Presentation
BC Materials is a cooperative derived from BC architects and was founded in October 2018. It is committed to a low-tech, bio-ecological and regionalist approach to architecture and construction.
Its mission is to scale up knowledge of raw earth building materials, which it considers one of the key solutions to counter the pollution and waste common in the building industry.
BC Materials transforms excavated earth from Belgian construction sites at its production site in Brussels into decarbonised and democratised construction materials.
Products & Services
BC Materials sells various types of clay-based construction materials:
Leém clay plasters and paints are made from a natural blend of clay, earth, sand, and potentially fibres. They provide a healthy and breathable finish for interior walls and ceilings. A wide variety of textures and visual aspects can be achieved, depending on the colour, particle size, and finishing technique chosen.
Leém blocks are rectangular construction materials, consisting of clays, silts, sands, and gravels. Natural clay acts as the main binder. Leém offers two types of block families and three mortars.
Beaten earth, or Pisé, is an ancient sustainable construction method used to build walls, floors, and surfaces. Composed of a mixture of natural earth, beaten earth structures use local materials, meaning they have virtually no embodied energy and produce no waste. The technique involves compressing the earth mixture, layer by layer, to form the desired structure.
These materials have a number of advantages: they improve indoor air quality and offer unparalleled comfort. They reduce noise, retain heat in winter, cool in summer, and minimise the need for ventilation by buffering moisture. They are natural, non-toxic, and do not contain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
BC Materials also offers consultancy and development services for raw earth construction projects. The tasks it offers include material characterisation, mix design and prototyping, quality protocols and laboratory testing, architectural details and advice, tender documents and implementation design. BC Materials also organises workshops and training sessions.
Expertise
In response to demand, BC Materials travels throughout Europe and beyond to provide courses, lectures and tutoring on the themes of Urban Mining and circular construction. It has received a number of awards.
The team covers a range of profiles – from industrial engineering to architecture, from philosophy to masonry – offering tailor-made solutions in consultancy and development, design and prefabrication, custom products, workshops and training.
Thanks to their experience, they can develop custom bio-sourced, geo-sourced, and urban mining materials.
