Building with Biomaterials

Abstract

Concrete buildings account for 80% of construction and generate 50% of global waste. Cement, which makes up 13% of concrete, is responsible for 6% of all anthropogenic emissions. To reduce a building’s carbon footprint, this thesis proposes developing a new building material from waste biomass that can be used for structure. It hypothesizes that structure made with bio-composite material can resisting forces through form. Two pathways are developed simultaneously to test the hypothesis: material studies and building science. Material studies focus on finding the optimal matrix for the bio-composite, considering material sourcing, building component dimensions, shrinkage and curing time while the building science pathway focuses on digital form finding, construction techniques and workflow. This thesis proposes the building of a quarter of a funicular structural vault as its final product to demonstrate material properties, fabrication technique, construction workflow and feasibility of building with biomaterials.