Biobased material
An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about biobased material
Product • By Cooloo • Econcrete
Econcrete
This concrete- or stone-like material can be applied onto almost any hard surface or object. From floors to ceilings and stairways to furniture (indoor & outdoor). This material is unique because of its toughness, crackbridging propperties and super adhesion.
The application is flexible and can be done by spray, plaster or casting. It combines recycled industrial materials with Cooloo’s sustainable binders which makes it suitable within the circular economy and a low carbon footprint and VOC-free.The materials comes in different colors and textures, and can even be customized for larger projects. It is applicable for planters, bathrooms and other wet environments. More
News • Innovations • 9 Oct 2023
SOM and Prometheus Materials exhibit an algae-based alternative to standard concrete blocks
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has designed a curvilinear installation constructed of brown-colored, algae-based masonry blocks for the 2023 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Developed in partnership with the US company Prometheus Materials, the featured Bio-Block product offers a carbon-neutral alternative to standard CMU blocks.
Dave Burk, SOM
The installation is constructed on the ground floor of an office building in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. It makes use of 544 Bio-Blocks arranged in a 2.2 meter (7 foot 4 inch) tall construction to demonstrate a savings of more than one metric ton of carbon when compared to typical CMU construction. SOM designed the installation as an extruded spiral which resembles a s... More
News • Detail • 25 Mar 2023
Detail: hempcrete facade of town hall Voorst
For the reconstruction of the town hall of Voorst, in the forested countryside of eastern Netherlands, architecture office De Twee Snoeken developed a hempcrete facade made from the stalks of regionally harvested plants. It’s among the largest applications of the biobased material in the region.
Joep Jacobs
It is perhaps obvious that a municipal building should be constructed from regional materials. But, for many reasons, it is too rarely the case. When the city of Voorst, the Netherlands, issued an invitation to tender for the demolition and reconstruction of its existing city hall built in the 1980s, it required that the new project be a landmark of sustainability. De Twee Snoeken, a local Dutch firm, won the project and de... More
News • News • 22 Dec 2021
Cottage renovation by Nicola Spinetto Architecte combines traditional roof thatching techniques with the latest in prefabricated wood construction
Located in the small commune of Hermeray, France, this cottage extension and renovation by Nicola Spinetto Architecte is located near a pond and a wooded plateau that is part of the regional natural park of the Haute-Vallée de Chevreuse. The house, which the clients wished to expand is part of a group of three buildings on the site which all take the typical local form of a longère, complete with a thatched roof.
Sergio Grazia
Thatch has long been used to cover rural roofs, with widespread use due to the low cost of the material and the thermal insulation is provided. However, the thermal performance of the existing houses was not satisfactory for the client, who wanted the lowest possible C02 emissions, with reduc... More