MSGID: 1:317/3 647ac1f1   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    House of moveable wooden walls unveiled, promising a cheaper, greener   
   alternative to 'knocking through'.    
      
     Date:   
         June 2, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Cambridge   
     Summary:   
         Architects have designed a prototype home constructed with flexible   
         wooden partition walls which can be shifted to meet the changing   
         needs of residents. The invention aims to reduce waste and carbon   
         while also improving living conditions for those who cannot afford   
         expensive refurbishments.   
      
      
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   University of Cambridge architects are inviting visitors to the London   
   Design Biennale to experience a prototype home constructed with flexible   
   wooden partition walls which can be shifted to meet the changing needs   
   of residents.   
      
   The invention aims to reduce waste and carbon while also improving living   
   conditions for those who cannot afford expensive refurbishments.   
      
   House-owners the world over consider 'knocking through' walls to   
   achieve more open-plan living or changing layouts to accommodate new   
   arrivals or circumstances. The results may be impressive, but they   
   come at a sizeable financial and environmental cost. But what if it   
   wasn't necessary to demolish internal brick and/or plaster walls and   
   build new ones?  Researchers at Cambridge's Centre for Natural Material   
   Innovation and partners PLP Architecture have just unveiled Ephemeral,   
   an innovative alternative using engineered wood, at the London Design   
   Biennale at London's Somerset House (1st -- 25th June 2023).   
      
   The project, led by Cambridge researcher Ana Gato'o, invites visitors   
   to step into a home constructed around principles of affordability,   
   sustainability, flexibility and adaptation. The flexible wooden partition   
   walls -- developed by Gato'o as part of her Cambridge PhD research --   
   are made using kerfing, which allows wood to bend without breaking,   
   the same technique employed in the construction of guitars and other   
   stringed instruments.   
      
   The resulting wooden walls are simple, resilient, foldable and movable,   
   meaning they can respond to the changing needs of residents, for instance,   
   as children are born or leave the nest; as age or mobility bring changing   
   requirements; or as homeworking patterns change.   
      
   Gato'o says: "Self-assembly and modular furniture have improved so many   
   people's lives. We've developed something similar but for walls so people   
   can take total control of their interior spaces."  "If you have lots of   
   money, you can hire a designer and alter the interiors of your house,   
   but if you don't, you're stuck with very rigid systems that could be   
   decades out-of-date. You might be stuck with more rooms than you need,   
   or too few. We want to empower people to make their spaces their own."   
   The team's 'rooms of requirement' provide elegant, affordable solutions   
   which can be built into the fabric of the building from its first design,   
   or seamlessly retrofitted -- avoiding the mountains of carbon associated   
   with demolition and reconstruction.   
      
   Gato'o says: "We're using engineered timber, which is affordable and   
   sustainable. It's a natural material which stores carbon, and when   
   you don't need it anymore, you can make something else with it. So you   
   are creating minimal waste."  Gato'o and her colleagues are based in   
   the University of Cambridge's Centre for Natural Material Innovation,   
   a world leader in research into innovative and sustainable uses of timber   
   in construction.   
      
   The team emphasises that their system could be used anywhere in the world,   
   in workplaces as well as in homes, and the researchers have already   
   had encouraging conversations with industry, including with affordable   
   housing developers in India.   
      
   Gato'o says: "I've worked in development and post-disaster housing   
   with NGOs in many countries around the world, always using sustainable   
   materials. When I started my PhD, I wanted to merge making housing more   
   affordable and social with technical innovation and sustainability. This   
   is what our cities of the future need -- caring for people and the   
   environment at the same time."  Implemented at scale, this innovation   
   could change the construction industry for the better, empowering people   
   to adapt their spaces to their needs while slashing housing costs and   
   overcoming some of the hurdles which the construction industry must   
   tackle to be part of a sustainable future.   
      
   Working with Cambridge Enterprise, the research team is seeking   
   industry and policy partners to further advance product feasibility for   
   industry-wide adoption.   
      
   The project is supported by PLP Architecture, The Laudes Foundation,   
   the Future Observatory and the AHRC Design Accelerator.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Matter_&_Energy   
                   # Construction # Engineering_and_Construction #   
                   Civil_Engineering # Engineering # Energy_Policy   
                   # Materials_Science # Telecommunications #   
                   Consumer_Electronics   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Ethanol_fuel o Energy_development o Carbon_dioxide   
             o Automobile_emissions_control o Road-traffic_safety o   
             Hydrocarbon o Carbon_monoxide o Instrumental_temperature_record   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Cambridge. The original   
   text of this story is licensed under a Creative_Commons_License. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230602115103.htm   
      
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