FLAx REinforced Aluminium (FLARE): A bio-based Fibre Metal Laminate alternative combining impact resistance and vibration damping

Fibre metal laminates (FML) were initially conceived as a hybrid material, aiming to create synergy between the impact resistance of metals and excellent fatigue resistance of fibre reinforced polymers. The purpose of this approach was to overcome the limitations of single-material structures. However, despite its considerable promise, the use...

Temporal Complexity, how time influences life cycle assessments of bio-based materials: A research on the temporal aspects of life cycle assessments

Environmental harm is an influencing factor in policymaking, as climate pressures are frequently on the global agenda. An important tool to guide decision-making in the construction industry is the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, where the quantification of environmental harm is realised. In the method, an estimation of numerous...

Breaking Ground with Bamboo: Robotic Additive Manufacturing of a Self Supporting Wall with Bamboo

The construction industry and the existing building stock are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. To address this environmental challenge, there is a growing interest in using bio-based materials, such as wood, in architecture. Yet, the availability of wood resources is limited.<br/>Bamboo, a non-wood species, holds promise as...

Bio-based air ducts: The applicability of bio-based materials for the construction of air duct components.

Nowadays, air ducts components for ventilation used in offices, hospitals and schools are made from non-renewable materials mainly sheet metal and plastics. Continuing to feed the high demand of metals is a challenge and could result of depletion of natural resources. This raises the importance to look into renewable resources with a lower...

Effect of fiber length and dosage on the performance of reed fiber-modified bitumen and mortar

A Framework for Growth: Urban Architecture for Nature and Well-Being

Controlled Environment Agriculture to Renovation: Bio-base Materials from Element to Global Scale

In the global shift towards decarbonization of the built environment, the nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) goals in the Directive 2010/31/EU had been set as an achievable goal for the EU. By requiring all future constructions to utilize the integration of energy efficient services into the building as well as emphasize the reduction of...

On the surface interaction between Cylindrotheca fusiformis and aerospace aluminum alloys

Microbes, and the biofilms they form on surfaces, generally have a negative impact on performance. Well­-known examples are the increase of drag in ships and pipes, and the accelerated corrosion of metallic structures known as MIC. Among microbes, diatoms form a large unicellular algae group known to play a relevant role in the first stages of...

FLUX: Rethinking flows and networks to spark the transition towards a circular construction sector

The large demand for homes in the province of Zuid-Holland, population growth and urbanisation result in a huge demand for raw materials to be used in the construction sector. The next 20 years many new buildings will have to be built to support current trends. Given the fact that 50 percent of all extracted non-renewable resources is accounted...

Natural passive housing in the Lange Bretten of Amsterdam

This graduation project focuses on the architectural design of a passive and nature inclusive housing complex in the Lange Bretten, a natural area in Amsterdam-West. The complex offers a temporary home for the growing group of economic homeless of Amsterdam. The design goals for this type of housing include the symbiosis between these residents...

High-Performance All-Bio-Based Laminates Derived from Delignified Wood

The need for renewable bio-based materials that could replace well-established synthetic composite materials is rapidly growing. For example, bio-based materials are increasingly used in applications where a lightweight design should be combined with sustainability and recyclability. However, it is often very challenging to directly transfer...

Scalable bacterial production of moldable and recyclable biomineralized cellulose with tunable mechanical properties

Sustainable structural materials with excellent impact-resistance properties are urgently needed but challenging to produce, especially in a scalable fashion and with control over 3D shape. Here, we show that bacterial cellulose (BC) and bacterially precipitated calcium carbonate self-assemble into a layered structure reminiscent of tough...

Additive Manufacturing for Design in a Circular Economy

This PhD project explored how the use of 3D printing can support design in a circular economy. 3D printing is an emerging technology and is viewed as a promising production process for the circular economy because of its unique additive and digital character. The aim of design in a circular economy is to preserve the value of products and...

The Fungi Factory: Mycelium as a new building block for Parkstad

The graduation project started with my fascination for mycelium-based materials, ecology and the circular economy. The main goal I strive to incorporate within the design project is circularity by integrating the ecology within the existing build environment and society. Therefore, I choose the Harvest studio of Architectural Engineering chair,...

Bio-Based Composite Footbridge: Design, Production and In Situ Monitoring

This paper deals with the design, production and monitoring of a bio-composite footbridge with a span of 14 m across the river Dommel in the city of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The specific bio-composite material that was used for this research is a Natural Fibre Reinforced Bio-Polymer (NFRBP). The goal of the research is to prove that NFRBP can...

3D printed fiber reinforced lignin: Exploring the options to use wood in an additive manufacturing process

Problem definition and objective - Additive manufacturing has already been developed to use various sorts of plastics, metals, composites and concrete. Until now, the most used composite in building materials, natural wood, has not been used in an additive manufacturing process. The potential of using wood in<br/>an additive manufacturing...

Sustainability criteria and the bio-based materials sector in the Netherlands

Fossil fuels will run out in the foreseeable future. Out entire economic system is build upon fossil fuels and building up another base for this economic system is challenging. The only alternative for making materials that normally are derived from fossil fuels is the Bio-Based Economy. Materials in this way get made from biomass, such as sugar...