Tag: Technical Studies Lecture Series

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Gnanli Landrou, ETH / OXARA “Cleancrete” | Thursday, December 1 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 2nd of December, 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online (see tumblr page below for link)

“A derivative of the Northern Togolese language, Lamb-Kabyè, Oxara means, ‘Gathering and Community’, bringing the actors of the construction ecosystem together to collectively create an innovative and sustainable industry is a key ingredient to make our business scalable and to achieve our vision of providing safe and decent housing to all.” 

Gnanli Landrou

Gnanli Landrou is a materials scientist and entrepreneur. He was born in Togo, and when he was a young boy he travelled with his uncle in West Africa watching him build earth houses. Later, whilst studying in France he researched the challenges facing the global construction industry – energy and CO2 ​intensive production of cement, dwindling supplies of construction grade sand and gravel, and the high cost of concrete, unaffordable in many countries. Gnanli had experienced the benefits of building with clay/earth but also understood how labour-intensive and time-consuming traditional clay brick construction was. As a doctoral student at ETH Zurich, Gnanli worked with mentor Professor Guillaume Habert and together, they developed a process to turn clay-​based excavation material into an alternative cement free concrete. Importantly this material can be poured as concrete using the ready-mix infrastructure of the concrete industry. 

His ETH spin-​off company Oxara, is now developing a cement-​free concrete made from clay-​based excavation material with his main goal to solve the lack of affordable housing in Africa. In 2019 Forbes magazine listed Gnanli as one of Europe’s 30 most influential entrepreneurs under the age of 30. 

This talk is co-hosted and kindly supported by the Engineering Club http://engineeringclub.org.uk/ 

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For details contact: Will McLean – w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk 

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Jan Balbaligo + Samsul Aripin, Zewa Architects “The Future of Building with Bamboo” | Tuesday, November 22 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Tuesday, 22nd of November, 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online (see tumblr page below for link)

“bamboo … the green steel of the 21st Century” 

Vo Trong Nghia 

Bamboo is not a new building material, but given changing environmental design imperatives, this aggressive fast-growing plant species provides a strong and durable construction material. Bamboo is the largest member of the grass family and is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet – Moso bamboo from China can grow up 900 mm a day. Bamboo can be ready for harvest and construction use in three to five years compared with 20-25, for softwood timber. 

Jan will discuss new developments in the field of bamboo processing and engineering and the Future of building with this fast-growing ‘regenerative’ construction material. The talk will also feature a contribution from bamboo architect Samsul Aripin. In January 2020, designer and Bamboo builder Jan Balbaligo working with non-profit arts and social enterprise Cosmic Convergence completed the Eco-Salon in San Pablo La Laguna, Solalá, Guatemala. The Eco-Salon is a multi-functional indoor space built on top of an existing public school to provide space for music, sports, arts, dance and other activities to complement and enrich the formal education. The building structure is a bamboo framework, with a bamboo lathe (bamboo splits) roof and bamboo split walls with a Bajareke (clay and sand) infill. Jan Balbaligo is a great advocate for the use of bamboo in construction and she has worked on a number of temporary festival structures and small school and community buildings.  

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For details contact: Will McLean – w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk 

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Nikolay Shahpazov, Bennetts Associates “Regenerative Architecture” | Thursday, November 17 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 17th of November, 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online (see tumblr page below for link)

“Earth blocks have one tenth of the embodied carbon of other commonly specified materials such as blockwork, which is a cement-based product. Aside from the high energy demand during production, blockwork and concrete manufacturing consumes large quantities of sand, which has led to fast depleting sand supplies and environmentally damaging sea extraction. The low embodied carbon of earth blocks is a great starting point that positions us ahead of what most commercial developments are committing to right now.” 

Nikolay Shahpazov 

Since joining Bennetts Associates in 2019, Nikolay has been involved in various areas of research, with a particular focus on regenerative materials, setting up contacts with suppliers and manufacturers. Nikolay is a member of the Bennetts Associates Sustainability group. He studied architecture at the Architectural Association in London, graduating in 2007 and winning the Alex Stanhope Forbes Prize. 

As part of the new Tribeca development behind Kings Cross, Nikolay is helping to pioneer a new regenerative building process that will see the excavated subsoil of the site transformed into unfired earth blocks for use in the project. This initiative will reduce landfill waste and harness the benefits of this natural building material – regulating indoor temperature and humidity levels, and purifying the air by trapping and metabolising airborne pollutants.  

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For details contact: Will McLean – w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk 

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Dr Pooja Basnett, University of Westminster “Bacterial Polymers” | Thursday, November 10 at 18:00 (GMT), Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 10th of November, 6pm (GMT)

Where: ONLINE (Due to the London Underground strike action)

Dr. Pooja Basnett is a lecturer in Biological Sciences. She received a Cavendish scholarship from the University of Westminster to complete a PhD in Applied Biotechnology titled ‘Biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and their application in medical device development’. Following her PhD, she worked as a lead postdoc in the European Union-funded project – ReBioStent aimed at developing drug-eluting biodegradable stents. She also worked as a postdoc on other EU projects – NEURIMP which focused on the development of nerve conduits for peripheral nerve repair; POLYBIOSKIN – aimed at developing biocompatible and biodegradable skin contact products. She was also involved in an EPSRC funded project titled CYCLOPS which focused on the development of a wound healing patch with Artificial Intelligence (AI).  

Pooja’s research focuses on the production of bioplastics using bacteria and their application in medicine – she is also exploring other potential uses. Basnett has worked on producing novel biopolymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) via bacterial fermentation process using a range of waste streams. PHAs are naturally occurring biodegradable polymers and are a potential replacement for some petrochemical-based plastics. 

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For details contact: Will McLean  

w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk 

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Steve Webb, Webb Yates Engineers “Low Carbon Structures” | Thursday, November 3 at 18:00 (GMT), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 3rd of November, 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Livestream (see Tumblr Site below)

Steve Webb founded Webb Yates Engineers with Andy Yates in 2005. Steve started his career as a site engineer for the Jubilee Line Extension, gaining first-hand experience of site issues and subterranean construction in London. He went on to work at Whitby Bird and Sinclair Knight Merz and Santiago Calatrava, where he worked on prestigious projects including Wembley Arena and the Turning Torso tower in Sweden, a 58-storey residential tower with a dramatic twisting form achieved with a hybrid steel and concrete frame. 

Steve is interested in combining imagination with technical rigour to create thoughtful and inventive structural designs. Since founding the company, he has led a number of prestigious and multi award-winning projects including 15 Clerkenwell Close with Amin Taha and the repurposing of the landmark Hoover Building into residential accommodation. 

Steve has pioneered the practice’s approach to innovation and sustainability. Encouraging the use of non-conventional materials, from cast iron to cork and from inflatables to stone, to design low carbon and environmentally conscious structures.  

In 2020 Steve was awarded the Milne Medal, for continuously challenge and redefine what is considered possible in structural design. 

Steve also regularly lectures at universities and events and he has taught at the AA, RCA, and the Bartlett. He has also written for industry magazines including BD and the RIBAJ, and has judged various awards for the RIBA and iStructE. 

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For details contact: Will McLean 

w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk 

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Emma Hilton Grange, Helen Hough, and Nicola Moriarty from Bryden Wood “Design for Manufacture and Assembly – DfMA” | Thursday, October 27 at 18:00 (BST), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 27th of October, 6pm (BST)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

Emma Hilton Grange is an Associate Architect at Bryden Wood who has worked at the practice since 2019.  Emma has been involved in several projects at the practice including developing a modular housing scheme for L&G Modular Homes, expanding her knowledge in DfMA and offsite construction working on projects such as kit of parts system for a bespoke housing company Kiss House, as well as number of healthcare projects.  

Emma is an alumna of the University of Westminster – During her Master’s degree, Emma developed a keen interest in research-based, and data led design, with her design projects being led by environmental data collected on site, and through desktop research, leading her to working at Bryden Wood. Bryden Wood is a global company of creative technologists, designers, architects, engineers and analysts. They are shaping the future of construction by bringing integrated expertise, innovation, deep experience, open minds and creativity to unravel the most complex problems and create exceptional, sustainable design solutions – all for a better built environment. Bryden Wood are leaders in the theory and practice of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), the Platform approach to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA), generative design, creative technologies, integrated design and automation in construction.  

Emma will be joined by her colleagues Helen Hough, Head of Sustainability, and Nicola Moriarty, Structural Director both who have lead their disciplines in many of the practices most prominent schemes, such as The Forge, the UKs first net zero carbon commercial development using PDfMA. 

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For details contact: Will McLean  

w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk 

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Dr László Tálas, University of Bristol “The Science of Camouflage” | Thursday, October 20 at 18:00 (BST), M416 + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 20th of October, 6pm (BST)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

Dr László Tálas is a Lecturer in Animal Sensing and Biometrics at the Bristol Veterinary School, whose research interests concern computational approaches to applied vision and questions lying at the intersection of sensory biology, psychology, history and art. László is particularly passionate about how visual scenes can be “understood” using computer vision and what comparisons can be drawn with biological visual systems. His current research focuses on early automatic disease detection in animals using thermal imaging and deep learning, while also running projects on investigating optimal colouration for concealment and visibility in animals and humans.  

László’s PhD work focused on how camouflage uniform patterns have evolved since the early 20th century, using methods from computer vision to establish similarity metrics between patterns and phylogenetics to model how patterns of allied / hostile countries have influenced each other’s designs. 

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For details contact: Will McLean  

w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk 

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Steven Johnson, The Architecture Ensemble “Flimwell Park” | Thursday, October 13 at 18:00 (BST), M416 + Live Stream

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 13th of October, 6pm (BST)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

Steven Johnson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended Kansas State University to study architecture and followed this with a short period of working in Kansas City. In 1986 he moved to London to take a Masters in Architecture at the Architectural Association, and he has lived and worked in London ever since.  

Having worked for several London firms, Steven practiced as a consultant with Edward Cullinan Architects, serving as the project architect on the award-winning Downland Gridshell at the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum in West Sussex. The mix of new technology and timber processes in the Downland Gridshell required pushing timber construction and architecture in new and innovative directions.  

Upon completion of the Downland Gridshell, Steven established The Architecture Ensemble in 2002. Its main emphasis is to explore possibilities in timber architecture using both traditional methods and cutting-edge technological advances while remaining acutely sensitive to ecological issues. Steven was a co-founder of the Timberbuild Network based at Flimwell, East Sussex. The Network was established to help rebuild links between timber growers, saw millers, carpenters, builders, and designers in order to re-ignite the interest in and the use of local timber within the South East of England.  

The Flimwell Park development is a pioneering new sustainable woodland development designed by Steven Johnson to connect people with its woodland surroundings. Set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Village of Flimwell on the East Sussex border with Kent, the aim is to enhance the wellbeing of the community that will live, work and visit. Environmental, social, and economic sustainability has been at the heart of Flimwell Park, with all timber sustainably sourced and weathering steel used for the window bay cladding. Onsite solar power is generated from 300 photo-voltaic cells located on building roofs, cladding, and canopies, with a grid of solar thermal units heating water directly from the sun. Flimwell Park is one of the first mixed-use, sustainable woodland developments in the UK. 

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For details contact: Will McLean  

w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk 

Technical Studies Lecture Series: Deborah Saunt, DSDHA “Recent Projects” | Thursday, October 6 at 18:00 (BST), M416 + Live Stream

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 6th of October, 6pm (BST)

Where: M416, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS + Online

Deborah is one of the founding directors of DSDHA. Her recent and ongoing projects include the refurbishment of London’s iconic Economist Plaza in St James and a new building on Piccadilly for The Crown Estate. Large urban scale work includes the regeneration of a 600-home estate for London Borough of Southwark with a strong focus on engagement, the creation of Cundy Street Quarter, a new 2.4-acre mixed-tenure neighbourhood in Westminster, the redesign of the public realm around the Royal Albert Hall, the public realm framework for the West End including the reimagining of Tottenham Court Road, and a new park for the City of London above Liverpool Street Station. 

Much of her current work is concerned with democratising architecture, having set up the Jane Drew Prize in Architecture, and helping to redefine the role of architecture in the 21st century – addressing people’s emerging needs in the context of rapidly shifting environmental, technological and social conditions. Deborah is a Trustee of the London School of Architecture, of which she was a Founding Director, which focuses on broadening access to the profession and building new collaborative forms of research and practice. She regularly talks and writes on issues of diversity and innovation in the built environment.  

Deborah gained her PhD with the RMIT Practice Research Programme, and has held academic appointments at Yale School of Architecture, Universidad de Navarra, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne and the University of Cambridge. 

For details contact: Will McLean 

w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk 

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Technical Studies Lecture Series: “Carbon Negative Materials” by Allison Dring, Elegant Embellishments | Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 18:00 (GMT), Room M416, Marylebone Campus + Online

Posted on by Mirna Pedalo

When: Thursday, 9th of December at 6pm (GMT)

Where: M416, Marylebone Campus, School of Architecture and Cities, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS 

Link to join livestream

[…] it turned out that TiO2 (titanium dioxide) is excellent for photocatalytically breaking down organic compounds.

Allison Dring 

Frustrated by a sustainable architectural palette of parsimony and the orthogonal construction grid, Elegant Embellishments (EE) designed a deliberately decorative pollution-cleaning screen, based on an aperiodic grid to ‘elicit an emotional response’. This new product was named prosolve370e in reference to the naming of cars after their engine size and how much pollution they produce. The ‘370e’ refers to how much surface enhancement the designers could achieve in order to counter that volume of pollution. Made from thermo-formed plastic to reduce weight, the modules are coated in photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO2). The designer and partner in EE Allison Dring explains that prosolve370e does three things: first it maximises surface area to increase the ‘efficacy of the technology’; second it creates turbulence to slow the air pollution and make it easier to catch on the surface; and third the forms of the modular screen are designed to enhance reception of light, including the reflected light of neighbouring modules. In 2012, the technology was installed at the Hospital Manuel Gea Gonzalez in Mexico City, described as ‘the incredible smog-eating building’ by CNN. 

The screen covers an area of 25,000 m2 and is thought to be the world’s largest engineered urban air-purifier. Based on the size of the screen, and its maximised surface area, EE claims to achieve around 5000 m2 of photocatalytic activity, which equates to mitigating the air pollution produced by 1,000 cars per day. Air pollution is composed of two key ingredients: oxides of nitrogen (known as NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are both produced by combustion engines. 

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For details contact: Will McLean  w.f.mclean@wmin.ac.uk