http://studioht.com/blogy the blog that literally means: "to search again" Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:17:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 en about resources… http://studioht.com/blogy/?p=1 http://studioht.com/blogy/?p=1#comments Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:09:26 +0000 Studio HT http://studioht.com/blogy/?p=1 About resources…
Infinite resources (considered in a timeframe of several thousand years)
- Sun
- Wind
- Air (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, etc.)
Renewable resources
- Things that grow easily and decay without dispensing harm
- Wood
- Grasses (bamboo)
- Hay / straw
Reusable resources (technical nutrients in Cradle to Cradle)
- Metals (uncoated - no paints, ceramics, etc.)
- Plastics???
- Synthetic fibers
- Water
- Glass
- Stone
Degradable resources (could be thought of as the tail end of renewable resources)
- Things that melt back into the earth without dispensing harm
- Natural fibers / fabrics (wool, cotton, etc.)
- Some adhesives
Depleting resources
- Things that cause harm, disrupt natural cycles, etc.
- Some adhesives
- Paints
- Formaldehyde
- VOC’s
This potentially leads to a grid, on which all resources can fall at some point.
M
e
r
i
t
o
r                                                                                    Sun
i
u
s
D
e
l
e
t
e
r
i
o
u
s    Oil
Finite                                                                           Infinite
We as designers and architects would do well to design for materials / resources that are as far right and as far up as possible, and to avoid those materials / resources that fall to the bottom left of this spectrum.
Questions…
Is concrete single use (is the chemical reaction one-way?) or could it be ground up into a fine powder that allows it to “go again”?
Brick - as I understand is fired clay - can it be ground up and mixed with water and turned into new brick?
Plaster - same question - single use, or can it be continuously recycled?
Ceramics?
Stucco?
Terrazzo?
Porcelain?
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