RM-3: Raw Materials 3 Ways

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Réclamation

From ancient marine sediment compacted and pressurized over the ages to form limestone, to oyster middens—heaps of discarded shells—used to create a paste for mortar, to the stone ground to make cement-board siding, clams, oysters, and other mollusks are on the menu in many of our buildings.

We chat with the founder and CEO of Spinnova, a Finnish company turning wood pulp into cellulose fibers that can then be used in textiles, insulation, filling—even hygienic wipes.

In this episode of RM-3, we reveal how humble dirt is transformed into cult-status ceramics; shimmering, black bricks; and rammed-earth dwellings.

Host Dan Maginn interviews three leading architects who serve up logs three ways: as pliant plywood, as shakes and shingles, and with a shou sugi ban treatment.

Architect Dan Maginn leads an investigation of zinc, from how it's mined and processed, to its role in one Arkansas architect's reimagining of everyday buildings, to its brilliant brass form when alloyed with copper.