Driven by the desire to advance current construction methods using renewable sources, PRODUCE aims to further reduce material wastage, shorten production lead time, and minimise manhours on construction sites, thereby creating a more efficient, greener, and safer building system.
Our built environment has generated nearly 40% of annual global greenhouse gases emissions of which more than a quarter is attributed to “embodied carbon” – the manufacturing of building materials such as reinforced concrete and steel, and their related construction processes. A study conducted by the European Environment Agency shows that it results in large amounts of material wastage and pollution.
A material known as Mass Engineered Timber (“MET”) has a significantly smaller carbon footprint in comparison to concrete and steel, but its current production methods are costly, thus it is not commonly used in construction.
But, with the support of DesignSingapore Council’s Good Design Research initiative, Singapore design studio PRODUCE will be studying MET as a construction material, and they’ve conceptualised a type of MET known as the Sandwiched Variable Eggcrate Structure (SVES).
Project Plan
Over the course of 12-months, PRODUCE will also research on the environmental and economic benefits of employing prefabricated construction methods as well as the development of a circular process for MET production in Singapore.
With the global construction industry shifting its reliance on concrete and steel towards more sustainable alternatives, the resulting SVES from this project could be the alternative.
Based on its conceptual design, SVES outperforms concrete and steel in strength, while storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. With the global construction industry shifting its reliance on concrete and steel towards more sustainable alternatives, the resulting SVES from this project could be the alternative.
At the end of the project, PRODUCE will be sharing the findings of its research and the viability of SVES in construction via applications in structures such as floor slabs and wall panels.
Find out more about the Good Design Research initiative here.
Pan Yi Cheng
Design Director and Co-Founder • PRODUCE.Workshop Pte Ltd
PRODUCE.Workshop Pte Ltd is a design studio that is integrated with a workshop and is able to develop and actualise designs of objects and spaces, for city living. With precision prototyping machines, they can test and experience concepts at a 1:1 scale. As part of the design process, PRODUCE.Workshop Pte Ltd also actively integrates stakeholders such as users, clients and specialists as vital players in the design narrative.
