Portland cement is a central material in construction and infrastructure with the U.S. alone producing over 80 tons of it yearly. Recent developments in earthen architectural biomaterial systems offer alternatives that reduce emissions and decrease lifecycle energy. However, despite their ecologically benign nature, many earthen biocomposites underperform in strength and durability.
Expanding on four years of research at DumoLab, Terrene 4.0 consists of combinatorial material development and analysis, alongside the design and implementation of a series of applications including exterior rated cladding systems shown here. A sand-based composite is stabilized with a shellfish-derived polysaccharide binder and reinforced with flax. Natural cross-linking agents provide higher durability and strength and are evaluated through droplet penetration, water absorption, contact angle, compressive loading, and accelerated weathering.
Terrene can now be implemented outdoors, be augmented with colorimetric thermal sensing, and display with robust weathering capacity while maintaining bio-integrated decay at end-of-life.
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