Reversible architecture

1. WOODEN
BIOBASECAMP
PAVILION
—STUDIO MARCO—
REVERSIBLE ARCHITECTURE —CASE STUDY

2. • A timber pavilion called Biobasecamp at Dutch Design Week brought together projects that
demonstrate the potential of the “concrete of the future” to fight against climate change.
• Studio Marco Vermeulen built the wooden pavilion as a covered exhibition-space for a
series of displays highlighting how timber can be used in bio-based architecture projects.
• Called Biobasecamp, the pavilion was erected in Ketelhuisplein in the Strijp-S district of
Eindhoven for the duration of Dutch Design Week.

3. ■ The roof of the pavilion was the shape
of a five-pronged star with squared
corners. It was built by timber
construction specialists Derix from
200 metres-cubed of lightweight,
modular 16 by 3.5 metre cross-
laminated timber (CLT) boards
■ “We want to introduce visitors to bio-
based building and in particular the
use of cross-laminated timber,” said
the studio. “It generates a starting
point of exploration for designers and
clients towards the possibilities that
this ‘concrete of the future’ offers.”

4. ■ A staircase from ground-level
allowed the roof deck – which was
dotted with trees – to double as a
viewing deck and gathering area.
■ The supporting pillars that held up
the deck were made from trunks of
poplar trees taken from the
motorway between Den Bosch and
Eindhoven.
■ The trees had to be cleared from the
edge of the road for road safety
reasons, due to their age and the
risk of being uprooted, and were
repurposed for the pavilion.

5. • Using CLT and timber supports meant
that the pavilion could be constructed
in a short amount of time.
• “Normally you build something and
then someone else has to add all the
pipes, the cabling, and doors, etc.”
said Marco Vermeulen, founder of
Studio Marco Vermeulen. “Here it is all
prefabricated, which speeds up the
building process enormously.”

6. ■ Unlike concrete or other building
materials which require large amounts
of CO2 to produce, timber stores it. This
allows the construction sector to “play
an active role in the fight against climate
change”, according to the studio.
■ “By building with wood, CO2 is actually
extracted from the atmosphere,” said
the studio. “In contrast to, for example,
costly storage under the North Sea
(CCS), this form of CO2 storage creates
value in the form of buildings.”

7. ■ “And if you make the elements of your
constructions modular so that they can be
reused again and again, you can store it for even
longer,” said the studio, in relation to
Biobasecamp.
■ For this reason, the pavilion will be
deconstructed and reused at the Floriade
horticultural show in Amsterdam in 2022.

8. ■ Beneath the pavilion roof, timber
construction-firm Derix, Floriade
horticultural show and the Dutch
provincial government of Noord-
Brabant showed exhibitions that
highlighted the benefits of using of
timber in architectural projects.
■ Waldo Maaskant, the programme
leader for a bio-based economy and
circular future for the province, said
that circular construction has “a
great future”.

9. OTHER EXAMPLES OF REVERSIBLE
ARCHITECTURE :
Koodaaram Pavilion by Anagram
Architects
People’s Pavilion by bureau SLA +
Overtreders W

10. OTHER EXAMPLES OF REVERSIBLE
ARCHITECTURE :
BUGA Fibre Pavilion by ICD and ITKE Tij Observatory by RAU Architects and
Ro&Ad Architects

11. OTHER EXAMPLES OF REVERSIBLE
ARCHITECTURE :
Circular Pavilion by Encore Heureux
Triodos Bank by RAU Architects and Ex
Interiors

12. STUDY—LIGHTWEIGHT, REVERSIBLE
AND RECYCLABLE ARCHITECTURE &

13. LIGHTWEIGHT ARCHITECTURE
Lightweight architecture is concerned with optimal and,
particularly, parsimonious use of materials and effort. Much
lightweight architecture is tensile as structures loaded in
tension use the least amount of material.

14. LIGHTWEIGHT BUILDING MATERIALS
Steel:
While steel support beams probably don’t seem lightweight, compared to alternative
support materials such as concrete, they offer some of the best strength weight ratios
on the market. Steel roofing panels have become a go-to choice for tiny home builders
Aluminum:
This lightweight metal offers strength for exterior framing. Builders can use them to
frame windows and doors as well as for molding. The tiny home builder can also use
aluminum as a cheaper alternative to steel framing.

15. LIGHTWEIGHT BUILDING MATERIALS
Plastics:
For some time, home builders used plastic for roofing, flooring, siding, windows, and
more. However, structural engineers considered them unsuitable for load-bearing.
That has changed, however, with the advent of “Fiber Reinforced Plastics”. These
composite materials can bear weight loads comparable to steel.
Wood:
Although wood’s strength and weight vary depending on the type, pine, fir, and spruce
are longstanding choices for those who seek to frame their homes with lightweight,
strong building materials. Birch plywood and honeycomb paneling are also popular
wood choices for exterior lightweight cladding for your home.

16. REVERSIBLE ARCHITECTURE
Reversible architecture, also called “demountable construction” and “reversible
design,” seeks to minimize (or eliminate) the waste that occurs when buildings no
longer serve a vital purpose.

18. RECYCLED BUILDING MATERIALS
■ All materials that come from a building site for reuse are recycled building
materials. This includes, wood, brick, insulation, plastics, glass, building blocks,
wall coverings, and so on.
■ Simply put, it’s anything that can be reused is recycled. This way recycled resources
are environmentally friendly (as otherwise, it would contribute to waste), and cost-
efficient (as a rule, recycling is cheaper).
■ The term “sustainable materials” is usually referred to as resources that have high
energy efficiency and low environmental footprint. These include wood (especially
reclaimed), straw bales, recycled plastics, and other resources.

19. Some sustainable and recycled materials:
BAMBOO
STRAW BALE
RAMMED EARTH
TIMBERCRETE BARN WOOD
NEWSPAPERWOOD

20. THANK YOU !
Sources: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/11/06/biobasecamp-studio-marco-vermeulen-
timber-pavilion/
https://www.surfacesreporter.com/articles/72324/10-reversible-building-designs-that-
can-be-deconstructed-and-reused