LET'S TALK SHIT
revealing ugly truths
Unit Tutors: Inigo Minns, Ivan Morrison & Daisy Ginsberg
5th Year Thesis Research
Project Duration: 2019 - 2020
Location: UK & Canada
The unit brief for Diploma 12, called for us to develop a strategy for change to be brought about in the world. The strategy I developed was through the utilization of fibrous digestate from anaerobic digestors, specifically those that use animal and food waste, allowing for the creation of new building materials to help alleviate environmental and economic stresses, while challenging the ethics of how we build, perceive and culturally value materials.
It begins by teaching communities and building professionals alike, how this movement can benefit their area locally, to create a shift resulting in global impact.
New building materials can be created from fibrous digestate collected from anaerobic digestors (AD), specifically those processing animal and food waste.
The urgency is the excessive amount of waste produced specifically from dairy cows and the improper recycling of food that proves to be harmful environmentally. Anaerobic digestion helps farmers manage waste while benefiting from bio-gas fuel generated from extracting methane for electricity. A localised material supply strategy was envisioned to locate fibrous digestate.
Fibrous digestate was rigorously tested with various binding agents. To distinguish these materials from others, I have named them Digero. Construction techniques applied to Digero are rammed earth and compressed block.
For Digero to create real change, the process begins by teaching communities and building professionals how this movement can benefit them locally. This was explored and presented to local leaders through an actual proposal located at Covenant Church in the Niagara Region in Canada. Knowledge of how waste can be used as a powerful resource will create a shift, resulting in global impact.