Deserts are already abundant with sand, so why not construct buildings out of it? This was the thought behind Flohara, a collection of shelters Paris-based firm XTU Architects thought up for the Morocco Pavilion in the 2014 Venice Biennale.
The firm marketed the idea as a way to construct a city in the Sahara, a step toward making deserts more habitable and sustainable, as the need to transport additional building material is decreased (water, on the other hand, is another story).
Gizmodo reports that the construction of shelters using the method developed by XTU Architects can be broken down in three steps. First, “bubbles” that function as support skeletons for building upon must be inflated and placed in the desired site toward the wind. Next, sand, water, a hydogel, and the bacteria Sporosarcina pasteurii (which hardens sand) is mixed and sprayed onto the bubbles. Finally, the structure will be left alone as the sand and sun slowly build and harden the structure before the bubble is deflated.
Read more at Gizmodo.
Related Stories
Building Materials | Mar 3, 2020
84 Lumber President Maggie Hardy Knox receives Career Achievement Award
Maggie Hardy Knox, President of 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, to receive Career Achievement Award.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 16, 2019
Top Window and Door Products for 2019
Pella’s Rolscreen retractable screen and NanaWall’s HSW single-track sliding glass wall are among the 16 window and door products to make Building Design+Construction’s 2019 101 Top Products report.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 16, 2019
Top Structural Products for 2019
Inpro’s Fireline 140 fire barrier and Owens Corning’s Foamglas cellular glass insulation are among the 10 structural products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 16, 2019
101 Top Products for 2019
Building Design+Construction readers and editors select their top building products for the past 12 months in the fourth-annual 101 Top Products report.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 16, 2019
Top Interior Building Products for 2019
Arktura's Delta Drop ceiling and CertainTeed's Decoustics Rondolo wood panels are among the 13 new interior products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 16, 2019
Top Glass and Glazing Products for 2019
SageGlass's Harmony dynamic glass and Vitro Architectural Glass's Acuity low-iron glass are among the nine new glass and glazing products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 16, 2019
Top Flooring Products for 2019
Tarkett’s aviation-inspired flooring collection and J+J Flooring’s textile composite flooring are among the four new commercial flooring products to make Building Design+Construction’s 2019 101 Top Products report.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 12, 2019
Top Building Envelope Products for 2019
Sto's beetle-inspired exterior coating and Dörken Systems' UV-resistant vapor-permeable barrier are among the 28 new building envelope products to make Building Design+Construction's 2019 101 Top Products report.
| Sep 13, 2019
ABC Supply Co. opens a branch in Sharonville, Ohio
ABC Supply Co. opens a branch in Sharonville, Ohio
