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Validity of Matter

Part 2 Project 2024
Natalia Cieminska
London South Bank University | UK
The project centres on a local, vernacular synthesis and manufacturing process for bio-composite materials, presenting a sustainable alternative to conventional building resources. This innovation aims to de-carbonize the industry, reduce reliance on non-renewable resources, and mitigate environmental impacts. The wider goal of this project is to catalyse social and economic development through the adoption of the materials and spatial forms that integrate into the built environment.

The manufacturing process combines locally harvested reeds with recycled coffee, hessian, and mycelium to create versatile building materials. It starts with harvesting and processing the reeds in a purpose-built facility. Coffee then arrives at high tide and is dried in a traditional Oast House along with the hessian bags. These materials converge in the bio-composite manufacturing facility via an external conveyor weaving through the site. The bio-based solutions address key building components: structure, insulation, internal, and external lining, or cladding.

Biobased materials inherently sequester carbon dioxide during growth. This biogenic carbon is trapped within the reed upon harvest, reducing the embodied carbon dioxide to just 0.1kg per 1kg of reed. The life cycle of these regenerative materials ensures biodiversity preservation and minimizes anthropological impact by composting materials back into the site as fertiliser.

Natalia Cieminska

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2024
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