Straw Bale Cafe: wood, straw and innovation

This project comprises an extended 100 seat cafe, refurbished kitchen and cafe terrace. It is conceived as a learning aid in low-impact environmental design, featuring:

• Prefabricated Construction: To minimise disruptive on-site works, the building structure was prefabricated in a nearby barn.
• Demountable: The building is designed to be dismantled at end of 15 years and most components re-used / re-cycled.
• Energy efficient: The building is highly insulated, naturally ventilated and naturally daylit.
• On-site energy generation: The building generates up to 6kW from photovoltaic panels and wind turbine.
• Local Materials: Cedar cladding and organic straw from the College estate. Wall plants from local nurseries.

We chose to pre-fabricate the building structure, in order to avoid the need for certain lengthy and disruptive on-site processes.

The Modcell load-bearing panel system was used. The panels were assembled in a ‘flying-factory’ in one of the College outbuildings by architecture students from Nottingham University and members of our practice. A key advantage of this modular form of construction is that the building can be easily dismantled at the end of its useful life and most components reused and/or recycled. This is important because the College has long-term plans for the redevelopment of the campus over the next 10-20 years.

Materials The choice of materials has sought to make the most of the College’s natural resources. The 60 organic straw bales used to insulate the building come from the College’s own farm. The western red cedar cladding and decking was forested from the college’s 150 acres of woodland. This was cut to size on-site, by College contractors, just a few hundred yards from the building. The green cladding was planted by College students with learning difficulties, using indigenous varieties sourced from local nurseries.

Sustainability Prefabricated. The building structure was prefabricated using the ModCell load-bearing panel system in order to minimise environmentally disruptive on-site works.

Renewable The building is constructed from renewable materials where possible, e.g: PEFC or FSC certified timber and straw (a by-product of the agricultural industry).

Local Materials The building is constructed using local materials where possible, including organic straw bales from the College farm, western red cedar from the College estate and wall plants from local nurseries.

Low-Waste Straw bales were cut to size in the College farm – trimmings were composted or used as animal bedding. The frame is made using offcuts from the timber industry. Cut waste was minimal, as each panel was precision cut from larger sheets using CNC equipment, but any waste was re-used the factory’s biomass boiler. Offcuts of aluminum and steel and were minimised by the design, but any offcuts were collected and recycled via the scrap industry.

Recyclable The building is designed to be dismantled at end of its 20 year design life and most of components re-used / re-cycled. On-site Energy Generation The building generates up to 6kW of green electricity from solar photovoltaic and wind power sources. A monitor displays power generation statistics to the building users.

Energy Efficient The building requires very little heating/cooling as the 450mm of straw bale insulation provides a u-value 3x better than current regulations require (0.14). The building is naturally ventilated and makes use of natural daylight where possible. All artificial lights are on motion and daylight sensors.

Carbon Sequestering Each 3m x 3.2m prefabricated load-bearing panel sequesters approximately 1400kg of atmospheric CO2.

Green Wall The green wall is planted with local varieties to enhance the biodiversity of the building. The ‘green’ cladding minimises the visual impact of the scheme, as well as reducing CO2 emissions through better temperature regulation and increased building insulation. It also reduces the amount of storm water run-off from the building.

Education The building is designed as a learning aid in low-impact environmental design, having relevance to many of its students through their curriculum. College and University students have been be involved in the design, construction and ongoing maintenance of the building. A permanent display panel within the cafe tells the story of its construction.

(F.C.)

Wood, through metal, explores new design expressions that address the theme of the reflection of light: this is the approach behind Silver Rail, the latest proposal from ALPI, the first company in the world to industrialize the process of reconstituted wood, and now an unchallenged technological reference point in the wood sector. Silver Rail is the result of intensive R&D activity – a true characteristic of the company’s DNA – that has allowed ALPI to develop materials conceived to interact with light, confirming its role as a professional partner and its outstanding ability to interpret and foresee market trends with solutions that are increasingly sophisticated in both aesthetic and technological terms, capable of giving concrete form to any idea from its spheres of reference: large luxury brands, giants in the automotive and nautical sectors, prestigious furniture makers, and the fields of product design, interior architecture and contract. Decorative wooden surfaces crossed by metal lines that reflect light: Silver Rail is a material with a modern design - applicable to finished products or horizontal and vertical surfaces - combining the softness and warmth of wood with the glow and rigor of metal. An innovative offering, the result of sophisticated technology and the careful, tailor-made workmanship typical of ALPI; a synthesis of two apparently antithetical materials, conceived to respond to the emerging trend towards luminosity in interior decorating, in the year UNESCO has proclaimed as that of light and light-based technologies.   Silver Rail lends itself to infinite possibilities of personalization: from the choice of color and design from the vast range of ALPI woods to the indication of the number and the spaces between the metal lines, which can be governed by regular, precise geometric patterns or designed with more sinuous shapes. With proper lighting, the material offers intriguing luminous effects that add character to rooms and enhance the design of objects and furnishings. Silver Rail is available in the ALPIlignum and ALPIkord versions:   ALPIlignum This product is the company’s cornerstone: the true symbol of the ALPI universe, the finest expression of its R&D activities and the perfect blend of technological innovation and artisan know-how. A line of woods that offers unlimited aesthetic variety and personalization: reproducing the colors and grain of natural materials (over 120 types in the catalogue) or creating Design Wood with unusual chromatic effects, allowing for maximum creativity. ALPIlignum is a sliced wood that can be applied to any surface and produced in different thicknesses depending on the application. It is therefore an extremely versatile product, capable of responding to all project needs in functional and aesthetic terms. Its particular production process involves peeling logs (of Poplar, Lime Wood or Ayous), always of certified origin, to make sheets that are immersion dyed and "reassembled" by stacking the layers of dyed wood to make a “new log”. The absence of the typical defects of traditional wood, the uniformity and reproducibility of colors and sizes make it ideal for rapid implementation of single production runs or series. ALPIkord The line of prefinished woods treated with state-of-the-art products and varnishes to bring out the natural beauty of the entire ALPIlignum range, applied on a surface and then varnished. The result is a large wooden panel ready for application to any surface, to reduce the time needed for working, varnishing and installation. The practicality of ALPIkord finishes is joined by high levels of quality, unique design and customization, as well as the environmental certifications pertaining to ALPIlignum. By request, FSC certification, the most important international guarantee of its kind of the sustainable origin of our wood, is also available for ALPIkord. ALPI, wood&more: Italian roots for international excellence An absolute leader in the production of decorative surfaces in multilaminar wood, ALPI was the first company in the world to industrialize the manufacturing process for reconstituted wood, setting new qualitative standards. The perfect balance between manual skills and high technology make the firm unique. On the one hand, ALPI is pure innovation, ahead of the demands of the market; on the other, it represents painstaking craftsmanship. An example of excellence that thanks to the depth of its collections – applicable to finished products and horizontal or vertical surfaces – combined with the ability to design bespoke solutions, is an unchallenged technological reference point for the wood sector. A professional partner of leading luxury brands and major manufacturers of automobiles and yachts, as well as prestigious names in furniture, product design, interior architecture and 360° contract, ranging from hôtellerie to multi-apartment developments, retailing to offices to public spaces. What sets ALPI apart on the worldwide scene is its direct control of the entire process, from the log to the finished product, starting with forest management using chain-of-custody certification to guarantee the legal and sustainable sourcing of the wood and total product traceability. ALPI is therefore a guarantee of an eco-responsible, versatile design product, made possible by major investments in R&D, raw materials of the highest quality, avant-garde technology and the finest tailor-made craftsmanship. Other important features of the firm are its vast range of offerings and great ability to respond to the specific requirements of a highly diversified client base, also through the design and development of custom lines and one-off collections. Today ALPI – helmed by Vittorio Alpi, the founder’s grandson – has industrial facilities of 180,000 sq. meters (52,000 indoors) in Italy, and 346,500 sq. meters (over 67,000 indoors) in Africa, for a production capacity of over 30 million square meters per year, with capillary distribution networks in over 60 countries. The firm stands out for reliability and solidity, based on sales growth that surpassed the level of 130 million euros in 2014.     www.alpi.it

Requalification, recovery of buildings and cutting-edge technology to design the home of the future: this is what was presented at 51° Edition of the SAIE, international building exhibition in Italy.

At the heart of the new SALT SMART HOUSE, in the Services area of Bologna fair (held like the interior of a great intelligent and sustainable house), SMART HOUSE LIVING has been presented. This project consists of 4 souls: an exhibition – Smart House Solution – on which was represented a new culture of sustainable living, which allowed visitors to ' touch ' practical applications and innovative technological solutions; a playful and participatory path – the Wheel of Sustainability – to bring the public to the culture to "triple zero" (zero consumption, zero emissions, zero waste); the Forums on the themes of designing, building and inhabiting the houses of tomorrow; the BIG Energy Idea — a ' emotional room ' of innovation told through videos and sounds: a project to push for change through knowledge.

In SMART HOUSE LIVING area, energy has been the main topic thanks to the forum "Building & Innovation". In the Digital Smart Building technology how this innovation can revive the construction industry has been the main topic. Many laid optical fiber is still unused. Since last July with the Decree Unlock Italy, "all new buildings must be equipped with a passive multiservice physical infrastructure inside the building, consisting of adequate space and installation of high-speed communications to the fiber optic network termination points". The legislation makes the provision in new homes be mandatory. SAIE #Idrogeo has been the main new of this edition: it is an informative area and exhibition dedicated to the theme of recovery and securing of the territory from the hydrogeological point of view, that this year 2015 focused on the theme of urban land preservation thanks to the work of engineers and geotechnical in particular. 'Green' has been the guest star in new edition of SAIE, too. Inside the 'Live' path, #Landmaking group has organized ‘To build green’, an area where some of Italian excellences in the field of green have been gathered. The construction industry's interest is directed towards the energy efficiency of existing buildings, as well as through the performance improvement with the aid of new and more modern systems and engineering solutions.

15 March 2019

The stems of banana plants, which were traditionally destined to be discarded, become a new natural material today. Green Blade is the quality and eco-friendly semi-finished product presented at Made by French company FIBandCo, the result of a process carried out on these plants. The result is a natural plating, ethical and sustainable coating. Green Blade has the look of wood and it comes in four hot colors obtained through a manufacturing process, without the use of water or chemicals. This material is born in the wild and is treated with ECHO and responsible processing. In the hands of architects, designers and planners it becomes versatile material. It is used mainly in the form of plating, for cladding and architectural panels, but also to decorate kitchens, furniture and design objects thanks to its flexibility, thin thicknesses and translucent effect. An added value is that FIBandCo is a company committed to sustainable development. The bosses of the company are two young French engineers former students of ESIEE Paris, l'École de l'Innovation Technologique, who developed this particular innovative process to enhance the stems of banana plants in small units installed in the heart of banana plantations. The company was founded in Martinique, in the heart of the plantations: a choice that makes it possible to optimize resources and reduce carbon emissions. The fiber manufacturing process does not require the use of any chemical agent and the company produces its energy through solar panels. A green-oriented style, for sure!   www.fibandco.fr

Marco Mignatti

11 March 2019

The city of Hamburg will become, until September, in the European capital of sustainable architecture, anticipating the trends of smart cities of the future, to find an innovative response to the most urgent problems of the contemporary urban living. The occasion is the International Building Exhibition (IBA), an event with over a century of history, born in 1901, and today more than ever pushed the green innovation of the construction industry. Hundreds are the proposals in a few weeks on the streets of Hamburg with international authorship. Architects, landscape architects, urban planners, engineers will meet to implement a wide range of architectural solutions related to reality and, above all, can be exported in any other context. Among the protagonists of IBA, we find an award-winning team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), authors of "Soft House". "An architecture suited to respond to the continuous changes of our time," says the architect Sheila Kennedy Professor of MIT and leader of the study team KVA Matx, where energy infrastructure are not ends in themselves but as means of creating innovative buildings where technologies are the protagonists. Posted in Wilhelmsburg Island, Soft House presents: -a dynamic South façade made of a Web of textile strips integrated photovoltaic cells and applied to a horizontal axis solar tracking. Photovoltaic elements are always oriented toward the Sun, picking up the maximum amount of clean energy to power your home. At the same time the fabric of the façade becomes a brise-soleil: natural shielding that protects the Interior from the heat during the summer months, leaving the light penetrate deep into winter; -a light wood frame and wooden furniture components that transform the perimeter structure of classic German Passivehaus, in a flexible and moldable living space, corresponds to the standard Passivehaus. -energy produced from “solar curtains” is transferred directly to the LED lighting system, essential to keep down the level of carbon emissions. The Soft House is a clear demonstration of how the energy technology, can be transformed into a piece of design that contributes to the efficiency of low-energy buildings, besides being completely dismantled and recycled at the end of the life cycle of the building. "We need to achieve maximum creativity and flexibility to see how far we can bring new materials," says Sheila Kennedy. "The most interesting applications for the new materials are those who work at different levels, once this is achieved, we will be able to insert ourselves in the market, revolutionizing the sustainable architecture". (Fabiana Cambiaso – Università La Sapienza) Credits: www.kvarch.net web.mit.edu   Soft House, Kennedy & Violich Architecture   Residential area: 
4/180 mq Finished on March 2013 Materials: Wood, Textile membranes Applications: Structure, Casing, Screens.

Carlo Bardelli

05 October 2018

Looking for a new balance between the natural environment and the built one, creative and constructive process of housing is looking for new concepts and objectives.

The architect Marco Piva presented at Made the installation "Space for Life" that addresses the issues of small-scale residences, their possible aggregations in more and more complex structures.

Constructive solutions are made in relation to the highest energy standards. The manufacturing technology is that of wood, renewable natural material; energy performances are in "class A"; renewable energies are used and the structure is earthquake-proof and fire resistant.

The building materials are sustainable and high performance. The vertical walls are made with the innovative Greenbiz. Born in Japan, result of research and studies, it is a unique and worldwide patented material, result of a virtuous cycle of production. Cooking at very high temperatures, above 1000° c, makes the matter be like ceramics, so it is inert, fireproof and ultra-micro porous and lightweight.

The characteristics of absorption and thermal insulation combined with the ability to absorb water and hold it for 50% of its volume makes it the best possible material for industrial roofing and terraces with hanging gardens. Used as a coating, it works as a coat and it allows the creation of vertical green.   www.greenbizitalia.it

Edoardo Croci