Conclusion

Test Summary

Overall analysis of our test phase showed the tubes to maintain structural integrity under compression. Cardboard provided adequate bracing and barrier to the water with no penetration of moisture to the inside of the shelter. Although cardboard is inadequate as a fire rated material alone, insulators such as Ceramiboard incorporate a layer of ceramic fibres in between cardboard and could be investigated as a fire rated material. The PVA glue used as a protective sealant in this simulation failed under the application water sooner than expected; despite Westborough Cardboard School using the substance in their manufacturing of cardboard materials, they applied an organic polymeric coating to protect its vulnerable underlying materials. The application of PVA glue for this simulation was due to it being affordable and accessible, and believed it would provide a reasonable level of protection to the cardboard. We however acknowledge the use of other organic applied sealants would be a sustainable alternative. 

Rainfall Test

Setting Conditions Pre-Rainfall:

Untitled from Al Mortiboys on Vimeo.

Additional Construction

The addition of downpipe drainage:

Construction Video......'The Making of'

Untitled from Al Mortiboys on Vimeo.

The Construction

Finalised Design:

Construction Materials:

Power Tools:

Cardboard Tube Studs to Top/Bottom Plate Connection:

Case Studies

The following case studies highlight the research into key concepts of the sustainable shelter:

Shigeru Ban, The Takatori Church & the use of Cardboard Tubes.  

Shigeru Ban is noted to be interested in weak materials and is renowned for paper tube construction; drawing from old modernist ideals; he wanted beauty to be obtainable by the masses, even the poorest. ‘Refugee shelters have to be beautiful’ he says. ‘Psychologically refugees are damaged.’[1] He began to use the cardboard tubes in the mid 80s. He was impressed by the by the material’s load bearing capacity labelling cardboard improved wood.

Used as a rescue base post the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995, The Takatori Church designed by Shigeru Ban offered a lodge for volunteers and was used a soup kitchen. It was ultimately recognised as a community based cultural exchange[2].

A key sustainable reference is that although the centre was deconstructed in 2005, the city of Nantou, Taiwan, which suffered the 921 earthquake received the Takatori Church where it was reconstructed and is used as a place of worship.

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This case not only confirmed the strength of a low impact and affordable material  such as cardboard tubes, but drew on a element of reuse highlighting the cradle to cradle movement.  

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[1] Time.com, Belinda Luscombe, He Builds With a Really Tough Material: Paper, Architecture and Design The Next Wave, 2000. 

[2] wikipedia.org/wiki/Takatori_Catholic_Church, 2011

Analysis of existing construction: Westborough Primary School.

This particular project was set up as a basis for others who may consider using this construction technique in the future. The client had hoped this approach would help to reduce the environmental impact of construction in the future.

The cardboard elements of this construction were manufactured in a manner specified by the engineer. This case study presented examples if we were to progress this project further; we would use this information as a basis. As this is only a prototype at this stage, we will utilize the recycled materials made available to use through local waste.

As cardboard is to seal both the walls and ceilings the waterproofing of these elements is crucial to the longevity of this structure. The structure is to undergo simulated rainfall for 5 minutes, this being the main concern. There is also further concern with cardboard being hygroscopic, meaning it will absorb moisture from the air.  In the Westborough school construction there was a 3-step approach to the protection of the card:

a)      Water-resistant additives are added to the card during production rendering the board water resistant. This option wasn’t available to use as we were using non-specific, recycled cardboard.

b)      Different coatings were applied to the exterior and interior of the card to help manage the issues arising from moisture within the building. For the purpose of our testing we decided it was appropriate to only apply a coating to the exterior of the card.

c)      Overcladding was applied to the finished board to improve longevity of their building. The cardboard was deeming waterproof and structurally sound, however an impact of any kind would have made these elements vulnerable to moisture and degradation. As longevity was not a concern during this testing stage this level of protection was deemed excessive.

We needed to consider how the cardboard would be sealed from the elements. We discussed various methods of sealing, finally opting for a layer of PVA glue to be applied to the exterior. A PVA glue was used in the manufacturing process of the cardboard in this school, further confirming our decision to use this method.

There were significant costs incurred for the Westborough Primary School project. Although the basis of the project was to use freely available recycled material, the prototype nature and processing of the elements led to relatively high costs. We are attempting to keep our costs to a minimum by amending our design to suit the properties of the materials that are available.

Design Analysis

Brain Storm

Discussion between us inevitably lead to key areas of research and the following expanded points are outlined in a series of pro’s and cons from our mind map:

§         Fibrous Skin; Sugar cane pulp is a by-product from the refining process of sugar and is a strong and stringy fibre we considered as an alternative to straw bale construction or perhaps in the constitution of mud brick construction. The positive attributes noted is this fibre is plant based and recycled.

The implications for this project included how to apply the fibre, as well as negative theoretical impacts such as embodied energy in transport for these fibres to reach the required location as sugar refineries are zoned climatically for growth as far as Northern NSW and regional areas of Queensland. Also the noted health risks from fibre manipulation include chronic lung illnesses[1].

§         Straw bale lining, with cardboard tubular construction. The availability of straw, its insulating properties, and being plant based were this method’s key attributes; however wall thickness/ space consumption and protection from moisture to the cardboard structural tubes were cons that were discussed.

§         Mud skin on cardboard construction as an alternative finish; the conclusion was drawn that adhering mud to the card would be difficult and we explored the use of chicken wire type material to overcome this;  although mud would draw moisture to the cardboard; the cardboard generally required a non-porous finish.

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[1] wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagasse, 2011

The Beginning....Part 2

In response to the challenge to analyse, design, construct and test a sustainable building system; the approach to deciding the format of our construction involved a group brainstorming process to identify concepts in method to developing the shelter.