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GROWING ALTERNATIVE SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS: BIO-COMPOSITE PRODUCTS FROM NATURAL FIBER, BIODEGRADABLE AND RECYCLABLE POLYMER MATERIALS FOR LOAD-BEARING CONSTRUCTION COMPONENTS
Description:
The project is an integrative educational and research project that will revolutionize design and construction methods towards more sustainable buildings. The project will develop and test new product design concepts using bio-composite materials in load-bearing and façade elements in buildings, derived from natural fibers combined with bio-polymers or thermoplastic recyclable polymers to form matrix materials that result in a product that is derived from biodegradable, renewable and recyclable resources. The challenge will be to develop alternative and innovative design concepts that optimize on the unique properties of these materials.
These building components are targeted as the main products for construction in the context of economy, manufacturing, energy conservation, thermal performance, structural strength, durability, construction, end use and disposal. The project will integrate the disciplines of architecture, structural engineering, environmental technology, materials science, industrial engineering and natural resources, in order to address the interdisciplinary nature of buildings and their environmental impact. We have included practitioner partners from the automotive, architecture and manufacturing industries to collaborate on product development. The design concepts will be evaluated through professional practice peer review, materials and manufacturing analysis, prototyping, laboratory testing, computational simulation and life cycle analysis. The positive implications for P3 will be to encourage non-food farming to supply materials for ‘growing’ buildings, serving to preserve the planet’s natural resources, promote agricultural diversity and increase prosperity for agricultural communities across all nations. The pedagogical value of this project will be translated to hundreds of students through the different disciplines into a number of senior capstone engineering and architecture technology courses in each of the associated colleges.