The case for a semi-permeable architecture

2018-01-29T20:18:00-05:00

Our current built environment squanders too much fresh water and other vital resources, and tips too many poisonous substances into our surroundings. To develop a more sustainable relationship with the natural world, we need to allow chemical exchanges that take place within our living spaces, and between the inside and the outside. We need to embrace permeability.

Professor of experimental architecture, Rachel Armstrong, endorses a renewed symbiotic relationship between the built and the natural worlds and explains the benefits of permeability with the help of recent technological developments in the field of biodesign, such as mycotecture, algaetecture, bioplastics, and a variety of bioreactors.

Tarmac has invented a "thirsty concrete," to help mitigate flooding

2015-09-28T16:57:00-04:00

During the first few weeks of August 2007, the American Midwest was devastated by heavy and repeated flash flooding as a result of Hurricane Dean and Tropical Storm Erin dumping massive amounts of rain on several states. And of the US$549 million or so in property damage that came from it, more than two-thirds was caused by water running off pavements or overflowing from drainage systems. So what's the solution?

Alongside a video that's quickly circulating on social media, Tarmac has announced a new type of porous concrete meant to help mitigate flooding by absorbing water.

Capable of taking in some 4,000 litres in the first minute and an average of 600 liters per minute, per meter squared, the concrete has been named "Topmix Permeable."

The material comprises a permeable surface layer of large pebbles, with an "attenuation layer" below that diverts the water flow back to groundwater and drainage systems, helping to not only prevent flooding, but reduce waste as well.

Alas – the concrete wouldn't work in freezing temperatures, so it's only really applicable for regions that are both temperate and vulnerable to flooding.

h/t Science Alert

Check out the video below:

Archinect - News

The case for a semi-permeable architecture

Tarmac has invented a "thirsty concrete," to help mitigate flooding