Charles White

Supervisor:

_

Matrecrete architecture

Amid contemporary concerns for finding building methods with lower embodied energies, I have been exploring how curbside polyurethane mattresses can be soaked in concrete and transformed into a new architectural material: Matrecrete.

My thesis explored the architectural potential of matrecrete through its development into a non-structural cladding system, challenging contemporary modes of approaching wastestream & adaptive-reuse design tectonics.

Seeking not to exploit the fondness of materials and leverage their novelty, my thesis aims to deploy waste material into architecture in such a way that is transformative - not only formally but also to the material’s social status. My research was conducted through the design of a series of speculative architectural projects, culminating principally in a proposal for a restaurant.