The Inside Story
When asked about the effect we have on our environment, our climate and our planet, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it the vast amounts of plastic waste we produce, your carbon footprint whilst using transport or perhaps the food waste which developed economies generate?
Let’s think, for just a minute, about the one thing that is constant, is everywhere and inside which we spent 92% of our lives.* The majority of us do not directly link or actively think about buildings when considering how we might improve our own environmental footprints. Our built environment is like our skin, it is our largest organ yet we do not usually give it as much thought as all of the other smaller internal organs when considering any impact on our overall well-being. The construction, operation and maintenance of the built environment in the United Kingdom account for 45% of its total annual CO2 emissions. Over a quarter of total emissions in the UK comes from the homes we live in (27% is accounted for by buildings deemed domestic) and ⅒ of total emissions are directly linked to construction! This number rises to 12% of total countrywide emissions when looking at the Netherlands, where it is equivalent to the same amount of emissions a home would produce over a period of 75 years! †
Considering our health, our time spent inside during which we like to feel comfortable and the enormous impact our built environment has, it is sincerely shocking that way too little has been done to significantly improve construction methods. Besides, the industry and all its stakeholders (basically all of us) need to start thinking about applying rigorous ways to improve the longer term environmental quality of homes built as well as the immense direct impact of the construction methods that are currently used. Larger construction companies might argue they ‘build according to ‘strict’ guidelines and with global environmental targets in mind’, no one individual in this industry can honestly state that enough has been done to widely implement truly innovative methods in which we build our buildings, our world.
While considering plastic waste, our transport and wasting food, and the multitude of industries associated with these, it is highly likely that there are so-called ‘disruptors’ which are changing industry ways and apply innovation to improve upon the products or services provided, as well as the methods with which these are provided. Think initiatives such as ‘Loop’ led by TerraCycle, working with retailers such as Carrefour, Tesco and in partnership with large manufacturing giants. Think electric cars or solar powered cars, large scale food waste reduction initiatives and many more projects that all enjoy wider societal recognition. This environmental bar needs to rise in the construction industry as the buildings that continue to be constructed, and the way in which these are constructed, just are not fit to be part of a fully circular and environmentally friendly future.
Getting Personal
My mother’s partner of over 10 years is a lovely person and I am truly happy that they are together, they really complement each other in life. Her partner, Maarten van der Breggen, having worked as an architect for 50 years, first developed the ‘Maskerade’ building method over 20 years ago, identifying a clear need for changing the way we construct our built environment. He, his team and trusted partners have spent two decades applying innovations and perfecting this wood-based building method from design to delivery. He continues to work tirelessly to promote this innovative building method, part of this has been to join an open source project that has generated a library with design content on wood-based building methods. He genuinely wants this to gain a lot more traction on a global level, besides any commercial and social projects (latter is preferred) he could continue to realise.
Although I am not directly involved with Maskerade’s or his efforts I do have a passion for environmental friendly innovation, hence my modest investments through Crowdcube in Pavegen, Witt Energy, Sono, Polysolar and more such startups. I further see that the need for dwellings and other types of buildings is constantly increasing, with housing shortages reported across multiple countries, including the UK and the Netherlands. Sadly, a lot of developments still see the utilisation of construction methods that have only been slightly altered in the last 40 years or so. This persists the highly unsustainable impact our built environment has, for decades to come. Maskerade and similar methods are the future of construction, a straightforward building process which immensely reduces time spent onsite (i.e. reducing costs), at 50–60% reduced carbon emissions during this process and it builds homes that are deemed zero carbon.
The vision statement below this article is what I helped write, hoping to gain traction for this building method beyond the Dutch market. If you have a keen interest in reducing our impact on the planet, I assure it is worth reading and sharing to gain awareness around how we could build the houses of the future that allow for life to be enjoyed for centuries to come.
Please do share to help generate awareness of the impact our built environment has on our world. A few claps will also help gain traction for this topic. 👏👏 Get in touch if you want to have a chat with Maarten.
The Maskerade Vision
(NB: I’ve suggested the name ‘Woodbase’ for potential international -social- projects)
Maskerade envisages a world where all buildings are in sync with nature, it lays out a long term vision that revolutionises our built environment for all future generations. All of our projects that have utilised the Maskerade building method significantly improve the impact on our climate and the environment from day one.
The building process starts off-site, with elements produced in a bespoke manufacturing hub. These are transported to the building site for assembly, where a thoroughly robust construction is realised with great velocity. The Maskerade building method greatly reduces time spent on site and hence the building process itself significantly cuts CO2 emissions, depending on the project at hand this exceeds 50% when compared to current traditional construction methods. This is beside the longer term positive impact of Maskerade buildings on our environment, being ‘zero carbon’. The use of sustainable materials and a highly automated production process guarantees an outstanding balance between high quality construction and costs.
The highly experienced architect Maarten van der Breggen, having worked as an architect for 50 years, first developed this building method 20 years ago, identifying a clear need for changing the way we construct our built environment. He, his team and trusted partners have spent these two decades applying innovations and perfecting this wood-based building method from design to delivery. The Maskerade method offers its end users spacious, warm and healthy homes to live in. Homes in which you can feel relaxed, breathe and unwind while being one with the natural materials utilised. The design is timeless; it is highly flexible in being tailored to changing internal design needs. The construction allows for an internal area of 7,5 by 7,5 meters to be arranged in a bespoke manner, over and over again, and this guarantees people can truly create their own living environment.
Finally, given the sincere need for changing our impact on the environment, both considering the Paris Agreement as well at the latest report on climate change, It is unbelievable that in the Netherlands during the last 10 years only 3% of homes were built using wood-based methods. The Maskerade building method utilises wood in its core, allowing for truly natural and sturdy homes to be built. Please get in touch to discuss how, together, we could build the houses of the future that allow for life to be enjoyed for centuries to come.
Rotterdam, 19 February 2019
Please do share to generate awareness of the impact our built environment has on our world. A few claps will also help gain traction for this topic. 👏👏
This article also includes a link to the open source platform on which this and other wood based design methods are accessible for architects and project developers.
*= On average Brits are reported to spent 92% of their lives inside, similar numbers are reported for the US.
†= As mentioned during the Economic Board Utrecht meeting in January 2019, pertaining ‘Een blik op de toekomst van het Beurskwartier’
