FINITE: A New Low-carbon, Bio-composite, Sustainable Replacement for Concrete

Carolyn Tam, Designing Matter, Energy and sustainability, Essay, expanding design practices, Hamza Oza, Matteo Maccario, No Density, Saki Maruyama, Technology and fabrication, Urban Paradigms

Architect’s role, Biodegradable, Circular design, Cradle to cradle, Design, Designing Matter, Digital fabrication, Ecological researches, Engineering, Essay, Innovation, Laboratory, Material experimentation, Materials, New materials, Research, Science, Sustainability, Technology, Urban Paradigms

Finite was developed by Carolyn Tam, Hamza Oza, Matteo Maccario and Saki Maruyama, students from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London.

There is a common misconception that sand is an abundant resource. Beach, river and quarry sand are all in high demand and heavily used in many industries, especially construction. Desert sand however has little use, as its grains are too smooth and fine to bind together. Even Dubai imports sand from other countries. Finite however uses a new binder to help effectively bind together desert sand into structures.