{"id":72435,"date":"2021-01-05T23:55:57","date_gmt":"2021-01-06T04:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=72435"},"modified":"2025-10-17T18:26:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T22:26:38","slug":"architecture-sustainable-building-materials","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/architecture-sustainable-building-materials\/","title":{"rendered":"Hands-On Architecture: Carleton Students Back in the Lab Investigating Sustainable Building Materials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Hands-On Architecture: Carleton Students Back in the Lab Investigating Sustainable Building Materials\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Recycled hemp biomass, water and lime. Cement, sand, fibres, plasticizers and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combine the first group of ingredients in the correct ratio and you can make hemp building blocks that perform exceptionally well as insulation and, with the right compression, could also work as a structural material in walls. Mix the second set and tweak the formula properly and you can use a 3D printer to produce thin slabs of ultra-high-performance concrete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both are building materials with the potential to reduce our carbon footprint \u2014 and both are being developed by master\u2019s students in the Carleton Sensory Architecture and Liminal Technologies<\/a> (CSALT) laboratory in the basement of the university\u2019s Architecture Building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the majority of Carleton students have spent the last 10 months learning from home on their laptops, Robin Papp (who literally has his hands in the hemp) and Sinan Husic (who is experimenting with concrete) couldn\u2019t complete their master\u2019s research without getting into the lab a couple days each week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Prof.
Prof. Sheryl Boyle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Architecture is an academic discipline that requires interplay with the physical world. Thankfully, Carleton\u2019s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism<\/a> has the space \u2014 and the will \u2014 to find ways for students to safely continue in-person work that addresses global challenges such as climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHands-on learning provides an entirely different way of knowing something, which is vital for architecture,\u201d says Prof. Sheryl Boyle<\/a>, who supervises Papp and Husic and secured the MITACS<\/a> grants that fund their research partnerships with Hurd Solutions<\/a> and the Canadian Precast\/Prestressed Concrete Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArchitectural imagination mediates our ideas or concepts and sensory experience,\u201d continues Boyle.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cCorporeal presence provides access to another level of understanding. For me, it\u2019s the most important part of teaching and learning in architecture.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cBoth of these projects address the material makeup of our buildings,\u201d she adds, \u201cand the material makeup of our buildings needs to change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Hands-On<\/figure>\n\n\n

Following COVID-19 Safety Procedures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CSALT lab is divided into three separate workshops. One is being used by Papp, another by Husic and the third by studio teaching fellow Jesse Bird, a recent architecture master\u2019s graduate who is working on a building material made from recovered paper and cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All three follow Carleton\u2019s COVID-19 screening protocol<\/a> before coming to campus, wear masks when they\u2019re in a shared space, and sanitize surfaces and door handles before they leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hurd Solutions provides Papp with large amounts of hemp biomass \u2014 the byproduct of rope and fabric manufacturing, with virtually no THC content, that would otherwise be considered waste. He mixes it with water and lime and other natural additives and pours the resulting mixture into a four-inch by four-inch form, presses the material, and then removes the form to let it dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Robin
Robin Papp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Because the \u201chempcrete\u201d is breathable, it works well as insulation. Boyle likens it to breathable Gore-Tex, whereas the building envelopes we typically use today are more like plastic bags with supplemental ventilation systems \u2014 an important distinction at a time when COVID-19 has drawn our attention to the need for clean healthy air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Papp is also using a small hydraulic press to experiment with denser, stronger hemp panels that could be used as a structural material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very much a hands-on learning process, getting a feel for it and playing with different ratios and mixtures,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cHemp has been around for a long time in fabrics, cordage and is used in construction in Europe, but we\u2019re only starting to consider it for building in North America.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Papp describes the process that he uses as \u201cmessy,\u201d so he\u2019s glad to have a suitable workshop. And though he misses the studio life that architecture students usually experience \u2014 bouncing ideas off one another in a large, shared open space \u2014 he considers himself fortunate to be able to come to campus at a time when so many others cannot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very quiet,\u201d he says, \u201cand for me there\u2019s an advantage to being on my own. The solitary research time helps with my thesis work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Sinan<\/figure>\n\n\n

Experimenting with Low-Carbon Concrete<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Husic sees Papp on occasion in the CSALT lab \u2014 \u201cit\u2019s nice to have human contact once in a while,\u201d he says \u2014 but for the most part is similarly alone.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s important to have access to these facilities for my work and I\u2019m incredibly lucky,\u201d says Husic.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cI feel guilty sometimes because not all of my colleagues have access to the equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lack of distractions allows Husic to focus on his research, which explores both digitally fabricated and handcrafted concrete. The final product of his thesis will be a life-size 3D printed concrete chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sinan
Sinan Husic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New methods of making concrete are being developed around the world, he explains, but this work is generally proprietary and secretive. Cement is very carbon-intensive to produce, so people are trying ingredients such as clay powders and recycled blast furnace slag and various fibres, plasticizers and other additives in the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fine chemistry,\u201d says Husic, who uses a large 3D printer \u2014 a rotating arm with a one-metre radius atop a two-metre pole \u2014 to extrude concrete that cures instantly. \u201cI\u2019m experimenting with the formula to come up with the right recipe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis gives me an intimate understanding of how the material works on a variety of levels. What\u2019s the thinnest you can cast it? What\u2019s the thinnest you can print it? Concrete was basically the first plastic. You can form it into whatever you want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A half-inch-thick slab of the ultra-high-performance concrete he is working on could have the same strength as a six-inch-thick piece of conventional concrete, which on a large construction project can lead to significant carbon savings.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cConcrete is a completely necessary material in our buildings,\u201d says Boyle, \u201cso any attempt to reduce its carbon footprint is very much a project of the present.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThis kind of research builds a thought process that\u2019s transferable to any material,\u201d says Husic. \u201cPeople are thinking about the sustainability of materials in every industry. Architects typically work with technologies that other people invent and we try to use them in practical and unconventional ways. It\u2019s great to be at a university and learn how some of these technologies really work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Hands-On<\/figure>\n\n\n

The Show Must Go On<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Husic and Papp aren\u2019t the only architecture students using their hands these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To support students who are working at home but still need materials laser cut, 3D printed or fine-tuned by CNC (computer numerical control) machines, as well as students and faculty who need to borrow cameras and other audio-visual equipment, the Fab Lab<\/a> on the ground floor of the Architecture Building opened a take-out window for contactless service that\u2019s booked in advance online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudents need to validate their designs in a physical way \u2014 designs and things like scale don\u2019t come to life on a screen,\u201d says digital craft technician Steve MacLeod, who built the fast food restaurant-like window, complete with a doorbell, microphone, speakers and pay system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Digital
Digital Craft Technician Steve MacLeod<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStudents need an opportunity to tinker. They have to do it in order to learn. And we\u2019re taking all the steps we can to support them in a safe way.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cDigital equipment like CNC laser cutters doesn\u2019t like to sit still,\u201d adds MacLeod.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually good to keep it working.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early January, life will also return to the Pit \u2014 the open space at the heart of the Architecture Building \u2014 as Prof. Yvan Cazabon<\/a>\u2019s theatre production workshop gets rolling, one of a handful of courses that have been approved as face-to-face pilot projects at Carleton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workshop, which will bring together up to a dozen or so students from Architecture and the English<\/a> Department\u2019s Drama Studies<\/a> program, incorporates all of the elements of staging a live show, such as set and prop construction, lighting design and video projection. One session each week will be conducted remotely and the other will be in-person on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Prof.
Prof. Yvan Cazabon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the last eight years, the class has culminated in a performance for a live audience, everything from Shakespeare to contemporary theatre, sometimes in partnership with local theatre companies. This spring\u2019s pandemic-era production, according to Cazabon, could revolve around an online broadcast or possibly an outdoor venue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To satisfy the COVID safety requirements of Carleton\u2019s face-to-face pilot process, Cazabon submitted an 18-page proposal, detailing how the space will be physically used and who will be present, mask and sanitizing protocols, ventilation, washroom access and the learning outcomes that benefit from face-to-face instruction.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cA big part of theatre relies on interpretation and improvisation,\u201d says Cazabon.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to improvise when you\u2019re separate from each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the action, as well as the environment, that give meaning to a concept,\u201d he continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s set design or sound and lighting design, I can\u2019t imagine working on these things with students in any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

—
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Recycled hemp biomass, water and lime. Cement, sand, fibres, plasticizers and water. Combine the first group of ingredients in the correct ratio and you can make hemp building blocks that perform exceptionally well as insulation and, with the right compression, could also work as a structural material in walls. Mix the second set and tweak […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":72439,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[13,25,1592],"cu_story_tag":[1918,1923],"class_list":["post-72435","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-research-discovery","cu_story_type-student-experience","cu_story_type-teaching-learning","cu_story_tag-faculty-of-engineering-and-design","cu_story_tag-graduate-studies"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/72435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/72435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98229,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/72435\/revisions\/98229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=72435"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=72435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}