people: Julio Diarte

Join us for the presentation of Tooling with Ice and Sawdust Structures by Julio Diarte, Elena Vazquez, and Mikael Parkman.

This SVP project aimed at exploring the potential of pykrete, a mix of ice and sawdust, as a building material for temporary shell structures in Umeå’s winter. Inspired by traditional and contemporary ice construction techniques developed in cold climates as well as funicular vaults and historical arched construction techniques, researchers designed and tested a reusable and adaptable formwork to cast a shell with pykrete blocks. The formwork was parametrically designed to cast vaults of different widths, and it was successfully assembled and tested using compacted snow blocks. Though, experiments casting Pykrete blocks were incomplete due to lack of proper temperatures below -10°C, leading to brittle blocks that weren’t usable for casting. Researchers plan to test it again next winter as well as reusing the formwork to test other biomass reinforced composite material such as biochar, wood fiber, and mycelium as binder.

A warm welcome to this outdoor presentation where we will offer a typical spring-winter lunch, a barbecue in the sun!

Tooling Ice and Sawdust Structures: Experimenting with Natural Materials and Hybrid Digital/Low-tech Methods to Build Temporary Pykrete Structures.

This research project addresses the pressing need for sustainable alternatives in construction, particularly in Norrland, where imminent population growth necessitates eco-friendly building solutions. The study draws inspiration from historical practices of using snow and ice in construction and aims to advance the application of Pykrete — a composite of ice and sawdust both considered waste in Umeå —in creating long-span shell vaults for temporary structures. Unlike previous endeavors that relied on sophisticated infrastructure, this project will explore alternative low-tech building techniques using digital-based and craft-based methods and tools. The outcomes of this project could significantly contribute to circularity in construction, offering a blueprint for utilizing natural waste materials in innovative and sustainable ways.