CARDBOARD ECO WALL - ADDITIONAL TEST

Cardboard Eco Wall Project

VIEW 5 MINUTE WATER RESISTANCE VIDEO 

CONSTRUCTION DAY VIDEO

THIS VIDEO SHOWS THE CONSTRUCTION PROCESS OF OUR WALL. STARTING FROM WHEN THE MATERIAL PREPERATION WAS DONE UNTIL THE CAMERA RAN OUT OF BATTERY (APPROX 30 MINUTES OUT FROM COMPLETION). IT SHOWS ALL THE PROCESSES AND DECISIONS WHICH WERE MADE ON THE DAY OF CONSTRUCTION.

REFLECTION/

The project was to construct a wall using viable materials being able to last five minutes under a constant on-flow of simulated rainfall. As a group we concluded that we would explore the waterproofing capabilities of cardboard and how this material can be used as a water-harvesting cladding. Naturally, this material presented numerous difficulties, in particular water being typically detrimental to its structural adequacy. Thus the research began. We found that cardboard has successfully been used previously by architects such as Shakiro Ban, where the material is used as an internal cladding or external column. What we really were interested in and did not manage to see reproduced anywhere else was cardboard being used as both an external cladding and a water harvesting material, because naturally, these two don't tend to mix. We sought to find a work-around to this problem and our solution came in the way we were able to keep the cardboard water proof. Upon numerous sealant testings, we found the combined use of generic recycled wax and two coats of clear enamel paint was extremely successful. This combination maintained the structural adequacy of our Eco-wall, rejecting the water flow from the surface under five minutes of simulated rainfall, and a further five minutes of jet stream pressure. 

The success of these findings surprised us greatly and validated our months of concept work and testing. As a group, we worked coherently and efficiently, meeting every Tuesday for a de-brief and delegations of tasks for the week, allowing us to finish ahead of schedule. This project has been an enjoyable and valuable experience. We loved the hands on approach and it was great to get away from a screen and physically construct what we had designed. Overall, this project was a success, we designed and constructed an Eco-wall using Cardboard as our material of choice, which we kept water tight, and water smart, capturing rainfall in the cladding, feeding this back to the earth.