Marimar

Building a better future in a circular way

Many Flemings have a brick in their stomach. In the case of Maja and Mattias, it is not a brick, but a hemp block or a piece of recycled wood. With their construction company Marimar, they are committed to ‘circular building’. In this way, they exchange polluting materials, made from scarce raw materials, for reusable alternatives. These last longer, create less waste and have a smaller impact on the environment.

Insulating with recycled materials
Depending on the type of building and the building possibilities, Marimar goes for the CO2-friendly alternative as often as possible. In addition to bricks and lime plaster, it chooses wood, hemp and loam, 3 materials that insulate well by nature and ‘live’ longer. Maja and Matthias insulate houses with shells and foam glass made from recycled glass. These significantly increase the insulation value of a house, so less energy is needed to heat it. This not only lowers CO2 emissions, but also significantly reduces energy bills.

Lower emissions thanks to bio-concrete
On a global scale, cement, one of the main raw materials of concrete, causes almost 1/10th of global CO2 emissions. This is why Marimar uses lime screed or bioconcrete, which does not need any cement at all. For instance, the bacteria in bioconcrete produce calcite crystals, which also allow sand and gravel to adhere to each other. Incidentally, this approach fits in nicely with the Flemish concrete agreement, which aims to halve global CO2 emissions from concrete by 2050.

Healthier living with vapour-permeable construction
Finally, Marimar restores buildings with the principles of ‘vapour-open construction’ wherever possible. In doing so, the company works with bio-based insulators, glue and lime plaster to allow structures to ‘breathe’ more. This leads to a more pleasant indoor climate in homes, and prevents moisture problems or damage caused by petrochemicals, among other things.