studio marco vermeulen builds against climate change with biobasecamp

for the occasion of dutch design week 2019, studio marco vermeulen has brought ‘the wooden revolution’ to ketelhuisplein in eindhoven with the ‘biobasecamp’ pavilion. built using timber, the project showcases the structural possibilities of the material in an effort to encourage a new era of environmentally-friendly construction.

all images © ronald tilleman

biobasecamp has been designed by studio marco vermeulen as a starting point of exploration for designers and clients towards the possibilities that this ‘concrete of the future’ offers. the pavilion gives architectural expression to the contribution that ‘building with trees’ can make to reducing the amount of CO2 and nitrogen in the atmosphere through replacing conventional building materials such as concrete and steel with wood.

the pavilion deck is composed of large modular, removable floor parts made of cross laminated timber (CLT). after dutch design week, these can be reused as floor elements in, for example, new homes. the used cross-layer wood is made in a german factory from german softwood, however the studio has also considered how by creating more economic value for wood, more forests could be planted within the local dutch landscape.

the project intends to contribute to combating climate change and the quality of the dutch landscape. this may also apply to the brabant poplar landscape that originated for the production of clogs and matches. that is why the deck of the biobasecamp is supported by strains of poplars that were recently on the A2 motorway near boxtel, but had to be cleared due to their age and the associated risk of being blown over.

in addition to conveying the capabilities of timber, biobasecamp is also an interactive piece as it invites visitors to climb up on the roof level or explore the exhibition on the ground level that has been set up among the trees to convey the diversity and power of wood as a raw material. the exhibition also shows the historical interdependence of dutch culture with wood and forestry. the work exhibited includes ‘the dutch mountains’, ‘via parijs, a design exploration for a climate neutral netherlands’, ‘greentech incubator’, ‘visitors centre van gogh national park’, ‘peppelland observation tower’ and ‘ecoduct’.