LIMU AS A BUILDING MATERIAL: AN EXPERIMENTAL CASE STUDY FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATION USE FOR SMALL-SCALE HOMELESS SHELTERING AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY

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dc.contributor.advisor Kannishtikhan, Bundit B.K.
dc.contributor.author Tabaniag, Bryson Nagal
dc.contributor.department Architecture
dc.date.accessioned 2024-02-26T20:13:56Z
dc.date.available 2024-02-26T20:13:56Z
dc.date.issued 2023
dc.description.degree Arch.D.
dc.identifier.uri https://hdl.handle.net/10125/107886
dc.subject Architecture
dc.subject Aloha Aina Economy
dc.subject Biocomposite
dc.subject Limu
dc.subject Regenerative
dc.title LIMU AS A BUILDING MATERIAL: AN EXPERIMENTAL CASE STUDY FOR POTENTIAL APPLICATION USE FOR SMALL-SCALE HOMELESS SHELTERING AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY
dc.type Thesis
dcterms.abstract Limu, or seaweed, has the potential to contribute to several aspects of sustainability in Hawaii and other coastal communities as a healthy material alternative for local resources and environmental sustainability. One of the challenges in Hawaii is the high reliance on imported building materials, which can result in environmental impacts from shipping, such as carbon emissions and increased costs. Utilizing limu as a local building material could reduce the need to import other materials from distant locations, thus decreasing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and reducing the reliance on external resources. Limu has historical use in Hawaii and other places as a natural, locally available material for building. As a renewable resource, limu has the potential to be a healthy alternative to synthetic or processed materials that may have environmental or health concerns associated with them, such as chemicals or pollutants. The harvest of limu is sustainable and renewable, causing no permanent damage to the ecosystem when done responsibly. It does not require land-based resources such as water, fertilizers, or pesticides for cultivation, which are associated with many traditional building materials. Limu can also play a role in ecological restoration efforts, such as providing habitat for marine life and supporting marine biodiversity. Utilizing limu as a building material could promote local resource utilization, providing economic and cultural benefits to the community. These benefits include traditional harvesting practices and knowledge, creating opportunities for local businesses, supporting cultural preservation, and fostering a sense of connection to the land and sea. Limu’s potential can be part of a circular economy model, where harvesting, processing, and utilizing building materials and eventually recycling or composting create a closed-loop system that minimizes waste and promotes sustainability in Hawai’i’s fragile ecosystem. Overall, using limu as a building material in Hawaii and other coastal communities can contribute to reduced shipping of building materials, provide a healthy material alternative from local resources, promote environmental sustainability, support local resource utilization, and foster local circular economy principles. However, further research, innovation, and collaboration among stakeholders are needed to fully explore and develop the potential of limu as a sustainable and culturally sensitive building material.
dcterms.extent 132 pages
dcterms.language en
dcterms.publisher University of Hawai'i at Manoa
dcterms.rights All UHM dissertations and theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission from the copyright owner.
dcterms.type Text
local.identifier.alturi http://dissertations.umi.com/hawii:11946
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