A PLANT that is often regarded as a problem in Perth’s wetlands could become an unlikely new building material, thanks to research by UWA architecture lecturer Lara Pinho.
Ms Pinho has been working with Typha, commonly known as bulrush, to investigate how the plant could be transformed into materials for use in the built environment.
She will bring some of the resulting experimental materials to Fremantle Design Week, where she will discuss the research.
“It’s going to cover what I’ve been doing at UWA. I teach at the School of Design, and some of my research has started to focus on Typha,” she said.
The research began after UWA architecture student Jess Gibbs incorporated Typha into a studio project involving mycelium and the Canning River.
• UWA design lecturer Lara Pinho is taking part in this year’s Fremantle Design Week, explaining how she and her students are giving bulrushes an image make-over.
Ms Pinho subsequently began collaborating with UWA PhD candidate Brad Millis and Ms Gibbs to investigate waterborne materials and their potential as biomaterials.
“We focused on Typha because one of my interests is understanding how the built environment affects natural systems, but also how we can keep those systems in balance. Typha is a perfect example of that,” Ms Pinho told the Herald.
The research has focused on the Adenia Reserve along the Canning River, where Typha is native but has been growing prolifically because of increased nutrient levels entering the salt marsh.
“It’s a native species to the area, but because of all the construction around it and all the stormwater that’s pumping nutrients into the salt marsh, it’s growing prolifically,” Ms Pinho said.
“It loves the nutrients, so it’s taking over.”
The research team has been working with Sercul, which manages the reserve, collecting Typha that would otherwise be removed as waste.
The material has then been processed in UWA workshops using relatively simple techniques, with students involved in developing and testing different forms.
“We’ve had more than 200 samples of materials, so it’s really been about playing and experimenting,” Ms Pinho said.
One of the most promising experiments has been a hardboard made from Typha, which Ms Pinho believes could eventually have applications as a building cladding material.
“We mix it with cornstarch to work as an adhesive, and we leave it to air dry,” Ms Pinho said.
“We tried a few samples under a heat press, but it doesn’t really seem to need that.
“It dries and becomes really hard by itself.
“At the moment, we’re trying to put together a one-to-one sample of a wall cladding, where we have several panels together,” Ms Pinho said.
The research has also explored the properties of Typha seed heads, including attempts to produce fabric and paper.
“The seed head itself is also fantastic,” Ms Pinho said.
“We’ve made a sort of fabric. It’s all very much at the initial stage because it falls apart when you pick it up, but the seed head itself is incredible.”
Students have also incorporated the plant into architectural projects.
One student won first prize from almost 600 entries in an international competition in Barcelona with a project based at the Adenia Reserve exploring ways of reusing Typha.
“He made a rope out of the Typha, which was quite interesting,” Ms Pinho said.
The project also considered ways of slowing the flow of nutrients into the wetland.
“The design also incorporated how you could slow down the nutrients arriving into the wetland at the same time,” Ms Pinho said.
“So it was kind of a double take on it, which was really exciting.”
For Ms Pinho, the research is part of a broader challenge to reconsider the materials used in construction.
“We build with concrete, we use bricks, and they’re great and readily available, but they’re so harmful to the environment,” she said.
“We’ve got all of these other materials that could be used.”
Ms Pinho said the research was still in its early stages, but the emphasis was on sharing ideas and developing collaborations.
by STEVE GRANT