Sugarcrete/ Sugar Slab

Client: University of East London / Grimshaw Architects

The Sugarcrete TM project brings together experts from the University of East London and sector leading organisations Grimshaw and Tate & Lyle Sugars to co-create ideas and offer viable construction solutions for real world applications, using bio-waste as the core resource.

The project has been developed as a collaboration between the MArch Architecture programme and the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) by Armor Gutierrez Rivas, Senior Lecturer in Architecture; Alan Chandler, Dean of Research and Bamdad Ayati, SRI Research Fellow, with partners Elena Shilova, Grimshaw Architects, and John Kerr, Vice President of Research & Technology, Tate & Lyle Sugars. 

The aim of the project is to develop ultra-low carbon building components using sugarcane bio-waste (bagasse), allowing the storage of biogenic carbon from fast-growing plants in construction materials as an effective strategy to delay carbon emissions.

More details here:

https://uel.ac.uk/sugarcrete-slab

Material concept, design and fabrication:

Elena Shilova - Architect, Grimshaw, Andy Watts - Director of Design Technology, Grimshaw, Armor Gutierrez Rivas - UEL Senior Lecturer in Architecture, Alan Chandler - UEL Dean of Research, Bamdad Ayati - UEL SRI Research Fellow

Team:

UEL Master of Architecture students: Faith Omowunmi Ogundare, Busra Ciftci, Amy Gillespie, Hinal Arvindkumar Patel, Rova Taha, Dodangodagamage Kawan Roger Ranasinghe, Manoj Sai Ganji, Mohan Ukabhai Dungrani, Anca-Madalina Borda, Alina Klimenteva

Collaborators:

Paris Nikitidis - XR Developer, Grimshaw, Philip Singer - Computational Design Specialist, Grimshaw, Georgios Tsakiridis - Consultant, Grimshaw, Paolo Vimercati - Consultant, Grimshaw, John Kerr - Vice President, Research & Technology, Tate & Lyle Sugars, Paul Nichols - UEL FabLab, Nicolo Bencini - Senior Structural Engineer, AKT II, Sky Henley - Computational Design Specialist

Special thanks:

Hidayati Yazmin Binti Abdul Halim, Mert Manas Erten, Mihriban Ustun, Oluchukwu Judith Obiejesi, Svetoslav Georgiev Slav, Orseer Isreal Gbashah, Mahmoud Sayed Abdellattif, Rashmi Madagamage Gunathilaka