mae

mæ has been developing solutions for cradle-to-cradle architecture. In particular looking at how buildings can be part of a holistic economic, industrial and social framework. We have considered how a building can be not just efficient but essentially waste free and have developed solutions for compostable architecture.

Our research started with the design for a compostable temporary performance space which was inspired by nature and children’s hobbies: a wasp nest and a papier mache pig.

We have designed a highly flexible, environmentally sound and very efficient building, which offers a highly democratic, inclusive and accessible space, and through its form and technology becomes a symbol of environmental responsibility, public engagement and the passing of time.

Our client’s brief asked for a large building to be transported in a relatively small container. A fabric building with a timber deck such as a marquee or inflatable could just fit in the 66m3 capacity of a 40ft or two 20ft containers, however it would not comply with the relevant legislation referred to in the brief. In order to achieve the volume required we therefore proposed a building that would be constructed from both materials transported in the containers and supplemented by locally sourced and recyclable materials - paper and water. We deliberately chose paper as it can be readily sourced at any venue globally.

The building is constructed like a child’s ‘papier mache pig’. Inflated moulds will be set up on site and sprayed with a cellulose pulp, which when mixed with water sets to provide a rigid semi-permanent structure. A lightweight sprayed pulp paper will act as an insulant and has the benefit of exceptional thermal performance and enviable environmental credentials, enabling the project to meet Building Regulations Part L requirements. A product such as Warmcel Insulation Fibre, manufactured from 100% recycled waste paper, is extremely resistant to fire and has a thermal conductivity value of only 0.036W/mK. It is an extremely low embodied energy material and is free of CFCs and VOCs. It has a Green Guide Ecopoint ‘A’ rating plus and also provides good acoustic insulation.

Like a moulting crab that leaves its shed shell behind the moulds would leave a lightweight, organic shell at each venue which would gradually grow with grass and plant life and rot down to form a mulch; a memory of the building’s former existence.

The building can be configured in a number of ways depending on how the moulds are set out on site. A number of volumes could be clustered around a courtyard or combined to form a large hall. Some sites may only require a small volume in which case only a couple of the moulds would be used. Six moulds set out on a grid would provide a volume suitable for a seated audience of 150 people and capacity for 200. The containers would be used as back of house spaces or as the entrance into the building.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 20ft shipping containers
• 6 x inflatable moulds
• 2 x zip up scaffold towers
• 1 air compressor
• 1 TurboFill injection system, spray gun with additional water nozzle
• 126.5cubic meters of recycled paper pulp, sourced locally, mix with 10KG bag of wild flower and grass seed
• 600sqm translucent PTFE skin with rigging eyes
• 18 x Billycans with hooks to connect to rigging eyes
• Electricity generator
• Pendant Light fittings
• High Lux digital projector
• 10 x multi-use 600x600x900 cupboard units for use as desks, workbench or kitchen unit
• 1 x handheld jigsaw
• Water, sourced on site