Seasweed Study by Stephanie Ete

Seaweed Logbook Stephanie Ete, O4 2018

Week 1 Get to Know Seaweed - EXPERIMENTING 09/02/2018

Remarks: I discovered that the bulbous part of the seaweed is what allows it to float in water. I wanted to use this natural aspect of the seaweed to make a raft that floats in water and can hold the weight of other items

Remarks: I placed my raft back into water and did short test to see if the bulbs would hold the weight of a paper cup. These short tests were not very successful. After this, I decided to leave the bulbs in water for a week to observe what changes would occur. I also took some bulbs out of the water to observe the differences between the dry and wet seaweed bulbs

Week 1 What can be done with Seaweed - SKETCH 09/02/2018

Remarks: These were my initial thoughts on the diverse usage of seaweed. I questioned whether cloths, blocks, and paper could be made with the seaweed

Remarks: I further thought about the qualities that the seaweed naturally has and what potential methods I could try to make something out of the seaweed.

Week 3 Seaweed Raft - OBSERVATIONS 23/02/2018

Remarks: Losing interest in the potential of the seaweed raft, I wanted to continue to observed the qualities of the seaweed bulbs

Week 1 - Seaweed Raft The Bulbous part of the seaweed floats and is woven together with rope to make a float in the water

Week 3 - Seaweed Raft The Bulbous part of the seaweed has pruned; it still floats, but does not retain the weight of other materials

Week 3 Last Year’s Experiments - EXPERIMENTING 23/02/2018

(1)

(3)

(2)

(4a)

Remarks: Working with Elena Staškute, we followed the experiments of last years group to make a small harden block of seaweed. Of qualities like a tile. The formula required 4.5 Spoons of ground seaweed and 12 teaspoons of water (1). We placed this into an 80mm x 80mm x 30mm box and mixed the ingredients. The mixture filled the foam box. We then decided to do 3 varying experiments. (2) For this experiment we ground more finely the seaweed and we found that this required more water to create an even mixture - for this experiment, we used 15 teaspoons of water. (3) We then did this exact same mixture again but this time pouring the seaweed mixture into a compressed/closed box. (4a) & (4b) For our final experiment we mixed the seaweed with 5 spoons of Vinegar (equivalent to 15 teaspoons). We also left this box opened. (4b)

Week 4 & 5 Last Year’s Experiments - RESULTS 02/03/2018 & 09/03/2018

Remarks: After a week of drying, we reviewed tiles. Experiment 1 reduced to about 30% of its original volume and we noticed cracking from the center and also the slight curving of the form. You could also still distinctly see the seaweed particles and the small gaps that occurred in between the particles, giving this tiles a coarseness. Experiment 2 was with the more finely ground seaweed pieces. Here, you can see that the block is smooth and not course and no gaps between particles. However, in this experiment the cracking in the centre is much more pronounced as is the curving of the tile. We believe the greater amount of water and its need to dry and escape from the tile is what has caused this morphology. (1)

(2)

(3)

Remarks: Experiment 3 was the compressed tile. After one week, we found that the tile was still wet and had the potential to become extremely mouldy. We removed it the box and let it dry on the radiator. After a week of drying we assessed that the brick had retained its form the most out of the other three brick and had only shrunk to approximately 50% of its start volume. Experiment 4 with the vinegar was entirely unsuccessful, with the vinegar evaporating and the seaweed granules remaining loose instead of bound together.

(4)

Week 4 Applications of Seaweed - RESEARCH

Modern Seaweed House Læsø Island, DENMARK 2012 - 2013

09/03/2018

The most obvious application of seaweed was the roof cladding shown in Figure 3a. Nevertheless, it was necessary to propose the brand new technology to achieve the lightweight and contemporary looking roof. On the other hand it was equally important not to lose the ambiance of simplicity, connection with the environment and the obvious utilitarianism, that stood behind the usage of the natural material that could be found on the beach. Therefore the seaweed was stuffed into the nets knitted from a woolen yarn as shown in Figure 3b. Each element is 6-8 meters long and closed at both ends. These nets were attached to the façade and to the roof, where they formed the original and expressive finishing. At the same time, the seaweed filling was placed inside the wooden cassettes made of low processed timber and divided into smaller inner sections. These prefabricated building modules formed the house framework and provided an excellent insulation of floors, walls and ceilings with the λ value 0,0376 W/mK (Pedersen, Ransby 2005, p.4).

Remarks: The following pages highlight the more relevant examples of seaweed applications that I discovered during the first few weeks of this project. The text on these pages, unless otherwise stated is taken from the source project themselves

a) Figure 3

b) (a) The seaweed roof cladding and (b) the detail of seaweed placed in the knitted nets.

Figure 3 (a) The seaweed roof cladding and (b) the detail of seaweed placed in the knitted nets. The Modern Seaweed House (2012-2013) on Læsø, designed by Vandkunsten in cooperation with Realdania Byg. Photographer: Helene Hoeyer Mikkelsen/Realdania Byg (July 2013)

mineral wool. Eelgrass is used to insulate the building and are placed between loadbearing structures in the floor, the facade, and the roof. The eelgrass is also used as facade cladding. Another innovative application of seaweed was inspired by traditional mattresses. The dried seaweed was used for internal finishing elements, which are stuffed with eelgrass and covered with natural colored linen so that they slightly resemble the mattresses as shown in Figure 4a. These elements were used for internal wall cladding. The bright linen corresponds well to the timber color and gives the interiors light and natural appearance as shown in Figure 4b. Furthermore such used seaweed has exceptionally good acoustic properties. Another seaweed feature, which is very useful in building, is the ability to absorb and give off moisture. That contributes to the regulation of indoor air humidity parameters. Various solutions, based on the seaweed application, created truly comfortable interiors with high-quality indoor microclimate. The list of possible variants of seaweed implementation can be developed further, in purpose to expand the prospective options for affordable sustainable building. The Modern Seaweed House has a very low energy consumption and due to the fact that the organic materials were used almost exclusively, the house accumulates more CO2 than it was emitted within the whole process of production and transportation of the building materials (Realdania Byg, Walther, 2013).

Figure 4(a) Dried seaweed inside white linen finishing elements and (b) natural bright interiors. The interiors of the Modern Seaweed House (2012-2013) on Læsø, designed by Vandkunsten in cooperation with Realdania Byg. Photographer: Helene Hoeyer Mikkelsen/Realdania Byg (July 2013).

The Kaline’s House (dated 1865) on Læsø with traditionally thatched seaweed roof, Eelgrass insulates and its insulation value is close to comparable to mineral wool. Eelgrass is used to insulate the building and are placed between loadbearing structures in the floor, the facade, and the roof. The eelgrass is also used as facade cladding.

LINKS LINKS http://vandkunsten.com/en/projects/seaweedhouse http://vandkunsten.com/en/projects/seaweedhouse http://www.plea2014.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Paper_8A_2158_PR.pdf http://www.plea2014.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Paper_8A_2158_PR.pdf

TERROIR - Edvard & Steenfatt DENMARK

Week 4 Applications of Seaweed - RESEARCH

TERROIR - Edvard & Steenfatt DENMARK

09/03/2018

The project contains a new material developed from seaweed and paper and is created as a research into local materials. By combining seaweed and paper Edvard & Steenfatt have created a tough and durable material. It is best described as a warm and tactile surface with the softness of cork and the lightness of paper, which can be used for products and furniture. The colour of the material is determined by the different species of seaweed – ranging from dark brown to light green. The seaweed is harvested along the beach of Denmark, which stretches over 8000 km and is one of the world’s longest coastlines compared to the land mass area. After being dried the seaweed is ground into powder and cooked into glue, utilizing the viscous and adhesive effect of the Alginate – the natural polymer of the brown algae. Terroir is a description often used to determine the cultural and geological relation between products and where they are produced, emphasizing the heritage and knowledge linked to the use of the raw material. The aim of the project is to design objects with character derived from the cultural surface of the landscape. By using locally harvested materials the two designers hope to contribute to a local and sustainable economy. The materials are created from renewable resources and the production acts as a recycling of natural materials in a green loop of energy.

Remarks: Terroir Samples, taken by me at the Materia Expo in Rotterdam

Terroir making process and final samples at Material Experience LINKS: https://edvardsteenfatt.dk/portfolio/terroir/

Week 4 Applications of Seaweed - RESEARCH

Can seaweed be used as a building material? Fraunhofer Institute - GERMANY 2013

09/03/2018

Throughout fall, winter and spring, Mediterranean beaches are littered with little balls of seaweed leaves from the Posidonia oceanica plant, more commonly known as Neptune grass. Although the natural material of these Neptune balls is regarded as a waste product and generally ends up as landfill, this readily abundant and renewable material is far too valuable to be thrown away. It displays a variety of characteristics that make it of interest to the building trade: seaweeds are virtually non-flammable, resistant to mold, and can be used as insulating material without the need for chemical additives. It can be used as insulation between the rafters of pitched roofs, to insulate interior walls, or to reduce the amount of heat lost through building envelopes. Fibers act as a buffer, absorbing water vapor and releasing it again without impairing its own ability to keep the building insulated. And with a salt content of just 0.5 to 2 percent, Neptune balls can be used to produce insulation material that will not rot away. But how exactly is seaweed processed into a building material? A difficult task indeed as it is not easy to remove adherent sand from the Neptune

balls. Added to which, individual fibers tend to catch easily on anything including one another and are quick to form new clumps, both during processing and later when being blown into spaces in need of insulation. Suitable methods of turning Neptune balls into insulating material have been developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal, in collaboration with industry partners NeptuTherm e.K., X-Floc Dämmtechnik-Maschinen GmbH, Fiber Engineering GmbH and RMC GmbH. The project partners’ aim was to produce an insulating material capable of being stuffed or blown into the required space. “Shaking the Neptune balls proved the best way of making sure we end up with fibers that are as long as possible and free of sand,” says Dr. Gudrun Gräbe from Fraunhofer ICT. By carefully breaking up the clumps, Gräbe and her team were able to find the best way of acquiring fibers. Once all sand has been dislodged from the balls, a conveyor belt delivers them to the cutting mills, from where 1.5 to 2 centimeter fibers emerge undamaged and drop into plastic bags.

Staying cool with Posidonia fibers The loose insulating material produced is capable of holding a considerable amount of energy: its value of 2.502 joules per kilogram kelvin (J/kgK) is 20 percent higher than that of wood or wood products, as a study conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP in Holzkirchen shows. This means that the fibrous material keeps buildings cool in hot weather, shielding them from the heat of the day. And there is no doubt about how well Posidonia fibers insulate heat. “The material is employed in construction at sufficient density to prevent it from collapsing in on itself. The density required was determined by the Materials Testing Office MPA NRW in Dortmund,” says Gräbe. According to figures released by the eco-INSTITUTE in Cologne, seaweed is 100 percent organic and is entirely free of extraneous or toxic matter, making it also particularly suitable for allergy sufferers. Yet another advantage of Neptune balls is their favorable eco-balance, which Gräbe and her ICT colleagues have established. The entire manufacturing process requires very little energy. Neptune balls are harvested by hand and brought to Germany by sea from Tunisia and by road from Albania.

Stuffing or blowing Installing the insulation itself poses little difficulty, and although installation is generally carried out by professionals, you can take on the job yourself. The fibrous material can be filled into the hollow spaces of roof constructions, walls and ceilings, and then packed tight by hand. It is advisable to use a machine to blow insulation into hard-to-reach spaces. The project is also responsible for producing a special blower capable of ensuring insulation reaches every last nook and cranny. The company NeptuTherm e.K. Has given its name to this insulating material from the sea and is already marketing and distributing it. Moreover, Posidonia fibers have already proved their worth in a range of new construction projects and renovations of existing buildings. There are now plans to develop solid, ecologically-sound sheets made from this material in order to offer a comprehensive system for insulating roofs, exterior façades, interior walls and basement ceilings. Researchers from Fraunhofer ICT have performed tests that show that producing such sheets is indeed feasible. Fraunhofer Institute LINKS https://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/03/can-seaweed-be-used-building-material

Week 4 Applications of Seaweed - RESEARCH

AGAR PLASTICITY JAPAN 2016

09/03/2018

Agar Plasticity is an ongoing material research project, in which we are exploring the potential usefulness of agar as one of alternatives to synthetic plastics. This project was submited to Lexus Design Award 2016 under the theme ‘ANTICIPATION’ and won the Grand Prix. Goods are usually shipped wrapped in plastic materials. Once unwrapped, they soon become waste or are collected to be recycled. Considering the raw materials and energy for processing, this situation is undesirable. In 2012, two hundreds and eighty eight million tons of plastics were produced worldwide, and more than 36% of materials used for packaging were plastics. But synthetic plastics do not biodegrade. This is the motivation for this project. Anticipating effective and sustainable urilisation of natural resources has become more and more indispensable. To challenge this seemingly ignored problem, we began this project. Agar is traditionally consumed as food in Japan, which is often used for making sweets. It is, also, used in scientific and medical fields worldwide. It is sold in dried state in shapes of block, flake and powder. Block agar shows porous, feathery structure and is very light despite its volume. These feautures led

to explore its possibility as packaging material. Its raw material is seaweed - precisely, two kinds of red algae, which grow and is harvested worldwide, and agar can be extracted by boiling the red algae. We have worked on three different material experiments. Firstly, pure agar powder by itself. Secondly, combining agar powder with extracted red algae fibre. Thirdly, by mixing agar powder with shell ash, which is also a waste product from the food industry. 1. Agar powder Through countless experiments, we have managed to produce a thin transparent film, loose-fill cushioning and a package with integrated cushioning using only powdered agar. 2. Agar powder + Extracted red algae fibre Either in a traditional or industrial way, agar production produces huge amounts of red algae waste, and disposal is costly for the manufacturer, so we have been searching for alternative ways of reusing it.

With different concentrations of agar and algae, various hardnesses and thicknesses can be attained. For example, this composite material can be used as wrapping for flowers, or as cushioned packaging for plant pots and wine bottles, or moulded to make boxes. 3. Agar powder + Shell ash powder Shell waste produced by food industry is another serious environmental issue. Everyday, tons of shell are being dumped as waste, resulting in huge disposal costs for farmers. A mixture of water and shell ash alone cannot be formed, however, by adding agar, the composite becomes moldable. It can be moulded into complicated shapes, or it has a potential to be extruded even industrially. We imagine that it could be utilised as a material for building, like a wall tile.

Week 4 Applications of Seaweed - RESEARCH

WOOL AND ALGINATE ADDED TO BRICKS UNITED KINGDOM & SPAIN 2010

09/03/2018

Spanish and Scottish researchers have added wool fibers to the clay material used to make bricks and combined these with an alginate, a natural polymer extracted from seaweed. The result is bricks that are stronger and more environmentally-friendly, according to the study published recently in the journal Construction and Building Materials. “The objective was to produce bricks reinforced with wool and to obtain a composite that was more sustainable, non-toxic, using abundant local materials, and that would mechanically improve the bricks’ strength,” Carmen Galán and Carlos Rivera, authors of the study and researchers at the Schools of Architecture in the Universities of Seville (Spain) and Strathclyde (Glasgow, United Kingdom), said. The wool fibers were added to the clay material used in the bricks, using alginate conglomerate, a natural polymer found in the cell walls of seaweed. The mechanical tests carried out showed the compound to be 37% stronger than other bricks made using unfired stabilised earth.

The study, which has been recently published in the journal Construction and Building Materials, was the result of close collaboration between the British and Spanish universities. The clay-based soils were provided by brick manufacturers in Scotland, which was also the source of the wool, since the local textile industry cannot use everything it produces. “The aim was to produce a material suitable for adverse climatic conditions, such as the specific ones in the United Kingdom,” the authors explain. Advantages of environmentally-friendly bricks The researchers studied the effect of reinforcing various soil types with sheep’s wool, and arrived at various conclusions. “These fibers improve the strength of compressed bricks, reduce the formation of fissures and deformities as a result of contraction, reduce drying time and increase the bricks’ resistance to flexing.” This piece of research is one of the initiatives involved in efforts to promote the development of increasingly sustainable construction materials. These kinds of bricks can be manufactured without firing, which contributes to energy savings. According to the authors: “This is a more sustainable and healthy alternative to conventional building materials such as baked earth bricks and concrete blocks.”

Untreated clay was one of the earliest building materials to be used by humankind. The oldest examples of this can be found in houses in the Near East dating from between 11,000 and 12,000 years ago. Earthy material mixed with plants and pebbles to make them stronger has also been found in certain archaeological deposits from 1400BCE in Sardinia (Italy).

Journal References: C. Galán-Marín, C. Rivera-Gómez y J. Petric. Clay-based composite stabilized with natural polymer and fibre. Construction and Building Materials, 2010; 24 (8): 1462 DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2010.01.008 Galán-Marín. Effect of Animal Fibers Reinforcement on Stabilized Earth Mechanical Properties. Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, 2010; 4 (2): 121 DOI: 10.1166/jbmb.2010.1076

Week 5 Cooking Experiments with Pieter Keune EXPERIMENTING 09/03/2018

Test 2: Het maken van vloeistof van calciumchloride + water. Het maken van gelei van Natrium alginaat + water. CaCl2 gieten aan Natrium alginaat creëert meer gelei, geclusterde stof.

Week 5 Cooking Experiments with Pieter Keune EXPERIMENTING 09/03/2018

3 Tests Test 1: Het maken van vloeistof van calciumchloride + water. Het maken van gelei van Natrium alginaat + water. Gieten Natrium alginaat aan CaCl2 vormt gelei bubbels. Test 2: Het maken van vloeistof van calciumchloride + water. Het maken van gelei van Natrium alginaat + water. CaCl2 gieten aan Natrium alginaat creëert meer gelei, geclusterde stof. Test 3: Het verzamelen van strepen (blaad delen) van zeewier.

Test 3: Het verzamelen van strepen (blaad delen) van zeewier. Wassen zeewier met zuur (azijn gebruikt) om meer transparante vloeistof te krijgen. (manier te kort) (+ gebruik hydrogene chloride) Gemengd water met polyfosfaat, om water zachter te maken in de pan. Verwarmd water tot 60 graden en zeewier strepen koken voor 45 minuten (voor hogere hoeveelheid stof temperatuur moet worden uitgegaan van 50 graden en kooktijd van ten minste 2 uur). Tijdens het koken is het proceswater meerdere keren verdampt en hebben we dus meer water toegevoegd. Na een uur koken, de groene kleur van zeewier omgezet in bruine vloeistof. Na het koken waren we in staat om twee soorten vloeistoffen te gebruiken:

3 Tests

De eerste vloeistof werd gewonnen door het filteren van de stof. Test 1:is geëxtraheerd met behulp van een zeefzak, hebben De tweede vloeistof Making liquid Calciummeer chloride + water. we de substractie uit de panofgedrukt en geconcentreerdere spullen jellyaan of de Natrium water. te krijgen. Dit Making gebeurde hand alginaat van een+soort van pers. alginaattot to 40 CaCl2 forms jelly bubbles. Laten rusten, Pouring dan koeltNatrium het langzaam graden. We hebben de eerste vloeistof toegevoegd aan calciumchloride + water. Test 2:bijzonder effect van wee lagen die op elkaar drijven: hierbij ontstond een Makingbleef liquidop ofde Calcium + water. bleef deels op The calciumalginaat bodemchloride & natriumalginaat of reageerde. Natrium alginate + water. het aan omdatMaking het nietjelly nog to Natrium creates jelly, clustered substanUit de tweedePouring vloeistofCaCl2 hebb we gefilterdalginate bruine gelei vanmore stof toegevoegd ce. aan calciumchloride + water. Je kon zien dat bruin stof niet mengde met het water, en een laag op de top van het water vormden.

Test 2: Making liquid of Calcium chloride + water. Making jelly of Natrium alginate + water. Pouring CaCl2 to Natrium alginate creates more jelly, clustered substance. Test 3: Collecting stripes (bladder parts) of seaweed. Washing seaweed with acid (used vinegar) to get more clear/transparent liquid. (way to short) (+ use hydrogene chloride) In the pan mixed water with Polyphosphate, to make water softer. Heated water to 60 degrees and put seaweed nods to cook for an 45 minutes (for higher quantity substance temperature should be 50 degrees and cook for at least 2 hours). During the cooking process water evaporated so more water was added several times. After an hour of cooking, the green color of seaweed turned into brown liquid. After the cooking we were able to get two types of liquids: The first liquid was extracted by filtering the substance. The second liquid was extracted by using a pressing bag and a pressing machine in order to get out more stuff. We let it rest and cool down for a bit until 40 degrees. We added the first liquid into Calcium chloride + water. It created layers: The Calcium alginate stayed on the bottom & sodium alginate stayed partly on the to because it does not reacted yet. From the second liquid we filtered brown, jelly substance and added it to Calcium chloride + water. You could see that brown substance did not mixed with water and formed a layer on top of the water.

Ingredients:

Calcium Chloride

Sodium Alginate

Water

Mix water with Calcium chloride

Mix water with Sodium alginate

Experiment 1: Poor the sodium alginate solution in the calcium chloride

Experiment 2: Poor the calcium chloride solution in the sodium alginate

Week 7 Seaweed Plastic - EXPERIMENTING 23/03/2018

Remarks: After doing the experiments with Peter Keune and also learning about the AgarPlasticity project in Japan I was interested in exploring the idea of bioplastics from seaweed. For this I teamed up with Elena Staškute and Ivo Susi and we discovered some recipes for seaweed plastic using Agar. The following pages document our experiment making plastic using Gelatin and Agar blend to make plastic. We used, 2,25g of sorbitol (sweetener), 2,25g gelatin, 2,25 g of agar, 108ml of glycerol and 240ml of water and we brought all these ingredients together to boil and create an even loose liquid solution . After boiling we poured out our experiment on to a plate to cool and then analyse.

Week 7 Seaweed Plastic - RESULTS 23/03/2018

Remarks: Once the liquid solution had been poured onto the plate, it solidified within a few minutes becoming like a rubbery jelly. It had an oily feel yet it did not transfer or stick to surfaces. The appearance was not entirely opaque but what can be described as foggy and whitish. Within our group, we tried to think about what could be done with such a product. I, however, found it hard to see an end result with this kind of jelly product and where it might find application within the built environment. I would have found more interest in the experiment had it resulted in a more adhesive like product or stuck to the surface it was applied as I hoped to see if seaweed plastic could be a binding or sealing agent in the construction industry. Looking back on this thought and with more knowledge about how seaweed responds to humidity and water I believe this would never have been a successful outcome either.

Week 8 Seaweed Bricks - BRAINSTORMING 30/03/2018

Remarks: No longer interested in the potential of Seaweed plastic and its application into the built environment I wanted to think about how seaweed could be a more tangible building material. Having been quite pleased with the first experiments that I did with Elena making small seaweed tiles I wanted to seen if it would be possible to scale these experiments up into making a brick or a block out of seaweed and other varying materials to see how this would control mold and or strengthen the brick. The first test showed that there was a lot of cracking from the evaporation of water, tendency to mould if not dried rapidly and curving of the form also due to this. Elena and I also repeated the test swapping half the amount of seaweed with wood chippings and we found that the resulted in a tile even more susceptible to mold (2nd tile to the right). For my next steps then it was important to try to control the shape and drying of the seaweed brick and also experiment more mold resistant materials.

Week 8 Seaweed Bricks - BRAINSTORMING 06/04/2018

Remarks: Here you can see my brainstorming on ingredients and methods I could potentially try. I thought of using soil or sand to see if they would absorb more water so that the seaweed which is mold prone wouldn’t absorb as much water and dry more easily. I wondered if adding glue would speed up the drying process and prohibit mold. I wanted to see if it was possible to order the NeptuTherm seaweed wool from the Fraunhofer Institute project that I had researched (I did not receive a response to my sample request and request to purchase) to see what kind of brick/tile would be made or if it would be the same. I also wanted to use recycled paper like the Terrior project but I decided that this would not have much impacting in making a strong brick. I also considered wool and flax as they would potentially have a greater impact in strengthening the brick. I also concluded that the success of my brick would be most determined by how it was moulded/formed and consequently dried. Together with Baukje and Peter Keune we discussed how I might build a brick press that would shape the brick using compression and remove as much water as possible from out of the brick quickly.

Week 9 Making a brick mould - CONSTRUCTION 13/04/2018

Remarks: I decided that I wanted to make a seaweed brick to the UK standard brick size, as this is what I was most familiar with (215x102.5x65mm). Having noted that most of my earlier seaweed tiles had shrunk to an average of 40% their original volume, I initially thought it would be smart to scale my brick press to 250% of the bricks intended size. This however would have resulted in a brick press (537.5x256.25x162.5mm) and 3581 grams of seaweed. This seemed to extensive to achieve so I rationed that a smaller brick would still in the proportionate to the British standard would be fine. I made the frame of my brick press using multiplex wood and for the base of the press I used an aluminum perforated sheet so that water could drain through the perforations. As the plan was to apply a lot of pressure/compression to the brick in order for water to be drained out added extra support underneath the metal sheet to prevent the brick from curving as in previous tests. I also made a lid for brick press using the multiplex and metal sheet separating the two elements with 0,5mm air/moisture gap using wooden skewers.

Week 11 Making a Seaweed Brick - PREPARATION 20/04/2018

Remarks: After making the frame I used the Compression press made by Robin Frings and clamped my brick mould s into it. I also cut a porous cloth and inserted it into my brick mould as a mold barrier. After this, I needed to prepare the seaweed by finely blending and grinding it. I used 350 grams of seaweed which would require 1500 ml water (7.5 plastic cups filled).

Week 12 Making a Seaweed Brick - Pouring 18/05/2018

Remarks: After this preparation of the seaweed, I was finally able to mix the seaweed with the water and I watched the seaweed mixture more double in size. I poured this into my mould and then used a hydraulic jack to apply enough pressure to squeeze the excess water out of the brick. Immediately some water drained out of the brick from both the top side and the bottom side of the press but I needed to allow more time before being able to drain more water out of the brick. After 4 days, I returned to the brick and found the maximum capacity of water had been squeezed out without destroying the form of the brick.

Week 12 Making a Seaweed Brick - ANALYSING 22/05/2018

Remarks: I removed the brick from the press and mould and this allowed me to see how much liquid had drained from the brick and what it was like. The liquid was brown and slimy and had an adhesive quality to it. I believe that the press squeezed out most of the cellulose quality of the seaweed. After removing the brick, it was still relatively moist and not entirely harden. It had and even texture and no cracking. It was also the same length and width of the mould however it had almost halved in height to about 35mm

Week 12 Making a Seaweed Brick - ANALYSING 22/05/2018

Remarks: Taking a look at the brick product, I wondered whether once it was fully dry, whether it was now in a permanent chemical state or if adding water would change the brick again. I took a piece of one of the earlier test and placed it into water and after some moments the piece disintegrated. I concluded then, that my brick. solely with water and seaweed would never be ideal for an outside or longterm material.

Week 12 Making a Seaweed Brick - VARIATIONS 22/05/2018

Remarks: I also wanted to try more variations of ingredients to see if I could get and improved brick strength and limit breaking. I made these experiments simultaneously to making the brick in the press. For the 1st variation I used 20g of seaweed and 20g of sand and 2.5 cups of water (500ml). I hoped that this experiment would produce a more mould resistant brick as sand responds differently to water. For experiment 2a I used 40g of seaweed and folded some strands of flax into the mixture. For 2b, I evenly distributed the flax into the seaweed mixture. I placed and compressed them by hand with pieces of foam (as I had done in my earlier experiment with Elena) and left them to dry on a radiator for 4 days. For these 2 experiments I hoped that the flax fibers would stop the brick from cracking by filling the gaps. After 4 days all the brick had begun to mold as they moisture of the mixture could only leave through the top face of the tile. The seaweed and sand brick was the least moist but I found that most of the sand had settled together in the mixture and mostly at the surface of the tile. The Flax and seaweed experiments had actually cracked much more than I expected and did not produce stiffer tiles. They had already begun to crumble.

(1)

(2a)

(2b)

Week 13 Making a Seaweed Brick - DRYING 24/05/2018

Remarks: Realising that all four of my seaweed bricks were not yet entirely dry I wanted to speed the process of drying up so to avoid molding. I heated my bricks for an hour at 140 degrees Celsius turning them over 30minutes into the process. This did dry up the bricks up a little bit and you can see that after this, they darkened in colour at the edges but the bricks remained relatively moist (if not more so in the centre). I had them drying by radiators, in the sun and then finally in a well ventilated room by a sunlight window. I would return after some days to see what had be come of my samples

Week 14 Making a Seaweed Brick - RESULTS 01/06/2018

Remarks: I returned to my experiments after some days being in the ventilated room and found that the brick was almost entirely moldy. It and shrunken to dimensions 175x82.5x25mm and had cracks in the centre. This happened during days of most humidity and rainfall therefore where the brick had been drying was the most appropriate place for it to dry and it was ultimately still not ideal. The smaller test had not molded to this extent but these tiles were already substantially cracked before hand so the moisture could leave through the cracks

Week 14 Making a Seaweed Brick - CONCLUSIONS 01/06/2018

Remarks: Although I was extremely disappointed that the brick had ended up moldy, I had resolved on some positives - the dried brick was relatively strong. Though it had cracked it was not crumbling. The form had not curled as in the earlier test and its shrunken proportions were still rather brick like and close to the brick size used in the academy court yard. My conclusions however was that water was an insufficient binder for the brick making molding almost inevitable.