About the future of gravel and concrete
Despite being famous for its mountainous landscape, Switzerland is suffering from a shortage of gravel – the main component of concrete. Estimations show that it will run short of mineable gravel resources within the next 40 years.
Puzzled by that, a team of six first year bachelor students investigated the gravel resource system and recycled concrete processing in the context of the course Tackling Environmental Problems at D-USYS. With the support of the ForDev team, they developed a board game to approach the topic from a different angle.
Gravel-Grab puts players in the position of a large scale building contractor, allowing them to explore the material cycle of concrete and gravel in Switzerland. Their decisions during the game reveal both the different views of stakeholders as well as the conflicts over resources in Switzerland.
The Gravel-Grab game has primarily been developed for students. Feedback during the crash-test phase has been consistently positive. A music student for instance remarked that the game has sensitized her to this issue and that she would now regularly question the use of the building materials when passing by a construction site. Moreover, an architecture student assured that the game reflects reality and would be valuable for architecture and civil engineering students too.
During the official presentation of the game, stakeholders from the building sector showed high interest in the game. They would be ready to give it a try, stating that the game is a fresh and interesting approach to a current sustainability problem. Encouraged by this promising feedback, the students are motivated to further refine and trial the game in the upcoming fall term (HS 2018). Their aim: to organise an excursion, using the game to raise awareness about sustainable construction - with students from different disciplines and maybe also with the real stakeholders.
Blog written by: Lena Strini, Laura Schnegg, Gioele Madonna