CAT- DAY 3

BIOMASS/FOOD

As a group of students we were introduced to the sustainable food and natural resources

on the third day of theory, which include:

• Eco systems and biodiversity

• The science of food and growing

• Sustainable food management,diet and health

• Sustainable materials, supply chains and energy provision

We were made to understand that biomass biological matter consists of living,

or recently living organisms and can be used

to produce energy by burning or breaking down anaerobic digestion, however biomass boilers

incur high initial costs when compared to regular

gas to oil boilers. Examples of Biomass include:

• Wood

• Straw

• Animal waste

• Agricultural By-Products

• Energy Crops like Rapeseed

A 200 kW combined pellet and woodchip burner with monitoring system is displayed onsite, that supplies hot water and heat to the nearby buildings. With very low moisture content of 10%, this boiler mostly uses kiln-dried wood chips which are supplied from a woodland across CAT.

We also visited part of the woodland onsite where

CAT maintains diversity of tree species and a range

of tree ages, that provide food and habitat to as many

species as possible.

The sustainable resources adapted by CAT were presented and explained to us in-depth and evaluated the importance of sustainable land use, permaculture principles and other aspects of organic food production encouraging one to be self-sufficient and resourceful.

CLAY RENDER

For the practical session within groups of 2, we were to design a pizza stove with an

architectural perspective using a variety of sustainable materials such as: brick slabs, lime mortar, straw bale and clay render.

We stacked each brick slab with lime mortar (lime putty+sand) to create the shape of a gothic arch. With the use of mixed straw bale

and lime mortar we built a hump to support the

arch creating an open space for the pizza stove.

While moulding the hump we placed a few brick slabs in the open space of the pizza stove to support the structure. After completing the hump and letting it dry we moved away the brick slabs from the open space achieving a stable arch shaped pizza stove.

Finally we mixed the clay render using clay and water which was used to render the stove.

The practical experience gave each student an opportunity to gain knowledge on various sustainable building materials and the impact of their uses in the building industry and the environment. As all earthen materials are categorized as low carbon options and require less energy to make than most commonly used building materials, with high thermal mass and achievable airtight construction. However high clay content can cause moisture movement that

structures need to accommodate.