Material Matters - Contemporary architecture with low impact materials
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Architecture and planning beyond sustainability, MSc
Publicerad
2020
Författare
Molnár, Alina
Sjöberg, Gustaf
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
This thesis seeks to examine the implementation of natural, less processed and renewable materials
in a building design and how it could drastically lower the structure’s environmental impact while meeting
present-day standards. The intent is to renew how these materials are viewed within the building industry by
providing tangible examples of their application and performance in an urban context.
Even though the concepts of sustainability are becoming more mainstream, emission of greenhouse
gases, excessive use of resources, and loss of biodiversity are, among other factors, crucial aspects where
the building industry still fails to meet the conditions for sustainable development. The energy efficient
buildings of today cause their main environmental impact during construction and by the processing
and production of building materials, therefore it has become increasingly clear that buildings that use little
energy during their operational phase or measures of compensation is not enough.
The method used is to formulate a Low Impact Material-strategy for a Swedish setting and through it develop
a design proposal for a commercial building in central Gothenburg. This example then supports discussions
around how and with what our built environment is constructed, how it can have a more symbiotic relationship with our planet and will also demonstrate the architectural qualities gained from building with Low Impact Materials. Through this process the ambition was to gain the understanding necesary to develop examples of real applications of these values based on the prerequisites of a Swedish context and building industry. Knowledge that we will bring with us into the profession.
It is important to show that it is possible to rethink our elements of construction, because it matters how
the sourcing and processing of building materials impacts the ecosystems and biodiversity. It matters where
the materials we use come from, how they are fabricated, how they develop during their use and what happens to them after the building has outlived its lifetime.
Materials matter more than we might have thought.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Sustainability, Natural Materials, Lifecycle, Construction Details