Waste material wall cassette prototypes, Oxford Brookes University, 2022
Using ultra-local waste streams, Year 1 students in the School of Architecture designed and built prototype wall cassettes to test their suitability for the eventual construction of a demountable modular structure on campus. This is the first phase of an anticipated 5-year project. The insulated rainscreen-clad wall cassettes were made from 100% re-purposed materials, all sourced ultra-locally from businesses and domestic waste within Oxford. Passports were produced for each wall cassette listing the material provenance, assembly and disassembly instructions. The wall cassettes were installed on a structural frame recycled from a previous live project and exhibited in the Glass Tank Gallery at Oxford Brookes University from October to December 2022 and again as part of the School of Architecture end of year exhibition in May 2023.
This project uses three virtuous circles:
- Local Circular Economy. We are activating new parts of the local circular economy by identifying sources of local waste that is suitable for construction
- Circle of mutual aid. By building this structure, it will help more students to build more things.
- Circle of learning by doing. By becoming builders, we become better designers because we can empathise better with those who build and occupy our buildings.
The architectural profession has committed to improving understanding of sustainability, safety and ethics in the light of events such as the Grenfell Tower fire and challenges such as the Climate Emergency. This aim of this project is to teach sustainability, safety and ethics via a live project. A paper and case study reporting initial findings on this was presented at ‘Productive Disruptive’, the association of architectural educators conference at Cardiff University in July 2023.
With thanks to Ben Hutchinson for his construction expertise and advice; the Glass Tank Gallery and TDE Facilities team who enabled the installation and exhibitions; the local businesses and individuals who donated waste material for the wall cassettes.
Tutor team: Jane Anderson, Ralph Saull, Khisha Clarke, Ben Hutchinson, Thomas Dawson, Jake Winter.