Cork as lightweight material

1. BTAR1052 PRINCIPLES OF
CONSTRUCTION AND
MATERIALS
ANG SZE SIEN
21WVR02458

2. Cork
► Primarily from the cork oak.
► Composed of dead tissues originates from the cork oak tree's outer bark.
► Cork tree is not cut down to obtain cork; only the bark is stripped to harvest the
cork.
► Sustainable, renewable and the easy recycling.

3. It is Lightweight
Material Weight per cubic meter (kg/m3)
Cork 225
Aluminum 2720
Paper 950
Clay 2600
Brick 1600
Cement 3000
Oak 900
Pine, White 500
https://mojobob.com/roleplay/weight_chart.html
Low density and lightweight.
Cork cells are 90% occupied by air.

4. Properties
• Unique honeycomb structure composed of
tiny cells
• The properties of cork derive naturally from
the structure and chemical composition of its
extremely strong, flexible cell membranes,
which are waterproof and airtight.

5. Functionality
Cork Pad (Divider)
High resistance to
movement or high
coefficient of friction.
Compressibility, elasticity
and flexibility.
Vibration resistant
Bottle stopper
Thanks to its elasticity, cork
expands within a bottleneck
to seal liquid in and keep
oxygen out. Its tiny pores,
however, allow minuscule
amounts of air to interact with
the wine
Hot Pad & Cup Mats
Low heat transfer
and good thermal
insulation. The
high gas content,
the size of the cells
and the low
adsorption power
make this property.
Furniture
Durability, stability and rigidity.
Waterproof
Economic
Warmth
Textural like natural wood
Badminton
Shuttlecock

6. Collapsibility of cork
Compressibility, elasticity and flexibility.
The high air content of its cells allows it to be compressed to
almost half without loosing flexibility.
Foldable Spectacles casing Yoga Mat
Business card

7. Portability
Cork-made bag & purse
Easily carried
Light in weight
Aesthetic
Waterproof

8. Advantages and Functionality as
Building & Construction Materials

9. Building and Construction
External Finish (Facade cladding)
Extremely waterproof, resistant to abrasion, and acts as a fire retardant
and both thermal and acoustic insulator.
Those air pockets also make cork good for insulating, keeps the heat
and cold from moving between indoors and outdoors.
High collapsibility and elasticity of it’s properties make it easy to shape
and bend into desire shapes as building material.
Desirable aesthetic qualities. Each piece of bark is unique in texture,
grain and color. Ecocubo, Portugal

10. Internally
Floor underlayment, acoustic wall coverings
Low conductivity of heat, sound and vibration due to the gaseous
elements it contains are sealed in tiny
Regulates humidity, absorbs odors and provides comfortable sound
reverberation, perfect for a clinical environment that aesthetically
benefits from an organic, warm atmosphere.
Building and Construction
Herzpraxis Zürich-Höngg Clinic

11. Cork is naturally anti-microbial and moisture
resistant, making it a good choice for bathrooms
and kitchens.
It is impermeable to both liquid and gases, so it
does not rot and resists mold and mildew.

12. Case Study
Cork house, England
Architects: Dido Milne, Matthew Barnett Howland, Oliver
Wilton
An entirely cork construction, with solid structural cork walls
and roof. The blocks can be easily disassemble and reuse
which make it portable.
Expanded cork used as main building material.
100% plant-based material
Cork House

13. What is expanded cork?
The cork is granulated from using by-product and waste from cork
forestry and the cork stopper industry.
Cork granules were put into a big autoclave pressure cooker steam
heated up to 400ºC.
Under high temperature, the natural suberin in the cork which is
natural resin melts and rebonds again to give expanded cork.
Granulated Cork
Expanded cork form from granulated
cork by melting process.

14. Construction techniques and process of
Cork house

15. Construction techniques and process
A robotic milling technique with duster cutter was developed to shape the cork blocks.
Fabrication
Different shapes of cork blocks were
fitted accordingly to it’s plan.

16. Construction of wall
Cork House was assembled from a prefabricated system of
modular components.
Tongue and groove joint used.
Cork wall blocks interlock without mortar or glue to create a
monolithic structure held together by compression. As a result,
the house shares some formal and structural characteristics
with masonry buildings.
WALL

17. Lintel

18. ROOF
The roof was made using the same principles but constructed
with an offset on top of another with a small cantilever each
time. Hence, no formwork needed to support inside, which results
in a pyramid shape.
The entire vertical load is carried by the cork, and lateral loads
are integrated into the cork at eaves level by ring beams around
the bottom layer of roof.
Construction of roof
The ring beam which connect and
support the load of roof

19. Tongue and Groove Joint
Horizontally Vertically
Tongue
Groove

20. SECTION VIEW

21. These blocks are cut with interlocking joints to form
a "Lego-like" modular kit.
1,268 blocks were used for whole structure.
The whole structure settled by gravity.

22. Project idea and concept
Site and location to build
the cube dwelling
Cork block as
cladding and
roof
moisture resistance,
impermeable,
Good acoustic and
thermal insulation
Suitable for
building around
moisture area
Wooden patio
Opening roof
for natural
lighting
Aesthetic and
warm and
organic
surface
Cork floor tiles Lightweight and
detachable block
to make it portable
Lakeside Cork House

23. Floor Plan drawing
Dimension: 3000mm x 3000mm x 3000mm
Closet
Desk
Bed
Kitchen
Patio
Washroom

24. Cork is used in all 4 sides of
the internal and external wall
The wall can be form by
mounting the cork block
on top of each other Cork Block from
https://corkbrick.com/
Wall

25. Timber weatherboard
used because cork
itself is porous
Cork block
Tongue and
groove joint
used
Cork tiles.
The flooring is performed by
glueing which is followed by
multiple coats of polyurethane to
prevent moisture penetration.

26. Furnitures
Cork chair
Cork desk
Closet

27. THE END