WALLS MADE OF SEAWEED

University of Canterbury Bachelor of Product Design student Andy (Minhong) Park.

Making good use of seaweed

A revolutionary new plasterboard design A revolutionary new plasterboard design incorporating seaweed could reduce the incorporating seaweed could reduce the carbon footprint of building materials and carbon footprint of building materials and contribute to safer, more liveable homes in contribute to safer, more liveable homes in Aotearoa New Zealand. Aotearoa New Zealand.

Award winning team

The Bates team work alongside national kitchen and bathroom award winning designers, who provide ideas and concepts. Explore your new kitchen with a winning team.

www.batesjoinery.co.nz | Ph: 03 388 8111

Matching privacy and style

Now is the time to upgrade your outdoor living area for all year round entertaining. Sembel it are the experts with the experience to match your home with the perfect shutters or blinds.

t/a Sembel it NZ Ltd

www.sembelit.co.nz Ph: Chris 021 311 469 or Lisa 022 106 3356

Delivering the highest quality

A personalised service tailored to your project needs is important because no project is the same, and no two clients are the same. Blair Ward Construction believe understanding your unique requirements through great planning and communication is key to a successful project delivery. Specialising in architectural homes, hill builds and renovations, the small team of experienced, Registered Master Builders are focused on delivering functionality and value in your high-quality, high-performance dream home.

University of Canterbury (UC) Bachelor of Product Design student Andy (Minhong) Park has developed a biocomposite wall panel that uses algae – or seaweed – as a bio-fi ller as part of his fi nal-year Industrial Design project.

The plasterboard has fi reproofi ng and moisture control features and is a lowcost material that could help reduce the building industry’s carbon footprint.

“Currently the building industry contributes 20 percent of our country’s carbon emissions,” Park says. “As the sector faces the challenge of reducing carbon emissions but building more houses, and with plasterboard used in almost every home, seaweed plasterboard o ers a viable green alternative.

“Seaweed is fast-growing at 0.5 metres per day and is capable of sequestering around 173 million metric tons of carbon annually. It’s easy to cultivate and can be farmed o shore, not competing for farmable land with other bio-based materials, making it an attractive, low-cost farming commodity. Because seaweed can absorb carbon underwater, large wall-panel manufacturers could employ seaweed farming as a carbon o set by growing it.” Seaweed bio-fi ller also contributes to warmer, drier, safer homes, and Park says preliminary testing indicates fi re performance at the level of commercially available products.

“Seaweed has been proven to reduce ignition risks, increase fl ame retardancy, and promote auto-extinguishing behaviour of seaweed-based composite systems because it contains boron, a natural fi re retardant. When seaweed is combined with cement, the strength of the resulting concrete is increased. Seaweed and its main constituent, alginate, have also been demonstrated to have high thermal stability and low thermal conductivity so the plasterboard would take longer to break down during a fi re,” he says.

“Seaweed is also recognised for its ability to absorb and release moisture and is a greener alternative to traditional passive fi re protection materials due to the absence of non-recyclable elements. This also makes it able to be recycled and used as a fertiliser.”

The fi nished seaweed plasterboard product has a glossy marble surface, coloured green, red or brown depending on the type of seaweed used.

While still in the early stages, plans are under way to develop a commercialisation plan, and Kaiārahi Rangahau Māori is looking to identify suitable species of seaweed for product development and marine agriculture.

The project recently won the UC Innovation Jumpstart Greatest Commercial Potential Award and accompanying $20,000 prize.

Perfection in plumbing

Leaders in domestic and commercial plumbing and drainage solutions. We specialise in bathroom renovations, new housing, drain inspections, hot water cylinders and gas conversions. Make sure you think Maxwell when you think plumbing.

Building excellence

Apollo Projects is a nationwide design and build company that understands full service and the full project lifecycle to see it from design conception to construction.

www.apolloprojects.co.nz | Ph: 03 358 9185

Trust comes first

Considering a new project? With Stealth Construction, director Curtis Bush will be there with you every step of the way. From concept plans to handover, rest assured your project is built and managed by Curtis himself, and his experienced team.