Joost Bakker, known for his zero-waste lifestyle, has built a revolutionary home for his mother in Monbulk, Victoria, that showcases sustainable construction practices. This ambitious project utilizes materials like straw, hemp, biochar, timber, resins, and soils to create a house that restores and enriches the environment. Bakker aims to demonstrate that sustainable living can be comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, without sacrificing practicality.
Early Life and Influences
Bakker’s passion for sustainability stems from his upbringing on a farm in Monbulk, where his family settled after emigrating from the Netherlands. His early exposure to agriculture instilled in him an understanding of the interconnectedness between nature and human life. However, Bakker’s path to sustainable housing was not direct. He initially pursued a career in the flower industry, supplying flowers to restaurants and businesses, including a successful stint with McDonald’s.
His innovative approach to floral arrangements, incorporating recycled materials, foreshadowed his future endeavors in sustainable design. It was during this time that Bakker’s interest in nutrition and its impact on health was sparked by the work of Weston A. Price, a Canadian dentist who studied indigenous diets. Price’s findings about the decline of nutrition in the West motivated Bakker to create the Greenhouse project.
From Greenhouse to Sustainable Housing
The Greenhouse project, a series of pop-up restaurants in Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth, allowed Bakker to connect his passion for food with his commitment to waste reduction. These restaurants showcased recycled materials and implemented zero-waste practices, such as converting used cooking oil into energy and making food from scratch. The success of the Greenhouse project emboldened Bakker to establish Silo, Australia’s first waste-free permanent eatery, and later Brothl, which transformed food waste from restaurants into nutritious broths.
Bakker’s foray into sustainable housing began in 2006 when he built a two-bedroom house for himself and his wife, Jennie, in Monbulk. This innovative project incorporated compressed straw, recycled concrete, plywood, and steel, setting a precedent for the use of unconventional materials in construction. Bakker further showcased his sustainable design ideas through a flower wall system, which he sold internationally, including to Google for its California headquarters.
Building a Sustainable Future for His Mother
When Bakker’s mother, Lia, decided to downsize after the passing of her husband, he saw an opportunity to create another sustainable housing project. Initially, he planned to repurpose the three-story structure from the Future Food System project in Melbourne’s Federation Square as Lia’s new home. However, the sale of the Future Food System structure led him to design a new house for Lia, collaborating with the design team of Bronwen Main and Frank Burridge of Main Studio and local builder Nathan Schroder.
The house is designed to be carbon-negative, offsetting the emissions from the steel frame and concrete floor through the use of carbon-sequestering materials like straw and hemp. The internal walls and ceilings are lined with straw panels, while the external panels are made of magnesium-oxide board, a by-product of the steel industry. The cabinetry is constructed from compressed hemp, a highly efficient carbon store.
Bakker’s approach to sustainable housing extends beyond material choices. He emphasizes the importance of soil in carbon sequestration and biodiversity. The house features a roof garden with nearly 50 tonnes of soil, which not only insulates the house but also supports a variety of plants, contributing to carbon absorption and providing a habitat for endangered butterflies.
Challenges and Advocacy
While Bakker has achieved significant success in his sustainable endeavors, he has also faced challenges. He had to close Brothl due to regulatory issues related to food waste recycling and experienced setbacks with a pyrolysis plant that converted agricultural plastic waste into fuel. Despite these hurdles, Bakker remains committed to his vision of a more sustainable future.
Bakker’s work highlights the urgent need for a shift towards more sustainable housing practices, particularly in the face of increasing global demand for new homes. He believes that projects like his mother’s house, which demonstrate the feasibility of eco-friendly construction, need to be scaled up and made commercially viable.
Bakker’s journey from florist to sustainable housing pioneer showcases his unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility and his belief that sustainable living can be both practical and aesthetically pleasing. His innovative use of materials, emphasis on soil health, and zero-waste approach offer a compelling blueprint for a future where housing contributes to, rather than detracts from, environmental sustainability.