Greenhouse

Greenhouse

Text: Superuse on site | Photography: © Denis Guzzo

GREENHOUSE embodies the classic look of a wooden barn and the typical structure of Dutch greenhouses: reused materials combined with DIY community-based building for a low impact and comfortable living environment

In the heart of the Dutch countryside of Drenthe, Superuse on Site designed and developed an exceptional living unit for the “Foundation for The New World.” Formed in 1969, this international community is one of the oldest in The Netherlands. The collective owns 10 hectares of land, where they live following a sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle, ecological thinking, and spiritual awareness. 

aerial views of the GreenHouse immersed in the countryside | © Denis Guzzo

In the context of an intentional and environmentally aware community, Superuse on Site created a synergy between the design and building process, resulting in a communal effort and empowering cooperation during the whole process. Greenhouse embodies the classical look of a Dutch wooden barn and the typical structure of Dutch greenhouses. The structure forms a barrier between the southern vegetable garden and the backyard, where parking, firewood storage, and recycling are organized.

↑ Image slider: aerial views of the GreenHouse

Assignment for
Superuse on site

Design a flexible house for two families in the community that can be transformed, if needed, into a home for four-families in the future. The house must represent an example of a living unit that utilizes as little energy as possible for heating and ventilation, be built with as little impact as possible during construction, and once in use. There was a budget of €250,000; exceeding this would be at the expense of the social sustainability of the community. It is preferably to be built from bio-based materials and reused components, with a natural look.

The northern facade with limited windows to optimize the internal micro-climates.

The western and eastern sides reveal the hybrid use of material. 

On both sides water is colleted for gardening.

↑ Image slider: selected horizontal views of the Greenhouse’s exteriors.

 

Approach and process

Superuse on Site approached the initial phase of the design process by living at the location for a month, creating an inventory of the available materials on site, the various local flows, and the skills available among the community. The design and sustainability principles adapted to these primary conditions and available resources. Thanks to the building skills of the owners and volunteers and the low-tech climatic approach, S.o.s. was able to develop this outstanding project within the given budget.

S.os adaption of the concept presented in DeKay, M., Brown, G.Z. (2014) Sun, Wind & Light. Architectural Design Strategies.  

An ecosystem of disciplines

By choice, most of the design was created on-site, allowing for direct dialog and decision-making with the community, and for making the most of direct observations of the flows of materials, functions, and the climate study across the seasons.  An initial concept of a mud house in a glasshouse was further developed to a mud coated and wooden cladded strawbale house merged with a glasshouse. S.os then worked closely with SUS ateliers whose teachers and students developed climate models and calculations.

↑ Image slider: approach and process. Photos courtesy of Hobbitstee & Eva Flendrie.

Some of the facilities arranged to host the volunteers.

↑ Image slider: approach and process. Photos courtesy of Hobbitstee & Eva Flendrie.

Though the project was supervised by the architects and advisors an environment was created to learn and share knowledge. Furthermore, to feed and house all the volunteer workers with healthy and organic food, the community developed additional facilities. The gardens were cultivated to provide a variety of vegetables. A bakery was set up, and the local company Westerzwam implemented mushroom cultivation on coffee grounds from the daily coffee breaks of a nearby military base.

In addition, a workshop, a canteen with a cafeteria, and several tiny houses were built across the plot of land. The facilities created to support the building process resulted in a relevant upgrade that has strengthened local food production and economy. They remain in use for communal dinners, bartering, trading food with neighbors and friends, and hosting visitors.

Materials and technique

The sketch design for the GreenHouse was converted into a shopping list of building materials to be ‘harvested’. Inhabitants and volunteers were trained by Superuse, joining together as the ‘Harvest Team’, scouting and listing suitable material options. From these findings, the final selection of materials was based on their potential, price, transport distance and logistics, and prioritizing the most natural and durable. As a result, most materials for the GreenHouse were found either on-site or at neighboring properties. Superuse method is adaptive; many details were not pre-defined but created during the construction process, adapting to the chosen materials and their peculiarities. 

↑ Details of the reused wooden beams exposed in the winter garden.

As a result, most materials for the GreenHouse were found either on-site or at neighboring properties. Superuse method is adaptive; many details were not pre-defined but created during the construction process, adapting to the chosen materials and their peculiarities. 

The wooden skeleton, efficiently upcycled, offered flexibility for DIY construction, layout variants, and reuse. All materials were harvested from local businesses and farmers. The attached greenhouse has been reinforced with standard greenhouse materials such that it complies with building regulations. Implementing passive climatisation approaches with optimal orientation, sizing and zoning, thick insulation, and the mass of clay flooring, two mass-heaters, and 16 PV/warm water panels are more than enough added technology to create a comfortable living environment.

↑Image slider: selected horizontal photos of the winter garden.

Durability and low energy consumption

The house is designed and built to be adaptable and last for many generations. It can breathe thanks to the straw/clay walls, it is naturally ventilated, and it supplies electricity, resulting in only a short wood heating season being needed. Positioning, orientation, size, and shape are fine-tuned to optimize the internal climate across the seasons.

Sun, shadow, and prevailing winds analysis were taken into account when locating the GreenHouse on the property. Low vegetation on the north facade enhances privacy and cooling ventilation, while a row of trees on the south can provide more shade in the summer. Because of this position, the house warms itself with the low winter sun.

↓ Details: interior views of the ground floor.

↓  Image slider: interior views of the ground floor.

↑Image slider: interior views of the ground floor.

  Single images: interior views of the ground floor and the stair.

Insulation, zoning, buffering reduces heating, cooling and daylighting needs

During the summer period, a cool air flow is created from the shaded north microclimate where windows are minimalized to provide light where needed. The locally sourced highly insulating  straw walls provide insulation the whole year.

Clay was sourced from directly next to the house, applied as a 6 cm layer to the straw bale walls and as a 30cm layer on top of the concrete foundation over the entire ground floor. When appropriately exposed or shaded from the sun’s rays, this thermal mass helps to stabilize the interior temperature by slowly releasing warmth or coolth.

Core living and daytime spaces are buffered from unwanted heat gain or heat loss. Functions needing more daylight and warmth (living, dining, cooking, study, and play) are grouped and zoned towards the natural daylight and warmer southern side. Functions needing less light and warmth (storage, hallways, stairs, bedrooms, and bathrooms) are grouped and zoned toward the darker and cooler northern side and attic.

Fixed insulation

a) Foundation: 2 x 10 cm reused PIR Rc 10 b) Walls: straw bales Rc 7

c) Roof: reused SandwichPanels Rc 9,6.

d) Windows: reused HR+ (U 1.6 Rc 0.6 Movable extra insulation +Rc 1

Shutter, thermal curtains, thermal blinds add an extra Rc value of 1.0 to windows.

 

The glasshouse acts as climate machine for sun driven ventilation, warming and cooling

When the sun shines, the air in the glasshouse warms quickly, creating a stack effect. The updraft of hot air generated can move either warm or cool air through the house, depending on which window and door vents are opened or closed.

All internal doors have ventilation grills, and all windows have ventilation and two settings to manually regulate the flow of air. 

The glasshouse reduces heat loss from the main house as windows are protected from cooling wind and rain. This increases the insulation value of the southern facade by an additional Rc of 0.2. Combined with individually managed internal thermal curtains, the two layers add an additional Rc of 2 giving a total Rc of 4.2 for the southern facade at night.

Roof installations

 The manual mechanism regulates the aperture of the greenhouse’s glass windows.

In addition to the thermal mass and insulation, low-tech solutions such as sun shading and roof windows can be adapted to the weather. After an extended study, S.os is now developing automation that can assist the inhabitants with the harvesting of direct sun, for passive heating or shading.

Image slider: details of the adopted climatic solutions.

 ← ROOF INSTALLATIONS The building is oriented 3 degrees east of solar south and with a 25-degree inclination of the southern roof to maximize direct solar gain in winter:

– 16 solar PV panels provide electricity for the GreenHouse as well as for a neighboring house. 

 – 6 x solar tube panels close to the bathrooms provide hot water for living units.

 

As well as monitoring the climate response of the building after delivery, S.o.s. also provided general guidelines for optimizing the different aspects of the passive climatisation system, such as the addition of shading curtains for the big glass facade, the manual mechanism for roof openings, and other guidelines that prioritize the active use of the passive house design features for a low energy consumption but still comfortable living.

↑  Single images: the stair that leads to the first floor.

↑  Single images: interior views of  the first floor  ↓

↑  In the northern, eastern, and western facades, windows were strategically placed for views, daylight, or ventilation. Roof windows also provide for ventilation and light in key areas such as over the staircases and first-floor bathrooms →

                                                                                 

 

                                                                                 

 

Also the interaction with the landscape was taken into account when placing the windows, creating beautiful views enhanced by the interior’s perspectives  ↓

↑ Single image: detail of the master bedroom in the attic, second floor.

↓ Single image: main view of the winter garden during the summer.

While Superuse is known for reuse, this has been only one aspect of designing sustainable architecture from its start in 1997; Superuse is also investigating other aspects and flows such as energy, water, food, and local economies. GreenHouse and the local community have been the perfect project to implement this interaction of disciplines, based on more than two decades of Superuse’s experience with workshops and project management.

Superuse on site’s Superuse on site’s core team: Césare Peeren, Mel Feldmuller, Frank Feder.

The process was made possible due to a core action of team building, where clients, architects, and volunteers cooperate over the long term: a common effort that resulted in added social value based on commitment, cooperation and learning.

After a long restoration, we are proud to present the end result of Superuse co-founder Césare Peeren’s home. A beautiful example of how our cities could evolve, re-using pre-existing housing and local material flows.

Superused Home

Superused Home

After a long restoration, we are proud to present the end result of Superuse co-founder Césare Peeren’s home. A beautiful example of how our cities could evolve, re-using pre-existing housing and local material flows. Starting from the ’90s, thanks to cooperation between the municipality and private owner, the street’s new inhabitants managed to save the whole housing complex. Césare’s house has resulted in an organic assembling of elements and materials from other Superuse ‘s projects realized during the following two decades, implementing flows of re-used materials into the renovation process.

While this portfolio includes a small selection of photographs, you might want to see the extended preview ; the link is also at the end of the page.

The whole housing complex along the east side of the Gerald Scholtenstraat in Rotterdam’s northern part resume today three decades of community efforts. Where inhabitants joined forces to save the heritage value of the street.

The communal approach is also expressed in the collaboration between Césare and his neighbor Hugo; a master of crafts in building and interiors who has been an essential ingredient to complete the restoration, sharing both efforts, knowledge, and investments.

↑ Above image slider: Césare Peeren and Hugo Lammerink during the finishing of the garden’s facade.

“It is made with the waste of the waste of the waste,”

↑  Quote from the interview with Césare Peeren, June 2019.

For example, the garden’s facade’s insulation has been realized upcycling Trespa plates leftover from the other two projects. Initially, the gray panels were office desks dismantled from a bank in Rotterdam around 2009. The material was mainly reused for the DortYart project.

DortYart Art Center | Dordrecht NL | Design by Superuse | Photo © Denis Guzzo

Superused Home’s exterior views

↑  Image slider: the street views of the house. 

Respecting the historical aesthetics and local regulations, the house has been maintained in its original look at the street side, while it has been reinterpreted at the garden’s side.

With the same approach, the roof has been regenerated by re-using the old shingles by composing the house’s number ’98’ in its front facade.

To complete the rest of the surface, Césare used insulating panels that were left overs or slightly damaged, saving around 2/3 on the normal retail price. The different colours creates a patchwork that includes semi-transparent panels to increase the amount of light coming into the attic.

↑↓ Single images: details of the Superused Home’s roof ↑↓

Superused Home is intended to be able to host many people within a community-based living style. On the third floor, the attic is designed as an open space living unit, connected by a long stair to the ground floor.

Being the building divided into two families, both restoration process and design have been implemented commonly. Next to the aesthetics approach, the larger insulation layer widely improves the climactic action.

↑↓  Selected vertical views of the garden’s side off the Superused home  © Denis Guzzo 2020 ↑↓

↑↓  Selected vertical views of the garden’s side off the Superused home  © Denis Guzzo 2020 ↑↓

↑  Image slider:  Superused Home from the back garden © Denis Guzzo 2020 

 Single image: layered functions, a night view from the back garden  © Denis Guzzo 2020

# GROUND FLOOR

  Image Slider: ground floor of the Superused Home.

↑↓ Single images: a huge vertical door illuminates both kitchen and office floors: daylight has been amplified by using a mirroring metal sheet on one side. During summer the reflecting curtain provides extra isolation from the heat of the sun.

↓↑ Single images: the kitchen and the office sharing the garden’s view.

Above Image Slider: ground floor of the Superused Home during nocturnal good vibes.

# FIRST FLOOR

↑  Image slider: the first floor of the Superused Home.

↓ Single image: selected night view of the office area on the first floor.


# SECOND FLOOR

↑  Image slider: views and details of the main bathroom.

LOW-TECH 

LIGHT SOLUTIONS

A shatterproof glass window repurposed as an integral part of the laundry room’s floor: definitely the scariest but also most fascinating detail of the house. It allows most of the light gained by the upper windows to illuminate the lower floors, with a focus on the office’s table on the first floor, positioned to overview the huge back door and the garden.

↑  Image slider: details of the laundry’s floor with the integrated lighting solution.

2nd FLOOR: THE RED ROOM

↑  Single image: the red room facing the back garden on the second floor.

  Image slider: details of the red room.

2nd FLOOR: THE BLUE ROOM

↑  Image slider: the blue room on the street’s side on the second floor.

  Single image: a detail of the blue room revealing Supersue’s approach to industrial waste.

# THIRD FLOOR

THE BALCONY

  • 97 % RENEWABLE ENERGY 97% 97%

Combining older-generation solar panels with new ones, energy is harvested from the roof and the balcony installations.

By choosing low-consumption home appliances, the attic’s living unit can run almost entirely driven by solar energy and passive climatic solutions.

The solar panel on the new structure are harvesting sunlight but at the same time are shading the interiors and protect the door and windows from direct rain.

RAIN WATER

COLLECTION

Rainwater is a precious resource in terms of food production and house holding. The house is provided with three collecting silos: one on the attic’s balcony and two in the garden.

For the happiness of the vegetables and herbs grown on the balcony, a huge PCV tube section was fitted under a bench, collecting the water from the roof.

Further water collection is diverted to the garden’s container.

↑  Image slider: the attic’s balcony with the summer’s cultivation of vegetables and herbs.

..work in progress:

The attic’s living unit is still being finished, stay tuned for future updates!

Reuse is common sense: FCRBE campaign

Reuse is common sense: FCRBE campaign

Source text and video courtesy of:

FCRBE : https://www.nweurope.eu/fcrbe Interreg : https://www.interregeurope.eu/ 

Reuse of building elements: will it soon be the norm in Europe?

Today in NW-Europe, only 1% of building elements are reused following their first application. Although a large number of elements are technically reusable, they end up being recycled by crushing or melting, or disposed. The result is a high environmental impact and a net loss of economic value. 

This project aims to increase by +50% the amount of reclaimed building elements being circulated on its territory by 2032.

Focusing on the northern half of France, Belgium, and the UK, the project also covers, with lesser intensity, the Netherlands, Ireland, the rest of France, and Luxembourg. This area houses thousands of SMEs specialized in the reclamation and supply of reusable building elements. Despite their obvious potential for the circular economy, these operators face significant challenges: visibility, access to meaningful projects and integration in contemporary building practices. Today, the flow of recirculated goods stagnate and may even decrease due to a lack of structured efforts.

To respond appropriately to these challenges, the project sets up an international partnership involving specialised organisations, trade associations, research centres, an architecture school and public administrations. It is rooted in earlier initiatives that were successfully initiated, on a local level.

These tools will be tested and promoted through 36 pilot operations taking place in large (de)construction projects, whereby more than 360 tons of elements will be reused. Effective communication efforts towards the stakeholders of the construction industry (including public authorities) will facilitate a smooth integration of these outputs into field practices and policies.

 

Source text and video courtesy of:

FCRBE : https://www.nweurope.eu/fcrbe | Interreg : https://www.interregeurope.eu/ 

ReWind LGBTQI+ Monument

ReWind LGBTQI+ Monument

Watch the short documentary and discover how the synergy of various professionals and organizations created this amazing intervention of place-making.

“I think it’s an interesting way of thinking, too, for municipalities, to look at: “what do we actually have?” ..and every time we think: “We want the square differently”.. We could also think: “Can we do that with the ingredients that are already there?”

From the interview with Césare Peeren, ReWind LGBTQI+ Monument short documentary, June 2020.

ReWind LGBTQI+ Monument

A 12 minutes short documentary written, filmed, and edited by Denis Guzzo.

With: Monique Marijnissen, Césare Peeren, David Louf, Marjolijn van der Meijden, Talitha Nöllen and Gert-Jan Verboom as representatives of the LHBTI community of Rotterdam.

Languages: Dutch spoken | English subtitles | Commissioned by: Centre for Visual Arts (CBK) Rotterdam | Art & public space, Marjolijn van der Meijden www.bkor.nl | In cooperation with: initiators LGBTI monument for sexual- en gender diversity Rotterdam, Talitha Nöllen, Gert-Jan Verboom | ReWind LGBTIQ place-making: commissioned by Municipality of Rotterdam | Monique Marijnissen | Design ReWind: Superuse | Césare Peeren | Painting ReWind: David Louf / Mr June | Soundtracks: HUMAN – Sevdaliza Courtesy of MAKTUB & Full Crate | Japanese Suvenir by DeKibo, Premium beat | Subtitles translation: Tirsa With.

Follow a full photo reportage that display ‘before’, ‘during’ and ‘after’ the process of  place-making

It was 2012 while Rem Koolhaas’s Vertical City was being completed at the Maas river’s waterfront in Rotterdam; I have started the documentation of one of the most surprising designs I have ever seen in public space so far. Designed by Superuse, the ReWind urban bench at Willemsplein recalls a beautiful statement: “think big act small.” The object consists of reused discarded-windmills’ blades while the concrete blocks are made of 90% of recycled concrete material from local demolitions.

Above & below: the aerial views of ReWind at Willemsplein, Rotterdam ©  Denis Guzzo | 2012

Explore the complete series from 2012 on the postRE-USE.EU/BLADE MADE

While wind power has developed rapidly over the past years, many first-generation wind turbines’ economic life cycle is coming to an end. The latest research shows that, by 2050, we will face around 43 million tonnes of wind-turbine blade material waste worldwide.

On June 3rd, 2020, the blade-made object ReWind was placed back on Willemsplein, Rotterdam, with a strikingly colorful new look. Graphic designer and street painter David Louf a.k.a. Mr. June, made the design in collaboration with the Rotterdam group from the LGBTQI+ community and with the designer of ReWind, architect Césare Peeren.

RePainting ReWind by Mr June

Since 1985, David Louf has been operating under Mr. June’s name as an artist, street artist, graphic designer. At the age of 14, he was part of the hip-hop movement and performed as a breakdancer. After his studies at the Utrecht School of the Arts, he quickly named himself a graphic designer.

The street’s freedom turned out to be more attractive, and he has been one of the most famous street artists for quite some time. Worldwide he has provided buildings, floors, and facades with optical patterns. Via Césare Peeren, architect at Superuse Mr. June was introduced to the group of Rotterdammers from the LGBTQI + community, the monument’s initiators to sexual and gender diversity.

Above Image Slider: Mr.June painting ReWind inside the barn of a farm in the countryside of Rotterdam © Denis Guzzo 2020

ReWind installation

Above Image Slider: selected horizontal photos from the installation series.

Below: two selected photos from the installation series.

ReWind LGBTQI+ Monument

Above single image: vertical view of the newly installed ReWind | © Denis Guzzo 2020

Above Image Slider: selected vertical views of the newly installed ReWind | © Denis Guzzo 2020

Above Image Slider: selected horizontal views of the newly installed ReWind | © Denis Guzzo 2020

Learn more about the art and science of building with rotor blades

The post Blade Made shares the same title with the brochure created by Superuse regarding their projects realized by reusing discarded windmills blades.

The post includes an extended photo series and represents a compelling example of how we can transform our cities by reutilizing these extraordinary structural objects.

Viisi Circular Office Design

Viisi Circular Office Design

Sponsored  by :

Between 2015 and 2016 pioneer architect Césare Peeren designed and realized part of the new interiors for VIISI’s headquarter, an ambitious and innovative company based in Amsterdam. At the end of 2016, the project won the Desko Circular Design Award powered by Desko.

A worn-out bowling alley floor, deadstock Trespa tabletops, vintage lamps, and ‘heraklith’ acoustic system ceiling panels were redesigned to give a sustainable yet classy looking ‘living room for academics’. The space is used both as a lunchtime canteen and evening seminar room.

This portfolio shows a broad insight during the different production steps: where the materials came from and how they have been treated and upcycled.

Divided in #10 main photo series, this reportage highlights the Superuse design practice with an accent on the craftsmanship of these fantastic makers: an homage to the master of crafts, their dedication, their ability to transform something that was discarded into innovative and beautiful designs.

#INDEX OF THE VISUAL CHAPTERS

#1 SPACE

#2 HARVEST ZUIDOOST

#3 HARVEST WAREHOUSE

#4 HARVEST ZAANDAM & TEXTURE TEST

#5 SELECTED MATERIALS

#6 TABLES

#7 FLOOR DESIGN & PROTOTYPING

#8 BUILDING PROCESS

#9 UPCYCLING LAMPS

#10 FINAL RESULTS

#1 SPACE

Above image slider: Viisi’s headquarter in Amsterdam and the spaces before the intervention.

#2 HARVEST ZUIDOOST

Built at the South East suburbia of Amsterdam at the beginning of the eighties, this building was demolished only a few weeks after the Superuse team performed the Material Harvest.

Nowadays, buildings are considered more as material storage, and therefore the best practice is that of providing the building with a material passport; increasing the value, or keeping the value of materials, products and components over time.

Above image slider: one of the locations where the Superuse team has been harvesting the materials.

The number of resources that such a complex can deliver would be actually enough to re-construct a small village off the grid.

Viisi’s new canteen project used a tiny part of the old sealing insulation, but it can be seen as a statement of how we could give a new life by smart deconstruction processes and re-designing.

Cèsare Peeren removing samples that will be later implemented as sound insulation for the Viisi’s canteen sealing.

#3  HARVEST WAREHOUSE

Above image slider: a warehouse in the countryside outside Amsterdam, where the bowling halley floor was found thanks to Daan Spanjers.

#4 HARVEST ZAANDAM & TEXTURE TEST

Above image slider: the dead stock of Trespa found in Zaandam, the north of Amsterdam. According to previous projects’ s experience, the material can be sandblasted with stencils to refresh the esthetics with patterns that also provide the anti-slip function.

#5 SELECTED MATERIALS

After harvesting the materials around Amsterdam, the selection has been displayed at the Superused House in Rotterdam.

Meanwhile, the design process has been executed according to the materials that were found; further selected and applied considering assignment’s need and fine-tuning the choices together with the client.

Samples were tested in terms of assembly possibilities. Options regarding treatments, such colors and textures have been also tested and evaluated before making the final choices.

Above image slider: the materials collected for the project.

#6 TABLES

The bowling alley floor has been up-cycled to become VIISI’s canteen tables, one of the most prominent features.

Metal frames reinforce the joints and provide a solid structure for smaller side-tables, which will be created with the same material as the floor due to the abundance of the found dead stock.

← Left: Cèsare Peeren visiting Roel de Boer, the builder of the first prototype for main tables,  in his workshop at the Northern district of Amsterdam.

Above image slider: at Superuse Lab the tables being made by Pieter De jong

#7 FLOOR DESIGN & PROTOTYPING

Above image slider: some sketches of the new canteen;  the pattern that will be applied by sandblasting the Trespa plates has been created by repeating the company’s name.

Above image slider: testing different kinds of coatings to treat the new floor.

Below image slider: the prototype was installed at the Circular Design Award exhibition.

Above single image: the prototype was installed at the Circular Design Award exhibition.

#8 BUILDING PROCESS

Above image slider: everything comes finally together at VIISI’s canteen with Ken Wright and his team and Pieter de Jong / Superuse Lab.

.
Below: Details of the materials ready to be installed.

Above: selected horizontal photo from the building process. 

#9 UPCYCLING LAMPS

Found at the old Heineken first brewery and attached office building, the lamps have been saved before renovation works.

Probably from the sixties, they have been refurbished and provided with modern cabling and low energy consumption bulbs.

 The lamps have been installed across the whole floor of VIISI’s headquarter.

 

Above image slider: Césare Peeren refurbishing the lamps.

Below image slider: the Superuse Lab team installing the lamps.

#10 FINAL RESULTS

Sponsored  by :

Above: the founders of  Viisi BV. From left to right: Frank Tukker, Hendrik Schakel, Hergen Dutrieux, Tom van der Lubbe to whom I am very grateful for sponsoring this documentation process and for all I have learned by working with and for them. Denis Guzzo

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Blade Made

Blade Made

At Superuse, waste rotor blades are seen as structural and aesthetic elements for large scale, worldwide use in design and architecture. Blade made designs reduce wind energy waste and provide an opportunity for later recovery of valuable composite materials.

If only 5% of The Netherlands’ yearly production of urban furniture such as playgrounds, public seating, and bus shelters were made using waste rotor blades, then all of The Netherlands’ estimated 400* waste rotor blades produced annually would be removed from the waste stream.

(* ~2000 wind turbines, assuming 15-year blade lifespan)

☢︎ = 1000 MW = ±10 tonne composite material

Latest research shows that we will face around 43 million tonnes of wind turbine blade material waste worldwide (Liu, P., 2017)

“Architects can play a fundamental role by using waste, and what’s more, ingenuity, to convert waste into structures that are useful, imaginative, and beautiful.”

Bahamón and Sa njinés 2010

Rematerial: From Waste to Architecture

Text: Superuse | Photography: © Denis Guzzo

WIKADO
a playground with added value and a smaller ecological footprint built for the same price as a comparable standard playground

The first ‘Wikado’ built at the Meidoorn playground at Old block at the North of Rotterdam, was built for the same budget as a comparable standard playground and has an ecological footprint fifty times smaller. The WIKADO playground was the winner of the 2009 European Environmental Design Award.

Above: aerial view of the Wikado playground designed by Superuse  © Denis Guzzo

The playground was designed to maximize imaginatively play, social interaction, and children driven game development. The inherent properties of rotor blades make this material an excellent choice: weather and wind resistant; organic, ergonomic shapes; and a strong and a rigid structure. The cylindrical portion of 30m long blades has a diameter of 1.4m and makes for interior play spaces. One of the five 30m blades was used intact.

The remaining four blades were cut into three sections. The four cylindrical end sections were transformed into play towers that stand around the central play zone. Each tower has a distinct and recognizable character: the ‘tower flat’ has three rooms with peeking holes; the ‘watchtower’ with a former F16 cockpit on top; the ‘water tower’ with a hand pump for children to pump water for mixing with sand; and, the ‘slide tower’ to which the original slippery slides from the site is attached.

The intact blade and remaining cut sections were overlaid as if pick-up-sticks in the classic children’s game ‘Mikado’. And indeed, the name ‘Wikado’ is derived from ‘Mikado’, and the
The Dutch word ‘wiek’ for rotor blades.

The overlaid blades give diversity of play spaces for toddlers through to older children and allows for different types of play activities. It creates a labyrinth in which children can endlessly chase each other, while also creating sheltered and interior spaces for other kinds of play.

Tensioned netting strung between the 4 towers is for climbing and also functions to create a play space for street football (the PannaVeld)

The the surface of the PannaVeld is made of ‘Nike gravel’, a flooring developed by Nike sports from shredded sneakers.

Above: the main view of the Wikado Playground designed by Superuse  © Denis Guzzo
Below: image slider with the photo series © Denis Guzzo

ReWind Almere

a durable and indestructible shelter

Designed shelters for the thousands of daily commuters to use the bus-train transfer station at Almere Poort. The durable and indestructible shelter design uses four 30m rotor blades. Waste rotor blades are easy to find in Almere, Holland’s #1 wind-energy region. Stacked in a Stonehenge like manner, two 30m blades are used to create a large shelter. Two of these large shelters are being built. The changing shape over the blades’ length gives a shelter roof that morphs into different forms depending on the angle from which it is viewed. Every part of the blade is used.

The blades were cut into four sections to harness the different inherent qualities along the blade’s length. This gives construction pieces that are essentially readymade for various construction purposes.

The strongest and heaviest part (former connection to the wind turbine axial) is used as roof supporting columns and the widest part of the roof’s blade. The blade’s tip is used for the long seating bench, and the circular end pieces are used for large planting pots placed around the site.

Above: the bus stop shelters at Almere Poort’s station designed by Superuse  © Denis Guzzo

ReWind Rotterdam

a seating with iconic quality

↑↓   ReWind at Willemsplein, Rotterdam

© Denis Guzzo 2012

The ReWind public seating is located at Willemsplein, a public square at the foot of the well-known Erasmus bridge; a public seating made from rotor blades was designed and installed for the Rotterdam municipality with joint funding from Joulz Energy Company.

The municipality were in need of durable, indestructible seating with iconic quality for people waiting to board harbour tour boats, but which could also be temporarily removed, when necessary, to make room for public events.

 Nine rotor blades from Friesland destined for incineration were used. 5 blades were used for seating, 3 as backrests, and 1 as place marker. By adjusting the angles and positions of the blades ergonomic public seating with a diversity of seating options was created. Seating depths vary from ±30cm to ±80cm, providing upright seating to more relaxed lounging options. The ±6m long blades, originally manufactured by Stork, are attached with bolts to 1m3 concrete aggregate blocks made heavy enough to keep the lightweight blades in place. The aggregate is 90% recycled concrete rubble from Rotterdam.

 The blocks have a pentagon footprint with a skewed 3D form that changes shape from different viewing angles. The tops of the blocks are oblique which puts the upright place marker blade at a slight angle, making it stand out against the predominantly vertical elements on the square.

 All blades were painted signal red, to bring colour to the stark grey surroundings of Willemsplein and to pick up on the red of Willemsbrug that can be seen further down the river.

 

Above: the main view of theReWind designed by Superuse  © Denis Guzzo
Below: detail of one of the concrete blocks holding the rotor blades.

selected horizontal photos of the ReWind at Willemsplein, Rotterdam | Denis Guzzo ©

Did you know?

In 2020 ReWind at Willemsplein in Rotterdam has been repainted and became a monument!

Find out more about the process of place-making that made possible the REUSE of the ReWind to become the new monument for Rotterdam’s sexual diversity.

The post includes the short documentary 12′ produced by Denis Guzzo for CBKRdam and the photo series of this intervention’s different steps.

Find out more on the post!  →

Zero Waste Building

Zero Waste Building

COSTRUIRE A ZERO RIFIUTI

Duration: 10 minutes | Languages: Italian spoken with English subtitles

 

The short documentary ‘Zero-waste building’ quotes the title of the book published in 2016 by the protagonist Paola Altamura, Ph.D. architect at “Sapienza” the University of Rome, co-founder of the Atlante Inerti Project.

 

The documentary gives a broad overview of regulatory limitations and some examples of the potential for reuse in the industrial and design fields.

The interview was filmed within a context that sees the author involved within the European network to expand the Harvest Map in the area around Milan.

Thanks to the commitment of companies, institutions, and the synergy of Italian researchers and designers, we can bring to the public and the political world issues and examples of virtuous projects that allow us to continue the discussion on reuse and related regulations.

‘Superuse’ is cited as a term that identifies the long path of research and experimentation carried out by Superuse: the well-known Rotterdam studio: pioneers who have contributed to changing the perception of ‘waste’ for more than twenty years into ‘resource.’

Harvest Map Milan Expansion

Harvest Map Milan Expansion

Now online the video report about the expansion of the Harvest Map in the area of Milan, Italy.

Related to the project Villa Maggiore ;  this documentation display the workshop given by Dutch pioneer architect Césare Peeren, Superuse on Site: according to the SuperUse philosophy WASTE SHOULD NOT EXIST.

The harvest map is a powerful tool that can help architects and designers to create an urban environment with a circular economy. You can see us running on espressos to catch the Italian waste created by local industries so it can be superused from now on! thanks to Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie NL, Elisa Saturno, Politecnico di Milano, Giacimenti Urbani, Tempo Riuso, and the harvest team.

An Italian villa is used as a teaching ground by Dutch waste architects to spread circular design tools, methods, and thinking to Italian designers, architects, contractors, and industry.

The project culminated in waste materials from industries around Milan being up-cycled to design furniture for the 450m2 interior fit-out which was designed and built on-site in 4 weeks in ‘Furniture Jam Sessions’ with 14 international waste designers.

Thought by Superuse on site, Césare Peeren | With Refunc, CRO2O, Studio CIFRA, and many others.

Find out more on the post →

Superuse on site: Villa Maggiore

Superuse on site: Villa Maggiore

ZERO ENERGY, CIRCULAR HOLIDAY HOME BRINGS ‘SUPERUSE’ THINKING TO ITALY

Curated by Superuse on Site, Césare Peeren and RE-USE.EU team.

Photos by Denis Guzzo

An Italian villa is used as a teaching ground by Dutch waste architects to spread circular design tools, methods, and thinking to Italian designers, architects, contractors, and industry.

The project culminated in waste materials from industries around Milan being up-cycled to design furniture for the 450m2 interior fit-out which was designed and built on-site in 4 weeks in ‘Furniture Jam Sessions’ with 14 international waste designers.

The ‘Villa Maggiore’ project led by Superuse on Site, Césare Peeren also used waste materials in the building renovation, minimal remodeling, and passive and zero-energy systems to transform the disused villa to zero energy, circular holiday home to showcase circular design in Italy.

VILLA MAGGIORE’S ARCHITECTURE IS BUILT AROUND A MASSIVE ROCK WALL STRUCTURE

Above: Mel Feldmuller is enjoying the view from Villa Maggiore’s second floor.

The challenge has been primarily about reducing the amount of energy used in the house, ensuring that the power needed is produced as sustainably as possible. If the ‘Villa’ can produce all energy it needs, it will technically become a ‘zero’ energy home.

Firstly, the actual climate conditions need to be examined across different seasons to determine a proper heating and cooling strategy. Prevailing hot and cold winds and temperature exchange across different sides and floors can be implemented through the Villa’s architecture, increasing the comfort and micro-climates.
Being the Northern Lakes area traditionally rich in silk industries, it was not difficult to find many types of dead stock textiles used as a bumper to insulate the walls from the room’s space.

↑ Above image slider: creating the silk bumpers for the wall insulation experiment and the central room of the 1st floor during the silk bumper installation.

↓ Below: the very first improvised office table by Superuse on site at Villa maggiore. 

WASTE MATERIAL HARVEST WORKSHOPS

Scouting materials from laptops and on the road

During the end of 2017, in collaboration with Cèsare Peeren, the team Harvest Map Italy was formed. Harvest Map is an open-source web platform for sharing waste material finds. With the support of Dutch and local organizations, the platform is now available in the Italian language, implemented with many of the finds scouted during the workshop at Villa Maggiore.

SUPPORTED BY

.Funded by: ‘The Netherlands Stimulerings Funds’.

.Taught by: Césare Peeren, Mel Feldmuller, Elisa Saturno.

.Supported by: Politecnico Milano; Tempo Riuso (Isabella Inti e Matteo Persichino).
.Harvest conducted by: Elisa Saturno.
.Masters students of the Temporary Use course of DASTU departmenT of the Milan Politecnico.
(Raffaella Nigro, Angela Panzeri, Daniel Romano).
.Other design and architecture students (Stefano Napoli, Delfina Villa Graziani Bandiera).
.Professor Paola Altamura and Giulia Chiummiento (La Sapienza University, Rome).
.Harvest Map Italy | Italian translation funded by: Dutch Embassy, and, Consulate general of the Netherlands in Milan.

RE-USE.EU | Superuse, Rotterdam, NL | Giacimenti Urbani, Milan, IT

↑ Above: the Harvest Map Italia team supervised by Mel Feldmuller and Elisa Saturno at Villa Maggiore

Waste materials suitable for use in the project were ‘harvested’. Italian architecture and design students were taught how to find or ‘harvest’ new resources for design in ‘Harvesting Workshops’ held at the Villa. More than 130 materials with potential for use in design and architecture were in the following year in the region around Milan.

Above image slider: the Furniture Jam Sessions: Superuse on site, at villa Maggiore.
Below image slider: an overview of the harvested material for the project.

 

Above image slider: an overview of the harvested material for the project.
Below image slider: some insight of our days at Villa Maggiore, THANK YOU to our super chef Paolo!

 

REFUNC: Tokyo,Paris and Melbourne

Holiday hotel rooms with shower and washbasin on the second floor. 

Superused materials: wood; window frames; exhibition perspex; wooden roller blinds; fire hose; fire extinguisher trolleys; fire extinguishers, nozzles, and brackets; foam board; lightboxes; wooden louver doors.

Above: the main view of the Tokyo room by REFUNC.
Below image slider: some details from the Tokyo room.

REFUNC: Paris

Above: the main view of the Paris room by REFUNC.
Below image slider: some details from the Paris room.

 ‘Melbourne’ by Refunc

Above: the main view of the ‘Melbourne’ room. Below: some details.

Co2RO: “Firehosescape”

Superused materials: foam board sandwich panels, fire hose, fire extinguishers, fire extinguisher nozzles, fire extinguisher trolleys, deadstock laminate, foam sheets, first split neoprene, metal post holders.

Above: main views of the living room and the ‘Firehosescape’. Below: some details.

Studio CIFRA: dining table, dining cabinet and Cloak room wardrobe and storage cupboard.

Superused materials: Larch wood from discarded school fence, exhibition waste materials (engraved perspex, Black and White display boxes, wooden boxes, MDF board, metal frames, foam board), sheets of laser cut metal waste.

Above: main views of the dining room by Studio Cifra. Below: some details.

Studio CIFRA: Cloak room wardrobe and storage cupboard.

Superuse on site Team ‘Boxed’: travel chests and cupboards in ‘Sao Paulo Favella’, ‘Beijing’ Room and ‘New York’. 

Superused materials: black and white display boxes, fire extinguisher nozzles, wooden roller blinds, louver doors, fire hose, horse riding jump pole, fire extinguishers, neoprene.

‘Beijing’ Room  by Superuse on site Team

‘NEW YORK’  by Superuse on site Team

Bathrooms

Bathrooms have been restored with leftovers of Malta. Malta is a water-based resin product by I-containers. It is already known as an eco-friendly resin alternative.

WHAT

This project is about the transformation of an Italian villa to zero energy, circular holiday home by introducing and using locally sourced waste materials. The restoration and furniture fit-out has been realized by minimizing interventions, using passive heating/cooling strategies, and, topping up remaining energy needs with a zero energy system. 

The interior fit-out is entirely from waste materials sourced from the Milan region over the previous year. The interior was custom built on-site by an international group of waste designer/builders in 2 x 2 week ‘furniture jam sessions’.

As for music jam sessions, though materials and conditions were supplied there was no pre-defined plan or design. 

Above: Césare Peeren and the team of Harvest Map Italia during material scouting at Villa Maggiore.

WHERE

‘Villa Maggiore’ is in the Northern Lakes district of Italy. It is a 450m2, 1920s villa spread over three floors, a cellar, and attic. The second floor was never finished, and, the villa was not used for the last ten years. The second floor had no windows, unfinished concrete walls, an exposed wooden ceiling, and no fittings.

WHO

The ‘Villa Maggiore’ project was led by Superuse on Site, Césare Peeren with the support and collaboration from a large group of Dutch and Italian participants (See above: Villa Maggiore Project Fact Sheet). Workshops and lectures are often conducted integrated within the projects to facilitate the process and knowledge exchange across countries and designers.

Césare Peeren is one of the co-founders of Superuse Studios which pioneered waste up-cycling in Architecture over twenty years ago. Since then Superuse Studios has been developing tools and strategies to make architecture and building more sustainable by minimising new resource and energy use. Césare now has a mobile studio that lives and works at project sites.

Above: Césare Peeren during material scouting nearby Villa Maggiore.

See also the short video report about
→ Harvest Map Milan Expansion

HOW

Waste materials suitable for use in the project were ‘harvested’. Italian architecture and design students were taught how to find, or ‘harvest’ suitable waste in ‘Harvesting Workshops’ held at the villa. From this more than 130 waste materials with potential for use in design and architecture were found over the following year in the region around Milan.

 Publicly available waste materials were posted on ‘Harvest Map’, an open source web platform developed by Superuse Studios to connect suppliers and users of waste. As a result of this project, the Italian version of Harvest Map was developed. Harvest Map Italy was launched in March 2018 at ‘Fa’ la cosa giusta’ fair in Milan. Twentytwo of the waste materials found were used in ‘Villa Maggiore’. Other projects have now also used materials posted on Harvest Map (Williams bar (Milan); exhibition stand at Fa’ la cosa giusta (Milan) 2018). Local contractors used leftover first cut industrial neoprene as sound insulating floor underlay. This was topped with a re-used exhibition floor. They also used project leftovers of Malta, a natural water based resin (used instead of tiles) which was applied in a new way so that product and colour variations became an asset. In early 2019 leftover metal sheets from a laser cutting company will also be repurposed for a fence and for pillars of the pergola to be built in the garden at the Villa to carry solar panels. 2 x 2 week Furniture Jam Sessions produced the new upcycled interiors. Four teams of waste designer/builders lived and worked on site as designers-in-re- sidence to design and custom build from supplied waste materials 3 hotel bedbedrooms with showers, 4 holiday home bedrooms, storage room, lamps, dining room, the lounge and a cloak room for 14. 

The ‘furniture jam sessions’ supervised by Césare Peeren were done with waste artisans from The Netherlands, Berlin, Barcelona, and Milan. The project is coming to completion with the installation of solar panels and various passive and technical heating and cooling systems are being finalised. New works were minimised and kept essentially to 4 bathroom upgrades, the addition of double glazed windows and an insulated ceiling to the second floor. Even the unfinished second floor was left relatively untouched, with only a transparent coat of paint to seal the concrete and wooden beams. 

Passive heating, cooling and ventilation strategies are to: use the different existing microclimates and create some new ones inside and outside the villa; use the existing rock mass for summer cooling; use the existing central stairwell for natural ventilation; use shutters and windows to variously shade, insulate and ventilate as weather conditions allow; install ground pipe for constant 14 degrees celsius ventilating air in conjunction with the natural tendency for warm high staircase; install insulating curtains to insulate interior walls; and install internal insulating window shutters. The zero energy system developed for the villa uses two systems of air-water heat exchangers powered by solar panels to produce hot water for showers and low temperature convectors.

 

See also the short video report about
→ Harvest Map Milan Expansion

2017.09 | The Harvest Map Italia team supervised by Mel Feldmuller at Villa Maggiore

WHEN

  • 2017.03 – 2018.06 Climate study; renovation plan; bathroom designs.
  • 2017.09 – 2017.10 Harvest Map workshops with Italian design/architecture students and practitioners to teach skills regarding how to source locally available waste materials for use in design and architecture.
  • 2018.03-2018.04 Harvest Map Italy (in Italian) launched with lectures, presentations, and fair exhibits in Italy, including ‘Fà’ la cosa giusta’.
  • 2017.10 – 2018.07 Development of zero energy system and passive strategies to manage internal villa climate.
  • 2018.09 – 2018.10 450m2 interior fit-out with 2 x 2 week ‘furniture jam sessions’.

Find out more about the working approach