THE ARGUS FEATURE THE WASTE HOUSE

15/05/2018

“Architect’s plea to construction firms”

Featured Project: The Waste House at the University of Brighton

Newspaper Issue: 15th May 2018

Be sure to collect a copy of todays Argus newspaper!

“Architect’s plea to construction firms” the article discusses Duncan’s thoughts on constructing buildings as material stores for the future. The article features the award winning University of Brighton Waste House, for further details on the project and Duncan’s current research project click here.

SB&WRC INTERREG RESEARCH PROJECT

21/03/2018

/ BBM Architects

Duncan’s research project progresses

“For every five houses built one house worth of material goes to landfill or incineration”

The partners at Sustainable Bio & Waste Resources for Construction (SB&WRC) research project have made significant progress towards the design and manufacture of the first insulation prototypes made from biobased and recycled materials.

The project is supported by the INTERREG VA France (Channel) England programme and receives financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The University of Brighton is one of the English partners of the SB&WRC project. Their deep involvement in alternative building technologies has led to impressive experiments and results that continue to inspire researchers and practitioners. Duncan, Dr. Ryan Woodard, Senior Research Fellow within the School of Environment and Technology, and Ben Bosence, an expert in building conservation are currently working together to create one of the insulation prototypes.

The Waste House at The University of Brighton, Grand Parade Campus

Duncan: “I’ve been interested in sustainable design since 1990 when I started my Masters in Architecture at The University of Brighton after thinking for some time I might change direction and work for Greenpeace instead. In 1994 I designed and built the RIBA’s ‘House of the Future’ with my partner Ian McKay. That experience allowed us to set up our own practice BBM and start teaching and researching at the University of Brighton. Since then we have focussed on projects testing ideas and concepts informing sustainable development; such as large projects as The Greenwich Millennium Village, or more modest in scale such as the UK’s first public building made of straw The Romney Warren Visitor’s Centre. By 2008 BBM felt we had enough projects focussed on utilising locally-grown organic non-toxic material that we had an exhibition at RIBA HQ called ‘Built Ecologies: turning landscape into architecture’. That was also the year we built ‘The House that Kevin Built’ (THTKB) where we were challenged to construct a A+ rated dwelling using as much grown material as possible. We were successful, and the ground floor of ‘THTKB’ now resides down with our Interreg partners at the University of Bath. So we have lots of experience in building with bio-based materials, and since designing and building the Waste House, lots of experience at building with so-called waste.”

The Greenwich Millennium Village

Duncan, Ryan and Ben plan to use waste materials but why?

Dr. Ryan Woodard: “Globally we have a very inefficient system for managing waste. It is estimated that across the world recycling rates may be as low as 7% for industrial waste and 10% for municipal waste. In the EU27 it is projected that 60% of the waste generated is not being recycled, composted or reused – therefore valuable resources are being wasted.”

Through harnessing these materials we can extend their life and maximise their value. Similarly there are cost savings to be made through diverting them from final disposal and their use leads to a reduction in using virgin materials.

Duncan: “We know that the construction industry in the UK wastes approximately 20% of the material delivered to a building site. So for every five houses built, one house worth of material goes to landfill or incineration. So the wasteful use of materials is a big deal in the UK and in the construction industry in particular. Our Waste House proved that it is possible to construct a high performing (Passiv Haus levels of insulation and airtightness) building using these discarded material. Our current SB&WRC research continues this line of enquiry, but in a more focussed and (hopefully) commercially accessible manner. So we are currently looking at the potential for re-using discarded duvets (currently not re-used or even recycled in the UK) as insulation for housing.”

Material selection and sourcing

Ryan: “Our aim was to target the textile waste stream. Using our existing knowledge of problem textile waste streams the project team developed a short list of potential materials. This shortlist was presented to industry stakeholders who gave their feedback on each stream, and existing literature was also considered. Following this engagement the project team decided to focus on stuffed bedding products – duvets and pillows. Based on our research local authorities, waste companies and charities won’t accept this material for reuse due to health and safety concerns, and the majority is sent to disposal in landfill or Energy From Waste plants.

In terms of sourcing the material trials have already been undertaken with the kind assistance of Veolia to understand the levels and composition of stuffed bedding products being taken to the local Household Waste Recycling Site. In a week over 3,000 litres of bedding waste generated of which 75% was polyester/25% feathers. What was interesting, based only on visual inspection, was the apparent quality of the products entering the waste stream with over half of the material sampled seemingly in good condition and unsoiled. Duvets and pillows are designed for their thermal properties and therefore a seemingly obvious application would be to integrate them into insulation for buildings!”

Ben: “My role in this project is to test and prototype the materials selected by the design team at the University of Brighton. I will initially produce 8 mini-prototype insulation and cladding products that will be tested by other partners in the project. The best performing materials will then be developed into 2 large-scale prototypes made in our workshop. One will get installed at the Waste House in the campus of the University of Brighton for testing, and the other will go to the University of Bath for further tests.”

Duncan, Ryan and Ben are working with ESITC Caen who will initially test 8 prototypes and then select one for further development. This preferred prototype will then be sent to the University of Bath to be tested again for fire and other construction-focussed tests. Following those tests the final prototype will be built and installed on one of the external walls of our Waste House where digital monitors will ascertain the material’s ‘U’ value (ability to insulate) and prove (hopefully) that there will not be any problems with condensation.

To follow the project more closely, participate in the SB&WRC community on Construction21.

DUNCAN SPEAKS AT UAL’S GREEN WEEK

08/02/2018

/ BBM Architects

Central Saint Martins Green Week – PLURAL FUTURE #9 Up On The Roof

When: 14th February 2018 18:00 – 20:00

Location: Granary Building, 1 Granary Square, King’s Cross, N1C 4AA

Room: LVMH E003

To reserve your place email: g.j.campbell@csm.arts.ac.uk (UAL staff and students only)

Further details

“PLURAL FUTURES acknowledges the broad range of approaches to sustainability within the art and design practices of Central Saint Martins students and staff. The Green Week programme aims to showcase a snap shot of those approaches, find connections and provoke further discourse and action.”

Duncan will lead an architectural evening at The Central St Martins campus on Wednesday 14th February. The talk will focus on case studies from his book “The Re-Use Atlas” followed by a workshop/discussion into making better use of Central Saint Martin’s existing roof terrace.

The Re-Use Atlas: A Designer’s Guide to the Circular Economy

Since the Waste House was completed in June 2014, Duncan Baker-Brown has been working on a book that considers the challenges and opportunities presenting designers and clients who wish to ‘mine the anthropocene’, i.e.work with existing places, communities and stuff previously mined and processed.

This book is a highly illustrated ‘atlas’, taking the reader on a journey, via four distinct ‘steps’ (recycling, reuse, reduce, closed loop), from our current ‘linear economy’ towards a system emulating the natural world, i.e, a ‘circular economy’. Featuring over 25 detailed case studies describing design exemplars from the worlds of textile & fashion design, product design, interior architecture, architecture and urban design, its purpose is to show designers how they can successfully navigate and exploit the emerging field of resource management and the circular economy. Each step is supplemented with an in depth interview with an expert who is successfully tackling one or more of these challenges that present all designers today. This atlas has contributory essays from, among others, Prof. Walter Stahel of the Product-Life Institute, and Prof. Jonathan Chapman who wrote ‘Emotionally Durable Design’.

Optimistic take on the sustainable design
Includes illustrative, international projects at different scales
Shows designers and students how they can positively affect change in this area

Case study links:

Adidas training shoe, developed in partnership with Parley for the oceans

Hy-fi organic compostable tower, by The Living

Rotor and Rotor DC

THE WASTEZONE AT ECOBUILD 2018

25/01/2018

/ BBM Architects

BBM invited to curate The Waste Zone once again

WasteZone Website

Eco Build 2018 Website

Location: Excel London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London, E16 1XL

Planning your trip

Dates: Tuesday 6th March 10:00-18:00 until Thursday 8th March 2018 10:00-18:00

Visitor Registration

“Ecobuild has been the number one event for the built environment for over 14 years, with change and innovation always at the heart. It connects and inspires the entire built environment specification chain.”

Following the success of the Waste Zone at Ecobuild back in 2013 BBM have been invited back to curate the WasteZone at this years event.

The WasteZone will help you navigate a route away from our current take, make, throw away society towards intelligent closed loop systems where waste is seen as food for either an organic natural ‘bio-sphere’ or the humanmade ‘tech-sphere’.

The WasteZone is a temporary place dedicated to the discussion of the issues & huge potentials of seeing waste as a valuable resource, not a problem. Come and hear talks by experts from worlds as diverse as resource management, cutting-edge design & architecture, politics, product and systems design, as well as a new generation of forward thinking suppliers, urban miners, up-cyclers, hackers and material bankers.

The WasteZone discussions will be supported by an inspirational exhibition of the products, materials and buildings, as well as new digital platforms and films, which are enabling an emergent circular economy and proving “that there is no such thing as waste, just stuff in the wrong place”.

Duncan and Ian will both be running several of the discussions, click here for full details of the programme.

“The circular economy – the challenge for design and construction”

If you are planning to visit Eco Build this year be sure not to miss Duncan speaking at “The circular economy – the challenge for design and construction” conference on Thursday between 13:30 and 14:30.

Duncan will join the speakers below to discuss the challenges of applying circular economy principles to buildings and infrastructure.

Paul Toyne, Independent Advisor
Richard Boyd Senior Engineer Advanced Technology + Research, Arup
Jesse Putzel, Head of Sustainability, BAM Construct
Jon Bootland, Sustainable Development Foundation, ASBP

“We all know that we need to produce and consume less…of everything! The concept of a ‘circular economy’ first coined bin 1989 by David Pearce and Kerry Turner, has gained support over the last decade or so with some proponents arguing that it could be a new paradigm for sustainability. As described by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation report Growth Within, “the concept rests on three principles: preserve and enhance natural capital, optimise yields from resources in use, and foster system effectiveness (minimise negative externalities)”. While it seems to be reasonably straight forward to reuse valuable resources from relatively short-lived consumer products, the challenge for construction is how to apply these principles to buildings and infrastructure which can last for decades if not longer and also how to take effective action to extend the life of existing buildings and infrastructure as a positive contribution to supporting a more circular economy. How to we bring these principles into mainstream construction? What are the changes needed to make the whole industry behave differently? These are the challenges for the construction industry and the built environment and this discussion explores ways to meet it and respond to SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. This session was developed with steering group partner the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP)”

For further details on the three day event please visit the Eco Build website.

DESIGNBOOM ARTICLE

03/01/2018

/ BBM Architects

Changing planet and changing habitat

Magazine: Designboom

Author: Written by Dr Sandra Piesik and contributions from Duncan Baker-Brown

Featured project: The Brighton Waste House

The award winning Waste House at the University of Brighton campus has been featured in Designboom’s article entitled “changing planet and changing habitat“.

Following Dr Sandra Piesik’s recent editing of Habitat which explores vernacular architecture for a changing planet. Designboom have now published Piesik’s essay which continues the themes of waste utilization, building for hurricanes and raising awareness of cultural identity.

The full article can be found here.

“Dr Sandra Piesik is an architect and a researcher who has worked extensively in the middle east on projects that reconnect traditional knowledge systems with modern applications. As the founder of several multidisciplinary research groups, piesik is actively engaged in addressing global climate change. she was co-creator of the urban and rural resilience programme for desert regions and participated in the COP22 UN climate change conference in marrakech”.

The Brighton Waste House as it became known was opened in June 2014 and continues to be a ‘live’ on-going research project and permanent new design workshop (it is not a dwelling) focused on enabling open discussion and understanding of sustainable development. It is situated on campus at The University of Brighton’s College for Arts & Humanities at Grand Parade. Designed by Senior Lecturer & Architect Duncan Baker-Brown, together with undergraduate architecture & interior architecture students, this project was built by apprentices from The Mears Group, students from City College Brighton & Hove and The Faculty of Arts as well as volunteers. In all over 350 students helped with the project.

The Brighton Waste House is the first permanent ‘carbon negative’ public building in Europe to be constructed from approximately 90% waste, surplus material & discarded plastic gathered from the construction and other industries, as well as our homes. It has Full Planning & Building Regulations Approvals. It tries to prove “that there is no such thing as waste, just stuff in the wrong place!” The project continues a line of research by BBM considering truly sustainable sources of materials and construction systems, or to be more precise truly ‘circular metabolisms’ that will one day help create a ‘Circular Economy’. Duncan discusses this at length in his recently published book “The Re-Use Atlas: A designers guide towards a Circular Economy’. To read some of the case studies covered in the book visit our blog here.

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF DUTCH ARCHITECTS (BNA) 2017

23/11/2017

/ BBM Architects

BNA Architectendag

BNA interview

Earlier this month The Royal Institute of Dutch Architects (BNA) invited Duncan to be one of the two keynote speakers at thier Architects Day. Duncan teamed up with Jelle Feringa for the mornings talk entitled “Mindset“.

The day had two themes: technology and sustainability. Duncan discussed several of BBM’s projects including The University of Brighton’s Waste House and his recent RIBA publication The Re-Use Atlas: A designers guide to the circular economy. The highly illustrated ‘atlas’ takes the reader on a journey, via four distinct ‘steps’ (recycling, reuse, reduce, closed loop), from the current ‘linear economy’ towards a system emulating the natural world, i.e, a ‘circular economy’.

The venue for the Architects day was Prodentfabriek, a stimulating environment which was formerly an old toothpaste factory. Built in 1936 and designed by architect Philippe Anne Warners the building has varied in use from a tube factory to an office building and finally closing in 2011 as a production factory for toothpaste. In 2013 a developer Schipper Bosch purchased the site which marked the starting point for the redevelopment project The New City.

THE WASTE HOUSE FEATURED IN THE GUARDIAN

25/10/2017

/ BBM Architects

My Green Pod supplement

Location: My Green Pod, Quarterly magazine

Date: Released online and in print on the 27th October 2017

Featured project: The Waste House at Grand Parade, The University of Brighton

“Remember there is no ‘away’ when you throw something away; most of the plastic manufactured over the last 100 years is still with us”

It seems many of us have accepted a system where materials are used and then discarded regardless of the consequences this has on the planet. This Friday The Brighton Waste House and Duncan’s book The Re-use Atlas: A Designer’s guide to the circular economy will be featured in The Guardian’s quarterly magazine “MyGreenPod”. The article entitled “A revolution in design” will be released online and in print on Friday morning.

The Re-Use Atlas is a highly illustrated ‘atlas’, taking the reader on a journey, via four distinct ‘steps’ (recycling, reuse, reduce, closed loop), from our current ‘linear economy’ towards a system emulating the natural world, i.e, a ‘circular economy’. Featuring over 25 detailed case studies describing design exemplars from the worlds of textile & fashion design, product design, interior architecture, architecture and urban design, its purpose is to show designers how they can successfully navigate and exploit the emerging field of resource management and the circular economy. Each step is supplemented with an in depth interview with an expert who is successfully tackling one or more of these challenges that present all designers today. For more information on the Re-Use Atlas visit our blog which provides an insight into several of the case studies featured in the book.