This independent research project was a course that was developed at Cornell University’s Architecture, Art and Planning Department by Laura Stargala. She wrote the curriculum for the course and was paired with Professor David Costanza to oversee the research and progress of work.

The course, titled ‘An Alternative Recipe for Concrete’, was an investigation and experimentation of alternative ingredients for concrete. The material is used world wide because of its efficiency and structural capacities in construction, but is also replacing vernacular building methods and the regional identity of cities. Stargala researched how biproducts from industry, agricultural waste, clay, and other methods have been identified as alternative ways to create concrete. The final outcome of the course became a recipe book and an exhibition. By identifying the proportions and extraction of key ingredients, admixtures, pigments, and reinforcement the recipes can begin to inform and inspire future architects of more sustainable and site specific concrete.

Coincidentally, six years later, the discussion reappeared in Stargala’s life. She was discussing a project with a team of masons in Brittany, France, when the conversation about mortar appeared. They had rebuilt a 16th century stone structure with granite and had come across a mortar which consisted of clay and fiber. The buliding stood for over 400 years and yet it was entirely biodegradable. The masons advised her that they still have the knowledge and could use the same technique if a project requested it. They also noted that crushed granite can be used as a binding material. These findings offer an opportunity for architecture that is site specific, employs processes that consume little energy, and have the possibility to decompose on site without leaving a trace.