48 new materials - Material ConneXion

Photos: © Edward Caldwell
lets in which to buy them that have proliferated
due to the mainstreaming of sustainable
design.
The show advocates choosing materials according
to various criteria. Some natural
materials, such as fast-growing trees and
agricultural products, are rapidly renewable.
Other products can be reused or recycled
once no longer needed, or are long lasting
and require little maintenance. Waste can
be eliminated by choosing products that are
biodegradable or recyclable and are certified,
salvaged, or reclaimed. Finally, the concept
of embodied energy is introduced by asking
the visitor to the exhibition to consider how
much energy was required to extract, process,
package, transport, install, and recycle or dispose
of materials that make up their homes.
Up to 70% of the total energy invested in a
building’s construction is embodied in the materials
themselves, and the show recommends
that people buy locally produced products
and materials whenever possible to reduce
additional energy use and pollution associated
with transportation.
Of the 21 houses featured as eco-friendly in
The Green House, three are of special interest
because of their materials. The first is the
Mill Valley Straw-Bale House (2001), located
outside of San Francisco and designed by
Arkin Tilt Architects. A “truth” window offers an
inside view of the walls constructed of straw
bales with a sprayed-earth finish and a structural
system that provides efficient insulation
as well as supporting walls. The roof is insulated
with cellulose, a material derived from
recycled newspapers and covered in strawboard
panels. Other green interior features
include columns of unfinished eucalyptus logs
harvested from the site, kitchen countertops
of recycled glass, salvaged doors, re-milled
cedar trim, a system for compost built into
the kitchen counter, and bins for recyclables
accessed from both indoors and outdoors.
Designed by Werner Sobek and built on a
steep hillside outside Stuttgart, the “R128”
house is a very different example of innovative
materials usage. Its sleek, impeccable
design projects an aesthetic ambition rarely
seen in sustainable building, representing an
imaginative compendium of ideas about green
design, energy conservation, and recycling.
Photo: © Undine Pröhl
MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects Limited, Brian MacKay-Lyons, Designer
Designed to be installed and dismantled with
minimal impact on the land, its modular building
components can be easily detached and
recycled. With an interlayer of metal-coated
plastic foil that deflects long infrared rays,
the triple-glazed panels of the façade have an
extremely low heat transmission value. Watercooled
panels in the ceiling absorb solar heat,
which is stored and released through ceiling
radiators in cold months. Because it is completely
self-sustaining, the house produces no
emissions. And its three-dimensional transparency
allows residents to feel close to nature.
The Howard House, Nova Scotia, incorporates local
materials and passive solar collection.
Finally, one of the most fascinating houses featured
in The Green House is a meditation on a
single building material, one of the most renewable:
bamboo. Located in the shadow of China’s
Great Wall, the Great (Bamboo) Wall, designed
by Kengo Kuma & Associates, is as much about
bamboo as constructed from it. Taking its cues
from the Great Wall, the house features a wall
made of bamboo stalks arranged in bunches
along the longitudinal axis, a showcase for the
material’s ability to be sculptural, cast shadows,
and add rhythm and texture to facades.
In contrast to the massive Great Wall, however,
the house’s fragile-looking construction suggests
the easy transfer of light and breezes.
Constructed in a private development of villas
north of Beijing, the house demonstrates that
luxurious modesty and eco-efficiency do not
have to be mutually exclusive.
IN THE MATERIAL WORLD
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