Waste + Innovative Design + Training = New Building Components + New Jobs + Dynamic Enterprise
The disposal of end-of-life materials from a wide range of sectors is creating an ever-increasing burden upon existing landfill sites across the UK. Many such products could be reused with little or zero remanufacturing requirements if the facilities were in place to allow for this. In Cornwall existing landfill sites have already reached capacity levels and waste will soon be shipped out of the region for remote disposal at a huge economic and carbon cost if production of waste is not dramatically reduced within the region.
A fundamental method of reducing waste generation is through the innovative reuse of materials and resources for new products and building components. The challenge set was to utilise waste materials available in the locality of the Eden Project (as identified through the Harvest Mapping Workshop) to create a small workshop ‘pod’ which could be used by the Eden Project and ASF-UK for future workshops and to raise awareness of the possibilities for reusing local waste materials in construction.
Harvest Mapping is a participatory method for obtaining information regarding all resources within a given area. In this case the investigation focused on waste materials, interested groups and organisations and local skills.
The process involved 10 volunteers researching and contacting countless businesses and local enterprises and as a result a comprehensive database of local resources ranging from heavy industry to waste recycling facilities was compiled.
Following the Harvest Mapping Workshop four further design and build workshops have taken place involving students, volunteers and professionals. The workshops have resulted in a small demonstration pod constructed from car tyre foundations, reclaimed timber and reused road signs. An additional covered teaching area has since been added built primarily from reclaimed timber and waste car tyres.
The designs drew on the expertise of volunteers as well as inputs from facilitators Jan Korbes of REFUNC and Rufus Maurice, a local carpenter. Other consultants include Césare Peeren of 2012 Architects, Bill Flinn and engineers Peter Beresford and Toby Murphy.
Final designs and details were developed on-site during the four building workshops and remained flexible to the fluctuations in material availability, ability to transport the materials and the fundamental constraints of time and inclement weather.
During the first two workshops (which took place in September and November, 2009 over a total of 9 days) the focus remained on collecting and documenting materials, development of the final design details and the prefabrication of the main elements. These were constructed off-site in the Eden Project workshop. The final 3-day workshop focused on the assembly of the main elements and completion of all final details from foundations to roof.
The final two workshops which took place in August, 2010 involved the design of an additional element which would join the pod to an existing exhibition on waste reduction. Over a total of 8 days a group of 12 volunteers and 3 building professionals worked to complete a dynamic structure which utilised both traditional and highly innovative building techniques. First the materials were ‘harvested’ from locally available waste streams (all of which were sourced within 10miles of the site) and then the group collaboratively designed, developed, tested and built a timber frame structure clad in reused car tyres.
The result of the workshops has been a functional and innovative series of structures which have acted as the catalyst for training a number of individuals in methods for building with reused materials and offers the potential for a great many more learning opportunities in the future.
A broad variety of skills were learnt by all including but not exclusively; scheduling, procurement methods for waste materials and a multiplicity of construction skills using tyres, scaffold poles, reused road signs and reclaimed timber.
It is hoped the structure will be used for future workshops as well as a promotional and educational tool to demonstrate the methods and potential of reuse in construction. As part of the project ASF-UK in collaboration with the Eden Project continue to develop future skills training workshops targeted at vulnerable and marginalised groups seeking to learn low impact construction skills.
Project Location: The Eden Project, Cornwall, United Kingdom
Date(s): August 2008 - ongoing
Project Phase: Design, test and build (ongoing)
Client: The Eden Project
User Client: Visitors to the Eden Project, school groups, ASF-UK workshop participants
Description and Number of Beneficiaries/Users: 18 architecture students and professionals benefitted from the additional skills they gained during the building process, future beneficiaries of the ongoing programme will include vulnerable youth and adults from the area during the next stages of the build process and ultimately the building will become a flagship project for re-use in construction.
Major Funding: Big Lottery, Awards For All. Funds to execute the harvest mapping exercise donated by the Eden Project
Concept/Lead Architect(s)/Designer(s): Andy Edwards
Project Architect(s)/Designer(s):Andy Edwards, Melissa Kinnear
Structural Engineers: Peter Beresford, Toby Murphy
Electrical/Mechanical Engineers: n/a
Contractor/Manufacturer: Jan Korbes, Boris Duijneveld, Rufus Maurice + ASF-UK volunteers: Ed Jaques, Jonathan Evans, Sarah Ernst, Benjamin Barth, Anya Thomas, Julia Wilson, Dipti Hingorani, Andy Edwards, Melissa Kinnear, Alistair Rennie, Hanne van den Berg, Matt Dash, Eamond Chapman, Junga Park, Kyle Bush, Neal Barnes
Additional Consultants: Bill Flinn, Césare Peeren
Total Cost/Cost per Unit: 13,000 (total cost including training workshops and process of exploration and testing)
Area (if applicable):
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Photo/Image Credit(s) Andrew Edwards
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