|Digital Matter
|F2F
Field to Facade
|Team
Mira Housen, Alex Ferragu, Taimur Mian, Mara Muller-de Ahna
|Faculty
Areti Markopoulou, David Andres Leon, Nikol Kirova
|Project year
2021-22
The project, titled Field to Facade (F2F) seeks to revolutionize the construction industry by repurposing barley straw, a widely available agricultural by-product. Barley, a vital global crop, produces substantial amounts of straw, often underutilized. Current practices, like ploughing it back into fields, fall short of its potential. This research aims to unlock the value of barley straw by transforming it into a high-performance construction material, addressing both economic and environmental concerns.
This research investigates repurposing barley straw as a construction material, potentially offering economic and environmental benefits by revaluing the energy and resources invested in crop growth. These zero-waste biomaterials could significantly impact the construction industry, which requires innovative changes.
The existing techniques for constructing with straw, as previously discussed, offer numerous benefits. Yet, their design limitations and incapacity to accommodate geometric variations have led to minimal adoption in major urban projects. Moreover, the necessity of a wooden structure for scaling up to multiple stories poses challenges, which is deemed less than ideal.
In response to these challenges, the project aimed to devise a self-supporting insulating skin with double curves. This innovative design sought to eliminate the need for any additional wooden sub-structures.
Tested samples
Samples
Samples
A combination of carbon fibre with resin (as used in the automobile industry) was found to be the most promising composite as the fibre behaved in tension similar to straw and the resin acted as a binding agent. Together the system performs well structurally. To develop a zero waste circular system, we had to look for a bio-based binder. This exploration led us to experiment with pine resin, beeswax, carnauba wax, gelatine, glycerine, xanthan gum, collagen and lime. The composites were then subjected to heat and pressure tests to determine if they would be able to function as a layer of the building skin.
Types of fabrication
Curved mold jig
Fabrication scaled up
Additionally, various fibre orientations and straw sizes were tested, to examine possible differences in structural qualities. In terms of fabrication, techniques such as heat pressing, compression moulding, and vaccum moulding, were studied to combine the straw with the resin. Curved mould jigs and point forming were investigated in order to achieve multiple panels with different shapes and curves. Furthermore, cnc machines were explored to create joints and textures.
