Timber x Earth Capsule Floor Plate

In another iteration of entirely nature-based floor plate assemblies, the Sediments Project explored the use of load-bearing CEBs in a capsule structure. The trapezoidal shape of the blocks enabled the creation of a mortar-free masonry arch, optimising the design for disassembly and re-use.

Following a co-taught seminar at the Yale School of Architecture (YSoA), the Sediments Project, together with Alan Organschi of Grey Organschi Architects (GOA) and a group of graduate students, designed and built a prototypical earth–timber hybrid floor slab. Exploring regional timber resources as well as excavated earth from a local construction site, the team developed two components to form an assembly: a dowel-laminated timber beam and an unstabilised compressed earth block. The timber beams were used as spanning elements; the earth blocks were designed to form a load-bearing arch. With a span of 135 cm between the beams, the assembly uses both materials true to their inherent natural properties.

By eliminating both the use of glue for the beams and of mortar to create the arch, the assembly has a high potential for circularity. All components were sourced within a 200 km radius and fabricated into a net carbon-negative building component.

The prototype was presented as part of the Building a Planetary Solution: Regenerative Architectural Strategies for a Planet in Crisis symposium at Yale, which brought together researchers from around the world to discuss approaches to addressing climate change through the built environment. Bauhaus Earth, GOA, and YSoA will continue to optimise the prototype in future research projects.

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