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BLOG NATURAL LIVING
In this blog we reflect on ecological building materials, energy concepts and how design contributes to positive health impact.
RECENT POSTS
RESYSTA MADE FROM RICE
ELEGANT HANGING SYSTEM
GREEN ROOFS
SEAWEED INSULATION
VAPOUR DIFFUSION-OPEN
FAR INFRARED HEATING
NOBELWOOD
NOBELWOOD EQUAL WEATHERING |
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RESYSTA MADE FROM RICE
100% natural and 100% wood-free. This material is made from 60% rice husks, 22% salt and 18% mineral oil. It does not swell, splinter, shrink, crack or rot. It requires minimal care and offers the look and feel of wood, while it does not weather. So it is a splendid choice for a long-lasting low maintenance façade with a natural look.
posted on October 19, 2015
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ELEGANT HANGING SYSTEM
The client asked when the rail will get mounted ...
For the project monument VW01, to avoid the need to drill holes in the wall for paintings, photographs or picture frames, we choose for a hanging system featuring a top rim that connects with the ceiling.
With this system, the ceiling, wall and hanging system smoothly unite. The rail also combines lighting, so it can enlighten the works of art in the most subtle way. The armatures, like the picture hanging, can easily be clicked into the rail.
The result is just stunning, the client did not see it was already there.
posted on July 03, 2015
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GREEN ROOFS
Green roofs, covered with vegetation and plants improve our environment. Rooftops on new buildings built in commercial zones in France must either be partially covered in plants or solar panels, under a law approved on Thursday, last week. Canada’s city of Toronto adopted a by-law in 2009 mandating green roofs on industrial and residential buildings.
Green roofing have positive impact on health and environmental benefits.
Green roofing improve the air quality as it filters pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air.
In addition to the obvious air quality benefit green roof provide remarkable levels of rainwater retention, it can absorb up to 60 tot 80 per cent of the rainwater it receives. Thus helping reduce problems with runoff and easing the stress on your municipal drainage systems. The water quality improves as the vegetation filters pollutants and heavy metals out of rainwater.
Green roofs provide thermal insulation, helping reduce the amount of energy needed to heat a building in winter and cool it in summer. The mass of the green roof also provides acoustic insulation.
Green roofing allows buildings to better retain their heat during the cooler winter months while reflecting and absorbing solar radiation during the hotter summer months, allowing buildings to remain cooler. With respect to hotter summer weather, green roofing is able to reduce the solar heating of a building by reflecting 27% of solar radiation, absorbing 60% by the vegetation through photosynthesis and evaporation, and absorbing the remaining 13% into the growing medium.
Also green roofs help to lower urban air temperatures. A concentration of green roofs in an urban area can even reduce the city's average temperatures during the summer.
Green roofs favour biodiversity for plants, insects, and animals that otherwise have limited natural space in cities, such as bees and giving birds a place to nest in the urban jungle.
Green roofing can extend the lifespan of a roof by over 200 per cent by covering the waterproofing membrane with vegetation, which shields the membrane from ultra-violet radiation and physical damage.
Combining sun panels with green roofing enhances the efficiency of harvesting sun. As a consequence lower the temperatures on green roofs, the efficiency of photovoltaic cell enhances, which provide the highest efficiency at temperatures below 25 degrees.
In addition to all the practical benefits, green roofing is aesthetically pleasing. Contemporary architecture places a strong focus on better air quality and preserving the natural environment.
posted on March 24, 2015
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SEAWEED INSULATION
These kiwi look-alikes of 2 to 10 cm are made from a renewable material that washes up on the shores of Mediterranean beaches and the Australian coast.
These balls of seaweed are made of the fibers from the Posidonia oceanica plant. The fibres are rolled into balls by the waves in shallow waters.
This raw material has proven itself capable of keeping buildings well insulated. It is ideally for a vapour diffusion-open construction. The fibers act as a buffer, absorbing water vapour and releasing it again without impairing its own ability to keep the building insulated.
Seaweeds are non-flammable (class B2), resistant to mould (class 1), and can be used as insulating material without the need for chemical additives. With a salt content of just 0.5 to 2 percent, it will not rot away.
The loose insulating material is capable of holding a considerable amount of energy: its value of 2.502 joules per kilogram kelvin (J/kgK) is 20 percent higher than that of wood or wood products.
Seaweed is 100% organic and is entirely free of extraneous or toxic matter, making it also particularly suitable for allergy sufferers.
posted on March 16, 2015
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VAPOUR DIFFUSION-OPEN CONSTRUCTION
Better and healthier buildings are becoming a more and more important concern. Why is a vapour diffusion-open construction better?
Vapour diffusion-open buildings have their origins in the past, where the moisture regulation was managed by vapour moisture diffusion within the construction. The air humidity is regulated in the construction, without any negative influence of the thermal properties.
Interiors wherein is lived, the air is moist from people, showers and cooking, breathing etc.
Therefore conventional building envelopes have vapour barriers, a layer with high resistance to moisture vapour diffusion, just below the interior finish (e.g. plaster). This prevents moisture to intrude the construction. However in this way we kind of live in plastic bags. The moisture has to get removed by ventilation systems.
In a vapour diffusion-open construction moisture also has a way out by diffusion through the walls and roof. To compare it with the breathing Gore-Tex jacket, that keeps rain out, but allows sweat vapour to easily escape. Vapour diffusion-open construction works the same by making the right choice of materials and construction. The outer layer has to allow vapour to exit, by using a vapour-permeable and moisture-resistant membrane.
Natural fibre insulation can absorb and transport vapour, from the warm and moist interior away to the outside of the building. Natural fibre insulation have a high thermal storage capacity provides a great barrier against the cold during winter. During summer the building remains cool for longer as natural insulation can store far more heat. The hottest moment of the day, around 2 o'clock, can be postponed with a 200 mm thick roof insulation to 8 o'clock in the evening, when the outside is cooled down and windows can open up for a fresh breeze.
Making use of materials with moisture regulating properties, there is no use for the vapour barrier at the inside of the construction. The materials naturally transport the moisture to the outside. A vapour diffusion-open and natural breathing environment is the result.
Vapour diffusion-open insulation regulates even air humidity, by absorbing and disposing moisture depending on the air humidity.
Instead of a vapour impermeable building, which is like living in a plastic bag, a vapour diffusion-open building feels like natural breathing.
posted on March 10, 2015
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FAR INFRARED HEATING
Far infrared radiation is the good part of the sun’s thermal energy. This is what we feel when we enjoy the warm rays of the sun on our bodies.
Infrared heats surface area, rather than heating volumes of air. The waves produce heat when they strike an object or surface causing the molecules of that object to oscillate. Conventional heating devices heat volumes of air, which is a far less efficient way of creating heat because as soon as the heating stops, the whole environment cools down rapidly. In contrast, the energy from infrared continues to be absorbed by the molecules in that object until they oscillate at the frequency of the radiation at which point the radiation is then reflected; all objects in the room become radiators. This process is far more efficient than conventional heating.
NASA discovered that infrared rays with a wavelength between 4-16 microns have the same rhythm as the water in our cells.
By using far infrared heat as opposed to traditional heating methods, the heat can penetrate deeper in to the body (up to 4 cm) without actually heating the surrounding air. Therefore infrared heat can penetrate your body without making the air surrounding you too hot or dry for comfort. Warming the body from the inside revitalizes human cells and tissue, whilst blood circulation is improved resulting in more oxygen and nutrients being transported around the whole body. This helps the immune system to function well. The better the immune system, the better our overall health.
There are technologies for Far Infrared heating that amount to safe, clean, low-cost energy that’s friendly to people and to the environment. That does not rely on fossil fuels, blow dust or allergens, or make noise and are 100% recyclable. To enjoy the benefits of far infrared heating, it is recommended to integrate it in a total plan, as it works in symphony with other surfaces and materials that absorb and reflect.
The far infrared rays bring a feel of comfort, like bathing in the afternoon sunshine.
posted on March 05, 2015
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NOBELWOOD
NobelWood bio-polymerized wood offers an alternative to tropical hardwood, based on fast growing pine wood and a bio-based resin made from the waste sugar cane stalks.
Pine wood of northern Europe is fully pressure-impregnated with water-soluble biopolymers made from bagasse. After a drying process the polymers strengthen the cell walls, improving the quality characteristics of the wood. As well as improved durability. The treatment creates consistent quality throughout the whole of the wood.
Biomodification results in a rich brown look that resembles the color of natural teak wood. The homogeneous structure of the selected pine for NobelWood gives a gradual weathering towards a final silver-grey exterior color when applied outdoors.
The resulting
NobelWood has durability class I, the highest
achievable durability rating.
Nobelwood is an excellent alternative to tropical hardwood.
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NOBELWOOD EQUAL WEATHERING
NobelWood Equal Weathering is a water-based coating to instantly imitate the natural weathered appearance that wood will gain after a year of outdoor exposure. The coating gives an evenly weathered look to the surface. The coating is UV permeable so the NobelWood will weather to a greyish appearance behind the coating. Once the coating fades the weathered look will remain and no further maintenance is necessary.
posted on March 02, 2015
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