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Agglomerated cork is a known material by its contribution to the sustainment of the environment, not only because it is a wholly natural material, without chemical additives, but also because its industrial process of production results from the lowest quality residues of cork or industrial waste material, unsuitable for other applications. It is a reusable material, which means, the cork facade elements can be converted into a new agglomerated material, demonstrating a huge potential for adaptation to existing buildings following a reversible process. It is durable, lightweight, water resistant, low-cost material, some of the properties that may qualify it as suitable for application in large surfaces of vertical construction façades. The aim of this article is to analyze the mechanical, thermal and acoustic characteristics of cork composites against site-specific climatic conditions of subtropical climates and its suitability as an external coating system for residential buildings with the goal to reduce the energy consumption for cooling the inner environment. In high-density cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong the majority of the buildings starting from the 1960s until early 21st century (Brach & Song 2006), did not integrate thermal insulation systems into external walls, producing a high level of heat transfer through the external façade from the outside environment during spring and summer seasons. Due to the extremely fast urban growth of the modern Chinese city, little importance is given to the quality of the external walls in current residential building construction. For at least during six months each year the consumption of energy due to air conditioning in Guangdong province is extremely high. The study concluded that substantial energy could be saved by implementing an external coating upgrade to existing buildings. Additionally, this study details the result obtained through software for energy simulations (Design Builder, ENVI-met) demonstrating the potential of this project to produce homogeneous and comfortable inside temperatures, which cools the indoor ambient temperature in summer time.
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Colloquially, Guangzhou is known as the ‘Factory of China’,and, in many respects, it may be one of the great factories of the world. Located in the Guangdong Province in Southern China, Guangzhou is an exemplar of twenty-first century metropolis. It is home to over 14 million residents and is in a state of extreme growth. Old farmlands encircling the city are incentivised, through government subsidies, to build apartment complexes that can accommodate the rapid growth as the city develops. The city is home to migrant population—from the rural areas of China that is larger than the entire population of Perth. The middle classin Guangzhou is outpacing the growth of middle classes in Australia and the US. Factories, shipping ports, apartment blocks, malls, and urban farms are mixed in a tightly knit tapestry across the city. ‘Guangzhou Places’ is a series of short videos that present viewers with a glimpse of urbanisation that is akin to app development. Guangzhou is a ‘beta city’, an environment
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Sustainability takes priority with architect Matthew Barnett Howland. His house in England is made entirely of cork: 100 percent natural, 100 percent recyclable, with almost zero carbon emissions.
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