Mock-Up

While exploring alternative collaborative construction methods, the path of the Karbon' cooperative crossed that of Gautier Nagant, inventor of a traditional wood-straw-earth construction system. Accustomed to constructions in glued laminated timber, this carpenter, a late convert, aspired to reinvent a construction principle based on exclusively natural and unprocessed materials. Abandoning glue, he designs ‘I -shaped’ columns using solid wood assembled mechanically using the lattice beam technique. The structure is calibrated to scrupulously follow the weave of the bales of straw pressed by farmers. When tightly packed, the straw provides good insulation and sufficient rigidity for its function as a wall. Finally, it is covered with Hainaut clay to complete the wall. 

A virtuous and simple system whose ingenuity quickly convinces the Karbon' cooperative, which applies it to various projects such as the construction of the house on Rue de la Vignette. The plans are devised on the basis of its material components and each construction site allows the details and implementation techniques to be refined. ‘Thinking’ about the person who does and ‘doing’ by giving meaning to their actions are fundamental elements of Karbon's practice. This symposium was an opportunity to go further, by designing and building a wall prototype together. This life-size exercise allowed us to compare our perspectives and practices. The objective was to improve the straw pressing system and, by coupling it with the structural reinforcement of the stopped end of the walls, reduce both the working time and the amount of wood used. The assembly is done step by step, with real-time adjustments, resistance tests and technical discussions on possibilities for improvement.

Architecture is not limited to the preconceived solution; it is forged in the negotiation with the material and the invention of new forms of execution. The Mock project has enabled us to describe a manufacturing process in which design is fuelled by the act of construction. On a 1:1 scale, the experiment becomes a field of confrontation between design and constructive reality, know-how and construction site constraints. In this dynamic, the architect learns from the craftsman: the exchange is guided by practical mastery.