As promised, Alliance Building Group has managed to get the Stellulata Cohousing project out of the ground before the summer holidays. The concrete slab will have time to cure over the shutdown period, and we are in a good position to install the structural steel in February.
Stellulata Solar Angle Studies
We are dedicated to minimising our carbon footprint through innovative approaches in construction. Stellulata Cohousing uses a solar passive design that needs thermal mass to hold the warmth collected from sunlight. That usually means concrete slab floors.
Finished concrete slab at Stellulata Cohousing
But concrete has a carbon problem. Cement, concrete’s key ingredient that binds the sand and gravel together to give it strength, is the source of about 8 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.
To address this, our contract with Alliance Building Group specifies a reduced carbon concrete, incorporating waste materials like fly ash and blast furnace slag.
The construction also features waffle slab design, reducing concrete volume. This method involves placing expanded polystyrene pods on level ground, forming a ribbed grid. The single concrete pour creates a reinforced slab, providing advantages such as reduced trenching, enhanced strength, and improved insulation from the underlying soil. We have added further insulation below the whole structure.
To address some of the environmental issues associated with polystyrene, we have sought to ensure that our waffle pods contain at least 40% recycled material.
Stellulata Cohousing is committed to making the best choices we can, consistent with our Vision, Values and Principles.
