Masterstudio: The Architect changemaker Semester 1

Neel Accou

I started this whole project looking for natural binders. I wanted to mix them with other waste materials from the sawmill close by the site. I stumbled upon a paper that said it was possible to extract Oak bark tannins and make a binder out of them. After some testing i was able to make a kind of glue, I then mixed this with sawdust and woodchips in order to make blocks. The result of these tests were really surprising and showed me that it was possible to make a construction material out of natural resources. I wanted my pavilion to be strictly made out of this material, so then I started to begin thinking about my design. There were two options, either I make thin panels and use a sub-structure to mount them on, or I would make massive walls that would support themselves. I chose the second option because I really wanted to stay true to my material and only use this. In order to build the pavilion I would made blocks so that you can control them and make different kind of blocks, the ones at the bottom would be heavier and denser with more glue, and the ones at the top would be lighter. In order to make it waterproof I also searched for natural water sealant, that’s when I found that pine resin is waterproof. At the bottom and the top I used this to make it waterproof.

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Masterstudio: The Architect changemaker Semester 1

Neel Accou