Clean-Swap is a concept addressing the tension between the automotive industry and global warming. It is an automotive conversion line focusing on converting combustion cars to electric vehicles without building a new chassis & upholstery from scratch, thus reducing the carbon emissions of new built electric cars.

The proposed site is the Quaker Meeting House in Lewes, built in 1784 and expanded to until 1978.

The proposal provides a use for Ash Dieback, a locally sourced wood that is currently being cut down to stop a disease infestation, burning it and using the charred wood cladding to insulate through a high thermal mass.

The building also uses mechanical arms in the conversion process, this led to the redesign of the roof structure to provide an unobstructed, open plan conversion line as well as, an expansion to the side of the building to provide room to the maximum outreach of the arms and allow clients to walk through the space without obstructing the process. The building also incorporates water collection through a glass gutter to recycle water and reuse it to wash the cars once the process had been finished.

Clean-Swap is the concept of the conversion line however the proposed design, incorporates circular economy and embodied carbon into the building, therefore addressing the carbon emission directly from the expansion itself.

Hopefully this made you consider that just because it doesnt “guzzle” petrol, it doesn’t mean it isn’t an indirect polluter adding to global warming.

We must act on building sufficient renewable infrastructure before pushing for an all electric future!