38 | GREEN SOLUTI ONS FROM SWEDEN GREEN SOLUTI ONS FROM SWEDEN | 39

ke Mrd is an engineer
and the man responsible
for the patented Koljern
construction system,
where sheets of cel-
lular glass are joined to make building
elements and reinforced with u-profle
lightweight girders. He believes that this
material can solve many contemporary
problems regarding moisture, climate and
energy conservation.
Cellular glass is made from 95% air,
which provides good insulation, enclosed
in glass that primarily comes from recy-
cled bottles and car glass. Cellular glass
has been used in construction for more
than 40 years. Turning Torso in Malm,
Dunkers Kulturhus in Helsingborg and
the Royal Library in Copenhagen are just
a few buildings with foam glass in their
foundations.
PITTSBURGH CORNING IS the
worlds foremost producer of cellular
glass insulation, Foamglass. Pittsburgh
Corning Scandinavia AB has supplied
Foamglass to ke Mrds project in Nju-
runda and interest is now being shown by
several other countries.
Foamglass sounds like a beautiful
cladding material, shimmering like ice,
but a faade is delicate and the house in
Njurunda, which was built as a private
home, is covered with wood panelling
and the roof is sheet metal.
Previously, cellular glass was only
A whole house built from recycled bottles and crushed glass from cars.
In Njurunda, outside Sundsvall, an entire house has been built from cellular
glass for the rst time in Sweden. The walls, roof and foundation are made
from cellular glass sheets, which are joined together. It is a prototype for a
fully damp-proof house with low operating costs.
BY NI NA GUNNE, ARCHITECT PHOTOS PER BERGER
THE KOLJERN TECHNIQUE
The Koljern technique consists of cellular glass modules: 600x1200 mm in-
sulating sheets of cellular glass that is reinforced by u-prole lightweight gird-
ers, 50 mm or 100 mm thick. The modules have a bearing function and also
provide insulation. They can be used in curtain walling as well. The material
cannot be used in the open, as it will freeze and crack.
Energy consumption is estimated to be 15-25 kWh per square metre/year for
an apartment block, slightly more than this in a detached house.
Cellular glass is 75% recycled glass from empty bottles and car glass, 9 per-
cent air bubbles in glass mass that is impervious to moisture, and sand.
WILL SMITH
FINDS
INSPIRATION
IN TIMR
BY GUNNAR ANDERSSON
Swedish life cycle construction ac-
cording to the EcoCycleDesign model
is now spreading around the world.
Afer several Japanese projects, Swed-
ish life cycle construction has now
grabbed the attention of Hollywood
celebrity Will Smith.
Te actor Will Smith is famous for
his roles in the flms Men in Black,
Ali and I am Legend, and also as a
rap artist. It is perhaps less known that
he and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith,
are involved in fnancing and running
a school, New Village Academy in Los
Angeles.
He is now looking for land on
which to build a new school and, afer
his contacts with Anders Nyquist and
the EcoCycleDesign concept, the life
cycle-designed school in Laggarberg
will be the model for the new school.
Will Smiths school will, just like
Laggarberg, bring together technical
solutions in water, drainage, ventila-
tion and energy.
Te children at Laggarberg school,
which Anders Nyquist designed as a
pilot project fourteen years ago, have
also received a personal greeting from
Will Smith. Te famous actor signed a
poster with Change the World. !
used in foundations, but one aim of the
house in Njurunda was to show that its
possible to build a whole house from it.
In Njurunda, cellular glass was used for
both environmental and energy rea-
sons. Te houses power consumption is
estimated to be around 30-40 kWh per
square metre, including water and heat-
ing. Te are 30 inbuilt sensors in order to
evaluate the results.
In Njurunda, ke Mrd is partnered
by the architect Anders Nyquist, who has
worked with life cycle-adapted houses
for 40 years, based on a model called
EcoCycle design.
THE CHOICE OF cellular glass is just
part of the whole concept of the building
that Anders Nyquist and ke Mrd have
created together.
Its all about system thinking in
construction, says ke Mrd. Foamglass
allows us to build freproof houses. Tey
can cope with frestorms at temperatures
of 300-600C through the installation
of special freproof hatches for windows
and doors. Tese houses are valuable in
California, Australia, Greece and Spain.
ke Mrd believes in a fourishing
future for this building material. Its
investment cost is 5-10 percent more
expensive, but the monthly cost for the
homeowner is SEK 500-1000 less than in
a conventionally built house, he says.
HOWEVER, KE MRD thinks that
tension between architects and consult-
ants with diferent views on energy and
environmentally friendly construction are
hindering development.
Consultants and businesses that work
with the construction of low-energy build-
ings should cooperate more. If we can sit
down at the same table and talk, we can get
a long way towards low-energy buildings
with long-termsustainability. !
In Njurunda, outside Sundsvall, an entire house has been built
from cellular glass for the rst time in Sweden.
KOLJERN
A HOUSE OF
FOAMGLASS