An interdisciplinary project using recycled glass as an aesthetically pleasing architectural material

This paper is exploring how a waste material, in this case recycled glass, can be up-cycled and used as an aesthetically pleasing architectural material. The project has been undertaken as an interdisciplinary project between staff and students at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea in Wales UK. Sustainability is of a significant importance for the University with its multi-million pound development at Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter. The university is emphasising the use of locally sourced materials in the building to create a neighbourhood of academic activity at its core and to attract companies to co-locate with the University to exploit knowledge, develop skills, support existing companies and attract new investment into the region. The aim of the project is the use and application of fused recycled glass as a material in a wider context in the construction industry and the application to interior design. A reception desk for the new university campus at the SA1 Waterfront Innovation Quarter has been proposed as a test bed for the new low temperature fused recycled glass product. This is a research active field carried out by Dr Tyra Oseng-Rees at Swansea College of Art and who successfully developed and installed 100% recycled glass interior tiles in a new build in 2008 only a short distance from the new campus that are being built (Oseng, Donne, & Bender, 2009)). The added benefit of this project is cross disciplinary with staff and students from art, design, engineering, construction, architecture and environmental conservation involved in a live case study. And lastly; exploration and application of a commercially viable product both with material integrity and aesthetic attributes. The circular economy is very much at the heart of this project underpinned by the ‘five-ways-of-working’ from the ‘The Well-being of Future Generation (Wales) Act (2015)’. Involvement and integration with industry was also vital and in this instance with the ‘buy-in’ from the construction company KIER Group and the architect company Stride Treglown was instrumental for this development in the design and manufacture of the reception desk. Prevention and long-term thinking is at the heart of all decision making, enabling the consideration to both end-of-life of the product and demonstration how a waste material can be up-cycled and reintroduced into the circular economy for future design and purpose use of the material. This project also showcase how the university’s reputation on environmental and sustainability issues can go hand-in-hand with traditions from art and design, product technology and a makers artistic vision and mutually reinforce each other

Using interdisciplinary research project collaborations as a pedagogic tool to enhance learning and teaching : a showcase with low temperature fused recycled glass for a reception desk in the new academic building at the Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter

This paper demonstrates how a collaboration between staff from differing subject areas within the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) at its Swansea Campus performed on a live project. The project was embedded in a research active field which investigated the feasibility of low temperature fused recycled glass as an architectural material, and invited undergraduate students to take part in the research within their discipline of study. The project’s initial intentions were aligned to the amendments, which occurred in June 2015, in the Sustainability Principles for the SA1 Waterfront Development also known as Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter (SWIQ). These amendments developed opportunities to use the creative design and environmental skills of staff and learners within UWTSD for the development of the new academic building at the Swansea Waterfront Innovation Quarter. The delivery of project outcomes cumulated with three main aims; enhanced learner experience, formation of a research active and cross-faculty group and the development of a commercially viable product. This project was bespoke as it considered the changing environment and tells a progressive story of learner engagement, a collaboration between staff and external stake holders and demonstrates the first goal and the five ways of working from the Wellbeing of Future Generation (Wales) Act

An investigation into the effect upon flexural strength of different methods of cutting float glass and sintered recycled container glass

This paper outlines an investigation into the effect upon edge quality and flexural strength in 10mm float and sintered recycled container glass of different methods of cutting: hand diamond-scoring, diamond sawing and abrasive waterjet cutting. The research made use of a four-point-loading method to determine flexural strength and a surface roughness meter to assess the cut edge quality. The paper discusses the results and presents areas for further research