Main Materials

In this part we will mainly talk about the materials used in the real structure (not the model) and all the components that make it up. The materials used have been thought in advance to be able to provide good thermal insulation and that their cost is not too high as is the transport, therefore they have tried to use resources found in the surroundings. 

Corylus Avellana

It is a tree native to western Asia, North Africa, and most of Europe, from the British Isles east to Russia and the Caucasus, and from central Scandinavia south to Turkey. It normally reaches between 3 and 5 m in height, although at times it can reach 8 m with a very extended crown of irregular shape. With pale brown or grey bark and deeply grooved, its wood is hard, flexible and very resistant. This is the reason why we have decided to use it to make the interior structure of the cabin because it is a fairly large, flexible and resistant tree.

Oakwood

Oakwood has been widely used on our planet since forever. In fact, its main uses have been for construction or carpentry. The reason is that it is a very dense and resistant type of wood. Mainly it is very resistant to humidity and has very positive mechanical properties. This makes it a perfect wood for the construction sector. Moreover it values increases for us thanks to its provenance in Norway which makes easier the transport to the Antarctic.

This type of wood presents a series of characteristics that make it unique and that manage to justify the reason for its continued use in construction and carpentry. The main ones are the following: 

1. It is resistant to humidity. Oakwood is a material that perfectly resists humidity. This is because it is hard and heavy and resists water very well. This was the main reason why it was used for a long time to make ships. 
   
2. Oak has many varieties of colour. This makes it perfect for creating woodworking elements. It allows you to choose different shades to improve the design and adapt it to the tastes of each person. Oak colours can range from light and dark browns to redder and yellow tones. Ideal to also decorate our refuge.
   
3. It is very dense. In addition to having a humidity level of 12%, oak wood is very dense. Its density is around 700 and 770 kg / m3. This property allows the manufacture of quality furniture and elements under construction 
   
4. In carpentry, it is very easy to manipulate. It is a wood that is easy to nail and screwed, although due to its hardness there may be more complicated phases of the process. 
5. It is durable. Thanks to its resistance and hardness, it does not deteriorate easily. For this reason, it is perfect in the manufacture of furniture, since it ensures that the furniture will be of quality and will not be easily damaged. 
   

Opus caementicium

One of the main materials used in the smart door is Opus Caementicium, which is a mixture of water, lime, sand, waste stones, pebbles and volcanic tuff, a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock, this material can be found in Iceland among other volcanos. the resistance and solidity got once set is incredible.
The opus caementicium is one of the keys to the architectural success of Roman constructions, due to its speed of execution and the solidity of the construction once it is finished. It allowed the realization of a type of one-piece dome, called a concrete vault, with a span of several tens of meters, such as the Magnesium Basilica or the Pantheon of Agrippa.

The falsework and the forging were the usual auxiliaries that gave shape to the opus caementicium, but from time to time the Roman builders also embedded it, already set, between two rows of smaller calibre ashlars ("leaf ashlars") or between two walls. brick, thus masking the rough appearance of such strong work, while increasing its resistance. Its low cost and it's rapid obtaining made the opus caementicium the indispensable ally to build robust walls and unbeatable ramparts, as well as vaults or domes that still defy time and the elements today. In the Domus and in the palaces, colourful stucco finally adhered with ease to the walls of this opus caementicium.

This material and its use date back many centuries, specifically in Roman times. It is at this time that the ancient Romans generalized the use of arches, domes and vaults. But to build them, they needed an incredibly strong material: Roman concrete. The so-called "concrete revolution" began with the Roman republic. and it flourished in 509 BC when the Romans based their territorial expansion on engineering, for which they were forced to undertake large works to manage their possessions. Originating constructions with this same material.