Biobased means thinking in short cycles
Biobased really is a sub-branch of circular, says Daan Bruggink of ORGA architects. The circular economy knows two cycles, technical and biological. The biological cycle of course contains the ‘real’ natural materials: wood, reed, fibre, flax, and so on. Technical materials such as foam are often fossil-based. We should reuse or recycle 100% of these
Sustainable materials need certification and lobbies
Sustainable materials need to get certified, says Daan Bruggink. The architect is convinced that project developers will switch to more sustainable materials by including them in certification. At present, energy is already drawing much attention, says Daan, and that is why everyone (in the Netherlands) is building energy-efficiently. Similarly, sustainable materials will take a large
Sustainable construction is organising horizontally
Sustainable construction requires a team, says Daan Bruggink. These ‘construction teams’ (project partnering) are not a new concept, but they are still used far too little. You need each other’s knowledge. The designer is not responsible for the construction and shouldn’t want to be responsible; but the contractor shouldn’t be the only one responsible, because
Daan Bruggink: building naturally with ORGA
Daan Bruggink is one of the standard bearers of sustainable architecture in the Netherlands. If anything, he insists on building based on nature: ‘We at ORGA Architects first consider natural forms,’ he says. ‘Second, we consider natural techniques such as biomimetics and biomimicry. To give an example, the skin of a polar bear is black
Bamboo, a promising feedstock
Bamboo is a promising green feedstock. It is not only used for construction (approximately 1 billion people live in bamboo homes), we can now also make clothing from it and eat it. It is one of the fastest growing plants on earth, grows on degraded soils and does not need fertilizer or irrigation when cultivated.
Waste is the most important biobased resource; but legal barriers abound
We are underutilising waste, says Eva Gladek, CEO of Metabolic in Amsterdam. It is a very important source for a circular economy. The most important challenge is not technical but legal, although large companies like DSM need a more homogeneous feedstock than waste can generally offer. This challenge can be surmounted if we use biological
Eva Gladek: Metabolic puts innovation in biobased and sustainability to practice
Metabolic has quickly ascended to leadership in the field of circular economy consultancy in the Netherlands since its establishment in 2012. Recent projects include the bioremediation of a waterfront industrial area and a study of the world food system and its impacts for WWF. We interviewed its founder Eva Gladek. What does she consider major
Brexit was not about the EU
Imprisonment is the worst criminal punishment available to a European citizen. The long-term loss of freedom is loathsome for human beings, and the incarcerated almost always long for freedom. That is why stories involving prisons so often involve prison breaks, for example in movies such as The Great Escape, The Shawshank Redemption and Alcatraz. The
on: 17 July 2016