4/2025
Part 1
Who would want a building made with today’s materials, you can start repairing it in two years, the health hazards will start next week, not to mention how much of a burden we are putting on the environment. We all know by now that solutions made in the face of the pressures of urbanisation, of the rapid pace of industrial and technological development, do not serve nature, nor people. Let the solutions be understood by their contemporaries, but now we know more. Continuing in this way, however easy and familiar, is no longer possible or safe.
The old lessons are there, we have been able to build with respect for the environment before. So that buildings are part of nature, cooperating and interacting with each other, not fighting each other. Harness these lessons and add modern science and technology, and we actually have everything we need to change that.
Over the spring, we’ve been exploring the range, and we’ll be showcasing the best of it in a few separate articles. In Part 1, a general enthusiasm for a holistic solution to many of our problems today;
Our partner Attoverde is a leading manufacturer of bio-based building materials, pioneering a range of natural cork-based thermal and acoustic plasters and cork/clay paints suitable for exterior and interior surfaces in restoration, renovation and new build projects. They can be used to solve almost all building insulation and surface problems.
- 25 years of innovative bio-based building product systems
- 100 years of manufacturing tradition
- 3000 years of natural ingenious raw materials
The building products systems manufacturer Diasen, which took its name in 2000, has a longer history than its predecessors: the two previous generations who laid the foundations for the company made their fortunes in the manufacture of soap and various coatings for the chemical industry.
Since 2000, Diego Mingarelli, Diasen’s founder and third generation, has been refining his vision, which, 25 years later at the latest, has proved to be a wise decision: to develop and manufacture building products based in particular on natural materials, with construction characteristics proven over 3,000 years, but also with the capacity to meet and exceed future building requirements.
The importance of keeping water and moisture out of building structures should not be underestimated. Diasen’s product range includes waterproofing systems and coatings with technologies such as water-based resins, which make the solutions safer for the environment and the users of the products. However, the decisive ingenuity of Diasen’s product systems lies beyond waterproofing systems and coatings; the main product groups are based on the use of up to 100% natural raw materials (also: bio-based raw materials).
Natural materials include recycled and renewable raw materials such as cork, clay, diatomaceous earth, natural fibres, pumice, hydraulic lime and natural waxes, which are naturally recyclable today and in the future as the potential life cycle of a building comes to an end.
Based on today’s knowledge, the natural materials listed above are not expected to be hazardous waste in the future and are not expected to be subject to the nuisance charges or taxes envisaged for many industrial/synthetic products. Diasen as a company has also invested significantly in comprehensive global certifications and approvals, including simulation software to estimate the expected energy savings over a given period and the payback period of the investment. For example, Diasen offers for housing associations to apply for green loans and/or green financing, for example.
Choosing Diasen solutions also opens up a whole new world of possibilities: compatible product systems from the same manufacturer can offer year-round energy efficiency, even seamless facade and thermal insulation, weather protection, thermal comfort and healthy indoor air, not forgetting protection against fire and moisture. The whole is crowned by the flexibility of the range of product systems to adapt to different purposes: the same product systems can be used for renovation, new construction and restoration projects, regardless of the shape, design and colour desired.
The premise: Fully part of nature, just like us humans. We are just like humans, as part of the environment. Minimal environmental impact, health and safety first, long life in relation to price.
We are particularly excited about materials that not only support these values, but also embrace the architect’s vision.
- Nature in the building. Literally!
More on the innovation of bio-based thermal and sound insulation mortars in the next section. ->
