Paper domus: The architectural potential of pulp

Abstract

Cardboard and paper is a cheap and easily accessible material with a wide variety of uses ranging from packaging of products to furniture design and even structural building elements. Besides being versatile in its area of use the it also has a low environmental impact since it is mainly constructed from renewable sources containing cellulose. On top of that the material itself can be recycled, picked apart and reused for the production of more paper when it has reached its expected lifespan. Still only about half of the around 400 million tons of cardboard and paper being produced each year is recycled. This means that approximately 200 million tons of cardboard leaves the recycle chain and ends up in landfills or is being incinerated which releases the stored carbon dioxide within the material. This thesis is aiming to make use of the cardboard and paper that is being wasted every year to be upcycled into architectural building elements. There are already projects that utilize cardboard as a building material. From using recycled paper tubes as pillars, to layering sheets of cardboard into building elements. The disadvantage of these methods is that they rely on intact or newly produced cardboard instead of recycled. This paper however is exploring the method of molding with paper pulp in an architectural context. By combining shredded cardboard or paper, water and an adhesive agent the pulp can be compressed or molded into solid elements that can be used to design building elements. Three different methods of working with the pulp is further investigated in this paper: compressive molds, rammed pulp, manually applied, and printing with pulp. In addition to these production methods a variety of additives will be used in the pulp to alter its material properties. These two variables is then combined to create discrete building elements made from paper pulp. Finally, these elements are put into context through a building proposal in Gothenburg entirely made with waste cardboard and paper.