Inquiry into Biomaterial Architectures

Catalog description

Traditional building materials like concrete, steel, brick, or glass are environmentally and economically expensive to extract, process, transport, and recycle, their damage is non-trivial to repair and have limited ability to respond to changes in their immediate surroundings. Biological materials like bark, coral, mycelium, silk, shell, or bone outperform man-made materials in that they can be grown where needed, self-repair when damaged, decay without toxicity, and adapt to their surroundings. Their reverse-engineering and inclusion in architectural practice could have great benefits in human and environmental wellbeing defining new tools and strategies towards the future of sustainable construction. Crucial projects describing future biomaterial architectures are emerging in the field. In this seminar, students will review their potential through invited international expert lectures followed by cutting-edge case studies. Then, during the second half of the seminar and using DumoLab Research (DLR) fabrication facilities at Addams Hall, teams will experiment with defining and manufacturing new bio-composites in real-scale systems of shingles, bricks, panels etc. through a hands-on guided research project with special attention to functional, industrial, environmental, and aesthetic dimensions. One selected team will have the unique opportunity to partner with the BioDesignChallenge (BDC) and discuss their design journey with teams from other schools worldwide at NYC's MoMA and Parsons in the following June to access opportunities of project growth and mentorship beyond the semester.