Friday 9 September 2011

The Carbon Cube









I was part of a team which provided concept, design and delivery of an installation event for Ramboll during London Festival of Architecture 2010.  We were kindly supported by KLH and Kier.  This was called The Carbon Cube and was found on Store Street (Central London) for a week and a half.

The following words can be found also on the AJ Footprint blog:


"The Carbon Cube is an installation which aims to demystify the term carbon footprint. A team of Ramboll engineers has designed and installed the cube - which is a physical representation of how much carbon the average UK citizen emits - as part of the ‘We love Store Street’ programme of events.

The Carbon Cube, if solid, is the volume of timber required to absorb the average UK citizen’s annual CO2 output - a 2.4m cube. In comparison, the carbon cube for the average Kenyan citizen is roughly 600mm cube.

The timber blocks spilling out of the cube are intended to show that the large solid volume can be broken down into more manageable pieces. The installation offers information about how activities can equate to the volumes of the stools and benches, if solid. For example, a return journey from London to Paris on the Eurostar rather than by plane saves 3 stools.

Ramboll’s message is one of positivity and to promote awareness that timber is a material that absorbs CO2 and can be grown and harvested sustainably. Most messages to the public on sustainability indicate doom and gloom and disempower people from taking action to adopt responsible lifestyle choices. Ramboll wants to generate a buzz around - ‘what’s your carbon cube?’ and what you can do about it.

Visitors are invited to make a pledge by decorating a timber cube and to enjoy the touch and texture of the spruce cubes. The installation is on display til July 4th at the NLA’s temporary pocket park on Store Street.

It’s encouraging to know that the Carbon Cube is destined to a new home off a public footpath in a Welsh forest when it leaves Store Street. More information on the installation and the story behind it here."

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