PolliBrick

8/12/2019 PolliBrick

1/10

1

Pollibrick: Low Carbon Facade Systems

Design Robotics Group

This case was prepared by the Design Robotics Group and authored by Anthony Kane under the supervision ofProf. Martin Bechthold for the purpose of class discussion.

The Design Robotics Group is a research unit within the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

The author would like to thank Arthur Huang and Johann Boedecker for their assistance in developing this case. 2011 Prof. Martin Bechthold.

POLLIBRICK

LOW CARBON FACADE SYSTEMS

Case Study on the Miniwiz POLLI-Brick Cladding System


2/10

Harvard University Graduate School of Design


2

1. Introduction

On November 6, Arthur Huang stood in front ofthe EcoARK pavilion, the centerpiece of the 2010Taipei International Flora Expo. In addition to designing

the pavilion, Huangs firm Miniwiz Sustainable EnergyDevelopment Ltd had conceptualized, designed, tested,and manufactured, the unique plastic POLLI-BrickTMsystemcomprising its faade. Made from recycled plastic bottles,polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the interlocking systemof bricks was Miniwizs response to the challenge for lowcarbon sustainable building solutions. Merely an idea twoand a half years prior, now 480,000 of the POLLI-Bricks,representing 1.5 million recycled PET bottles, looked downon Arthur and the 8.9 million visitors to the Taipei Expo.1 Theroad had not been easy.

2. Background

Taiwan has a population of 23 million and covers an area of35,881 km2 , 2/3 of which are sparsely populated mountains.The remaining 1/3 is one of the most densely populatedareas on earth and a major producer of trash. In the latterhalf of the 20th century Taiwan became a world leaderin manufacturing; the largest producer of LCD panels inthe world and the producer of 90% of the worlds laptopcomputers.2

Taiwan is especially known for plastics. According to Mayorof Taipei, Hau, Lung-Bin, We were the plastic kingdom in the

past3

Taipei is also the home of Far Eastern Group, oneof the worlds largest producers of PET products. In recentyears Taiwan has intensified recycling efforts collecting

90,000 tons of PET bottles representing 90% of the 4.5 billionbottles consumed annually. The most common recyclingprocess produces polyester fabric but not all PET collected

is recycled. China is the final destination for large amountsof the worlds plastic, even coming from as far as the US andEurope.4Because every kilogram of PET consumes 2 kg ofoil in production, PET is often burnt for energy generation.The incineration process is deceptively called energy orheat recycling. As a further environmental hazard, Huangnotes that large amounts of plastics, and their chemicals,accumulate over time in fish populations. As an islandTaiwan consumes large amounts of fish and Huang pointsout the unpleasant irony of eating their own trash.

3. Miniwiz

According to Executive Assistant Johann Boedecker, Miniwizis A product design company that got into architecture buthe notes that developing building components was alwaysa goal.5Since its founding in 2005, Miniwiz has been a fusionof architecture and product design reflecting its founderArthur Huang who has longtime roots in the manufacturingsector of Taiwan but holds degrees in architecture fromCornell and Harvard Universitys Graduate School of Design.Nevertheless, developing building products required largeamounts of capital for research and development; toomuch for the two person startup firm.6Instead they took onarchitectural and product design commissions and had early

success in consumer electronics.

The Hymini, one of Miniwizs most successful product lines,is a package of handheld universal chargers and adaptersfor digital gadgets.7Products include a handheld micro-wind generator that can attach to bicycles, or a persons arm,and a notebook size portable solar panel with adapters forcell phones, iPods, cameras, and other personal electronics.What started as a simple idea, portable solar and wind power,has resulted in a dozen different products including, a solarpanel and wind generator, a series of chargers, adapters,bicycle connectors, arm band holders, and even personalizedcolor options for the plastic casing. One can purchase the

basic or the deluxe package as well, and up to four of thesolar panels can be linked together. All the accessories andpersonalization options for the hymini product line serve towiden the potential market and turn what may have been aone-time purchase into a series of purchases.

Arthur Huang in front of the EcoArk


3/10

3



4. Establishing a Business Case

Huang compares the process for product developmentto an academic thesis. First, you have to come up with ahypothesis. This precedes any design or form concepts and,

at Miniwiz, is a simple three step process:

1. Identify a problem to solve

2. Identify a need

3. Identify a market application

For the POLLI-Brick in 2007, identifying the problem wasas simple as looking in the office trash. Says Huang, Weliterally looked into our trash can, thats how we started.Our engineering team loves drinking bottled tea. It is sucha culture in Taiwan. The bottles of tea, like many beveragecontainers, were made from PET plastic.

The second step, identifying a need, came from Huangsstudies in architecture. In Taiwan, as in much of the world,buildings are made primarily of steel, concrete, and glass.Says Huang, As an architect, I knew from the very beginningthat our building material selection is all high carbon. Weneeded to come up with something different.8 Includingconstruction and operations, estimates are that the buildingsector consumes 40% of world energy; the source of25% of world carbon emissions.9 However, Huang notescurrent efforts in sustainability focus primarily on buildingperformance without including the embodied carbon inconstruction. In order to achieve true sustainability architects

needed a new way of building lightweight, high-performingstructures with low carbon footprints.

The market application would be the large number ofwarehouses and big box stores in Taiwan. These buildingsare typically steel structures, with little to no natural light, andwoefully inadequate insulation. They also have a short 10-15year lifespan, and while some of the steel is recycled as scrapmany galvanized elements are considered too difficult torecycle and end up in landfills instead.10After identifying thebox stores as a potential building type Miniwiz followed witha detailed market analysis calculating their square footage,where they are growing, and how much they cost. Miniwiz

specifically targeted the metal-foam composite insulationpanels commonly used as cladding as a product class wherethey could make the most impact. For Arthur sustainability isnot about altruistic feelings or guilt about the environment.Truly sustainable products have to have a business modelthat meets a market need while being better performing andless expensive.11This reflects the commonly accepted threepillars of sustainability; environmental, economic, and socialsustainability. The big box building type provided an idealmarket for a new sustainable building material.

The goal was to use Taiwans trash plastic as a lightweightlow-carbon cladding system to replace metal-foam insulation

panels in large warehouse and big box store applications.The development of the POLLI-Brick was underway.

Whilesome might dismissHymini as sustainable gadgets,

Boedecker points out that these products have high

marketing value and attract media attention, helping

Miniwizgeneratecapital andbuildtheir brand. In2007,

MiniwizsSolarBulb, a solar powered LED, wasfeatured on

GoodMorning America, and MSNBC, and online articles in

TheNew York Times, TIME Mag,and The WashingtonPost.

Being a young firm, and recognizing the youth culturesupporting sustainability, Miniwiz alsotakes advantage ofless

mainstream media resourcessuch astreehugger.comand has

numerous YouTube videos of its products. These products

were thefirst stepin growing Miniwiz, learningto develop a

business model, and gaining a deeper understanding ofwhat

sustainable product developmentreallymeans.

Huangalso found inspirationinthe product designindustry

as anewapproach to architecture, Oneof ouradvantages

iswe design architecture as a product. The companyisnow

researchinghow mass productionand customization can be

applied, through their products, inarchitecture.

Hymini wind generator

Hymini bike attachment


4/10



4

6. Putting the Project on Hold

As someone with a background in both architecture andproduct design Arthur Huang is quick to point out that, unlikearchitects, product designers dont get paid for their design

work but must recuperate their expense in product sales.After three months of brainstorming in early 2007 Miniwizdecided to put full scale development of the POLLI-Brick onhold. Without a source of funding the project was too greata risk. According to Huang the company also lacked the time,We had other things to do to keep the company alive.

In January 2009 Miniwiz presented a small scale interiorversion of the POLLI-Bricks at CES 2009, a consumerelectronics tradeshow, along with their SolarBulb. Theinterior dividers were designed to incorporate the solarpowered LED light as a plug-in. The product was wellreceived but many doubted the small scale interior product

could be converted into a large scale self-supporting faadepanel.

Compared to the Miniwizs previous consumer electronicsproducts developing new building materials requiredlong and expensive research and development to meetbuilding codes. Huang half-jokingly points out, Theonly testing required for computers is a self-declaredCE [European Conformity] which means you dont blowup!14As an additional challenge, the PolliBrick proposedadapting production lines typically used for disposablefood products to produce building grade materials. Finally,there was concern whether recycled PET, whose mechanicalproperties are not as consistent as virgin PET, could be usedstructurally. Could the engineering team design a system ofinterlocking PET forms strong enough to withstand Taiwanstyphoon winds? Could the production lines produce theseunits of sufficient size and thickness? Would the system passbuilding codes? Most important, would anyone buy them?Huang knew the concept was strong, but for a young firm theuncertainty was too great to invest heavily in research anddevelopment without a demonstration project and fundingto achieve it. Luckily, the solution came in the form of the FarEastern Group and the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo.

The Far Eastern Group is a vast conglomerate of over180 affiliated companies that span ten major industries.In addition to the aforementioned petrochemicals, FarEastern Group is known for its construction and generalcontracting companies. In 2009 they approached Miniwizto design a pavilion for the 2010 Taipei International FloraExpo. According to Arthur Huang, They werent expectinganything innovative from us.15However, as Miniwiz presentedalternatives for Far Eastern Groups consideration Huangseized the opportunity to include the, as yet, preliminaryPOLLI-Brick concept. The risk was great. Huang recalls, Thiswas our daring endeavor. We promised the technologywas there already. In our mind it was there but it couldhave been a disaster. Far Eastern Group was interestedbut unconvinced. As one of the largest producer of PET inthe world Group Chairman Douglas Hsu, liked the idea ofrecycling the companys waste products.16Their challengeto Huang; produce a prototype in two months!

5. Conceptual Design

According to Huang the initial phase, identifying theproblem, need, and market application was quick, lastingonly two months. But before the team started to look into

designs they decided to research PET production methods.

While the form of POLLI-Bricks resemble their former lifeas plastic bottles this was not a foregone conclusion. ThePET recycling process involves grinding the bottles intoflake, separating out contaminants, and then heating andreforming. Any PET forming technology was possible.Miniwiz conducted research into extrusion, injectionmolding, blow molding, and different combinations of thethree. They spoke with mechanical suppliers about differenttechniques and looked into production methods for the food,industrial, and building component sectors. According toHuang, In the end we wanted some very simple data; which

one is the cheapest? Of course it definitely was not buildingproduct manufacturing because they are not efficient.12

Instead, Miniwiz found inspiration in the efficiency and lowcost of the food packaging industry that manufactures onthe scale of trillions. This process of blow molding seemedan ideal production process for POLLI-Bricks.

Scalability is an important concern in product manufacturing.While architects design each project anew product designersmust incorporate the anticipated scale of production. Forexample, a custom component may be justified at the scaleof several thousand but quickly becomes unfeasible whenproducing 100 million products. Alternatively blow molding,once the mold and process are established, can make asmany or as few of a product as demand dictates; resultingin a high scalability.

Once a material and a production method were chosenother decisions seemed to fall in place. The team foundsize limitations in blow molding PET. They determinedthat a panel of blow molded components would haveto be comprised of many smaller interlocking units. Inorder to further the product sustainability they resolvedto do this mechanically with as little chemical adhesive aspossible. This also reflected Huangs interest in structural andmechanical systems such as traditional Chinese architecturemade without glue or nails.

The material also informed the process. PET is naturally softand most beverage bottles use as little material as possibleto save cost. When a material is soft it must derive strengthfrom its form. Miniwiz began to sketch out interlockingpanels that could efficiently transfer weight. Using such alight material for a panel design Huang knew that lateralloading, rather than gravity loads, would be the criticaldetermining factor and the team saved time and resourcesby considering lateral loading from the beginning.

These critical early decisions laid the groundwork for themore intensive design period to follow. Huang is quick

to recognize that the design process is not as linear assometimes presented, relating it more to a circle where eachnew decision feeds back onto earlier decisions, but at certainjunctures you have to decide on one solution. Otherwise,you cannot go on.13


5/10

5



7. Prototyping

POLLI-Brick development was back on track but the teamwas now under pressure. Despite the proposal, POLLI-Brickstill lacked a clear design. They had presented a concept withno real structural feasibility. By the two month deadline theywere able to produce a 1/50th scale prototype as promisedaccompanied by basic computer simulations of the structuralperformance; It was very crude, says Huang, it wasnt eventhe same shape as the final product. Yet, even for this basicstep Miniwiz had spent approximately $50,000 without acommitment or contract from Far Eastern Group.

Ultimately Far Eastern Group was pleased with the proposaland signed a general agreement. Huang now felt confidentenough to promise a half scale working prototype in anothertwo months. Arthur determined to eliminate any remaining

doubts, Once you see a real wall you can stand on it. Moreengineering was necessary to solve the lateral loading andmechanical connections, bringing the design close to its finalform.

While the early interior prototypes of the small POLLI-Bricks

interlocked, the accumulated error of the product over anarea the size of a building faade would lead to joiningfailures. The team used a laser cut polycarbonate sheet tocreate the panels, aid in the lateral loading, and eliminateimprecision in brick location. To demonstrate the finalassembly could resist the lateral and gravity loads Miniwizproduced a two meter long bridge of POLLI-Bricks. To showhow LED lights could be incorporated into the wall panelsMiniwiz resorted to Christmas lights as a proof of concept.Finally they burned the prototype to prove it was flameretardant. At this point Miniwiz had spent, in total, nearly$200,000 in developing the POLLI-Brick. Huang recalls, Wetake a lot of risks; thats how we grow. This was a huge risk!

Far Eastern Group was convinced. In September 2009 theyagreed to a full contract for the EcoArk and Miniwiz enteredfull scale research and development for production.

EcoArk Facade


6/10



6

9. Production Development

The process began with three months of production testing.While computer models were able to simulate the structuralperformance of the POLLI-Bricks working out the production

challenges would require grueling trial and error. Miniwizcollaborated with Huei-Jhan Yu a production supervisorwith years of blow molding experience. The team began bytesting mixtures of recycled and virgin material beginningwith 10% recycled PET. At 30% recycled PET the productionequipment began having difficulties due to the inconsistencyof the material. Through a combination of sourcing cleaner,more homogenous, recycled PET and iterative adjustmentsto the production line Miniwiz was able to overcome theseproblems, eventually reaching 100% recycled PET content.

The amount of material was also a concern. According toYu, We found that the 130 gram bottle has insufficient side

compressive strength. Therefore we increased the thicknessof the bottle.18,19The blow molding process begins with pre-forms, made by injection molding. The pre-forms are heatedto a plastic state, and then blown with compressed air to fillthe mold. Changing the wall thickness of the plastic requiredan iterative process to determine the precise temperatureand air pressure needed to produce the POLLI-Bricks.Imprecision in the manufacturing process would prevent thePOLLI-Bricks from interlocking.

Construction of the EcoArk pavilion had begun in November2009. By February 2010 Miniwiz began mass producingPOLLI-Brick, assembling the panels, and installing themonsite. In April 2010, less than five months after constructionand seven months before the Expo opening, the EcoArk wascomplete.

8. Architecture as a Product Stage

Huang is careful to explain that the contract was for theEcoArk project not POLLI-Brick research and development,Clients dont care about research and development. We just

promised them a product. They arent going to pay for yourresearch and development costs. However, Miniwiz wasin the unique position of being both architect and productdesigner on a project that would feature the POLLI-Bricks.The building form was fairly simple, partly due to its functionas a pavilion, and Huang notes, It literally took us five daysto finish the building design... The rest was trying to makeit work. It was supposed to be a stage for our new material.

The EcoArk was steel construction with an envelope of POLLI-Brick panels. The structure was designed to be disassembledand reassembled in a new location after the Expo. Theentire exterior surface was comprised of POLLI-Brick panels.

The roof featured a large photovoltaic array to power thelighting, interior fans, and a water feature. The pavilion hadno heating or air-conditioning instead relying on naturalventilation. To cool the space a section of the faade wasleft open to capture breezes and the water feature cooled theair as it passed into the building. Energy needs were kept lowdue to the large amount of natural light received through thePOLLI-Brick. Product testing proved an insulation value ofR-12 on the assembly.

In order to simplify the panel production process thebuilding was designed to use only one size panel. Thecurved elements of the building were given a large radius toensure there were no difficulties connecting the flat panels.Still there was uncertainty whether Miniwiz could meet theproject deadline. With the Expo set to open in NovemberMiniwiz had little over a year to solve the remaining designchallenges, mass produce the panels and install them on thepavilion. Any number of technical challenges could bring theentire project to a halt but Huang had no backup plan.17Thefate of the company rested on success.

PET Blowmold Preform Blowmolded POLLI-Brick


7/10

7




8/10



8

news, and television spots on its own. The EcoArk was evenfeatured in an hour long episode of National GeographicsMegastructures. While Miniwiz was initially limited by their

lack of funds to engage in speculative research their majorconcern now is controlling growth which Boedecker pointsout can be just as problematic. What started as a two personstartup firm in 2005 had grown to 40 employees in housewith another 20 external engineers by 2011.

Boedecker attributes the project success to the businessmodel. He notes that utility is always the first step forMiniwiz. The EcoArk in particular had a very tight budget.For Boedecker the adage Form Follows Function isrephrased as Form Follows Budget.22Whenever possibleMiniwiz used existing technology and when scoping projectsthe teams asked, What can we execute fast and cheap

and that we know is feasible. While all Miniwiz productschallenge conventions it is difficult to develop a productthat completely breaks with traditional methods. Boedeckerstresses the importance of setting strong limitations in thebeginning as guides.

10. The EcoArk and Pollibricks

In November the 2010 International Taipei Flora Expo openedwith a theme of environmental awareness. The sustainablyminded EcoArk with its POLLI-Brick faade was an instant

hit. At nine stories tall and covering the area of six basketballcourts it was a major demonstration and market opportunityfor Miniwizs newest product. Its iPhone controlled lightingsystem, comprised of 40,000 LEDs, dazzled audienceswhile the pavilion itself educated them on the potentialfor recycling Taiwans trash into buildings. Huang is mostproud that, at 9.2 million dollars,20the building cost 1/10 of aneighboring pavilion and estimates the POLLI-Brick assemblycosts 1/4 of conventional systems. This proved that POLLI-Brick could be a competitive product in the marketplaceand validated Huangs theory that sustainability should beprofitable. Miniwiz had achieved their goal of developinga high performing, well designed, inexpensive, low-carbon

alternative to large building.

The POLLI-Brick was so successful that the company nolonger invests in traditional marketing.21The product hasgenerated numerous articles in papers, magazines, online

Panel Assembly Isometric Drawing


9/10

9



but the team intentionally chose to introduce the product inGermany as it has some of the most stringent building codes.

Huang points out that the EcoArk was a concept car thatcan be tailored to different product lines, We are in theprocess of making complimentary materials that will makePOLLI-Brick more interesting as a system. These add-onsinclude custom shading devices and images applied to theexterior sheeting. While the POLLI-Brick needed to be eye-catching and iconic to gain marketing traction the samequalities could potentially undermine the goal of creating asustained product market. While products are intended to bereplicable most people do not enjoy replicated architecture.However, in the EcoArk project POLLI-Brick as a product wasthe primary feature of the architecture. Distinguishing thetwo could prove difficult. Huang notes the importance of the

customized product lines in addressing clients and architectsless inclined to use a system already showcased in anotherproject. Ultimately the mass-produced POLLI-Brick structuralpanels would have a mass-customized skin ensuring eachproject retained a degree of uniqueness.

11. Future Steps

The next steps distinguish Miniwiz from typical architects. Asa product designer they do not see the EcoArk as a one-offdesign but rather they are trying to market the product to a

wider audience. The concept has a large marketing value forthe company as they not only retain the rights to the productbut they are the only architectural firm qualified to specify it.This gives Miniwiz a unique advantage says Huang, We haveto be the architect to brand our product; to market-placeour product where it is visible. Projects involving POLLI-Brick typically include contracts with an architecture/designand consulting fee and a material supply agreement.23ThePOLLI-Brick is currently being used in a government projectin the Shanghai Bun which Huang notes is one of the mostphotographed sites in China, We are using it as a brandingexercise.

However, Miniwiz does not intend to keep the POLLI-Brickas a proprietary system. They are currently in the process ofhaving POLLI-Brick permitted as a standard building materialin Germany. Challenges include the flame retardant chemicalwhich is banned in Germany as are certain VOCs that thepolycarbonate sheeting off gasses. A redesign is underway

EcoArk Interior View


10/10



10

12. Conclusion

For Huang the greatest challenge in developing the POLLI-Brick was not in design, engineering or even production; itwas in communication. Despite the large amount of positive

media attention the process has been an uphill battle inconvincing the typically conservative building industry toaccept a new innovative approach. EcoArk ConstructionChief Lin Kuo at first thought the idea was a joke adding,The concept sounds nice and fancy but if it were carriedout in reality it would be a very long process.24 ConstructionEngineer and President Chan-Fong Cheng thought the ideawas crazy considering his forty years in the constructionindustry, But I understand that young people always enjoythe challenge of carrying out crazy ideas.25 Even after theEcoArk demonstrated the viability of the product Miniwiz hasfaced stiff opposition from conservative industry thinking inGermany. Huang notes, We had to do a lot to convince the

German engineers even to think twice before rejecting theidea out of hand. While innovation is enough in developingconsumer electronics like the Hymini, in developing thePOLLI-Brick Miniwiz learned that innovation in building isoften met with skepticism, and communicating the needand potential for a new product must also be paired withcommunicating its reliability.

15. Arthur Huang interview 07/08/11

16. EcoArk. Megastructures. Narr. Andrew Laing Dir. Mike Bennet. Na-

tional Geographic. 2011. Television.

17. Arthur Huang interview 07/08/1118. EcoArk. Megastructures. Narr. Andrew Laing Dir. Mike Bennet. Na-


19. The average 2-liter PET container contains 50g of PET.

20. Yung, Stephanie, EcoArk and POLLI-BrickTM, Open ArchitectureNetwork, http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/projects/%5Bfield_oan-

project_path-raw%5D-40

21. Johann Boedecker interview 07/06/11

22. Johann Boedecker interview 07/06/1123. Arthur Huang interview 07/08/11

24. EcoArk. Megastructures. Narr. Andrew Laing Dir. Mike Bennet. Na-tional Geographic. 2011. Television.







4. Robert Malloy interview 05/11/11

5. Johann Boedecker interview 07/06/11

6. Miniwiz was founded by Arthur Huang and partner Stephen Lin7. www.hymini.com

8. Interview Arthur Huang 07/08/11

9. World Business Council for Sustainable Development

www.wbdcsd.org

10. Interview Arthur Huang 07/08/1111. Arthur Huang interview 07/08/11

12. Arthur Huang interview 07/08/1113. Arthur Huang interview 07/08/11

14. Huang adds that in Europe consumer electronics also meet standards

for low toxicity.

Integrated LEDs

PolliBrick

Documents

Transcript of PolliBrick