MALTA I
Heineken
2020
ON THE (RE)USE OF RESOURCES
Malta I was commissioned by Heineken. Giving me total creative freedom, I was asked to develop a piece that had a relation with the firm. Following 3 months of experimentation, I designed and built this conceptual piece reusing barley waste that embodies a statement on the use of resources and is based on the brewery’s efforts to reduce their CO2 emissions.
A SECOND LIFE FOR THE BARLEY WASTE
It is a pedestal (plinth/column/totem/altar), made with barley waste from the beer brewing process. After having provided the flavour to the drink, the barley malt is removed from the liquid, becoming a residue. In 'Malta I' this waste is reused and given a new life and function. The waste is bound with cement, generating an inorganic-organic composite, lighter and with better capacities than normal cement.
A COMPOSITE WITH IMPROVED PROPERTIES
In the same way as rice has been traditionally used in ancient China to improve the quality of their mortars, the benefits of using organic elements such as hemp or rice husks in construction materials are being widely studied. Among other improvements such as higher thermal insulation and strength, these new formulas help reduce the large carbon emission produced by traditional cement manufacturing.
N TIMES ONE MODULAR ELEMENT
The result, a set of modular blocks that can be used to create multiple configurations, are combined in this case with layers of bronze glass to form a stacked pedestal, seeking the contrast between the visual heaviness of the blocks and the optical lightness of the glass sheets. As long as beer is produced I will be able to reuse the barley waste and create more blocks, generating an indefinite amount of pieces combined with bronze glass. This is the first configuration of them, thus called, Malta I.
