Brilliant Bio-Based Materials Curated for Commercial Interiors
CategoriesArchitecture

Brilliant Bio-Based Materials Curated for Commercial Interiors

Our esteemed jury is now reviewing the submissions for this year’s A+Product Awards. Stay tuned for the winner’s announcement later this summer.

We are often introduced to biomaterials regarding their application to support medical advancements. A massive amount of research is being conducted globally, with innovations being announced all the time. You’ve probably heard the word bouncing around the design industry too. However, crucially it must be understood that the two subjects, although identical in name, as products are wildly different. In medical terms, biomaterial refers to a substance engineered to interact with biological systems for a medical purpose (like a heart valve or bone graft). In the design industry, when we discuss biomaterials, we are actually talking about bio-based materials, which are derived and manufactured from living organisms.

Bio-based material is a new and fascinating industry that has come to fruition due to the need for more sustainable construction and manufacturing base materials. Across the world, the quantity of furniture, fabrics and materials that end up in landfill is staggering and arriving there at a rate that cannot be sustained. As a reaction to this, many designers are seeking inspiration from nature and natural life cycles.

Forager Foam by Ecovative Images provided by Ecovative

Forager Leather by Ecovative Image by Vasil Hnatiuk

One such company is Ecovative. Ecovative are experts in something called mycelium. Mycelium is an essential part of fungi. It is a web-like substance formed from the pores of fungi. Often residing beneath ground, the probing webs assist in growing the mushrooms we see above ground while interconnecting the fungi from below. The mycelium search for food, passing on nutrients and other information to the fleshy mushrooms above ground. At Ecovative, they have learned how to guide the growth process of the mycelium to create large webs that are almost completely solid. The result is a wide range of natural, biodegradable materials that form textiles, packaging, and even alternative food products.

As a material, mycelium is incredibly resilient, with many other valuable qualities. By studying the growth of mycelium, scientists at Forager Ecovative have drawn out the most useful traits such as tensile strength, waterproofing, fire resistance, pliability and texture. They are producing foams and leather alternatives that rival any on the market. Mycelium hides and foams offer many advantages over traditional leather and plastic materials. Vivid colors and durable, supple textures are possible without the need for caustic chemicals or waste.

Finishing can be achieved with heat, pressure, and bio-based chemicals rather than petroleum-derived coatings, with a wider variety than traditional leather, minus the variability and blemishes that impact price. The foams produced by Ecovative rival any plastic-based alternative in performance and are unmatched in their circularity — mycelium, when thrown away at the end of a product’s life, returns to the earth as a nutrient rather than a pollutant.

Mogu, Mycelium Resilient Floors ©mogu

Mogu, Floor Flex ©mogu

Also working tirelessly with mycelium’s exceptional properties and potential are the team at MOGU. Offering functional, beautiful and meaningful products with a durable and sustainable life cycle, MOGU is committed to introducing the world to industrial processes with the lowest possible environmental impact.

“MOGU was founded on the belief that it is possible to employ nature’s intelligence to radically disrupt the design of everyday product, seeking a finer balance between the man-made and the rhythms of the ecosystem.”

MOGU’s floor finishes are genuinely remarkable. The floor finishes are made of solid and stable mycelium-based core boards coupled with high-performance bio-based coating. Each tile or roll integrates low-value biomasses such as corn crops, rice straw, spent coffee grounds, discarded seaweed and clam shells as an alternative to traditional industrial pigments. This choice in toning allows the natural pigments embedded in the product to appear visibly on the surface, creating a unique look to the materials that is elegant, on-trend and subtle.

That’s Caffeine by Atticus Durnell

Handmade in London by Atticus Durnell, That’s Caffeine is a unique bio-based material created from recycled coffee grounds that feels and looks like granite stone. The bio-based material is a composite of bio binders, minerals and plant-based resin, making it incredibly lightweight compared to its peers. The material is sustainable and biodegradable, water and heat-resistant, and successfully diverts coffee waste from landfills while enabling its distinctive surface finishes and colors.

Totomoxle by Fernando Laposse Images by Fernando Laposse

Bio-based materials do not need to be grown into something, as is the case for mycelium-based products. Mexico-based innovator Fernando Laposse has shown how waste material from our other consumables can also be utilized in making new, beautiful materials.

Totomoxtle is a new veneer material made with husks of heirloom Mexican corn. Ranging from deep purples to soft creams, Totomoxtle showcases the wealth of diversity of the native corns of Mexico.

Unfortunately, the number of native varieties of Mexican corn are in sharp decline. International trade agreements, aggressive use of herbicides and pesticides, and the influx of highly modified foreign seeds have decimated the practice. At the moment, the only hope for saving the heirloom species of maize lies with the indigenous people who continue to plant them out of tradition rather than for financial gain.

Laposse has been working with a group of families from the community of Tonahuixtla, slowly reintroducing native seeds in the village and returning to traditional agriculture. The husks collected from the harvest are now transformed by a group of local women into the veneering material, thus creating much-needed local employment and beautiful saleable materials that are forgiving to the environment.

Brusseleir, Clay Plaster by BC Materials Image by BC Materials

BC Materials work on several bio-based products made for the construction industry from the construction industry’s waste. Using material taken from the ground during excavation, the Brussels-based company has created Brusseleir. This clay plaster alternative regulates the humidity of indoor climates and is also wholly vapor permeable all the while, the plaster alternative is four times more acoustically effective than traditional plaster finishes.

From an environmental perspective, biomaterials are a compelling choice: They are biodegradable and store carbon dioxide, which means they can lower the carbon footprint of a product or a building during its lifetime. These materials can often perform just as well, sometimes better, than less sustainable alternatives. We have barely scratched the surface of the potential of bio-based materials and are in no position to propose bio-based materials everywhere just yet. However, there is an argument that says that is precisely what we should be striving for.

Consider this, across all industries, consumers have changed; buyers no longer need items that last a lifetime, typically trends drive sales, and the majority of people want their surroundings to evolve as they do. In such a society, products manufactured from bio-based materials have a stronger appeal than ever. As their usefulness is met, items can be discarded without concern. Each piece naturally breaks down and returns to the earth while leaving space for something new. No need for landfill, no need for chemicals to break things down, just a product from the earth, going right back into the earth — like a leaf working its way through the seasons year after year. That is the future of bio-based materials; hopefully, with suitable investments, it’s not too far off.

Our esteemed jury is now reviewing the submissions for this year’s A+Product Awards. Stay tuned for the winner’s announcement later this summer.

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Providing clean off-grid and on-grid energy for industrial and commercial clients 
CategoriesSustainable News

Providing clean off-grid and on-grid energy for industrial and commercial clients 

Spotted: Many African countries receive more than 2,500 hours of sunshine per year, making the continent an ideal location for solar energy power. As the number of providers grows, so too does access to renewable energy sources. Nigerian-based Starsight Energy expanded into three east African countries before merging with South African company SolarAfrica. The new combined business now covers three sizeable areas of the continent and has plans to develop further.  

Tailored solar energy solutions provided by the company include a complete audit of an organisation’s power and cooling needs and a custom-designed installation. One of the main selling points of solar energy on the continent is its reliability combined with the lack of dramatic price fluctuations diesel customers contend with. Starsight says that its customers receive full power 99 per cent of the time. Depending on local conditions, the solar arrays can be on- or off-grid as best suits the situation.

To help make it easier for businesses of all sizes to afford the switch to renewable energy, customers pay no money upfront. Instead, clients pay a set monthly fee that includes all analysis, set-up, monitoring, and support services. Contract lengths vary with a minimum of five years. For businesses requiring energy at night, Starsight provides standby generators for sites requiring particularly heavy power loads as well as a Power-as-a-Service battery storage option.

The application of solar energy is expanding, with Springwise spotting innovations such as greenhouse solar systems that use wavelengths of light that plants cannot use, and solar cells printed onto construction steel for integrated energy generation.  

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Helping commercial kitchens manage food waste
CategoriesSustainable News

Helping commercial kitchens manage food waste

Spotted: According to one report, as much as half a pound of food is wasted for every restaurant meal, including from kitchen waste and what’s left on customers’ plates. While some of this can’t be helped (peels, rinds, food that has gone off), there is a lot of scope for improvement. That is the goal of Dutch startup Orbisk, which has developed a computer vision-based system that helps food service operators identify and cut down on waste. 

Orbisk’s system includes a smart camera connected to a scale, which is installed near a facility’s waste bin. Staff hold food destined for the bin under the camera before throwing it away. The system identifies the exact foods and how much is being thrown away. The artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm then delivers data that helps the restaurant monitor exactly what and how much is being thrown away, and why.

The system works for both pre- and post-preparation foods and the results help operators manage their kitchens and supply chains to minimise waste. For example, if a lot of a particular raw ingredient is going off before it can be cooked, the kitchen knows it needs to order less of that ingredient. Or, if leftovers of a particular dish are being thrown away frequently, this may mean the portion sizes of that dish are too large.

The company describes its goal as “a mission to make the world’s food system more sustainable. We do this by using progressive and innovative technology to tackle one of today’s biggest challenges: food waste. Our solution provides hospitality organizations with a complete insight into their food waste and helps them cut their waste in half.”

Orbisk is not the only company developing solutions to reduce food waste. Winnow, in the UK, makes a similar AI-powered system aimed at driving operational improvements and cutting waste. Other innovative ways of tackling food waste highlighted here at Springwise include making fabric out of food waste and a countertop system for turning home food waste into compost. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Email: info@orbisk.com

Website: orbisk.com/en

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The Relic Shelter | Fuzhou Teahouse // Neri & Hu
CategoriesSustainable News

The Relic Shelter | Fuzhou Teahouse // Neri & Hu

Text description provided by the architects.

The project draws inspiration from imagery uniquely associated with Fuzhou: the Jinshan Temple. This is a rare example of a temple structure built in the middle of a river in China. John Thomson was one of the first photographers ever to travel to the country and provided Western audiences with some of the first glimpses into the Far East.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

In the album Foochow and the River Min, which documented his legendary journey up the Min River, Thomson captured the ancient structure in its original state resting serenely above a floating rock in 1871. This would become a lasting image unmistakably identified with the city of Fuzhou.
Conceived as an urban artefact and drawing from the historical roots of the city of Fuzhou, the Relic Shelter internalizes a piece of distinct heritage at a time when rapid new development has eroded traditional culture and identity.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

The client’s brief posed the unique challenge of creating an enclosure for a Chinese artefact – the wooden structure of a high-ranking Qing dynasty official’s residence, replete with ornamental carvings and intricate joinery. Relocated from Anhui to its new home in Fuzhou, the Hui-style structure is enshrined as the inhabitable centrepiece of a new teahouse.
Envisioned as a house atop a rock, the teahouse is elevated above a rammed concrete base, while its sweeping copper roof echoes the roofline of the enclosed architectural relic.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

Its core material, rammed concrete, is a modern homage to the traditional earthen dwellings of the region, emphasizing a raw monumentality. Visitors are presented with two images of the building upon approach: the upright silhouette of the form, and its mirrored reflection duplicated in the surrounding pool of water.
A series of contrasts plays out among elements that are bright and dark, light and heavy, coarse and refined, as visitors enter the grand hall where the structure of the ancient residence is situated.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

Sky wells penetrate the roof, bringing natural light into the depths of the enclosure and illuminating the priceless artefact on display. Only upon reaching the mezzanine does the structural configuration of the building begin to reveal itself. The hovering metal roof is lifted 50 cm off the solid base by copper-clad trusses to introduce a sliver of continuous illumination around its periphery.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

Wrapping itself around the historical wooden structure, the mezzanine space allows visitors to appreciate intricate carpentry details at eye level.
The basement level includes a secondary arrival lobby housing a rotunda, a sunken courtyard and tasting rooms. At the top of the rotunda, a carved oculus capped by glass is submerged beneath the pool in the courtyard above.

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

It filters the sun through a thin film of water, creating a mesmerizing play of reflections..

© Neri & Hu

© Neri & Hu

The Relic Shelter | Fuzhou Teahouse Gallery

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Commercial tyres made using soybeans
CategoriesSustainable News

Commercial tyres made using soybeans

Spotted: Goodyear began making tyres using a soybean oil-based rubber compound in 2017, albeit in a limited way. Now, however, the company has announced that its Metro Miler G152 and G652 transit tyres will be manufactured using a soy-based compound in place of petroleum products. The move is an important step in Goodyear’s drive to completely replace petroleum-derived oils in its tyres by 2040.

According to Goodyear, the Metro Miler tyres will also incorporate technology to enhance toughness and tread life and resist sidewall damage. This includes reinforced shoulders and steel sidewalls, along with integrated sidewall wear indicators to make it easier to spot wear from excessive scuffing. The Metro Miler tyres also include a multi-compound, scrub resistant tread designed to stand up to the rigours of use in mass transit vehicles and resist excessive wear, chunking, cracking, and chipping. 

The soybean oil will replace about 11 liquid ounces of free-flowing petroleum oil per tyre. This may not seem like a lot, especially compared to the 7 gallons of oil used to make a car tyre, but multiply that 11 ounces by a fleet of 1,600 buses – the rough number used by some major metropolitan cities in the U.S. The result could mean the use of around 20 fewer barrels of oil per city fleet.

Dustin Lancy, commercial product marketing manager for Goodyear North America, points out that, “The use of soybean oil in the majority of the Metro Miler G152 and G652 tyres in production today is a significant Goodyear innovation that reduces the amount of petroleum-based materials needed for production.” The tyres are currently in production and available for ordering.

It is not often considered, but tyres are a major polluter. From their use of petroleum-derived materials to the way they emit microplastics, it is important to find sustainable ways to manufacture tyres. Luckily, a number of innovators are working to solve this problem. Solutions range from making a natural rubber from dandelions to a rubber made from sulphur and canola oil. 

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Website: goodyeartrucktires.com

Contact: goodyeartrucktires.com/contact/contact-us

Reference

Platform grades commercial buildings for sustainability and provides green alternatives
CategoriesSustainable News

Platform grades commercial buildings for sustainability and provides green alternatives

Spotted: As building managers and owners seek paths to achieve carbon neutrality, sorting through the vast quantity of available information is often overwhelming. Station A, a marketplace for connecting clean energy seekers and sellers, hopes to help simplify the situation. Owners enter the addresses of their buildings to receive a Clean Energy Grade.

The AI powered platform evaluates the myriad ways, based on its location and climate, in which a building can reduce its carbon emissions. Each Clean Energy Grade includes projected financial savings for the different renewable energy options.

The Station A platform then provides owners and managers with a single place to gather all quotes for clean power and electricity. Users can directly compare installation costs, retrofitting fees and the length of time required to pay off the project. Station A also acts as an advisory board, providing consultancy on all stages of a structure’s transition to clean energy.

For providers, Station A improves the efficiency of the process by gathering all the data required for a detailed quote. The platform also helps providers connect with a range of projects, from size to type of energy required.

The greening of the construction industry is picking up speed, as materials and processes undergo radical change. Hempcrete is becoming an increasingly popular choice, and architects and builders now have the digital means to measure and predict the carbon footprint of a building.  

Written by: Keely Khoury

Email: info@stationa.com

Website: stationa.com

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