I wanted to write since a long time about new material developments and recycling of materials, and than I discovered seaweed, a large algae that grows in the sea or on rocks. Seaweed also known as sea tangle, marine meadow, nori, kelp. The common use, at present, of seaweed is as food, in cosmetics and for the extraction of industrial gums and chemicals.
seaweed covered house via Wired - seaweed via New Scientist
But it is also the ultimate sustainable material to be used in architecture; it insulates just as well as mineral insulation. Other positive aspects are that it is non-toxic and fireproof. It resists to mould and can be used as an insulating material without any chemical additives. Durability is another plus; the expected life-span is 150 years.
The Modern Seaweed House is a collaboration between architecture firm Vandkunsten and Readania Byg, and an organization funding the research for preserving Denmark’s material culture. They restore historical buildings and fund the development of new experimental designs that reflect Danish sensibilities. The house, situated on the Danish island of Læsø, incorporates seaweed in three ways. The cylindrical seaweed-stuffed “pillows” on the facade, as insulation it serves as a replacement for mineral wool insulation, and for the ceiling as insulation as well as acoustical dampening for the open floor plan.
prefabricated seaweed panels Material District - bricks made from seaweed and wool via Apartment Therapy
Seaweed is a traditional building material, used since centuries. Seaweed also regulates the indoor climate as it absorbs and give off moisture. So it is not a new building material, but in times of climate change people will start looking again for traditional materials that resisted for years, not only new developments.
Seaweed is also used in bricks, researchers from the University of Seville and the University of Strathclyde have created bricks with sheep’s wool and sea wood, added to clay. Those new bricks are not only more environmentally friendly but also 37% stronger than the traditional bricks. They consume less energy during production as they don’t need to be fired.
seaweed via Dezeen - experiments in seaweed Julia Lohmann
Designers will always be interested in working with natural products, trying to find new uses, thinking out of the box. German-born designer and researcher Julia Lohmann established in 2013, when she was designer in residence at the V&A, the Department of Seaweed, a transdisciplinary community of practice exploring the marine organisms' potential as a design material.
Seaweed was already used in textiles, now it finds also its way in couture and even sustainable nappies. Jasmine Linington, a textile design graduate, looked to the Scottish shores for more sustainable materials. Jasmine Linington used SeaCell, an Austrian-made fibre produced by embedding dried, crushes seaweed into cellulose fibres as the basic fabric for her collection. The textile is 100% biodegradable and carbon-neutral. The designer shows the amazing colors offered by the seaweed in the colorful embellishments.
Ecal graduate Luisa Kahlfeldt has designed a new diaper, made in the SeaCell fabric. The fabric is antibacterial and has beneficial properties for the babies’ skin. The designer wanted to create a more sustainable diaper, even more than the other reusable nappies.
seaweed paper chair via Dezeen - seaweed and paper mix via Fast Company
By now you understood that seaweed is more than just for sushi. Jonas Edvard and Nikolaj Steenfatt, two young Danish designers, have used the slimy brown beach dreck in combination with paper pulp to create the Tennoir chair and lamps. Fucus seaweed contains alginate, a naturally occurring polymer. Once dried and ground up into powder, mixed into a glue, it becomes a durable, cork-like material. Ready to be molded in some modern pieces. The high level of salt in the seaweed acts as a natural preservative and flam retardant. The project started as an investigation into using local materials.
Sea Stone via Dezeen
Sea Stone is a concrete-like material from waste seashells salvaged by Newtab-22. They grind down the material before combining it with a natural non-toxic binder. According to the designers Sea Stone could become a sustainable alternative to concrete in the design a small-scale products. Seven million tons of seashells are discarded every year, some of them are recycled and used as fertilizers, but the majority ends up in landfill or dumped on beaches.
Tômtex via Dezeen
Vietnamese designer Uyen Tran has developed Tômtex, a leather alternative made from waste seafood shells and coffee grounds. A flexible bio-material that can be embossed with a variety of patterns. The biodegradable material is durable while remaining soft enough to be hand-stitched.
algae experiment II Carolyn Raff Studio
An Ocean full of Opportunities, a project of Carolyn Ruff is looking for potential resources from the ocean to be used in the textile industry.
Want to know more about the use of seaweed in architecture?
Take a look on the research work of Kathryn Larsen.
How seaweed bricks are made
Or the modern seaweed house in Denmark
Wish you a great and creative new week
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