Optoppen – building upwards with timber
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“Optoppen,” a Dutch term translating as “topping up,” refers to a construction method aimed at maximising the usable space in our cities through the addition of lightweight, low-carbon roof extensions. The Optoppen project (www.optoppen.org) promotes and facilitates the low-carbon redevelopment and extension of existing buildings.
Optoppen.org was put together by a pan-European consortium of developers, designers and engineers. It is governeed by the principle that densifying urban neighborhoods through increased floor area provides a low embodied carbon solution that delivers new homes while funding retrofit and renovation efforts by reusing existing structures.
The website hosts case studies, policy information and a brand-new viability tool; it has been created for building owners, developers and city planners who need to increase built space in their assets or at a neighbourhood scale without resorting to emissions-intensive demolition and new-build.
The paper focuses on nine key construction materials—concrete, steel, aluminium, structural glass, timber, earth, stone, lime and straw. It identifies a zero-emissions resource pool which includes virgin bio-based materials (limited by the availability of productive land), virgin earth and stone (limited by local geology and transportation), recycled materials (limited by the availability of scrap and emission-free electricity), and reused components (limited by availability and refurbishment potential).
This points to the need for a revision to the national construction strategy and a range of entrepreneurial opportunities in delivering the services of construction within a reduced material budget.
Supported by network and grant-making fund Built by Nature and led by engineering consultancy Whitby Wood, the project team spans the UK, the Netherlands and Spain — Mule Studio, New Urban Networks, Holland Houtland, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), Creative City Solutions, and Rising Tide. Together they contributed years of experience in working on both residential and office-space Optoppen projects.
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