Biobased Creations, the eco-design studio, unveiled a showhome made out of biomaterial at Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. The house contains 100 different plant-based or natural materials including wood, mycelium, seaweed, straw and vegetable fibres as well as earth and sewage. Except for metal screw fixings, and glass windows, the house is completely made of biomaterials.
“We used 100 bio-based materials because we wanted to show what is possible,” explained Biobased Creations CEO and co-founder Lucas De Man.
With this project, called The Exploded View Beyond Building, or The Embassy of Circular and Biobased Building, the designers aim to show how eco-materials can be used in the construction of ordinary homes.
Featuring a modular design, the house was mainly constructed in a factory. The standard grid layout allows it to serve as a template for a wide variety of designs.
“If we want to build a million houses here in Holland in the next 10 years, then the design has to be scalable,” said De Man. “So it has to come from the factory and it has to be sustainable.”
“Some people think it’s too expensive to be modular and sustainable, but it’s actually cheaper. Non-sustainable modular is way more expensive.”
The building is also designed to be circular: the structural timber frame is demountable so the house could be relocated or recycled in the future. Outside and inside surfaces are provided by biomaterials, covering walls, floors and ceilings, and are also used for furnishings including tableware and bedding.
The bathroom showcases materials made from waste, such as blue wall tiles made from sewage and algae, and a compost toilet framed by a wall of 3D-printed sewage sludge. Materials made from food and plants are present in the kitchen, including tableware and plates made from eggshells and beakers from 3D-printed seaweed. Material made from flowers make up the ceilings, the walls are lined with grass and the door is clad in Totomoxtle, a wood veneer made from heirloom corn species.
An air filtration system integrates plants and nutshells while rainwater is harvested and reused. The house also features six different roof types, including two types of green roof and paving that absorbs rainwater.
Some elements on display include insulation made from reeds, seaweed wall tiles, acoustic wall panelling made from bioplastic and a bed made from natural rubber and linen. Mycelium is used to create wall tiles, insulation and a composite flooring.
De Man and Pascal Leboucq, lead designer for Biobased Creations, were already familiar with mycelium as they previously worked on The Growing Pavilion, presented at Dutch Design Week in 2019.
