Fikriye Pelin Kurtul-Vacek

Fikriye Pelin Kurtul-Vacek

Home: TU Wien
Host: Columbia University
Topic: Natural Fiber Waste as an Ingredient of Earthen Building Material Production: Flax Tow in Focus

Her appointment as a visiting scholar at the Natural Materials Lab of Columbia GSAPP presents a unique opportunity to conduct research in this area after spending many years researching earthen building materials. During the course, she is building upon a previous study of archaeological earthen building materials analysis conducted in 2019 that led to the discovery of flax tow as a reinforcement in ancient earthen building materials.

As part of her research at Columbia GSAPP, she is exploring how ancient flax knowledge can be rediscovered and incorporated into contemporary earthen architecture that is ecologically sustainable and environmentally friendly as much as healthy for the inhabitants.

Her 3-month stay at Natural Materials Lab has already begun with the preparation of samples for planned testing. It is through her research stay that she has already been given an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how such a lab operates as well as the opportunity to meet and gain support from academics in the fields in which she is conducting research.