Xan Browne1 has completed an industrial PhD project with the KADK and Lendager Arkitekter ApS2, titled: Architecture and (Waste) Wood Agency: Integrating material traits into new circular approaches.
This gives him a unique position to engage architecture between academia, industry and practice. His work with recovered timber has gained significant traction in academia, contributing innovative design methods and raising awareness about sustainable practices. Xan’s prototypes and design examples aim to provide references that stimulate discussion and inspire both practitioners and clients.
“I think as you start to build up these smaller projects like the projects that I've been part of that becomes an increasing critical mass of in the sense pressure for those things to be seen as relevant and worth funding for.”
He emphasizes the need for supportive legislation to regrade and legally use secondary timber, suggesting that projects like his can drive the development of such frameworks.
“I suppose without developing these kinds of works prior to the availability of this legislation means that we're aware of which types of technologies would be appropriate for this upon favorable legislation being implemented.”
His work with the architectural firm Lendager Arkitekter ApS reflects a strategic approach to material streams, particularly the use of reclaimed wood from waste streams in ways that optimize its structural as well as architectural potential. This includes exploring the value and value creation of the (recovered) material.
“What is so-called waste wood? Is this material that's just post-consumer, is it sort of a lineage of ownership, you know the material that has been owned by somebody and then they no longer own it? So, is this now already post-consumer? Is it therefore waste wood? Is it material that's being discarded?”
The material's value has a large influence on its implementation potential. On the monetary value and his access to the material resources he adds:
“And all of this is often very situational. And it depends on who's asking, as the moment you ask for it, it's worth a lot of money. And the moment you don't it's just going in the bin.”
Working in academia has further enabled him to include a diverse range of opinions, ranging from clients of large architectural projects to students and the public.
“For some (meaning students in workshops taught within the research project Nordic Waste Wood for Good at KADK3) it didn’t seem like a waste stream at all. For them, it was quite a luxurious material source. Does it constitute a sort of waste stream then?”
Xan's research has shown viable techniques for parallel sustainable building strategies, such as e.g. design for disassembly and reversible joints. By including questions on how elements might later be reconfigured or repurposed, he inquires about future usability and adaptability. This also allows us to explore larger concepts of material re-use and prolonged material life cycles.
“How can we design a single element to have a succession of brittle failures before having a complete failure and through those successions of failures you would see a component beginning to deflect? This then allows you to understand that this component is not doing well and needs to be replaced. And while this requires a lot of redundancy, we ended up with components much lighter than conventional glulam for example.
Larger concepts rather than individual optimization have carried his work forward.
“I think for me a question throughout my work is, if we're going to make elements which are specific for a very immediate performance demand, how usable are they in the future? […] Useful parts don't necessarily have to meet some standardized modular system, but it's the repetition that makes them useful, allowing to form an inventory and design perspective from there. “
Within his prototypes, he has been able to closely collaborate with demolition contractors to define and characterize materials. This process aims to test concept and implementation to aid the feasibility of using reclaimed wood in new projects but also engages more stakeholders in finding efficient and valuable uses for these materials. Reflecting on the feedback from various stakeholders, Xan acknowledges the diverse opinions on his work, from aesthetic critiques to concerns about regulatory compliance. However, he views this diversity as a strength, demonstrating the broad relevance and potential impact of his research, remaining positive on the technology's long-term implementation.
2 Find info and work from Lendager Arkitekter ApS here.
3 Find the Publication with pictures from the workshop here.