Upcycling Cork: Design and Fabrication of a Binder-Free Cork Component Architectural System

This paper presents a binder-free, upcycled cork material system for architectural use, proposing a sustainable alternative to conventional insulation and structural components. Using post-industrial cork waste and suberin’s natural adhesive properties, activated through controlled hot compression, the study develops modular blocks without synthetic binders. Material experiments, including compressive strength and thermal insulation testing, demonstrate that the fabricated cork components meet or exceed the performance of conventional cork products, including polyurethane-bound agglomerates. The system features friction-based interlocking geometry and post-tensioning for dry assembly and disassembly, enabling reuse. A parametric design protocol further tailors material density to structural and thermal needs. The findings highlight suberin-based binding as both an environmentally and functionally viable approach and demonstrate the potential of processed cork waste as the basis for a scalable, digitally integrated construction system.