stores 789 kilograms of CO2 per m3.
New young trees are planted for the trees that are cut to make the elements. Young trees absorb more CO2 than older trees, so this provides extra CO2 storage.
The elements are ultimately fully compostable and contain no harmful substances.

Good to know

Creating living spaces from wood is healthier than using regular building materials. And because the Respace elements are lightweight, the use of heavy artillery is not necessary during assembly. As a result, full-electric work can be done during the assembly of the system.

Growth opportunitie

In the Netherlands alone, 30 million square meters of real estate are vacant, part of which can be transformed into residential, work and other living spaces with Respace. The major housing shortage can be tackled with this, but also the realization of asylum centres, generation-proof homes, new workplaces and hotels. A challenge is that developers, architects and administrators with guts are needed to realize transformation projects with this new building system.

contact

EcoCocon

Strotec is the organisation behind the EcoCocon prefab rapid construction system, which is in principle suitable for any building. It is 99% biobased and consists of 10% wood and 89% straw. It is vapour-open, but insulates optimally. Straw stores large amounts of CO2 during growth and is an agricultural residual product. Because it is harvested annually, it stores up to ten times as much CO2 per year as, for example, in wood. With this system, even CO2-negative construction can be done and other building materials are compensated.

Pleasant indoor climate with hardly any installations.

Made of

89% straw
10% wood
1% reusable metal studs with which the elements are screwed together.

Production Process

Grain grows on the field (in the Netherlands enough for 75,000 houses per year).
Grain is harvested and threshed; the straw remains as a residual product.
In a production hall, wooden frames are made exactly to size on the basis of design.
In these HSB crates, the now dried straw is pressed (maximum 15% humidity).
Then the building elements are numbered and delivered to the construction site at the last minute.
After possible decomposition, the material can be reused and returned to nature.

Applied

The building elements are used as vapour-permeable, constructive interior-exterior facades for homes (Eindhoven, Oostmahorn, Kaatsheuvel), Sports Hall (Tegelen), schools (Almere, Amsterdam), offices (Helmond) and in combination with CLT can also be used for stacked build.

Environmental impact

The material is 99% biobased.
It makes CO2-neutral construction (or even CO2-negative) possible.
EcoCocon stores approximately twelve tons of CO2 per home.
Grain is harvested annually, which means that up to ten times as much CO2 is stored as, for example, in wood.
After possible degradation (fifty to one hundred years), the material can be reused per element and – ultimately for 99% – back into nature.

Good to know

Ecococon provides a wonderful indoor climate; even temperature and humidity.
Good acoustics, especially in combination with loam.
Fire certificate of 120 minutes.
Super insulation (Rc 8.3), which means that hardly any installation is required for heating and cooling.
Form-free construction concept (any design fits in).

growth opportunities

Because construction is a major CO2 emitting sector, the standard for CO2 emissions will be further tightened. Strotec offers a serious alternative for this with its fully biobased and cradle-to-cradle construction system. Because the raw materials are widely available, the growth opportunities are almost endless. But the problem lies in the extent to which people in the Netherlands are used to building with brick.

The fast building elements have so far only been produced in Lithuania, but a production line will be built in the Netherlands when there is sufficient sales here.

contact

Video

Thermally modified reclaimed roof decking

The products and building materials have had a previous life and have been carefully disassembled, where necessary they have been post-processed, in order to get a full second life elsewhere in the built environment.

Reuse of wood ensures that the stored CO2 is stored for at least an extra life cycle.

Made of

The thermally modified roof boarding is 100% circular and consists of a fantastic quality pine that was harvested on average fifty to a hundred years ago.

Production Process

Harvesting and nail-free roof boarding by A. van Liempd Demolition companies.
Thermal modification by usedbouwmaterialen.com.
Profiling by usedbouwmaterialen.com.
Apply to the new facade by contractor.
Reusable again or thermally recyclable.

Applied

The thermally modified roof boarding is intended as a circular wall cladding. This has already been applied, for example, at Eindhoven Airport and in renovation and new construction projects by housing corporations Area and BrabantWonen, among others.

Environmental impact

The environmental impact is very small because it concerns the reuse of materials that would normally be lost during demolition.
The stored CO2 of the wood remains stored in the wood for at least an extra life cycle and it also prevents the felling of trees that would be necessary to make the same amount of facade cladding.
Through thermal modification, the wood is preserved without the addition of chemicals.

Good to know

The shadow price of recycled products may be set at €0 in the MPG (Environmental Performance of Buildings) calculation.

Growth opportunities

Unfortunately, the product is not available indefinitely, because it depends on the quantities released during demolition. In recent years, less and less has been built with wood and roof boarding has been replaced by underlayment. At the same time, there is still a lot available and every project can give that appearance and circular story. Which benefits awareness.

Contact

www.avanliempd.nl/gebruikte-bouwmaterialen

CaNaDry

CaNaDry is an insulation material consisting of hemp shives, lime and a natural binder. Roofs, floors and walls can be insulated with this 100% natural and fully recyclable material. CO2 is stored both during the growing of hemp and as an application.

After installation, CaNaDry still stores CO2 from the atmosphere through the permanent carbonation.

Made from

Chalk
Hemp

Production Process

Sowing the hemp.
After four to five months, the hemp is harvested using a harvester.
Debarking the hemp plant, using a debarking machine. This means that the fibers and the hemp are separated.
Production of CaNaDry: hemp shives, lime and a natural binder are processed into a mixture using a mixing installation and drying tunnel.
Bagging of final product in different sizes.
To install:
- Product is dumped or blown in
- After decomposition, the product can be 100% recycled and/or used as a soil improver.

Applied

CaNaDry is used for insulation of walls, roofs and floors.

Environmental impact

The hemp plants purify the soil.
They also remove a high level of CO2 from the air. For example, one hectare of hemp can store 22 tons of CO2. Hemp can be harvested twice a year so this doubles again. This gives you 44 tons of CO2 absorption per year per hectare. To give an idea of how much this is now approximately: a car emits about 120 g/km of CO2. This ensures that CO2 is absorbed that is equal to 488,888 kilometers driven. This is about enough CO2 absorption to drive twelve times around the earth from 1 hectare of hemp.
This is a 100% natural product and therefore recyclable, reusable and free of harmful substances.

Good to know

CaNaDry is moisture regulating.
The excellent sound insulation, which contributes to better acoustics.
Excellent phase shift > 16 hours.

Growth opportunities

We don’t just cause change, we need the entire chain for that. In addition to producers, it is also important that customers, architects, contractors and the government are convinced of the importance of going back to natural/ecological insulation.

contact

www.exih2.be

Smartty Aqua Green Panel

The Aqua Green Panel is an invention of Eduard van Vliet and offers a slim water-buffering green-sloped roof solution

Would you like to bring the water-buffering power of greenery into the city?

Made of

Grasses
Flowers
Sedum

Production Process

First, the zinc patented plate is produced.
Once laid, the greenery can be applied with a special substrate.
This ensures that water can be buffered optimally without leading to thick constructions.
The greenery continues to grow indefinitely and can be maintained just like any other green roof.

Applied

The Aqua Green Panel will be shown for the first time during the Dutch Design Week and will hopefully make its way as one of the usual roof solutions.

Environmental impact

The Aqua Green Panel manages to retain the water for much longer during downpours to relieve sewers.
Furthermore, the buffered water in the greenery with its special substrates ensures better air quality and a healthier temperature that has an insulating effect in both summer and winter.
The raw materials are available everywhere and can be delivered locally.

Growth opportunities

In both renovation and new construction, sloping roofs can now also hold large amounts of water in a smart and slim manner during downpours. A special opportunity for water boards to quickly green urbanization in consultation with housing associations.

contact

www.smartty.eu

No Waste Floor

The floor is made from 100% waste wood, which is why Herso is the first to obtain the FSC 100% recycled quality mark. It is important to preserve the CO₂ stored in wood, which is why reuse is important. The qualities of wood can be used for hundreds of years, in this way Herso makes the antiques of the future.

The entire wood stock of Herso consists of more than 450 cubic meters of waste wood, just enough to supply Amsterdam with electricity for 20 minutes.

Made from

100% waste wood, collected from the recycling center in Oss, demolition projects or private individuals who bring unwanted or discarded furniture. If it is solid wood, Herso circular woodworkers can work with it.

Applied

It has been used as a floor in many offices, of which one of the best known is the circular pavilion of the ABN Amro.
A grandstand and staircase were recently made from No Waste in the blond version at the Aeres Hogeschool in Almere. This can be viewed by everyone during the Floriade exhibition.
The collagens used are somewhat waterproof, so No Waste can only be used indoors. An oil is used as a finish.

Environmental impact

LCAs (Life Cycle Analyzes) have been calculated for all products by the independent agency Nibe, because it is important that the production process is viewed transparently and neutrally.
If a No Waste furniture is no longer desired, it can be returned to the production process. This can be repeated endlessly because the wood hardly loses its qualities if it is properly cared for.
The materials can compost well without causing problems for the environment, but it is better to return the material to the workshop in Loosbroek, to be able to make new materials from it.
Herso is the first to obtain the FSC 100% recycled label.

Growth opportunities

Herso is currently already scaling up; partly by using people who are at a distance from the labor market and partly by getting more out of recycling bins. But the achilles heel is that the process remains largely manual process, which slows down the scale up.

Good to know

No unhealthy glue is used, so that no polyurethane is evaporated.

Thanks to a new technique, light furniture and kitchens can be made from 100% waste wood. These are acoustically very good and strong.

contact

www.herso.nl

Regional Building Method

Bouwtuin is committed to radically improving the sustainability of the (self) construction chain and (re)developing affordable circular building methods and products that enable a hybrid application of natural materials in architecture. The natural materials are processed into demountable (prefab) building elements, such as facades and roofs. In this way, the raw materials can return to the landscape from which they came and form food for the accretion of a new generation of materials.

Made from

The raw materials can be divided into three basic categories:

Soil
Wood
Fiber

Natural residual flows from the region are used for this, which are released during agricultural activities (including sand, clay, straw) or during nature management (including wood, twigs, reed), but cultivated construction crops (including hemp, flax) are also used.

Bouwtuin also uses biobased connecting materials, such as wooden dowels and flax rope, but does not shy away from the use of reusable technical connecting materials.

Facts

REED

Reed is a typical Dutch building material, it grows well in water-rich environments. Today, however, about 70% of all thatched roofs in the Netherlands are covered with Chinese thatch. The reed is of good quality and is about €10 cheaper per m2 of roof. Since reed cutting is a labour-intensive process, it is difficult for Dutch reed cutters to compete with Chinese reed (source: thatcher René Aasman).

SOIL

In the Netherlands, earthmoving for, among other things, nature development and construction projects, releases an estimated 40 to 45 million tons of clean and slightly contaminated soil and dredging sludge each year, which in accordance with legislation and regulations can be directly reused and used as raw material for various forms of earth construction (report point Soil Quality-Bbk Decree)

WOOD

Only 10% of a tree is used as quality wood for construction. A large part of the wood is used for a lower value, for example as raw material for the paper or match industry.

Production Process

Bouwtuin uses a low-tech construction method, in which we assemble raw materials in their purest possible form within prefab building elements. This approach makes it possible to make different combinations each time, in response to the possibilities of a region.

Obtaining natural resources:

Earth (sand, clay, loam) : earthmoving companies
Wood: nature conservationists
Fibers (straw, reed, cattail) : farmers and nature conservationists

Wood is used to make the framework and structure of our building system, while earth and fibres mostly form the infill and finishing of it.
All parts are demountable and can return to the natural cycle via composting.

The importance of local

Bouwtuin works from a regional value chain, consisting of suppliers of natural raw materials (including farmers, nature managers, earth-moving companies) and artisans, so that we know the origin of the materials we use. This way of working was developed during the action research in the Hilversum region and the Gooi & Vecht region. Here the (im)possibilities of the reintroduction of natural material use were sought. On the basis of a series of facade workshops, the essence of the different materials (earth, wood and reed) and the architectural palette of the region was sought.

Applied

Bouwtuin uses a low-tech construction method, in which the raw material is assembled in the purest possible form within prefab building elements. This approach makes it possible to make different combinations each time, in response to the possibilities of a region.

Step one is obtaining natural raw materials:

Earth (sand, clay, loam): earthmoving companies
Wood: nature managers
Fibers (straw, reed, bulrush): farmers/nature managers
The supports of the building system are made with the wood and the filling and finishing of these with the fibers and earth.
The parts are detachable and can return to the natural cycle through composting.

Environmental impact

The exact impact of our Bouwtuin method has not yet been quantified, but based on the following characteristics, there is a positive impact:
The regional value chain and limited transport have reduced CO2 emissions. The use of residual flows that would otherwise be incinerated prevents CO2 emissions.
Trees and crops such as reed, straw and hemp absorb CO2.
A wet crop such as reed prevents peat soil oxidation and contributes to water purification and storage.
No external energy is used for the production of earth stones and stucco. The material is air dried.
The parts are detachable and can return to the natural cycle through composting.
‘Architectural horticulture’ contributes to meaningful jobs and a healthy building culture.

Good to know

The Bouwtuin method has an open and low-tech character and makes custom-made applications of regional natural materials possible in an affordable way. The detachable prefab elements offer room for (regional) variation and contribute to recognizable and valuable regional architecture. The simplicity of the method makes it possible for clients to build their own, which means that costs can be saved.

Growth opportunities

Bouwtuin sees great potential in the application of its services for small-scale housing in the context of urban periphery densification, rural areas or facade renovation of post-war housing. The reliability with regard to the availability of the regional material is still a pain point and can be organized by entering into long-term partnerships. For upscaling and as a dot on the horizon, the Bouwtuin foundation envisions transforming itself into a regionally based Bouwtuin cooperative of farmers, nature managers, builders and designers in the spirit of cooperative Agricultural Banks at the beginning of the 20th century.

contact

www.bouwtuin.nl

www.instagram.com/bouwtuin/

Jute Walls of BioFold

The biocomposite BioFold is made of textile waste and biobased plastics. The combination of origami and digital production techniques gives the material – besides the esthetics – important functional characteristics, such as carrying capacity, flexibility and acoustic qualities.

Made from

The jute walls consist of 50% jute coffee bags from coffee roasters in Amsterdam and the Zaanstreek.
The other 50% are PLA fibers, a biodegradable plastic.

Production process

The jute coffee bags, in which the coffee came to the Netherlands, are fiberized and mixed with PLA fiber into mats, using ‘needle punching techniques’.
With heat and pressure, the mats are processed into flat sheets.
Using origami techniques and digital production techniques, Samira Boon transforms the flat sheet material until it finally has these beautiful shapes.

There’s a solution for the plastic soup: PLA, a biodegradable plastic

Applied

This design is currently mainly used as interior trim.

Environmental impact

The material is completely biobased
Has a long lifespan
Is recyclable
It is an upgrade of the burlap residual streams

Growth opportunities

BioFold’s jute walls are still unknown to the general public. It is a highly rated, fairly exclusive product. There are possibilities for upscaling, so it would be available at a lower price and to a wider audience. This also requires investment.

Contact and extra info

https://samiraboon.com/home/

https://www.npsp.nl/

Seaweed tiles

The raw materials for the plastics of the future are grown local in the sea. That is the statement from Studio Klarenbeek & Dros who put seaweed in the spotlight as design material. A clever finding, because seaweed stores carbon while growing. By pressing these seaweed tiles, the progressive designers show that CO2 storage can lead to beautiful mosaics.

Luma Algae Plaster

This plaster is based on a unique mix of excavated earth and a small amount of biobased materials.

Clay plasters are CO2 neutral.

Made of

Earth component from Brussels
Biobased element from Belgium

Production process

In many yards, earth is excavated in preparation for the foundation.
The first step is the excavation.
Then, BC materials springs into action to deliver the soil instead of distant transports to mines or quarries.
Then it is edited and transformed into a mix.
And as a final step, the clay plaster is sold to contractors who will apply it

Applied

Clay plaster can be used as a wall finish.

Environmental impact

The wall patches are totally reusable (not just recyclable).
They do not contain any toxic substances and are CO2 neutral.
The use of local soil ensures a large reduction in transport and therefore emissions.

contact

www.bcmaterials.org

www.instagram.com/bcmaterials_org/

Rammed Earth Wall

Loam is excavated on construction projects and can be used in making clay plasters, walls and walls in rammed earth. Clay can be reused indefinitely, so that both the production and waste processing process cost little energy.

As a finishing material in a home, loam has a moisture-regulating effect and ensures a healthy indoor climate. It is a vapor permeable material that also works as a vapor barrier and is timeless in style.

Made of

A mixture of clay and sands, mainly from Brussels soils.

Production process

Steel formwork is required. The loam is loosely poured into the formwork in layers of 15-20cm and evenly distributed. The soil is then vibrated with a pneumatic rammer.
The top is sanded so that the pebble becomes visible as a terrazzo. You can still choose to treat with an oil to close the pores (for example for a floor on which people walk.)

applied

Het Leemniscaat specializes in plastering with clay and lime and insulation with hemp and straw for both new construction and renovation.

Environmental impact

100% natural
Moisturizing
Heat regulating
Fungicidal
No release of substances
Healthy living environment: stable environment 55%
Cooling in summer, warmth in winter.
Free from chemical additives
Special Features
No waste production, 100% reusable
Maximum life

Contact

hetleemniscaat.be

Cork green roof

The Green Roof developed for ‘The Exploded View’ is built of 100% natural modules based on expanded cork, as an alternative to plastic trays. This type of cork is made from the waste material of cork stopper production, which is derived from the bark of the cork oak.

Four out of five layers of a standard green roof fully or partially consist of plastic.

Made of

52% expanded cork, from Portugal. 100% natural
48% wool substrate, from the Netherlands. 100% natural

Production process

The cork residual material is ground into granules.
The cork granules are baked into expanded cork in steam ovens, where it expands and binds together through its own resin, suberin.
The expanded cork sheets are then sawn and milled into a tray.
These modules are filled with a special substrate based on, among other things, natural sheep wool, developed by Dakdorpen.
Native flowers and herbs suitable for dry conditions grow in this substrate.

Applied

The cork modules are used on flat and slightly pitched roofs of for example houses and carports.

The application of the cork green roof in The Exploded View Beyond Building is a test set-up in which Dutch wool, which is currently a waste product, is tested as an aggregate of the earth mixture (substrate). Sheep’s wool can keep the other ingredients, compost and ground tiles, airy. The water can also buffer and decay slowly, releasing nutrients for the plants growing in the substrate.

Environmental impact

The production of expanded cork is CO2 negative and no chemicals are used.
The cork trees do not die when harvested; after nine to 11 years the bark is regrown and can be harvested again.
The transport from Portugal to the Netherlands comes via either boat or truck, which comes with a yet to determined CO2 emissions.
The wool and compost are recycled and natural products which are collected locally. CO2 emissions are therefore low and no chemicals are used.
The green roof provides nectar and pollen for insects, as well as a shelter and wintering place.

Good to know

The expanded cork offers extra insulation compared to regular green roof materials. Furthermore it has good drainage capabilities which makes an extra drainage layer redundant.

Growth

Green roofs are a growing market because of the cooling and water buffering capabilities. The use of natural materials will be worth extra to the clients who often already have a preference for going green. The obstacle is the relatively high price of expanded cork. Furthermore there is more research needed on the long term behaviour of the materials.

In the set-up for The Exploded View Beyond Building, the effect of wool on plant growth is investigated. Over the roof, from left to right, the wool percentage in the substrate increases from 0 to 50%. In the first two vertical rows, the water buffering effect of wool is examined in comparison with the “standard” recycled textile fibres.

Contact

www.earthkweek.nl
www.dakdorpen.nl
www.hollandswolcollectief.nl

Forest of the future

VELUX roof windows

The VELUX roof windows made of reclaimed wood are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified as 100% Recycled. The wood was mined by A. van Liempd Demolition Companies from the built environment, after which it was sawn and prepared for the production process of a VELUX roof windows. The biggest advantage of reusing wood is that the lifespan is extended and storage of CO2 in the wood by 30 to 40 years and can save 30% of new raw materials in production. All this fits in with the circular and sustainable purchasing policy.

Extends the duration and storage of CO2 in the wood by 30 to 40 years and saves 30% new raw material use.

Made of

The contribution to the CO2 footprint for all parts that make up a window can be divided as follows: 4% wood, 22% aluminum, 11% other metals, 27% glass. The remaining part of the CO2 footprint is created by transport 8%, production 13%, packaging 2% etc. Targets have been formulated to have these emissions at least halved by 2030.

Applied

As roof window

Environmental impact

The CO2 footprint of these products is calculated using industry-average CO2 conversion factors that are aligned with the scope 3 objective. The CO2 footprint of a roof window is 105kg CO2 where 6% of the total falls within scope 1 and 2, 94% comes from the value chain. The share of CO2 from wood, glass, aluminum, metal and other raw materials have been inventoried and concrete reduction targets have been formulated on this.

Good to know

The quality of the roof windows remains the same. The mined wood appears to have a good moisture percentage and is therefore perfectly suitable for reuse. There is no difference in the properties, quality or durability of this window, made of reclaimed wood compared to a standard window. The only difference is that with the mined wood we can save 30% new raw materials in production. Meanwhile, more housing corporations and national contractors have applied this product in renovation projects or circular housing concepts.

Growth opportunities

This circular way of retrieving and reprocessing used materials saves material and reduces CO2 emissions. Certain wood is attractive to reuse, as the CO2 storage in the wood of the roof windows can be extended by 30 to 40 years. Wood and other biobased materials therefore have very good properties for sustainable (re)construction. Further CO2 emissions and raw material reduction can be achieved by increasing the recycled content of the other materials in a roof window such as aluminum, glass and steel. But also the production and logistics processes and the CO2 emissions of the suppliers contribute to this.

contact

www.velux.nl

KERLOC FACADE TILES

Kerloc is a cold ceramic material that is produced without any additional heating. The material is made of residual materials (Such as natural fibers coming from agriculture, horticulture and / or forestry), minerals and fertilizers. Kerloc is used in the outer shell of a building as facade panels and is 100% circular: it is fully reusable in its own production process.

Cold ground ceramics

The Kerloc facade tiles are made of:

Natural fibers coming from residual plant materials from agriculture, horticulture and forestry
Natural minerals
Fertilizers

Production process

The residual materials are processed into the right size. The raw materials are mixed in several steps until a homogeneous and usable mixture is obtained
This ceramic sheet material is produced at normal temperatures through an exothermic reaction. As a result, no ovens are used during this process, ensuring low energy consumption
The fiber materials are petrified during this process

Applied

Kerloc is applied in the outer shell of a building as facade cladding.

Environmental impact

Raw materials are locally sourced: most come from The Netherlands or adjacent countries
All raw materials come from natural (residual) flows
Kerloc tiles have a long lifespan (over 50 years) and are therefore suited for reassembling
Fully recyclable in its own production process

Growth opportunities

Kerloc is now KOMO certified. This means it meets the requirements of the Building Decree (falls into the BRL4101 part 11). With a current production capacity of 600,000 m2, Martens ceramics is already able to make Kerloc available on a large scale to interested parties.

Physical building qualities

Click here for more information

Contact & info

https://martensgroep.eu/nl/producten/keramiek