Archinect - News

Design team develops bio-glass cladding tiles made from mussel shells

2022-05-31T20:27:00-04:00

London-based architecture studio Bureau de Change and Lulu Harrison, a postgraduate student in Central Saint Martins' Material Futures program, have collaborated to create a series of cladding tiles made from glass using mussel shells. Their work explores alternatives to the processed and unsustainable materials used in traditional glass production that also prioritizes the use of locally-sourced materials.

The bio-glass, named Thames Glass, is made from a mixture of the ground-up shells of quagga mussels, sand, and waste wood ash. These invasive mussel species often clog the transfer tunnels used by water and wastewater services company Thames Water. Rather than being removed and sent to a landfill, Harrison developed an eco-sensitive solution by using the shells as a raw material to produce this unique kind of glass.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bureau de Change Architects (@bureaudechange_architects)

The biomaterial is entirely handmade, making e...

AIA awards research grants to five climate initiatives, from biodegradable structures to microgrids

2022-03-03T11:56:00-05:00

The AIA has announced the winners of the 2022 Upjohn Research Initiative, an annual grant which awards funding to research projects advancing sustainability in architecture. The 2022 edition sees up to $30,000 awarded to five research projects, with topics ranging from biodegradable structures to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

Each year, the grant recipients are chosen by a seven-member jury comprised of members from the AIA College of Fellows and AIA Board Knowledge Committee. Previous editions have seen projects focusing on envelope retrofit guides, 3D-printed formworks, embodied carbon calculators, and compressed earth blocks.

This year’s five recipients continue the theme of advancing the design profession’s knowledge and practice.

The first project, titled Architects and Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings (GEBs): The Role of the Professio...

Mushrooms hold the key for this year’s winning proposal at the Tallinn Architecture Biennale in Estonia

2021-10-12T14:18:00-04:00

A trippy trend in building technology has taken top billing at the 6th annual Tallinn Architecture Biennale in the Baltic nation of Estonia.

Using 3D-printing technology, the Australian team of Simulaa and Natalie Alima has taken a timber-frame formwork imbued with mycelial fibers that grow to envelop the structure, allowing it to decay along an algorithmic process that, in fitting with the competition’s mandate, biologically expresses the slow passage of time.

The installation contained within ‘incubation bag’ to create ideal conditions for mycelial growth © Simulaa

With the Biennale’s theme being “Edible; Or, The Architecture of Metabolism,” the concept offers a very wavy way of considering how materials and methods can be better used to help buildings adapt to local environments through projects that “take a long, romantic and human-centric view towards construction technology.”

Section illustrating the ‘forest’-like qualities of the installation © Simulaa

“This project curates an ...

New research study indicates chitin could be a suitable building material for Mars habitation

2020-09-30T13:08:00-04:00

A study conducted by Javier Fernandez and colleagues from Singapore University of Technology and Design provides research that the bioinspired material, chitin, would be a viable building material for Mars inhabitation and tool production.

Fernandez shares with Universe Today that by reverse-engineering chitin production and combining it with an analog of Martian soil, new chitinous material was created. This material called biolith has presented itself to be highly useful in creating rigid structures using minimal energy output.

“The technology was originally developed to create circular ecosystems in urban environments, but due to its efficiency, it is also the most efficient and scalable method to produce materials in a closed artificial ecosystem in the extremely scarce environment of a lifeless planet or satellite,” explains Fernandez.

A living breathing building: How biology and architecture will change construction and the built environment

2019-07-24T12:53:00-04:00

The institutions have been jointly awarded £8m from Research England’s Expanding Excellence in England fund to establish the world’s first research Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE). It will lead to a whole new concept of the way we design and construct our buildings.

Maybe buildings of the future don't need to be AI filled structures face mapping our every move. Perhaps they need to be self-sustainable and responsive structures infused with a bit of biology. Architecture author, lecturer, and researcher Dr. Martyn Dade-Robertson shares new discoveries diving into these possibilities. Along with his colleagues at Newcastle and Northumbria Universities Dade-Robertson comments on his excitement towards the project in a recent university press release. "This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to create a new field of research. By bringing together architects, engineers, and bio-scientists, working with industry and investing in state-of-the-art facilities, we are aiming to rethink the building industry."

With the hopes to address changes and better construction practices, the team aims to create a brand new system of "Living Buildings." This collaboration of bio-scientists, architects, and engineers will open new doors for experimental biological...

Architect Nancy Diniz creates new sustainable design program at Central Saint Martins focusing on biodesign

2019-06-07T19:24:00-04:00

An architect by training, Diniz will lead Central Saint Martins’ newest programme: a masters in biodesign that will launch in the new academic year. The school’s ambition is to educate a future wave of designers and entrepreneurs who can break down barriers between disciplines and lead advances in bio-materials.

Sustainability in fashion has become a growing trend in classrooms as well as the fashion industry. However, despite the industry's attempts it still struggles to understand and tackle the effects it has on the environment, several designers and students are reworking this approach. Architect and educator Nancy Diniz will be spearheading a new master's program that focuses on biodesign. An alumnus of University College London, Diniz will use her background in bio-design research and material study to lead students towards bridging design and science together in fashion.

Natsai Audrey Chieza studied architecture and pursued her studies in materials and fashion. She the founder of Faber Futures. Faber Futures x Ginkgo Bioworks, 2017. Design-led protocol development for bacteria pigmented textiles and garments. Photo courtesy of IMMATTERS Studio.

With an extensive career in exploring materials and alternative manufacturing methods through biotechnology and computational design, Diniz s...

Urban design practice ecoLogicStudio harvests photosynthetic microalgae to help de-carbonize our cities

2018-11-09T14:24:00-05:00

The London-based architectural practice ecoLogicStudio, which specializes in bio-digital design, has developed a large-scale installation which stores and filters CO2 to help fight global climate change. Their 'urban curtain'—dubbed Photo.Synth.Etica—was unveiled this week in Dublin during the 2018 Climate Innovation Summit, where it covered the main façade of the Printworks building at Dublin Castle.

Composed of 16, 2 x 7 meter modules made from a digitally designed and custom made bioplastic, the curtain acts as a photo-bioreactor, harvesting light and carbon dioxide to feed living micro-algal cultures.

Photo.Synth.Etica by ecoLogicStudio © NAARO

"For example, when the Printworks building emits CO2, this is captured by each of our facade’s photo-bioreactors and feeds the living algae cultures within them" explains ecoLogicStudio co-founder Marco Poletto. And "when the sun shines, its energy is captured by the algae cells within the photo-bioreactors that are designed to form an urb...

A new "super wood" nanofiber biomaterial is stronger than spider silk

2018-05-11T14:56:00-04:00

Spider silk has long held the title of strongest natural biomaterial, so scientists have been trying to harness it, mimic it and even improve on the recipe for years. Now, researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a new biomaterial out of wood nanofibers that steals the strength record.

A new material called "super wood" is eight times stiffer than silk, which has been considered one of the strongest bio-based materials. KTH researchers found a new technique to "densify" wood where fibers assemble to make the cell walls stiff and strong, a process called cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs).

This wood nanomaterial is found to be as strong as steel, surpassing metals, alloys, ceramics and E-glass fibers. Researchers assert the technique could be used to produce strong and lightweight materials for constructing cars, planes, bikes, and furniture—as well as helping to assemble other nanofibers like carbon tubes.

Biologically inspired pavilion designs explore lightweight construction solutions

2018-02-02T17:56:00-05:00

The Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) released designs for two light-weight pavilions to be completed next spring of 2019. In collaboration with the Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart, the projects will be robotically fabricated for the 2019 Bundesgartenschau exhibition in Heilbronn.

BUGA Fiber Pavilion by ICD/ITKE University of Stuttgart. Image: ICD.

Both pavilion designs draw from biological structures and their ability to exhibit a far higher degree of material efficiency and functional integrity. Each design revolves around the transfer of light-weight principles.

BUGA Fiber Pavilion by ICD/ITKE University of Stuttgart. Image: ICD.

The BUGA Fiber Pavilion will be made entirely from individual glass and carbon fibre composites produced through a robotic winding process. This method allows the form and layout of each component to adapt depending on specific structural requirements.

BUGA Wood Pavi...

The case for a semi-permeable architecture

2018-01-29T20:18:00-05:00

Our current built environment squanders too much fresh water and other vital resources, and tips too many poisonous substances into our surroundings. To develop a more sustainable relationship with the natural world, we need to allow chemical exchanges that take place within our living spaces, and between the inside and the outside. We need to embrace permeability.

Professor of experimental architecture, Rachel Armstrong, endorses a renewed symbiotic relationship between the built and the natural worlds and explains the benefits of permeability with the help of recent technological developments in the field of biodesign, such as mycotecture, algaetecture, bioplastics, and a variety of bioreactors.

Javier Senosiain's low-income "bio-architecture" housing proposal

2016-10-18T14:26:00-04:00

Forming a closer, more harmonious bond between humanity and nature is the underlying goal of Javier Senosiain's organic or so-called "bio-architecture." His buildings often take the shape of organic forms--in one case, mythic serpent Quetzalcoatl--while simultaneously harvesting rainwater and providing natural shade and ventilation, among other attributes. The Mexican architect and professor at UNAM has a retrospective exhibition at The Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City displaying his buildings, including a proposed low-income housing complex which breaks away from the cram'em'in monolithic housing milleu and instead creates a walkable, livable village. Check out this CCTV-America video profiling Senosiain and his work:

POLITICO features mini-doc on the biologically based architecture and urban design work of Terreform ONE

2015-11-10T20:29:00-05:00

Bio City -Terreform ONE’s Mitchell Joachim pushes the boundaries of architecture with experimental materials such as living trees and engineered animal tissue — to design future cities that merge with nature.

Mini documentary on the biologically based architecture and urban design work of the nonprofit group Terreform ONE at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in NY.

Hummingbird Drones and other Bio-inspired Robotics

2014-10-23T13:38:00-04:00

Birds have remarkable flight capabilities...They make it look effortless, but engineering a drone to do the same is anything but. It’s a major engineering feat to harness the evolutionary talents of a bird and translate them into a robot that can deliver packages to your doorstep. By understanding how birds have mastered the ability to swoop and dive, [Stanford professor David] Lentink and his team [of mechanical engineers] hope to inform microdrone design.

Similar to biomimicry (and its correspondent field of architectural thinking), bio-inspired design takes it cues from biological systems, although it entails simplification, enhancement and non-mimetic adaptation of observed phenomena rather than replication. Bio-inspired robotics, specifically, is a rather new field, although its origins can be traced back to the earliest engineering projects. For example, Leonardo Da Vinci famously studied birds, in particular kites, when he drew out plans for wings that could enable human flight.

The US military is a major player in the field of bio-inspired robotics. In 2011, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) released images of its own hummingbird-inspired drones, pictured above. Manufactured by AeroVironment the Nano Air Vehicle is capable of flying along three axes of motion as well as hovering in mid-air. Equipped with a small camera, the 19 gram drone is small enough to surveil without attracting much attention.

DARPA stud...

More details on microalgae façade “SolarLeaf”, a Zumtobel Group Award 2014 nominee

2014-08-11T20:34:00-04:00

"SolarLeaf" has been described as the world's first bioreactive façade that can help further research into algae as a potential renewable energy source. Designed by ARUP, SSC Strategic Science Consult, and Colt International, the façade was recently selected as one of 15 nominees for the prestigious Zumtobel Group Award 2014 in the award program's newest category, "Applied Innovations".

More project details on Bustler.

Baumgartner+Uriu’s "Apertures" shell structure challenges the conventions of sustainable design

2014-06-02T18:26:00-04:00

Baumgartner+Uriu looked to none other than Mother Nature for their Apertures installation, which was publicly displayed at the SCI-Arc Gallery in Los Angeles this past spring. If B+U's Apertures sound familiar, perhaps you may recall their "Animated Apertures" Housing Tower that was exhibited at the FRAC Center in Orleans, France.

Whatever its organic form reminds you of, the shell structure let visitors catch a glimpse of B+U's ongoing exploration in architectural biomimicry and how it challenges the boundaries of ecological design.

Read on for more project details from B+U:

"Apertures reflect a current architectural discourse of digital ecologies, emphasizing the relationship between the natural world and advances in digital technology, which leads to a new type of interactive, organic buildings. The installation focuses on a symbiotic relationship between nature, building morphologies, and material expression."

"Rooted in Baumgartner+Uriu’s work and ongoing research, Apertures ...

The Urban Algae Canopy shows the power of "algaetecture" for Milan Expo 2015

2014-04-17T19:27:00-04:00

Here's another look at what to expect at the Milan Expo in 2015. As part of the Expo's Future Food District project, the Urban Algae Canopy shows the great potential of micro algae organisms for integrative greener, cleaner bio-digital architecture. London-based ecoLogicStudio designed the pavilion in collaboration with local architect Cesare Griffa.

Full-scale prototypes of the pavilion are currently being previewed at the INTERNI ‘Feeding New Ideas for the City’ exhibition at Cortile d’Onore, University of Milan, Festa del Perdono happening until April 18.

Once it's fully built, the canopy will be able to produce oxygen equivalent to 4 hectares of woodland and up to 150kg of biomass per day -- 60% of which are natural vegetal proteins.

Dig into the project details right below:

"The Urban Algae Canopy, based on ecoLogicStudio’s six years long research on building integrated bio-digital systems, is presented here with a 1:1 scale prototype of the world’s first bio-digital canopy integra...